We were lucky to catch up with Cadex Herrera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Cadex, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
My earliest recollection of being fascinated with the idea of being and artist was when I drew on the blank pages of my moms encyclopedia collection. A library she held dear for they were the only books we had in our house. She had bought them at a sale from the local deacon in our town of Benque Viejo Del Carmen in Belize. We were a family of limited means and paper was a luxury that we couldn’t afford. The encyclopedias had blank pages in the front and back and I used them to sketch all my creations until she found out. Suffice to say she was not very happy and after being reprimanded for my artistic transgressions she bought me a line exercise book that I immediately filled with drawings. I was entrance by the idea of invention, creating images that would transport me to other worlds that would isolate me from the hardships of our daily life.
In my teens people in town were aware of my art pursuits and a local store owner hired me on my first commission to paint a store front sign that read, “Emmas Store”. A wall approximately 15 x 20 feet which I was paid $50 Belizean dollars or $25 U.S. dollars. I worked on the sign for a week and remember it being a defining experience that compelled me to believe that I could make art for a living.
Cadex, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My earliest recollection of being fascinated with the idea of being and artist was when I drew on the blank pages of my moms encyclopedia collection. A library she held dear for they were the only books we had in our house. She had bought them at a sale from the local deacon in our town of Benque Viejo Del Carmen in Belize. We were a family of limited means and paper was a luxury that we couldn’t afford. The encyclopedias had blank pages in the front and back and I used them to sketch all my creations until she found out. Suffice to say she was not very happy and after being reprimanded for my artistic transgressions she bought me a line exercise book that I immediately filled with drawings. I was entrance by the idea of invention, creating images that would transport me to other worlds that would isolate me from the hardships of our daily life.
In my teens people in town were aware of my art pursuits and a local store owner hired me on my first commission to paint a store front sign that read, “Emmas Store”. A wall approximately 15 x 20 feet which I was paid $50 Belizean dollars or $25 U.S. dollars. I worked on the sign for a week and remember it being a defining experience that compelled me to believe that I could make art for a living.
I was born in Belize Central America and grew up in the town of Benque Viejo Del Carmen west of Belize City. I attended Mount Carmel Primary School and graduated from Sacred Heart College. I immigrated to the United States of America at the age of 19 where I later enrolled at the College of Visual Arts where I graduated with a Bachelors in Communication Design and a minor in Photography.
After graduating from the College of Visual Arts I became a Media Arts Specialist teacher at Creative Arts High School in Saint Paul. Where I thought Graphic Design, Video production, traditional and digital Photography. I was also a freelance graphic designer and photographer outside of my day job and kept making art whenever possible. Initially I started posting my photography work on Instagram to motivate and inspire my students. I then started to focus on creating and posting work that was socially conscious. I started painting murals after participating in a mural apprenticeship program at CLUES (Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Service) a non profit organization that provides resources for the latino community. The transition into being a creative was slow but consistent. My first mural was the George Floyd mural on 38th and Chicago in Minneapolis which I designed and painted with the help of other mural artist. My focus for the past several years has been centered in working with non-profit organizations to create public art that empowers communities. I also hold workshops and speaking engagement where I share my work as an “Artivist” and teach mural making as well as traditional kite and sculpture arts and crafts.
The project I am excited about and wish to continue is “First Person Plural” a temporary year long installation and documenting project I completed for the City of Eden Prairie in 2021. It consisted of 7, 8 x 8 feet panels of portraits of immigrants displayed at a public park in the City of Eden Prairie. This project was created to honor immigrants and their contributions to their community. It was composed by documenting and recording their stories to preserved them for future generations via video. The projects also served to showcase the beauty of living in a multi cultural society where we honor and see the members as active participants, contributors and part of the narrative of the city.
My goal as an artist is to continue this work in various cities in Minnesota and hopefully one day expand outside the state in an effort to reinforce and advocate for the contributions of immigrants.
My approach to working with various communities is to engage them in the art making process as well as encourage members to participate in creating work that honors their traditions and roots. My public and personal work is anchored in advocacy and amplification for social justice through art to bring about change and progress in our communities.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
An opportunity to learn to be a painter arose when I was 15 years old. A local artist was offering a summer workshop for teens. However there was s small fee of $40 Belize dollars ($20 U.S.) for the 3 month course. After exhausting my parents for the fee which they could not afford. It was suggested by the organizer that I could acquire a scholarship from the Bliss Institute, the National Arts Council of Belize. However by the time I had found out about the scholarship the window had closed.
I borrowed money from a friend for a one way bus ticket to Belize City to try my luck. After a 4 hour bus ride I arrived at the Bliss Institute at 7 a.m. and after sharing my situation with the front desk person I was asked to wait in the lobby for the administrator to arrive to see if I could get the scholarship. The clerk pointed out the administrator who arrived at 9 that morning, I promptly walked up to her and explained my story. The administration explained that there was nothing she could do and that the window was closed. I had nowhere to go and couldn’t afford to go back home. So I waited.
At noon the administrator came out for her lunch break where I approached her again and explained to her how important this opportunity was for me. After hearing my story she suggested that she would look into it and see if there was any available funds to help my cause. She came back after an hour long lunch break and was surprise to see me there, she nodded and continued to her office. At around 5 that evening there was a call to the front desk where the clerk answered, “ye, still deh yah” (yes, he is still here) and hung up.
The last bus to my hometown left the city at 8 p.m. I had resolved to sleep at the park in front of the Bliss institute that night and figure out a ride home the next day. The clerk closed the front desk sometime after the call and apologetically asked me to wait outside as the building would be closing. At approximately 7:30 that night the administrator came out of the building and found me sitting outside the steps of the Bliss Institute, she said she was glad I was still there and that she had taken care of it, that a private donor had stepped up and offered to pay the fee. I was elated and thankful. And rushed to the bus station that was about 2.5 miles away to catch the last bus home. I managed to convince the bus conductor to let me ride for free in exchange for loading passengers cargo. I arrived back home at around midnight with 2 Belizean dollars in tips. I started the workshop 1 week later where for the first time in my life I had access to paint and canvases.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that I get to do what I love. To produce images out of thin air and represent ideas using line and color is fascinating and magical. That I can use those images to speak truth to power, advocate for social change and to speak against the many injustices in out society is a powerful weapon to combat hate and abuse of power through art. I also find rewarding that I can use art to educate and elevate to teach young and old how to be creative as well as to share my culture, heroes and traditions.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cadexherrera.com
- Instagram: @cadexherrera
- Linkedin: cadex herrera