We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carol Prud’homme Davis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carol, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Illustrating the Lynn Simonson Legacy book

Carol, 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?

I went to NYC from East Texas the day after my last class in college in become a professional dancer. I wanted to be a dancer but also equally a visual artist. I became a pro. dancer (always drawing on the side especially of dancers. I started 2 professional dance companies ( always giving my dancers art of themselves dancing) . I went to Bank Street /Parson school of Design in Administration and Supervision of the Visual Arts. I joined George Soros in NYC developing free afterschool programming. I was site director of first arts education free afterschool program for TASC( The After School Corp) in NYC, then directed and created arts education programs for all ages and LGBTQ programs. I was laid off one of these programs and decided I wanted to actually “BE a Visual Artist”. I drew on the NYC streets and subways, then approached dance studios and companies asking if I could draw them live ( as I had in the streets and subways) Sandra Cameron ( International Ballroom Champion) and Igal Perry ( Peridance Studios) allowed me to come draw any classes I wished, and I wished to draw all that I could in every technique that I could. Igal asked that he select and own some of the pieces that I drew. The pieces went up on the studio walls and are still there. From this experience and the studio gallery of my work, led to be asked to be the first visual artist on permanent collection in the American Contemporary Dance Museum and to illustrate the Lynn Simonson Legacy book.
Those pieces gave me an international dance audience.
I started a facebook and Instagram account to connect with all my dance colleagues. These accounts and being sheltered in connected me internationally to zoom classes and dance videos which I drew after asking permission.
The problem is that although I am respected and known for my work, the world does not seem to realize that my work deserves to be paid for and not free, especially amongst dancers and dancer devotees.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started a facebook account focusing on my dance colleagues and found that it also attracted my Texas classmates, who were very aware of me running off to NYC to dance professionally and were very proud of me. My classmates bought art to support me, and dancers got to know my art as I posted nonstop of dancers, especially of those I drew live or of the photos of them dancing. Those dancers shared my work as it helped them with their careers as well. When I started getting younger dancers to work with, they suggested that I get an instagram account to reach the younger dancers.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I knew much more business, as I think I would be much more successful financially now, if I did. How to make a deal, how to close a deal. As I am kinda doing something that I don’t anyone else is doing.

Contact Info:

• Website: caroldavisart.com
• Instagram: @carolprudhommedavis
• Facebook: caroldavis
• Linkedin: insidechange

Image Credits
Anna London for headshot Carol Prud’homme Davis and Lynn Simonson