We were lucky to catch up with June Krinsky-Rudder recently and have shared our conversation below.
June, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
Strangely enough, my legacy is a topic that I often consider. Having had family members who impacted many people (through their contributions in Education, Basketball, Dentistry, and Social/Political Activism, among other areas), I frequently wonder what marks I will leave behind when I am no longer here.
As a visual artist, I will certainly leave plenty of art (and probably a studio full of supplies that my husband would rather burn than prefer to think about, as he is not an artist). As a former art educator, I made contributions to the field of art education while serving on boards of the Massachusetts Art Education Association, the National Art Education Association, and by mentoring 17 student teachers over the course of my career. I also inspired a few former students who are now working and/or teaching artists, including one who replaced me when I retired (one legacy so far).
The legacy that I hope to leave is as an Arts-based Community Organizer or Community Builder. In August of 2000, I became a co-founder of the East Boston Artists Group. The idea for the group had been kicked around for two years before I was invited to a party held by one of the other co-founders. I had met Anna Salmeron, a photographer, when I was asked to interview her for her upcoming exhibit at ZUMIX (a local, East Boston, music-based nonprofit organization that had funded a mixed media art class I was teaching around the neighborhood). Our 45-minute interview lasted over 2 hours, until the tape ran out, and we talked about starting a group for local artists. For two years, we would bump into each other walking our dogs, or at the grocery store, and we’d stop to discuss ideas for the group. When Anna invited me to a party at her house, I agreed to attend only if she invited other artists and if we could talk about starting an artists’ group. At her party, I was introduced to Jesse Kahn. The following day, Jesse and I met to start organizing the group; Anna had to work. The next day, the three of us met, and finalized our plans, including preparing invitations for local artists to join us. At the time we had hoped to have critique meetings and maybe some exhibits.
Within 10 months, eleven artists had built out studios at 80 Border Street, utilizing some areas that already had walls, and erecting a few others. Four months after that, we added more artists to the building and held our first Open Studios. It was well-attended and led to additional artists moving into the building. Though our neighborhood, and studio location were portrayed as a little ‘sketchy’ at the time by people who weren’t familiar with the area, we artists loved it! (Most of us were transplants from other states, and our arrival in the area and move to an old brick warehouse formerly affiliated with the shipbuilding industry, but then being used as a storage space, is a familiar story in the world of visual art.)
Open Studios became an annual event, and usually included additional locations for artists who didn’t have studios at 80 Border Street, including at some local real estate offices, ZUMIX, the East Boston Social Center, the East Boston Shipyard and Marina, and even in some homes of artists. We joined the Boston Open Studios Coalition, adding our neighborhood to the City’s calendar. As one of the newer artist groups, we attracted crowds who were curious to know about our art as well as what was on our side of the Boston Harbor.
After 9/11, a few of the artists left the area, and new ones came in. I moved to a larger studio one floor down, to share with a friend. She soon moved out and another friend (an art teacher) moved in to share the new space with me. We doubled the size of our space when the EBCDC (East Boston Community Development Corporation) bought the building from the original owner and renovated it. At this point there were at least 40-50 artists in the building, some who shared spaces and some who had their own. Most of us had full-time jobs that supported our part-time work as artists.
As you can imagine, East Boston soon became a “Destination”; people became more aware of our wonderful mix of cultures, excellent restaurants, interesting architecture, and beautiful parks – not to mention the best views of The City. The neighborhood gentrified, and all new construction was “luxury”. Fewer artists remained in the building as rent climbed and Open Studios became a smaller event (though the art remained consistently strong).
Though I was teaching full-time and serving on the Boards of MAEA and NAEA, I managed to organize a number of Open Studios, so that we would not be forgotten after having established ourselves as a viable organization with a consistently strong group of artists. As a co-founder, it was important to me that the group continue to exist, and hopefully to thrive. Our last Open Studios was held in 2018. We decided to take 2019 off so that we could begin planning for a big 20th Anniversary celebration…but our planning did not get very far. Covid-19 determined that there would be no celebration that year. Or the next…or the next.
In 2023, a small group of East Boston artists met to see about having Open Studios start up again. We asked the staff at the ICA Watershed if they might have some space available for artists without studios to participate and share their art, they invited us to move the whole event there. Instead of Open Studios (which is a much more intimate event, though sometimes more widespread), we launched, “Harboring Creativity” a showcase of work by artists who live, work and/or create in East Boston. We rented construction fencing to hang our art in keeping with the industrial feel of the building (which does not have walls that we could use to hang art). We had over 40 artists participate and had over 600 visitors. This event brought new members to the group.
In 2024, we held our second annual “Harboring Creativity” and expanded the number of fence panels to fill more of the space. Several artists who had exhibited with Atlantic Works Gallery in 2023, exhibited on their own in 2024, and AWG showcased additional artists on their panels. We had about 50 artists for that event and over 1,000 guests attended. We’re holding our 3rd “HC” in November.
As of January 2025, we became a paid membership organization. We’ve had ZUMIX’s support since the very beginning as our Fiscal Sponsor. They have managed our grants and event payments, as well as lending moral support and advice. By this point we had 92 artists on our mailing list, and were hoping that most would stick with us as we continued to grow but charged member dues. We were entering uncharted territory just as our federal government was becoming hostile to the Arts. Despite this, we have nearly 50 paid members and received requests from 3 new people in the last two weeks who want to join our organization.
I have been purposeful in my inclusion of any artist who lives, works, and/or creates in East Boston (or is a member of Atlantic Works Gallery). We have members who span from their 20s through their 70s (maybe even 80s). We have painters, sculptors, photographers, graphic designers, mixed media artists, jewelers, filmmakers, and more. Our group reflects our neighborhood – with some who were born and raised in East Boston, and many newcomers. A generous donation funded two memberships to accommodate artists for whom the membership fees would be difficult to manage right now.
A few months ago, I put together an Interim Board to lead us into the future and have been pleased to see our Interim President set forth a dynamic slate of events, organize groups of members to manage different aspects of the organization, and make plans to celebrate the upcoming 25th Anniversary of our founding. Open Studios will be back in October. Many of our early members have become more active again, taking on leadership roles in the newly formed committees. A lot of the newer members are also taking the lead on planning events and ensuring that we continue to have multiple opportunities for artists to share their art and to engage with the community. My goal is to act in an advisory role, and to become obsolete in the running of the group.
My legacy, I hope, is to be remembered as someone who grew a community of artists who engaged with the larger community of East Boston, and who made everyone feel welcome and included.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m a mixed media artist and retired art educator. I’m not so sure that I got into Art as much as Art got into me. I’ve been creating since I was very young – finger painting before the age of two and making ‘found art’ assemblages only a few years later. Despite the challenges of making a living as an artist, I realized that it wasn’t so much a choice as an acknowledgement of who I am. I have never been able to stop making art, so I haven’t.
After being introduced to acrylic paint by my 4th grade art teacher, I initially became a painter. Once I realized that one medium was not enough to express all my ideas, I added more. The process of creating is really where my focus lies, but my skills, experience and attention to craftsmanship have resulted in a strong (and growing) body of work.
I maintain a wide array of traditional and recycled materials in my studio which I sometimes combine, and other times alternate between. My art is 2D and 3D, and includes drawing, painting, embroidery, sculpting, digital photography, printmaking, artist books, collage, assemblage and more.
Though I have made art that addresses social justice issues (Climate Change; Invasive Species; Prevention of Farm Animal Abuse; Immigration/DACA; and more), most of my 2D art is abstract and inspired by water. I’m drawn to bright colors and asymmetrical composition, and contrasts in texture, value, scale, and luminosity. Some of my work is very detailed, and other pieces have more expressive mark-making that is looser and bolder. In many cases my 3D work translates my 2D work into sculptural form.
My process is fairly organic in nature. The early stage of anything I work on most closely resembles unconstructed play. I occasionally have some idea about what I might be working on or working with, but I usually just grab a bunch of things and start to explore. If my exploration seems to be leading me in a particular direction, and it seems like it might be productive, I follow my muse where it leads. If I sense that what I’m doing isn’t going to hold my attention, I move on to something else. In many cases I find that I repeat motifs that resurface in my work, occasionally decades later. Examples include tissue paper collage, embroidery, shapes that I call “Floaters”, ‘bubbles’, and ‘water’. Regardless of the media I use, I believe that I have a unique perspective that most viewers can easily identify as mine.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I don’t know that “non-creatives” exist; we all exhibit creativity in different aspects of our lives and work. Perhaps the question is more about people who don’t focus their lives on creating art. I think that people who are not compelled to make art don’t understand that for many of us the need to create is only slightly less compelling than the need to eat, drink, or breathe.
When I was younger, I attended college as an art major. At that time colleges did not consider that artists should concern themselves with making a living and taught that selling your art was akin to selling your soul. I made the mistake of internalizing that advice, which provided me with the mistaken belief that a starving artist was somehow superior to one who made money from their work. (That was probably the worst advice I ever received and took to heart.)
Many of my early jobs were art-related (Arts & Crafts counselor at a day camp, sales worker at a variety of art stores), or retail-based. I eventually became certified to teach art, which I did for 3 years then left teaching for five years. Eventually I found my way back into teaching art (first at a Girl Scouts camp, then at a residential and day school for students with extreme learning and emotional disabilities). The timing of these coincided with a grant to teach a mixed media course for children and adults on site throughout East Boston. (It was a busy summer!) During all these transitions I managed to find time to work as a visual artist because it was a necessary part of my existence. Eventually I cofounded the East Boston Artists Group (EBAG), about a year prior to taking on my role teaching art at a nearby high school. I became deeply involved in my professional art education associations, serving on State and National Boards, and joined the Board of ZUMIX, where I had restarted my teaching career through a series of grants. The continuous thread? Making art.
I think that people who do not make art might not understand how difficult it is to earn a living that allows you to find time to make art. The making of art and the business of art, though clearly connected, are two very different aspects of a creative life. Most artists do not know and are not taught how to make a living from our art and some create only for themselves, not with the intention of selling their work. Thanks to social media (and maybe even thanks to the pandemic) making money from one’s art is no longer frowned upon; in fact, it’s encouraged. There are countless workshops, books, podcasts and courses devoted to the business of art. Even art magazines that originally focused on techniques and media have sections or complete issues devoted to ‘best practices’ for business. Despite the new focus on helping artists to make money from their art, most of us struggle to strike the right balance between our need to create and our need to finance our lives and our art supplies. Any time spent devoted to making money is likely time not spent in the studio, yet one always hopes that time spent in the studio will lead to some sales that can finance more time in the studio.
Another thing that might be interesting to non-artists: artists work hard to create exhibition opportunities for themselves and each other. Only a small percentage of artists have gallery representation or consistent opportunities offered to them. Through EBAG I have not only found places and events in which to exhibit my art, but I have collaborated with others to create situations for myself and others to show our art. (Some of these exhibits were in Logan Airport, Boston City Hall, The ICA Watershed, and the Boston Convention Center.) We do this out of necessity. We need to make ‘Opportunity’ knock.
Many of us make our art in solitary settings, sometimes in studio buildings, sometimes in a home studio or a classroom, and frequently wherever we can find space to work (kitchen table? In a sketchbook, on the run?). Emerging from our isolation to form community provides us with the chance to connect with humanity, and to find ways to share our creativity. It also interrupts the flow of our work. The dichotomy between the need to create and the desire to be able to afford to create is real, but we manage to do what we can to get what we need to make more art.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
In my view society can best support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem by advocating for The Arts to be required in PreK-12 schools and taught by certified arts educators who are practitioners of their art forms in addition to being well-versed in pedagogy. Exposure to the arts leads to the understanding of arts processes, and appreciation for art forms and artists. People who have exposure to The Arts are more likely to develop an appreciation for them and to support them. I believe The Arts are vital to our existence.
To facilitate this, it would also be helpful to require that school administrators be required to take at least two art courses at the graduate level to qualify for their licensure. As a former public school art educator I can attest that many administrators did not have a clue about what they were seeing when they entered my classroom to observe me as part of my employee review, so their commentary was ill-informed at best. School administrators with an understanding of the value that Arts bring to Education will be less likely to immediately make cuts to Arts programming when seeking to trim budgets.
My earlier teaching was done at the elementary level, but I think my best work was done at the high school level, where I worked for 20 years. I taught very similarly to how I work as an artist, encouraging exploration and high levels of craftsmanship, as well as documentation of process. Encouraging students to work like artists and to see themselves as artists ensured that they would gain an appreciation for the process of making art and for noticing art out in the world, and understanding the level of thought and caring that goes into it.
The primary focus of my last 17 years of teaching had been Ceramics; I am not a Ceramist and had avoided touching clay for many years because it dried out my skin, but I learned to love it and developed expertise because I had to stay a step or two ahead of my students. The district where I taught was a magnet for students from a variety of countries. One wonderful thing about working with clay is that every culture that has existed, or still exists, has traditions based in working with clay. Regardless of their ability to communicate fluently in English, students could relate to and communicate in clay. Many had family members – parents or grandparents who worked with clay. Clay is earth. Working with it connects us to the planet we live on and connects us to each other. Making art connects us to other people, even when we work in isolation, because the act of creating is a human endeavor, as it has been for millennia.
Though art rooms were not considered a priority stop for parents during “Meet the Teacher” events, those who stopped by my classroom inevitably shared their favorite memories as high school art students and told me about the art they made, beaming with pride if it was something they still exhibited at home, and expressing a longing to relive their art student days. (Two or three even returned for a visit to work on the potter’s wheel with their kids!)
During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, teaching via Zoom, I provided 3 types of non-toxic clay for my students to use at home, making sets that also included containers of watercolor paint from tubes, Elmer’s Glue-All, popsicle sticks, bamboo skewers, and pencils, as well as paper for making maquettes and sketching. I filmed videos demonstrating Ceramic techniques while explaining what the similarities to and differences were from working with the earthenware clay we would have been using had we been in school. A wonderful thing that occurred was that many students had younger siblings or grandparents who worked with the clay alongside my students.
While teaching virtually was challenging (for many reasons), I believe that the students who were able to make art were able to maintain the sense of connection with the world outside their lockdown spaces, and the materials became therapeutic, not just expressive.
In many ways I think exposure to The Arts is still helping us to heal from our forced separation and the isolation that results from our addiction to electronic devices.
Many people took up a variety of art forms during the pandemic years, some of whom are continuing to make art. Those who have returned to traditional workplaces still make time to keep these new art forms in their lives and have been returning to social activity by visiting museums and galleries, attending concerts, dances, and plays. They are using Art as a proxy to reengage with other humans. Consistent high-quality exposure to Art in schools will develop supporters of The Arts, and possibly life-long participants as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://junekrinsky-rudder.art
- Instagram: @june_krinskyrudder
- Linkedin: June Krinsky-Rudder
- Other: eastbostonartistsgroup.com
newenglandartcenter.com (and Artsy.net)
@tagtheartgallery (Instagram)
Image Credits
Photo Credits:
1. June Krinsky-Rudder
2. Eric Hess
3. Edward Krinsky
4. June Krinsky-Rudder
5. June Krinsky-Rudder
6. June Krinsky-Rudder
7. Unknown Passerby with My Camera
8. June Krinsky-Rudder
9. Donna Romano