We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa D’Amico a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Creating Bluefield Exhibits and the Bluefield Arts Festival has been a deeply meaningful endeavor, rooted in my desire to celebrate creativity, community, and culture. These projects provide a platform for emerging and established artists to share their work, connect with audiences, and inspire one another. They also bring people together while fostering dialogue, collaboration, and a sense of pride in the region’s artistic identity. Through these efforts, I hope to make the arts more accessible and to nurture an inclusive arts community.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The Bluefield Exhibits and the Bluefield Arts Festival are joint ventures; however, the festival had a more complex journey. Michael Craft, Debbie Silberberg, Aviva Sakolsky, and I have been longtime friends, connected by our shared love of the arts. When the coronavirus canceled the in-person Bluefield Arts Festival, the four of us knew we had to find a way to keep it alive — not just for the artists, but for the community. So we joined forces and reimagined the festival in a virtual format that prioritized safety while still celebrating creativity.

Even though the way we connected had to change during COVID-19, the bond between us only grew stronger. We were all navigating uncharted and often stressful times, and this was exactly when we needed each other the most. The Bluefield Arts Festival became more than an event — it became a reflection of resilience, support, and the power of showing up for one another.

Now hosting multiple events each year, the Bluefield Exhibits and the Bluefield Arts Festival showcase hundreds of artists both online and in person, drawing over 100,000 visitors.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being both an artist and a curator is incredibly rewarding because it allows me to engage with creativity from multiple perspectives. As an artist, I find fulfillment in expressing ideas, emotions, and stories through my work. As a curator, I have the privilege of supporting other artists, shaping meaningful exhibitions, and creating spaces where diverse voices can be seen and heard. Together, these roles allow me to connect with audiences, foster community, and contribute to a cultural dialogue.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A powerful lesson many artists — myself included — have to unlearn is the idea that perfection equals success. Early on, I believed that every piece had to be flawless, and that any misstep was a failure. But over time, I learned that creativity thrives in imperfection. Art is about exploration, risk, and sometimes even getting it wrong. Letting go of the need for perfection opened the door to more authentic expression and unexpected successes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bluefieldexhibits.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisadamicocurator/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluefieldartexhibits/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmFFMblCrahNTp1A29n5o2w

Image Credits

Lisa D”Amico