We were lucky to catch up with Rose Luardo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rose , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Risks! Take them! Take as many as you can! Pile them on your plate. Grow and groom your risk-taking addiction. The risks I’ve taken have led to fat failures and success stories, but beyond this, a risk grows your artistic practice. Risk teaches you how to fail well, talk back to fear, and trust your instincts. I’m in the risk business and arrived here after a few decades of performing live in bands, sketch groups, performance art shows, comedy performances, plays, happenings, and anything in between. Here’s what I’m talking about when I say take a risk: say yes to a project that scares you, say yes to a project you’d normally say no to, get up and do something with little or no plan, try something outside of your skill set, get into something you might not do well, force yourself to let go of perfection. These things may feel a little risky, but in the grand scheme, there is little chance that a mistake in these spaces and places will ruin you. I’m not advocating for a risk that might devastate, but a risk that feels scary because you’re confronting your comfort zone. In my late 30s, I applied to a performance art program for dancers and theater artists. I had been working as an art teacher for developmentally disabled adults and was performing and touring in a band, but I had zero dance or theater training. I love to dance. I had been dancing with friends in a dance troupe called Club Lyfestile. We got together and created elaborate synchronized dances, made matching costumes, and met in nightclubs, discos, and bars to perform our work. When I applied to the program, I applied with a recording of a Club Lyfestile show in a warehouse rave. To my astonishment, I was selected for the program. But what was the real risk here? Rejection? At the time, it felt so perilous to apply for a program outside of my area of expertise. The looming rejection put a neon sign around my insecurities. But really … so what?! You can feel insecure and still shoot the moon. You can feel exposed and anxious and still do the damn thing. Now I’m a full advocate of trying anything new. I’m frequently rejected but constantly trying new things and moving forward.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a woman for whom pleasure is found in creating vibrant art installations and thrilling/unpredictable performances. I’m a surrealist comedic performer.
I began my performance career after graduating from New York University and deciding to move to Philadelphia where things are a bit grimier. I became acquainted with the art collective Space 1026 and began working on various performance shows. My first participation at Space 1026 Gallery was in The Smash it, Break it, Eat performance party, a combination of food, sculpture, and performance art show. In the pursuit of the perfect blend of art, comedy, physical theater, and performance I began working with Thom Lessner and formed the musical group Sweatheart. It has been said, if the seminal fluid of Sparks, Prince, Plander Z, and Kate Bush were harvested and then combined to make a rock and roll band child, that musical concoction would be Sweatheart. Sweatheart has graced the stage with acts such as DEVO, The Darkness, Hank and the Cupcakes, and Santigold. The group has also been featured in VICE magazine’s Practice Space, Anthem Magazine, and Dazed and Confused. I’m a graduate of the Headlong Performance Institute where I studied Comedia dell’Arte, dance, and physical theater. What a ride! After graduating, I began producing one-woman performance works that marry fine art and performance practices. I continue to create performance installations. I created work for Good Good Comedy Theater, The Next Festival, Whartscape, Printed Matter’s Art Book Fair, The Creator Festival, The Cannonball Festival, and countless art galleries.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Fun is my barometer. If it’s not fun – if it won’t lead to some kind of joy – it’s not for me. I’m not the kind of person who needs to have their creative work pay the bills. I’m willing to do all manner of monkey business to keep the lights on. I’ve done gig work, shift work, odd jobs, and service work to support myself. I feel strongly about never having to compromise my art for folks who might be paying me to create it. It led me to guerrilla art installations and performances that are PWYC so my work is accessible to anyone who wishes to see it. My goal is to use my art practice to cultivate my life. My mission is to create lasting friendships and community through my art practice. I feel successful when other artists want to work with me. Sometimes, I’m asked to collaborate in spaces and places where I don’t have any prior experience and I love the challen-tunity (the challenge mixed with opportunity).
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
One lesson I had to unlearn is that you don’t need a degree, a diploma, an MFA, or anyone’s permission or blessing to start creating. I don’t have an art degree but I’ve always had a strong energetic pull toward art-making. I simply couldn’t deny my urge to be in some kind of art practice/have a relationship with art. Go toward the things that make you feel most excited. Don’t worry about anything else but your desire to try something. I believe if something is calling to you, it wants you in its creative orbit.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://roseluardo.com
- Instagram: @roseluardo
- Facebook: Rose Luardo
- Linkedin: Rose Luardo
- Youtube: Rose Luardo
Image Credits
Thom Lessner, Ashley Berkman, Sonja Robson