By Lisa Y. Garibay
UTEP News Service
Art students inside the Fox Fine Arts Center aren’t only learning the A to Z of creating work. They also are learning the business of being an artist.
Vincent Burke, Department of Art chair, had wanted to start an artist-in-residence program for some time. A few logistical obstacles stood in his way; most significantly, a lack of studio space for faculty within the Fox Fine Arts Center, since the rooms are prioritized for classwork and instruction in order to benefit students.
However, students often missed out on seeing how professional artists approach the production of their artwork.
“Some of my most valuable educational experiences came about through conversations I had with my professors in their studios while they were working,” Burke said. “I know I would not be where I am today were it not for those precious hours spent with my mentors. I wanted to create a space for this to happen at UTEP for our students.”
Burke decided to clean out a room previously earmarked for file storage and prepped a space for a working artist to be comfortable. He then reached out to Adrian Esparza — UTEP alum (B.F.A. ’96), El Paso native and world-renowned artist — as the pilot for the first-ever program for the department. It all came together quickly last August; Esparza committed right away and had moved into the new space just before classes started that month.
Drawing upon his previous artist-in-residence experience at the Border Art Residency and Artpace in San Antonio, Esparza knew how to juggle the public and private expectations of such a position, and had already taught several classes within The University of Texas at El Paso’s art department.
Burke was eager to connect students with a successful and proven artist.
“(Esparza) makes some of the most ambitious and thoughtful artwork in this region,” Burke said. “He also exhibits his work internationally and his exhibition schedule is booked years in advance.”
These bookings include current exhibits at The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (Esparza’s interview on his work for this exhibition can be seen here) and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, which offers a compelling time-lapse video documenting the installation of one of his very large and intricate pieces as part of PAMM’s AMERICANA: Formalizing Craft show running through May 2014.
Maintaining an open-door policy, Esparza’s other residency duties include producing work and giving students who chose to visit him a firsthand look at how a professional artist schedules exhibitions, organizes time in order to meet deadlines, puts together press packets, works with curators and collectors, and crafts artist’s statements. Student volunteers are recruited whenever appropriate to assist him with hands-on work like the physical construction of his pieces.
“Students would learn on-site at Fox Fine Arts the nuts and bolts of how to succeed as a professional artist,” Burke said. The plan is for Esparza to finish his 11-month residency (September 2013 – August 2014) having produced as much work as possible.
Some of that work will be on display as part of a solo exhibition in the Department of Art’s Glass Gallery. The exhibition will open on Monday, April 7 and close Thursday, April 17, with a reception and gallery talk from 6 to 8 p.m.
Students are frequently seen in relaxed conversation with Esparza in his studio. One of the regulars is junior Phillip Romero, a graphic design major who is also concentrating in ceramics. Romero first encountered his mentor in 2011 when Esparza was a Drawing 1 instructor. He felt connected to Esparza’s teaching style, and once Esparza had moved into his studio space, Romero was there to welcome him.
“Adrian (Esparza) has an aura about him that makes other art students gravitate toward him,” Romero said. “I have had the honor to walk into his studio and see his sketches, watch them morph into a schematic and then manifest physically as he works with various materials to create his multimedia works.
“I’ve learned a lot from Adrian, about technique and style and considering the audience. But I think the most valuable lesson I have learned from Adrian so far regarding being a successful professional artist is persistence. ‘Not giving up and accepting failures is part of the process,’ Adrian always says.”
Enhanced by his experiences of self-discovery within the University and as a local artist, Esparza connects with his students.
“I’ve been there,” he said. “I remember those same experiences of knowing that you’re interested in art but slowing coming to know what it takes to commit to that idea and make it a part of your life.”
Esparza believes it is a fundamental part of his work to make more people aware that world-class art is being created in El Paso, and he strives to cultivate both producers of this art and appreciative patrons to grow a stronger local art scene. The students with whom he comes into contact could very well be the next generation of lauded creators as well as big-time collectors and consumers of that art.
For his part, Esparza is grateful the residency has helped prevent the isolation artists often experience in their own studios. He also values the exchange that occurs when students ask him questions, which often sparks an idea or causes him to second-guess his own work.
“(Students) learn that there are highs and lows of producing, but that the goal is to always be responsible, be ready and make adjustments to where your sense of presentation – not only with the work but also professionally – is always ready for that due date,” Esparza said.
Esparza has been thrilled to share his professional experience as well as the lessons from his mentorship under former Department of Art Chair and Sculpture Professor Willie Ray Parish. His sums up his mentorship guidance with: “Be in the moment. This approach will produce work that justifies the next exhibition. Have a responsibility that establishes a reputation. Verbalize – the more you talk about your work, the better you get at producing it as well as explaining it and getting it out there. Then pull it off.”
Make Plans
What: Adrian Esparza will display new artwork from his residency during a solo exhibition.
When: Monday, April 7 through Thursday, April 17. Closing reception and gallery talk from 6-8 p.m. April 17.
Where: Fox Fine Art Center Glass Gallery.