Jersey Joe and myself were invited to come speak to a group of students at Art Center College in Pasadena.
I was very excited about the prospect because even though I didn’t go to school there, Art Center has played a role in my early life.
My mother graduated there in 68 and later taught a few classes and became the first female president of the alumni. In other words I spent a lot of time running around the school grounds as a kid and got my first introduction to design there. To be asked to speak there years later, and especially about my part in graffiti and my paintings, was an honor.
Basically Joe and I each created a slide show of some of our work, and took turns going through images and talking about out experiences as artists.
After both Joe and I spoke, we took questions. Most of them seemed to be centered on the business side of what we do, how we deal with corporations etc. The bottom line is this, the more education you have about business, finance, contracts, taxes, the better off you’ll be. People like to take advantage of creative people. Your only defense is information, education, and confidence. Don’t be afraid of being smart. Its time for our generation to wake up to its potential.
As far as Art Center goes, it’s always a pleasure to walk through the halls and see what the students are up to. And it would be awesome to collaborate with the school again in the future.
