Today we’d like to introduce you to R. J. Rodriguez.
R. J., please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up around Lake Worth, FL my whole life. My memory is predominately imagery-based one, visually-sharp where the names and places are blurred. . A dark green world when it’s not pastel and sky blue. Florida is a place one may never have visited but can probably imagine. It became a job early on to be a cartographer to the local history around me.
When I entered high school I thought I would be a writer and set sights on the school newspaper. By the end of freshman year. I was also illustrating stories across editions. Fast forward to college and I switched to studying art and I graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2018 with BFA concentrating in painting.
In the time I was wrapping up my degree I was doing art shows and getting involved in local art groups. I was showing across South Florida with groups and collectives. During this I began to see a small gap in representation in the art scene and curated Unshaped, a show for LGBTQ+ artists in the South Florida area that showed at the Cornell Art Museum in June of 2019 and shows for youths in the city.
By then I had worked two years consistently in the area’s art scene and began balancing my day job (currently the Cultural Art’s Director of a nonprofit), my studio practice and promoting others by connecting them to other artists and spaces. Where art was always my safe space, it also became a tool in creating such for others
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road was not paved nor linear. I come from two hardworking, caring parents who did not understand how anyone could make a living off art. They supported my studies, and I would become the first in my family to graduate from university. Even then, it was something I needed to convince them about–and ultimately myself.
I often worked multiple jobs simultaneously to pay off school, even with scholarships. After graduation, I still juggled at least two low-paying, part-time jobs. I moved away from my parents, which was difficult enough no matter how mature I felt. I lived in some pretty uninspiring places with some very uninspiring people that made work almost impossible. My mental health was on the line and painting was the last thing I wanted to do.
It wasn’t until about halfway this year that the work began to pick up full force. I couldn’t work, it was rushing from me. A support system financially and emotionally starting building and things began to change from holding out and working hard. Many mistakes, regrets, blood, sweat and tears later, here we are.
Tell us about your work.
Currently, I work as Cultural Arts Director for a nonprofit. Outside this, I maintain a studio practice making, selling and showing my work. My work itself is focusing back on the landscape, imagining utopic moments from the quotidian spaces around me. In my portraits and figurative work, I look for connections with people. My search is to locate an understanding of self from how I understand my place and relations with others as a queer, biracial man. How does where one comes from, where one is going, affects the body visually (paint color and application)? To me, the landscapes then act as the metaphorical lands I must travel to get to the answer and these are people along the way. I also work to curate shows in the area and bridge the gap between gallery space and artists who work on the outside of the margins.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Success is defined differently with each hat I wear. Once, after a show, an artist thanked me for creating a safe space for artists who felt underrepresented in the community to come together. That to me is a success. The general test is, am I happy with what work is out there? Am I creating honest work? I am focusing my energy in a positive direction that is leading to my betterment, possibly others? When these are met, I have no question about it.
Contact Info:
- Email: rjrodriguezjr94@gmail.com
- Instagram: rjrodriguezjr
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
