Public art purchasing program launches with selection of four curators
Louisville Visual Art (LVA) is thrilled to announce the selection of three curators for the inaugural Curate Purchase Inspire (CPI) program – Ada Asenjo, Bianca Vaughn, and Shauntrice Martin. CPI supports Louisville’s artists, curators, and organizations by placing original art at local nonprofits and civic buildings, thanks to a generous $1 Million gift from local artist and philanthropist, Clare Hirn. Each year, LVA will collaborate with a committee of community arts leaders to choose two emerging local curators to spend six months working with a community partner to identify local artists’ work for purchase and installation in publicly accessible spaces. Due to the quality of applicants and their proposed projects, this year’s CPI committee was challenged to narrow their selections to just two curators, thus four curators will launch the first iteration of this program. This first cohort of curators speaks to the diversity and quality of our creative visual arts community.
Ada Asenjo was born in the Dominican Republic, where flowers bloom all year. She is a self-taught artist who has created products highlighting natural floral beauty for local art fairs, boutiques, and exhibits. In addition to creating art, she has taught ESL and Spanish throughout the world, and currently works as a Spanish/English interpreter. On speaking about her curatorial plans for the exhibition, Ada states, “The exhibit I envision is titled “Somos de Aquí” (“We are from Here”) in collaboration with La Casita Center, a grassroots non-profit located in Louisville, KY that accompanies families in the Latinx community, and whose mission is to empower these families by providing a foundation for systemic change with long-term effects. The Latinx community is often seen as a homogenous entity. We are, in fact, quite diverse. This exhibit will consist of multi-varied expressions of who we are, expressions of our heritage, the longings of our souls, and our heart’s desires.”
Bianca Vaughn is a Louisville-based artist who is passionate about painting and working with her community. In her studio, she specializes in painting portraiture, and outside the studio, she endeavors to make art more accessible for her community in West Louisville. For the past three years, she has led after-school art programs as the Visual Arts Specialist at Louisville community center, The Cabbage Patch Settlement House, where she also plans to curate her exhibition – “Revitalizing Art Accessibility.” Bianca states, “My passions have always been art and sharing the gift of creating art with other people, so as a kid my dream became being an art conduit for my community. The murals that have emerged in the West End since my childhood are a great addition to making art accessible, but having fine art in a place where families of our communities frequent and are able to interact intimately is the real key to making it for everyone.”
Shauntrice Martin is a mother, abolitionist, and artist. Her bold work explores identity, antiquity, and joy through mixed media to create sometimes haunting images of the lives Black and Indigenous people could have lived if white supremacy never existed. Her work has been featured at the Speed Art Museum, Roots 101 African American Museum, Kennedy Center, and Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture & History. Shauntrice’s community partner is Play Cousins Collective, where she will curate an exhibit titled “Fire This Time,” celebrating collaborations between artists in the radical imagination and engaging Black, Indigenous, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latinx artists across artistic disciplines. Shauntrice states, “The collective will focus heavily on creators whose practice includes multiple mediums/styles/genres/vibes. The LVA's guidance will support in collecting, developing, and amplifying these pieces for a cohesive story that pays homage to James Baldwin's description of Lorraine Hansberry in his letter ‘Sweet Lorraine.’”
CPI believes art is a necessary component of a healthy community. Through CPI, emerging curators will gain critical real-world experience and professional development. Local artists whose work is selected will benefit from the sales and be invited to participate in LVA’s professional development workshop series (ARS). The non-profit partner will receive the art on permanent loan, with the provision that it must remain on display in a place where the public can view it and to create a healing and contemplative space for visitors. LVA will also create a web accessible catalog of the CPI artworks that can be viewed by the entire community, while providing viewers with further information about the art and the artist. To further increase the community impact, LVA will ask that the selected curators give a talk on their experience and the process behind their selections.
Made possible through Clare Hirn’s unique insight and charitable donation, and LVA’s facilitation of the program, CPI will greatly contribute to building a citywide art collection of regional artworks held in the public trust and displayed on walls of vibrant nonprofits throughout Louisville. Art is a necessary component of a healthy community, and CPI is dedicated to the support of our region's visual artists, the professional development of emerging curators, and the accessibility of art in public spaces.
Watch this interview with Shauntrice Martin & Ada Asenjo as they finish up their CPI projects.
About Louisville Visual Art:
Now in its 113th year, Louisville Visual Art (LVA) improves lives through exceptional art education, vital artist engagement, and uplifting community outreach. Each year, LVA’s programs activate more than 140 sites in 5 counties, serving thousands of students, artists, and members of at-risk communities. Open Studio Weekend, art[squared], and the Louisville Visual Art Honors are among LVA’s essential annual events that help make Louisville the kind of city we all want to call home. Join us as we light the way to thriving visual arts by visiting www.louisvillevisualart.org