Way Beyond
I was in Philadalphia, PA for the Americans For The Arts (AFTA) Conference. It was my first time at a professional conference and my first time away from my little family. Being away form my family was the hardest.
When I left Houston for School in Chicago years ago, I couldn’t wait to get outta here. I kinda missed my parents and brothers, but everything was so exciting that I didn’t dwell on it very much. This time, I have a wife and son and nothing in Philadelphia or at the conference could make me forget how much I missed them.
That said, the conference was still very interesting and I learned an enormous amount about my profession. I got the chance to find out about current trends and concerns in the field (public art) and I got to explore Philadelphia, a city I had never been to before. I ate my cheese steak and soft pretzel and drank some beer called Yuengling.
The thing that I really took away from the conference was how appreciative (and a little surprised) the established art professionals were to see so many young people like myself involved in arts administration and especially arts advocacy. One woman even mentioned to me that she wondered if there would ever be any young folks that would be willing to get involved the way she had almost 30 years ago. One thing you have to know about arts administration is that it’s like any other non-profit work. It can be tireless, thankless work for a modest salary. But the money is not what motivates us. I think the majority of us are in this line of work because we not only enjoy it, but feel that we are doing something vital for society. Many of us are artists ourselves and have taken on this job with the hope that we are making a difference in our communities for the better.
I came back from this conference energized to continue doing what I do. It always helps to know that there are other people around the country making the same mistakes, struggling with the same problems, and celebrating the same triumphs.