As a resident of Arlington, Justine Curran decided she wanted to participate in Arlington Open Studios after selling her art at Gallery Twist in Lexington, MA. Her paper weavings stick to five colors in a color palette, and she incorporates bird imagery into each piece, despite having a fear of birds herself!
Accessibility is at the forefront of Curran’s mind when selling her intricate paper weavings and paintings. “My prices, I feel like everyone tells me they’re low,” she states. “But I always say I’d rather them be low and more people have the art and experience. I don’t want to put a price point on joy.” Monetizing art is a difficult process, but community rather than cost is what is important to Curran. “It’s more about the connection than it is about selling.”
As a full time art teacher, Curran’s creative process is constantly happening around her. Getting into a headspace to create art is one of the most challenging parts of the creative process, but Curran finds that her profession keeps that creative switch on. “Every step of the process can meet me in the mood I’m in,” she says. “No matter how I’m feeling, there is a piece and a moment in my art that I can still dive into.”
Collage artists such as Luis Martin provide inspiration for Curran. She is part of a collage community through Martin in which she receives a kit of paper and clippings in the mail each month for her personal creative freedom. Along with Martin's work, she loves performance and activist art from the 60s and 70s as well as art and music from the Harlem Renaissance. Community-supported artwork inspires Curran as an art teacher. Find Curran and her brilliant birds on the third floor of the ACA on November 12th, 2022.
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