Today we’d like to introduce you to Casie Lomeli.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My first foray into really understanding the context in which art exists was in an art history class in high school. While I had participated in arts classes prior to that, I never really thought about studying art in a historical or situational way. During my first year at Trinity University, a liberal arts college, I took another course in art history because it met a credit requirement and at that point I knew I enjoyed that subject. That college level course is what made me realize that studying art and thinking about art was something I could do as a degree AND something I could do professionally. At the time I didn’t quite know exactly all the possibilities involved in working professionally in the arts but I was lucky enough to be selected for an internship at Ruiz-Healy Art (RHA) which eventually transitioned into a full-time role. At RHA I was introduced to the arts community in San Antonio and learned a lot of the basics of what it means to work with art and artists, logistically and creatively. From there I went on to work at Artpace San Antonio, an international residency program, and got involved with Contemporary Art Month San Antonio, and Sala Diaz, a nonprofit gallery and residency program, and Contemporary at Blue Star, where I am now.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working in the arts and in nonprofit is certainly not smooth sailing. Some of the most consistent issues I’ve had along the way is that the arts are significantly underpaid positions. Before I was even a part of the job market myself there were very few opportunities to get a paid internship in the arts, and I’ve almost always had to have more than one job or pick up contract work here and there. Of course looking at the bigger picture, wages just have not kept up with cost of living, and the arts are almost always underfunded. I think there are so many more institutions that are making intentional efforts to provide more equitable pay but there is certainly more work to do to make working in the arts more sustainable.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I very much think about my work as a practice that is deeply embedded in community. I’ve been fortunate enough to have grown professionally in a community with people that are incredibly generous and supportive. My nine-to-five focus is in marketing and communications, helping share the work of artists and organizations with the public. Otherwise, I feel very much a jack-of-all trades in many ways when it comes to working with artist. At the core of what I’m interested in is meeting and connecting with new artists and helping them achieve their projects, from performance to exhibition, to websites or catalogs. I’m very much aware that without artists creating, my work would be null. Artists put so much TIME and MONEY into their work (both of which is often limited to them), work that makes up the cultural fabric that we get to enjoy everyday. The world would be a sterile, sad place without music, performance, painting, sculpture, acting, culinary arts, and so on. I do what I can to support that work.
What matters most to you?
People. Because without other people what’s the point?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://casielomeli.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casielomeli/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/casielomeli
