“Togetherness” by Julia O. Bianco, ArtsWave “Truth & Healing” Artist 

“Truth is healing — when we really show up for who we are, what we stand for. As painful as it can be, it can be extremely healing for ourselves and for the collective, humans and beyond.”

Julia O. Bianco

2023 ArtsWave Black and Brown Artists Program

Creativity Squared is proud to support and partner with ArtsWave and to bring you this special interview series featuring the phenomenal artists and grant recipients selected for this year’s ArtsWave Black and Brown Artists Program.

Julia is a 2023 ArtsWave Black and Brown Artists Program Grant Recipient and “Truth & Healing” Artist.

The intention of these interviews is to give these talented and deserving artists another platform to share their art and truth expressed through it, as you never know what ripples will turn into waves. If you’re interested in working with, featuring, or supporting these artists, please don’t be shy about it.

Julia’s work is in the ArtsWave “Truth & Healing Artist Showcase” exhibition at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH, through September 10, 2023. The next podcast episode in this series spotlights the filmmakers whose work will be featured in another run of the showcase’s film festival at the Freedom Center on July 30.

This year’s theme is “Truth & Healing” and Creativity Squared host Helen Todd had the great honor of interviewing the artists during the opening showcase to learn more about their work and what truth and healing means to them.

Meet Julia O. Bianco

Julia Orquera Bianco was born in Argentina in 1981. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Universidad del Museo Social Argentino. In 2018, she graduated from the MFA program at Roski School of Art and Design. In 2020, Bianco earned a Certificate on Sustainability. She is currently a student at Cincinnati Permaculture Institute. Bianco works by interrogating constructs resulting from Modern Western Culture and collective memory through the experience of migration. Identity then becomes something constantly being renegotiated in deep relation with the environment. She uses labor to build knowledge and understanding of place, experiencing it while remembering. 

“Togetherness”

The tent is made with canvas drop cloth cyanotyped and further intervened by the artist. Part of the cyanotype work was made using organic matter collected in Burnet Woods. Inside the tent, a series of uneven handmade cushions invoke the idea of gathering around a fire. In the center of the tent, stacks of poems written collectively during the “Walking the Winter” sessions can be found. TOGETHERNESS is meant to be inhabited and interacted with. It is a space for healing, rest and reflection. Created with collaboration from: Robin Klebau, Jennifer Beach, Derek Beach, Madelyn McArthur and Curtis Graves. 

ArtsWave 2023 Black and Brown Artists Program Cohort

This year’s Black and Brown Artists Program cohort reflects a vibrant collection of diverse art forms created by an equally diverse group of 18 artists. Their mediums include couture fashion, painting, and sculpture — along with film, musical composition, podcasts, theater, dance, and multidisciplinary works.

The projects not only represent the African American experience, but also the experiences of those with Mexican, Lebanese, Somali, Argentinian, Zimbabwean, Guatemalan, and Indigenous heritage.

Listen to the accompanying podcast episode which features Julia:

Connect with Julia

To follow up more with Julia and see the other work she’s done, visit her website or follow them (@juliaobianco) on Instagram!

Learn more about ArtsWave and why we proudly support the organization in episode 9 “Art Bridges Cultural Divides” with Janice Liebenberg, VP of Equitable Arts Advancement at ArtsWave: https://bit.ly/Ep9JaniceLiebenberg.

Creativity Squared is a proud partner of ArtsWave and because it’s important to support artists like Michael, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates goes to ArtsWave and directly supports the Black and Brown Artists Program.

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