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I began hiring other artists and move to a larger paint the forgotten ones in society?
space. This program is still functioning today. It’s complex, there is not a simple single reason. I’ll
refer to an artist and good friend Sarah Schuster,
You are an American artist, teaching art to who wrote about my work. She captured how I
young students in a well-known art institution feel. She wrote that I learned to use my tools as an
in Singapore. It is quite an unusual career 1 artist to chip away at the boundaries that society
path. How did it come about? erects stratifying class, sexuality and economics
I’m American of Irish heritage and have an Irish to assure power to some and powerlessness and
citizenship too. I never meant to get the job lack of agency to others (Schuster, S. 2019)
in Singapore. In 2005 I was about to graduate
with my Masters in Fine Art when I was on the I’ll refer back to that first trip to Indonesia. One
web and saw an article about the first art degree of the families I visited had fourteen brothers
program in Singapore. Curious, I decided to and sisters. I noticed that the oldest and darkest
take a look. I probably looked because I was no skinned brother would not enter a room in the
stranger to Southeast Asia. When I was 20 living house if I was there. The whole family would
in New York City, I was attending art school watch TV at night. As we all sat, gathered in
during the day and waiting tables at a private arts the room, the older brother would sit outside
Photo Credit: Roshni Sonkar 2023 jumped ship from a Dutch cruise lines in the New uncomfortable. I knew I had to change this
club at night. At that time the kitchen staff and
watching through the window just behind my
wait staff were Indonesians. Many of them had
head. This confused me and made me very
somehow.
York harbour. Needless to say they were working
“under the table”. I was very impressed with the
men, who were very smart, and hard working.
The father was eighty nine years old and was the
I admired their sense of humor, very funny yet
spiritual leader of the community in Bandung
never laughing at someone in a hurtful way.
Indonesia. People came to the house to have
They always gave me a new perspective. This was
before all of the digital communications. These
because his son in New York told me that his
were the days of “travellers Checks”. Therefore it their dreams read. I thought he was remarkable
father said to him when he came of age, that he
Joan Marie Kelly, artist, social was difficult to send money back home to their was not to learn the traditional martial arts, he
families. So I said I would go for them. I wanted to was to go to college. His weapon was his smile.
anthropologist, ethnologist and an activist see Indonesia. Armed with a few phone numbers, I am still stunned that a man in the middle of
addresses, envelopes of letters, money and photos, Java in 1983 could have the vision to see how the
I went down the island of Java and met these world was changing but more than that the ability
Joan Marie Kelly is a talented artist with a big their own path without the restrains of family impressive loving families, bringing the news of to accept and adapt from cultural traditions to
heart. She is socially engaged and like to help pressure to meet certain ideals. This situation what life is like in New York for their sons. an unfamiliar changing world. Today it’s a rare
others either it’s through her social engagement, gave me the ability to look around myself and person who has the skills to accept change and
her teaching or simply through her artwork. We utilize my resources. That day before graduation when I saw the adapt.
had a chance to meet with her, and ask her many article of the new art school, I took a look at
questions. Now we will leave the floor to Ms Kelly One of the most fulfilling things I accomplished the curriculum. To my shock this was an art I had to solve the situation of this darker son
and you will learn more about this talented artist. in my life happened in this way. I walked into school with no drawing courses. I decided to sitting outside while I was in the room. I decided
a long-term care medical facility in Baltimore write them a letter just to give them a piece to ask the father if I could paint his portrait. He
You are a woman of many talents. Could you USA, to drop off sketches for a mural I was of my mind. Drawing is the basis of all visual said yes. It was a small life sized portrait of only
please tell us a little about yourself? commissioned to do in a nurse’s home. I was communication…my letter went on. I pushed his face but I was lucky it was one of those times
Thank you for this complement. I’m a product surprised to see so many people around the send, and forgot about the letter. About a month when everything fell into place perfectly. The
of the changing society in which I grew up. As perimeter of hallways slumped over in wheel later I received an email from the School of Art father never spoke to me except for when I told
a young person I lived in the USA during the chairs. I went back the next day, gathered about Design and Media at Nanyang Technological him I was finished. He came around to the front
changing roles of women which led to almost all 10 persons in a hallway and gave them each a University inviting me to apply for a position of the painting for the first time, looked at it and
of my friends parents to divorce including mine. piece of clay. I taught them simple hand-building teaching drawing. I was in Singapore two months said I’m the Grandfather and I’m eighty-nine years
Because women forging new pathways and single techniques. If the work told a story, such as later doing exactly that. old, in Bahasa Indonesian. The family contacted
parent homes were so new, none of our parents asking them to make a piece that answered the me years later to say Ian had died and for the lack
were able to handle this well. But this situation question, what is home, I could get publicity. When we look at your artwork, we feel that you of a photo my painting was use in a procession at
created very independent people who sought out With publicity I got funding. From the hallway are a socially engaged artist. Why do you like to the funeral where 3000 persons attended.

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