Audio By Carbonatix
Mixmaster presents “100 Creatives,” in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order.
Giovanni Valderas runs one of the hottest galleries in town. He programs the work of both up-and-coming and established artists in his comfortable, well-lit space. But you won’t find his space in the Design District. As the director of the Cliff Gallery at Mountain View College, Valderas has been tasked with creating an artistic culture on the campus of Oak Cliff’s community college. And by all appearances, he’s more than risen to the challenge.
The University of North Texas graduate not only programs and teaches at MVC, he also serves as the Vice Chair on the Cultural Arts Commission, which the mayor uses as his arts community advisers. And Valderas is a mixed media artist whose earned a reputation for his riveting collage art. We chatted with him about his work as all three, and what’s next.
In polite cocktail party conversation when someone asks you, “What do you do?” how do you respond?
Depending on what hat I’m wearing for the evening, it’ll range from “I work at Mountain View College” to “I serve on the CAC.” I’m actually really bad about disclosing the fact that I’m an artist, I tend to assume everyone knows.
It seems that much of your art is derived from your heritage and your personal history, is that a fair assessment and can you explain why that’s important for you?
Definitely. Major influences derive from my heritage and the neighborhood I grew up in. The Oak Cliff area of Dallas is a bright spectrum of old houses, quinceanera boutiques, panderias, pawn shops and piñata stores, it’s hard not to be influenced by something so authentic and deeply absorbing. In addition, as an American with Latino ancestry, I’m interested in deciphering the complex history the US has played throughout Latin America. Clandestine operations and subversive methods were often implemented in Latin America for the sole benefit of the US. As a result, many families (such as mine) were displaced, exploited and killed because of US “progressive” policies. Needless to say, all this has given me a visual language to work from.
What’s been one of your most proud moments in your art career?
Awe man, I have been extremely blessed so many times over; it’s difficult to think of one moment. Most recently, the US Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic acquired three of my pieces, which I’m excited about. Given the context of my work, I think it’s a perfect place for them to be at. I do realize that success is fleeting and the only thing that is sustainable is the friendships I’ve made along the way, I cherish those moments.
As the Vice Chair of the Cultural Affairs Commission, you know much of what goes on in the arts on the civic level. Is there anything you want to clear up that the press or the average person gets wrong? (I’m completely openminded here, so be tough!)
HA! I don’t know if I want to answer this one… Honestly, I think the biggest misconception people hold is that the CAC is this all powerful – all knowing body that has the freedom to do what it pleases. In reality, we serve as an advisory board to council and in my case to Mayor Rawlings. To get anything of importance accomplished on the civic level we need consensus from the community, elected officials, city staff and art advocates. Progress can be slow, really slow and at times I get frustrated because the artist side of me is accustomed to adapting to change and coming up with a creative solution to finish the objective. Of course, all of this doesn’t come without an element of risk and we all know government doesn’t like to take risks.But, I’m still optimistic because at this very moment I feel everything has aligned, we have the right people in place to make some large strides in the next year! So hopefully, the next time we talk Lauren, we’ll be discussing the fruits of our labor.
Let’s talk Cliff Gallery. You are really turning that into a local art hotspot. What are some of your programming tactics?
The Cliff Gallery is this hidden gem in Oak Cliff and I’ve been fortunate enough that artists whom I respect and admire also recognize the potential the gallery holds. As far as tactics, I’m aware of the stigma community colleges have; the truth is we serve a different demographic than a typical university, we have a community that faces different socioeconomic challenges. Most of our students have never been to an art museum, so I’ve made it my goal to bring the same type of experiences usually reserved for major galleries and museums to MVC. By creating opportunities for students to work with visiting artists or by simply providing an amazing exhibit, I hope to inspire but most importantly, challenge conventional thought.
Anything on the docket for the gallery next year yet?
We have a lot of good things coming up in the spring. In addition to our great line up at the Cliff Gallery, I’ve been working with curator Lilianna Bloch to take over the MVC campus with amazing installations beginning in the month of May. I’ve also teamed up with John Spriggins (Gallery Director at Richland College) to expand our gallery programming outside our individual campuses. In April, during Dallas Arts Week we are debuting the ” SEVEN” exhibit at Dallas City Hall. “SEVEN,” will bring local contemporary artists who happen to work at the DCCCD and expose their work to a mass general audience utilizing alternative public spaces. It’s our hope that this show brings a dialogue and creates interest in people who are not familiar with each respective college in the DCCCD and who don’t necessarily get a chance to see artwork on a contemporary level. City Hall’s classic Brutalism architecture lends itself perfectly to large installation artwork. It’s my hope that this exhibit opens up the doors to other city-owned facilities to exhibit local emerging contemporary artwork.
100 Creatives:
100. Theater Mastermind Matt Posey
99. Comedy Queen Amanda Austin
98. Deep Ellum Enterpriser Brandon Castillo
97. Humanitarian Artist Willie Baronet
96. Funny Man Paul Varghese
95. Painting Provocateur Art Peña
94. Magic Man Trigg Watson
93. Enigmatic Musician George Quartz
92. Artistic Luminary Joshua King
91. Inventive Director Rene Moreno
90. Color Mavens Marianne Newsom and Sunny Sliger
89. Literary Lion Thea Temple
88. Movie Maestro Eric Steele
87. Storytelling Dynamo Nicole Stewart
86. Collaborative Artist Ryder Richards
85. Party Planning Print maker Raymond Butler
84. Avant-gardist Publisher Javier Valadez
83. Movie Nerd James Wallace
82. Artistic Tastemakers Elissa & Erin Stafford
81. Pioneering Arts Advocates Mark Lowry & Michael Warner
80. Imaginative Director Jeremy Bartel
79. Behind-the-Scenes Teacher Rachel Hull
78. Kaleidoscopic Artist Taylor “Effin” Cleveland
77. Filmmaker & Environmentalist Michael Cain
76. Music Activist Salim Nourallah
75. Underground Entrepreneur Daniel Yanez
74. Original Talent Celia Eberle
73. Comic Artist Aaron Aryanpur
72. Classical Thespian Raphael Parry
71. Dance Captain Valerie Shelton Tabor
70. Underground Culture Mainstay Karen X. Minzer
69. Effervescent Gallerist Brandy Michele Adams
68. Birthday Party Enthusiast Paige Chenault
67. Community Architect Monica Diodati
66. Intrepid Publisher Will Evans
65. Writerly Wit Noa Gavin
64. Maverick Artist Roberto Munguia
63. Fresh Perspective Kelsey Leigh Ervi
62. Virtuosic Violinist Nathan Olson
61. Open Classical’s Dynamic Duo Mark Landson & Patricia Yakesch
60. Rising Talent Michelle Rawlings
59. Adventurous Filmmaker Toby Halbrooks
58. Man of Mystery Edward Ruiz
57. Inquisitive Sculptor Val Curry
56. Offbeat Intellect Thomas Riccio
55. Doers and Makers Shannon Driscoll & Kayli House Cusick
54. Performance Pioneer Katherine Owens
53. Experimental Filmmaker and Video Artist Mike Morris
52. Flowering Fashioner Lucy Dang
51. Insightful Artist Stephen Lapthisophon
50. Dallas Arts District
49. Farmer’s Market Localvore Sarah Perry
48. Technological Painter John Pomara
47. Progressive Playmakers Christopher Carlos & Tina Parker
46. Purposive Chef Chad Houser
45. Absorbing Artist Jeff Gibbons
44. Artistic Integrator Erica Felicella
43. Multi-talented Director Tre Garrett
42. Anachronistic Musician Matt Tolentino
41. Emerging Veteran Actor Van Quattro
40. Festival Orchestrator Anna Sophia van Zweden
39. Literary Framer Karen Weiner
38. Man Behind the Music Gavin Mulloy
37. The Godfather of Dallas Art Frank Campagna
36. Rising Star Adam A. Anderson
35. Artist Organizer Heyd Fontenot
34. Music Innovator Stefan Gonzalez
