This is the first in a series of email-interviews with people from all aspects of the arts community. With the second installment of Sweat Shop coming up on August 31, Vanessa Fernandez, the shows curator, gave me a little insight on how this art buffett comes together.

First Things First

TART: Who are you and what’s your arts background?

VF: I have a degree in Art History, which is very useful in day to day life .  I got involved with Jay Giroux and Brandon Dunlap, a few years back, when they were planning the first Dirty But Sophisticated.  They brought me on to be their “pretty front man”, which I thought was cute, and I’ve been involved with these sorts of art events ever since.

TART: What events have you been involved in and how have you been involved?

VF: I’ve been involved with all the Dirty But Sophisticated events, last year’s Sweatshop, Rock Candy (which was a Halloween Art event) and Creative Loafing’s Sensory Overload last March.  I’ve also curated for Nova 535 in St. Pete, putting on a show titled “Heavenly Creatures: An Exhibit of Portraiture” and assisted with Jay Giroux and Theo Wujcik’s two man show.

TART: How have you been involved?

VF: My involvement for these events generally goes beyond just curating.  Apart from organizing the artists, I usually also write the press release, find sponsorships, promote the event, sell artwork the night of the event and help tie up what ever other loose ends come up. This isn’t at all to say that I don’t have help putting these things on. Usually, there is a team of about 3 or 4 people, each taking on different aspects of the event, to make it all happen. For example, DBS 4 had myself, Becca Nelson, Brandon Dunlap, Jay Giroux and DJ Mike Blenda all working together to put on the event.

TART: How much planning is done to pull these events off?

VF: A lot. More than you would think.  They say that “the devil is in the details” and I never really understood what that meant until I started throwing these events.  But, all the stress and anxiety is worth it when it all comes together and the place is packed and everyone is having a killer time.  That’s when the champagne really starts flowing

SweatShop

TART: Explain a little about Sweat Shop? How the theme for this show was spawned.

VF: The concept for Sweatshop is a little different than the other art/music/fashion events that have been going on locally.  For Sweatshop, the fashion show goes on with the live band. It’s an interesting twist on the interplay between fashion and music. This year we have Ben Chmura’s show going on with the Dark Romantics and Raven Reda’s show going on with Giddy Up Helicopter. 
I’ve also asked this year’s artists to also try to theme the work they submit to this concept of the marriage of rock music and fashion...We’ll see what everyone comes up with!

Check out Friday Extra and Tboextra.com for a full SweatShop profile.