Through Saturday, June 4th Burlington City Arts is pleased to announce the current BCA Center Fourth Floor ArtLab Artist in Residence, Burlington-based artist Estefania Puerta. Estefania will host open studio sessions on the Fourth Floor, 135 Church Street, every Saturday through June 4th from 2-5pm. This will give visitors the chance to view the creative process, and speak with the artist about her work.
Estefania Puerta is a Burlington, Vermont based artist. Her work has been featured in various places around Burlington including the Fleming Museum. She is co-founder of the Barn Owl Poetry Extra, a local monthly poetry publication and creator of the "Oh La La C'est Cher" Performance Art troupe. She draws most of her inspiration from her upbringing as a Colombian in the U.S. and revels in the exquisite beauty of identity crisis both internally and internationally.
From Puerta’s artist statement: “Through the use of portraiture and magic realism, I delve into themes of loneliness and identity crisis as a result of the encroachment of modernization in human relationships. The people that I depict are outsiders. They are tender souls who lead solitary lives that have been tainted by technology, culture, or biology. It is in the world that I provide for them that they are a population of beautiful losers who elicit reverence in their strong poses and confident dejection.”
The BCA Center ArtLab was created in 2004 to invigorate the dialogue between artists
and the viewing public in downtown Burlington. After four successful residencies, BCA
temporarily closed the fourth floor for necessary renovations. However, in spring of
2007, the residency program was re-launched. Artists are invited to submit a proposal for the available residency periods, which range from one to three months in duration. During this time, artists can use the beautiful fourth floor studio at the BCA Center as well as Burlington City Arts' clay, photography, and printmaking studios. The resident works with Burlington City Arts staff to offer a workshop, lecture, or special project that engages the public in his/her creative process. The ideal applicant should be a local artist with a history of formally or conceptually rigorous work, excellent communication skills and enthusiasm for interacting with the public.
