Callia Chuang


Bella Kiser

Artists as Advocates: A Conversation with Summer Interns Callia and Bella

Posted by Callia Chuang, Bella Kiser, Aug 12, 2021 0 comments


Callia Chuang


Bella Kiser

This summer, we had the opportunity to intern at Americans for the Arts. Callia (CC), a student at Harvard University, worked with the Government Affairs team, and Bella (BK), a recent graduate of Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, worked with the Marketing and Communications team. Both of us hope to pursue artistic careers in the future: Callia as a filmmaker and Bella as a visual artist specializing in soft sculpture. Having gotten a taste of the arts administration and advocacy world this summer, we wanted to share our experiences and discuss the ways we have found that the arts and advocacy are intertwined.

How did you first get involved with the arts?

CC: I first started singing at my elementary school, a public school in Bethesda, Maryland, when all 4th graders had to participate in chorus. I sang a solo at our spring concert in a medley of songs from The Lion King, and from that moment on, I was sold. I also took my first jazz dance class in 4th grade at a local studio and acted in my first musical in 5th grade. Since then, I danced, performed in musicals, and sang in choir all through middle and high school. In college, I direct and choreograph for multiple dance companies and plan to enter the film industry after I graduate. It was truly my public school arts education that led to my lifelong commitment to the arts. I’m so grateful to have had access to great teachers, good music programs, and school-sponsored extracurricular opportunities; public school arts education inspires new generations of artists to discover their craft and pursue their creative interests.

BK: I grew up in a family of musicians and artists and having so much exposure to the arts at an early age heavily influenced what I am passionate about today. Starting at about age two, I would narrate my day through song, singing about what I was doing, what my mom was doing, what my neighbor was doing—I really just whipped up melodies about everything and anything. A few years later at my aunt’s wedding, the presence of a string quartet convinced me to start playing the violin. Then in first grade when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I responded: “A visual artist!” I still sing all the time, play the violin on occasion, and am pursuing my young self’s dream of being an artist. 

What drew you to Americans for the Arts?

CC: Before deciding to pursue a career in the arts, I had been considering working in government. I had previously served as an intern for my local Congressman and for a Washington, D.C. think tank. Working for the Government Affairs team at Americans for the Arts seemed to be a great way to bridge my previous experiences with my new interests. I also thought Americans for the Arts was pursuing meaningful change, and I wanted to give back to the arts education and creative economy systems that had enabled me to pursue the arts.

BK: I started advocating for the arts in high school when I started my own arts initiative, Teen Artists’ Creative Oasis (T.A.C.O.), with one of my best friends. T.A.C.O. is a Chicago-based project that provides an inclusive space and shares creative resources to promote, encourage and advocate for local youth artists. I wanted to take my experience and passion for arts advocacy to the national level by working with Americans for the Arts. 

How has your cultural background informed your work as both an artist and arts advocate?

CC: As a third-generation Chinese American and an aspiring artist, diverse representation in the mainstream media is extremely important to me. Growing up, there were very few characters on television or in movies who looked like me or shared my background as an Asian American. Now that major production companies are starting to tell diverse stories, people are beginning to see how empowering it is to see characters who share their culture. I hope to continue the work of diverse storytelling when I enter the film industry. 

Similar to the arts industry, the non-profit world has historically struggled to include all voices in advocacy efforts. While it will take a long time to solve longstanding systemic problems, I believe that expanding outreach and building diverse coalitions can be a good first step toward moving in a more inclusive direction. Advocates are stronger when there are more ideas and perspectives to draw from.

BK: As a Filipino American, I am dedicated to creating more inclusive and equitable art spaces. My passion again goes back to high school when I realized youth art programs in Chicago were being defunded and that these budget cuts were not affecting schools equitably. Such negative impacts to the arts education system motivated me to create my own safe spaces for youth artists from around the city. These experiences then led me to focus on more equity-centered arts advocacy in college when I learned the ways white supremacy dominates the art world today.

Additionally, my personal experiences with racism inform my artistic practice, causing me to create wearable armor and installations that recreate a feeling of displacement within yourself, making one feel both safe and unsafe within their bodies. 

What do you think people should know about arts advocacy?

CC: I think people often assume arts advocacy is a pretty niche area, when in reality, arts advocacy is a far-reaching issue that affects economic policy, health policy, education, transportation, immigration, workers’ rights, and more. Arts advocacy encompasses everything from the National Endowment for the Arts to arts therapy for U.S. veterans to upkeep of public transportation. I also believe that everyone should know that the arts play an essential role in the economy. It’s a common misconception that the arts are not a good economic investment. The creative economy generates $800 billion in revenue a year, is responsible for over 5 million jobs, and is a larger industry than both agriculture and mining. I think that this economic argument is one of the most powerful cases for supporting arts policies.

BK: That anyone can participate in arts advocacy. Not all arts spaces feel accessible to everyone, but as Callia stated and summed up perfectly, the arts are far-reaching, and include so many mediums, formats, and ways to express yourself, that there really is something for everyone.

How has your experience as an arts advocate prepared you to be a more informed artist in the future?

CC: In order to be a good artist, you must have a strong creative vision and passion for your craft; in order to be a successful artist, you must also have good organizational skills and an understanding of the logistics behind artmaking. Working at Americans for the Arts has helped me cultivate this procedural savvy; I’ve learned how artists can obtain funding, how the government can support the arts, and how to use evidence, data, and coalition-building to make a compelling case. These are all skills that will help me be a successful artist in the future.

BK: Being an arts advocate has given me the determination I need to pursue a career as an artist. My advocacy experiences also have helped me grow as a leader. I understand the importance of needing to take issues into your own hands to make change, either for yourself or for your community, the importance of collaboration and nonhierarchical organizational systems. I have learned to never lose sight of your dreams, that the path to change is often nonlinear, and that advocacy can itself be an artistic practice. While not all of my artwork is directly related to advocacy, these experiences have shaped the artist that I am today.

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