Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Elizabeth Rodriguez-Estrada.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
About five years ago, I met the executive director of a space that was looking for ways to integrate arts into their space. A more tech and innovation organization, the juxtaposition was a challenge that I saw we could help to integrate. I told him I had ideas and that I wanted to put a team together. I went to two of my closest artist friends and told them about my idea. We decided to develop art exhibitions that highlighted up and coming artists in Pilsen, where we would host the events. We debuted with Pilsen Open Studios in 2013 and saw artists succeed with both selling their pieces and enjoying the opportunity to talk about their artwork. In the first year, we hosted a few handfuls of exhibitions and decided to move forward to the next step. The following year in 2015, we decided to host the first annual Quetzal Art Fest, dedicating to showcasing the visual arts. We created 12 mobile murals, donated 9 of them to local schools and non-profits, hosted 3 workshops had a couple live painters and 10 vendors selling their handmade art. We’re preparing ourselves for the 4th annual Quetzal Art Fest on August 11th.
A year after we began QFest, which we call it for short, we started the Exchange, a multiple workshop program that teaches artists about how to think of themselves as producers and entrepreneurs, helping them with considering a life living off of their artwork. We’ve been able to work with students at the American Academy of Art, high school students interested in art through the Enlace program and 10 of our own growing artists.
We’re in the process of transitioning EXPO Collective yet again, growing and evolving with new ideas and ways of considering what art can be. We’ll continue to hold up our mission, which is to accelerate and build community through art.
Has it been a smooth road?
It’s hard to be the kind of organization we are and also have full-time jobs. We have to pay the bills, you know? We didn’t have any investments, but we had spaces to meet and locations that agreed to partner with us like Blue1647, Capital One 360 Cafe, and the Miracle Center, an arts incubator on the northwest side of the city. We’ve donated art, hosted events and even aligned artists with work opportunities through our network of partners in Chicago.
We’ve been very lucky to find a community of individuals who work together to make these events happen. Whether it has been a partner deciding on the partnership or executive directors saying yes to working with us, without that support, we would have never been able to make it this far.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are an artist accelerator! Accelerating art means so many things to us. It means making art accessible, it means making art respectable, it means keeping people created and curious. We also help artists with career development and work opportunities, elevating the status of art in a way that makes it more respected.
We’re known for our art festival– QFest. I think it’s also what we’re most proud of. I know I am. We are trying to keep it focused on just the visual art, however this year we’ve invited a few performances to be a part of it. We still have 7 workshops going all day, live artists, vendors, and face painting. We’re happy that we’re able to put this on for the fourth consecutive year, with the help and support of our partners.
We’re different now because we don’t have live music performances or liquor at our fest. We’re dedicated to strictly family friendly and a visual art focused event. Also, not only is the entrance free but all that we offer is free as well, except for goods from the vendors. Another difference is that our fest has moved around the city, traveling from Pilsen to Logan Square to Brighton Park, where it will be hosted again. Each year, we partnered with a non-profit and have made significant donations of art to those local non-profits, as well as others. We feel that bringing beautiful pieces of artwork to community organizations that do so much for our communities is a way of giving back to them for all they do.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think Chicago is a great city that has challenged our business. I think there is a lot of room to grow and that yes, Chicago is the place for this growth and expansion. With the density that exists here in Chicago, we’ll not only be able to grow and expand, but we’ll be able to experiment with ideas and ways of conceptualizing art.
Chicago is a magical place. If people want it, they can make it happen. It’s a process though and we’re still going through it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.expocollective.com
- Email: christina@expocollective.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/expocollective
- Facebook: facebook.com/expocollective
- Twitter: twitter.com/expocollective
Image Credit:
Julio Salazar, Aurelio Rodriguez
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