Meet the Artists of the 2023 Art Walk in the Garden
Welcoming Week 2023 is the week of September 8th-17th!
Each fall, the City of Bend participates in Welcoming Week with an assortment of events, presentations, and learning opportunities. Organizations, businesses, and community groups are invited to host these offerings throughout the week, each taking their own spin on the theme and highlighting the uniqueness of Bend and our community. As described on Welcoming Week’s website, “Welcoming Week is an annual campaign that celebrates the work in communities to become welcoming places for all, including immigrants. Launched in 2012 by Welcoming America and its members, Welcoming Week provides individuals and organizations the opportunity to showcase their values through events and initiatives that foster connections and collaboration between immigrants and non-immigrants, as well as belonging for all.”
Here at The Environmental Center, we’re excited to host our 4th annual Welcoming Week event, our ever-growing Multicultural Art Walk in the Garden, on September 13th. This exhibition of artists was conceptualized to highlight and uplift the perspectives of creatives who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, Asian, and People of Color, LGBTQIA2S+, and people experiencing disabilities. This year’s lineup is the largest yet, with artists showcasing mediums from acrylics to pencil to digital painting, as well as some live music to enjoy. Read on to learn more about each artist!
Meet the Artists
Dominique Kongsli (Ovalle) (she, her, ella)
Website: www.DominiqueKongsli.com
“My body of work is centered upon the symbol of the butterfly representing the idea of transformation, as well as our role as stewards of creation. The use of iridescent paint is used as both a likeness to butterfly scales and as metaphor for light that shines when looking at a subject from different angles. Hand-drawn lettering and use of typography references human elements as well as reflects my personal history as a muralist in Fresno, CA. Grounded in nature, my artwork provides connecting points for all to experience.”
Kimberly Giron (she/her)
“I’m a Salvadorian artist looking to share and improve my art everyday. I take great pride in my ethnicity, I am forever grateful I am able to convey my thoughts into art others get to enjoy.”
Ryan Santos (he/him)
Instagram: @ryan_saints
Website: faceswithpencil.com
“Hi! I’m Ryan Santos. I was born July 15th, 1991 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I am of New Mexican and Ecuadorian Kichwa descent. I have been drawing for three and a half years exclusively with graphite pencils. I draw faces as a way to learn to love my own reflection and in turn share that with others! I’ve learned to look for and find the beauty in everyone and this is my way of showing it.”
Evan Namkung (he/him)
Instagram: @evan.namkung
“My creative work involves large scale canvas paintings and public murals; my goal is to express myself through color, dynamic movement, and finding the path to help my audience explore my subjects in new and exciting ways. Growing up I was fascinated by architecture, both in how planning and construction created stability but also how a building came to represent something more nuanced about a place and the relationship to it. […] I hope that through my work I am able to convey a sense of the abstract and the familiar, and represent both static and dynamic forces. I have also always been deeply inspired by the way in which art changes a specific place, be it a wall or a building, from unremarkable and unseen to emotionally charged and dynamic, and I am constantly searching for ways to create this transformation through my own art.”
Estivenson Saintclair (he/him)
“I am a digital artist and I like to draw fan art, characters sheets, sketches, and comic art.”
Abigail Gano (she/her/ella)
“Hello, my name is Abigail. I am a painter that works mainly in acrylics. I’m 15 years old and want to be an animator once I finish school.”
Sean Alan (he/him)
Sean Alan is a singer/songwriter/keyboard player. He has recently returned to Central Oregon from Baltimore Maryland where he infused his musical leanings with gospel and rhythm and blues for over a decade there. he is looking forward to reacquainting folks with his music. Before he left Bend in 2008, Sean was the lead singer for the Bond Brothers, who before that were called Muthalode. Always socially conscious, he has opened for such acts as Smash Mouth, Parliament funkadelic, and Los lobos. He is a genre bender, a crooner, and always has a soulful sound. His original music combined with some hand picked cover tunes makes the listener experience something fresh and unique. Also stay tuned for the backing band (Sean Alan &The VibeShiftas) which will be ready to perform very soon.
Event Details
When: Wednesday, September 13th from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Where: 16 NW Kansas Ave, Bend, in the Learning Garden
Cost: FREE
Attendees can also tour The Environmental Center’s Learning & Demonstration Garden, and get the opportunity to practice their creative skills during a live art demonstration. Spanish and ASL interpretation will be offered on-site.
THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this event possible: First Interstate Bank, Central Oregon Community College, and Central Oregon Latino Partnership Program! And partners at the City of Bend.
Questions? Reach out to Priscilla Calleros, Events and Outreach Manager – priscilla@envirocenter.org