#MeettheArtist
Meet Brooke T Waldron
▷ We originate from our personal stories of who we are as people, our own life realities that shape us into the individuals we become. I am a native woman and citizen of the Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe. I am employed with the Division of Indian and Native American Programs under the Department of Labor, and a third generation advocate for Native people. I am also part Scottish and a lifelong equestrian. My values and experiences are the common thread that is generally noticeable in my work. I am not a professional artist under the term that I make a living creating art. However, I am a devoted artist under the conditions that my art and my career intersect frequently. To embrace the creative process for expression and provide emphasis to your life is what I think compels most people to define themselves as artists.
What do you want people to walk away with after experiencing your work?
▷ It is entirely possible that most people will walk away with nothing. Or what experience they have, is based loosely on their own objective opinions on the subject matter. I would rather they view my work with curiosity to expand their knowledge and take initiative to embrace more empathy towards people of different conditions.
What influences your work? Why?
▷ I am influenced and emotionally charged by cultural appropriation. I balance that with my love for history, nature and animals. I have long felt that wildlife is the best reflection of goodness and animals unaltered by humans, are the greatest teachers. I grew up with very strong parents and raised on a 118 acre farm. It is a lifestyle that sculpts every character trait imaginable and often effected my ability to identify with my peers. It is with these personal experiences and cultural traditions that I was able to view circumstances from the outside looking in. I challenge others to stand outside their comfort zone and approach circumstances with the widest perspective as possible.
What does it mean to you to participate in Hera as an exhibiting artist for the In God We Trust exhibition?
▷ This call to artist was an opportunity that specifically resonated with me and most aspects of my work. As a native Rhode Islander I had visited Hera as high school student and was introduced to galleries by my friend/art teacher at the time Elizabeth Lind. I had also begun to understand the breadth of artistic expression and took interest in following artists that inspired me. Hera, was the first gallery I visited as a teenager and to be chosen as an exhibiting artist aligns with my full circle transition into gallery exhibitions.
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