Hello, my name is... Isabelle!

Where are you from? 

Hi! My name is Isabelle, and I was born and raised in the mountainous terrain of Colorado. My roots are in the United States, but I have spent most of my younger life traveling to and from various places with my family, who have ventured to bring the world together through the power of music. I do not believe in the stationary concept of home, but I feel lucky enough to call every place I find a community a home of sorts. 

Wherever I have been fortunate enough to venture to, two things have consistently appeared in every environment: art and human beings. I come from this belief that art gives people immense power, and in exchange they become empowered to continue creating and interacting with art. Not only can it change the people immediately surrounding us, but it has the power to change the world as we know it. 

What do you like to do in your free time?

After my work for the day is done, I always set aside time in the evenings to have tea. I grew up in a household where regardless how special or mundane the day may have felt, we pull out our tea collection and nice tea set to sit around and celebrate. The social aspect is a huge piece of it: the tea gives us a reason to relax in good company. As I have my own adventures, however, it has become more about simply having a nice cup of blended herbs: I have come to enjoy the ritualistic nature of preparing it. I have also been enjoying reading, taking walks with my dog, and collaborating on playlists with my loved ones. At school in New York, one of my love languages has been creating playlists for gatherings with family and friends. 

What is your relationship to street art? And to art in general?

My relationship to art is instinctual. My parents are musicians, so I have been raised by artists around artists, no matter where in the world that was. We have family members scattered across the world from these communities, which means having a special kind of proximity to street art history. My mother’s family is from New York, so when I get time to visit my relatives in the city, I get to hear about this unique story of street art in 80’s New York from this unique primary perspective! I have also spent time learning how to do graffiti with close family friends at Kuumba Lynx in Chicago, which is Chicago’s premier Hip-Hop arts and education organization. In my arts education, I have also spent time learning to play jazz on bass guitar at the Colorado Springs Conservatory and Interlochen Center for the Arts. Art is something I have explored my entire life, and I believe it is part of my very being. I cannot define an explicit relationship because art is all I have known my entire life. 

What is the most interesting aspect of street art to you?

One of the most interesting aspects to me is street art as a form of documentation. A mural can share so much history about the artist, the neighborhood it’s located in, the community that lives there… Street art is beautiful, but it’s not always exclusively for decoration. I not only admire it as a form of documentation, but I love how street art adds to the neighborhoods that we inhabit. It’s such a beautiful thing to be surrounded by art!  

What are your responsibilities at SAMA? 

I am here from the U.S. completing a summer internship (with assistance from The Netherland-America Foundation’s USA2Holland Internship Program) where I will be serving as Anna Stolyarova’s Curatorial Assistant! During my time here, I will be supporting educational initiatives related to SAMA, conducting exhibition research, assisting with content creation, engaging with the community through events and neighborhood tours, as well as documenting the artworks to continue making it accessible to visitors. 

Do you have a favourite artist in the collection? 

I struggle to pick favorites, but I feel a deep resonance for Jonas Romero Romero’s works. The bright colors, abstract forms, as well as the way the artist interacts with the architecture are all traits of his works truly striking to me. I love the vibrant colors he uses and appreciate his perspective on muralism and graffiti!

What interests you most about SAMA’s concept?

The way it provides an alternative answer to these large questions in the art world about accessibility and institutionalization. How do we educate people about art without taking it away and putting it into an institution? How do we continue to provide opportunities for people to interact with this art? I am intrigued by SAMA because it gives every human being the opportunity to contemplate art and its connection to the world around it without having to visit one specific location, which is time I believe everyone deserves to take to ruminate their personal understanding of art and the way it interacts with the world. 

Which artwork do you appreciate the most?

I feel torn between two of Jonas Romero Romero’s works: Genesis (2016) and Synchro (2018), which are both in spaces associated with transportation. One of his works spreads itself over the surface of a train, while the other wraps around five pillars in the parking lot of Schiphol International Airport’s VIP Excellency Lounge. They add so much color to the places they’re located and despite being murals, they are anything but stagnant. I love the association these shapes and colors have with movement through the environments they’re located in: the place and the art work with one another in that way. 

What has been the most challenging moment at SAMA? 

I would say the most challenging moment at SAMA would be diving right into work on my first day. It was not the people nor the work that were difficult, but the challenge of diving straight into the social current of SAMA. I first came to Headquarters on Play Outside Day, so there were neighborhood residents and volunteers milling about, but I was coming into an unfamiliar neighborhood and setting as a stranger. It felt intimidating at first, but after the initial anxiety, I was able to just immerse myself in this new reality. The people were very kind and accepting, but I was literally faced with this reality of working and living in a new place. 

The Netherlands is not my home, but in order to do the work I do, I need to understand the stories within the community and on the painted walls. The challenge of this moment was confronting the reality that I do not know anything yet. Admitting that we do not have the knowledge we seek can be vulnerable and scary, but that confession opens the gateway to being able to learn. I’ve only been here for about a week, but I have already learned so much and the people have been such patient and kind teachers. I look forward to overcoming the initial culture shock and homesickness to become a part of the community!

What has been the most favourite moment at SAMA?

I recently attended Universiteit Van Amsterdam’s “Extreme Citizen Science Hub Kick-Off” event with Anna and Furkan, which ended up being a day full of insight and exploration. The event was happening further from where I’m staying, so I got to have the adventure of going to a new part of Amsterdam I hadn’t seen before. I got to talk to researchers and journalists about the work we do at SAMA, which is a mission that aligns organizations at this event in different ways. I loved getting this opportunity to see how the work we do relates to other research by talking to people who are also passionate about what they do! We also spent this day with Anna passing through alleyways as she pointed out pieces by artists she had known, giving us a personal tour and timeline of the art that populates Amsterdam’s streets. It was such a wonderful day where I felt all the moving parts of how SAMA truly runs!