We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bird Piccininni a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bird, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I feel that for being a part of a generation who was asked, what felt like every day, what they wanted to be or do when they grew up since they were five years old it has been a constant rotation of possible “purposes.” When you’re younger you have grand vague ideas of what you believe you were put on earth to do, “I’m here to save all the dogs,” “I’m here to bring world peace,” “I’m here to stop world hunger,” “I’m here to help the world through art.”
Life has always included art and empathy for me; my father is an artist and my mom is a New York City nurse, two humans who know the power that art has, in all its forms – photography, food, birth, novels, poems, weaving, quilting, ceramics, filmmaking, etc.. With that I was able to explore and witness many different parts of the art world and decided I wanted to apprentice for my father to see how I could fit into it all. By the age of fourteen I was traveling the country meeting folk artists, musicians, poets, and storytellers sharing with us their practices, histories, and families. I learned all of this through a lens, exploring how all of what was in front of me being shared could be captured in a photograph. I first believed this was my purpose, I was meant to be photographing stories the world needed to hear. Then when I was eighteen and the nerves of what is your life about to catapult into, my second believed purpose was to study for and find a job in the art world with some stability, maybe an art teacher or full-time corporate and event photographer, I wasn’t sure, but I knew I had to find it at art school, and I ended up at the School of the Museum of Fine of Arts Boston. From there I went onto intern and study at places like the Smithsonian, Maine Media Workshops, Edinburgh College of Art, trying to figure out where I was to end up. Where I found, myself being drawn to most through all of it circled back to what I started when I was fourteen, listening to and seeing what my artist counterparts around me were creating and how were we going to get it out in the world. I wanted to be surrounded with those who were looking at what was happening in front of them, what they were experiencing and feeling, looking into themselves, all the way into the depths of the beyond and on the vastness of the surface to share, connect, and create.
All that to say, that is what lead me to want to work in the curatorial field. I wanted to exist in a place where I could bridge artists to the world and share their brilliance and understanding with a world that needs and craves art, even if it doesn’t want to always admit that. Now, with such an assumed purpose it was almost serendipitous that I found Pen + Brush, a 130-year-old space dedicated to amplifying, incubating, and mentoring the work and words of women and non-binary artists and writers through putting together museum-quality exhibitions and literary publications. I felt immediately connected to Pen + Brush, its history, and the passion that floods through the space.
I don’t think my purpose is completely fulfilled or discovered yet, I will always be ready to experience more, learn, challenge myself, rest, and grow.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a creative person at my core, and part of that lies in curatorial work, a field that wasn’t always on my mind, until I realized almost an inherent need for me to be here. As I mentioned, I grew up surrounded by artists, their life’s work and practice, and got to see first hand all the possible struggles and obstacles some artists have no choice but to face. I took it upon myself once I was approaching graduation, when all of my friend and colleagues were wondering what their next steps should be, could be, and sought to find a way to bridge the knowledge that curators and art professionals have to the world of artists because I truly felt that, and as an artist myself, there had be a large portion of the conversation redacted from what was taught to us. While receiving my masters in curatorial work and running around New York, I found Pen + Brush, everything started to click, and now I am the Gallery Manager and Associate Curator at Pen + Brush.
Pulled in through the storefront windows by 14-feet tall painted goddesses by Michela Martello that graced the vibrant blood red walls the first time I stopped in my tracks for Pen + Brush, I just kept coming back. Pen + Brush is a 130-year-old nonprofit that provides a platform to showcase the work of women and non- binary artists and writers to a broader audience with the ultimate goal of affecting real change within the marketplace. With Pen + Brush I found a place that welcomed conversation and myself, and that aligned with what I felt I was meant to being doing; supporting creatives, sharing with audiences more than what they had thought was possible, and encouraging artists careers, fostering and mentoring creatives, and exposing the stereotypes and misconceptions that perpetuate gender-based exclusion, lack of recognition and the devaluation of skill, which is still experienced by artists who do not identify as cis men in the arts.
I feel honored to work in a space not only with the history that Pen + Brush has, but also to work in a space with amazing humans that are also incredibly dedicated to amplifying the voices of artists and writers who have a deserved spot at the table and who are integral fountains of knowledge for the conversations at hand. I have opportunities to meet and work with extraordinary artists, writers, and organizations, all working to uplift and create change – honestly what more could I ask for. The hands on experiences I have with what I do at Pen + Brush only push me further in respect to learning, my comfort zone, and more.
I think our current exhibition, “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” is a great example of some of these points. For Women’s History Month this year, Pen + Brush is bringing together curators, art advocates, and visionaries from our community to engage in a meaningful dialogue about what is at stake and constantly in play for women artists working today. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” is a group exhibition centered around this dialogue, that women are changing the art world and, indeed, the world. Pen + Brush has tapped women curators from across the field who have selected their “best shot”, in the form of one artwork by a woman or non-binary artist. These selections are exhibited here as poignant voices speaking on the challenges and opportunities facing women artists in the current historical context. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” emphasizes the importance of making and holding space for women artists while also acknowledging the profound impact women have in shaping narratives, sparking dialogues, and igniting change.
There are always amazing events happening at Pen + Brush and one the main things we always say is that Pen + Brush is an artist first, writer first, and community first organization. The best way to see what we do and get involved is to participate, and I welcome all to join us for our events, you never know what you’ll take away.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I love answering these questions and I get asked about them a lot. The first item that comes to mind always is all the experiences I’ve collected, gone through, applied for, and pushed my comfort zone for. I started working young and I found that hands on experience was my best school, so looking for internships, apprenticeships, semesters abroad, and travelling for work is where I grew and evolved. Part of this also includes working jobs you never thought you would maybe, gaining understanding and, at times, empathy for others and their experiences, because a staple to remember is your experience is yours alone and will differ from others, even those close to you. As well as the understanding that part of the experience isn’t always what you planned for or expected.
There is a book titled “Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking” by David Bayles andTed Orland, it is one that I like to recommend to everyone, not solely artists, and it’s a great read. I think it helps, almost, drill in the idea that our lives are ours to do with what we can in the time that we have, why waste any of it comparing yourself to others and hindering your own possibilities. This is not to say you should live in toxic positivity, it’s a reminder that life ebbs and flows, will give you what you work hard for and take things away that you love, and that you have a choice.
I think it’s hard to remember that, especially when we feel we’re in the thick of the thorns and nothing seems to be going right. This is where patience and observation come in handy, these are also two of the hardest items to keep to your toolbelt but worth the dedication to honing them.
So always keeps growing and adding to your life, remember that part of that includes rest, connection, and love, on top of hard work, planning, and coincidence.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I think a challenge I’m currently facing are challenges I set up for myself and put myself through. I’m always trying to push myself outside of my comfort zone, so challenges arise constantly, some manageable while others are an experience and moment for myself to learn. I think I’m also always “biting off more than I can chew” – there are so many wonderful, impactful, and necessary items in the world that I want or think I can be apart of. So, I have to hold myself accountable for all of my aspirations, and I think that is also a challenge to do, because we want to do everything we want to do and not get in trouble (or maybe troubles what you want) or mess up.
I’m especially lucky, also, to have the support team I have. Anything that I come up against I have a team at home, with my partner, and when I walk into work that will remind when to ask for help and that they are there for me. I think that is something really special.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.birdieartistry.com/
- Instagram: birdiephoto
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/eliza-piccininni-4ba13116a
Image Credits
Courtesy of Pen + Brush
