We were lucky to catch up with Michelle Ramin recently and have shared our conversation below.
MICHELLE, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
It’s been a long, meandering path – full of incredible successes and failures, wins and losses, beauty and challenges. When I was a kid, I grew up lower middle-class in a small duplex in a rural Appalachian town. 6 people sharing 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. I even shared a twin bed with my little sister and a bedroom with all 3 of my siblings until I was 11 years old. I spent a lot of time running between my neighborhood friends’ houses – next door, across the street, down the alley. In some ways, it was a really lovely way to grow up – raised by the community of my neighborhood. I also spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ and cousins’ houses.
My grandmother (Mimi) took care of me until I was about 4 years old. After that, I was placed into daycare and I absolutely hated it. I remember hatching plans to dig my way out of the fenced yard and hitch a ride back to Mimi’s. In those early moments, I clearly remember wanting more for myself – I wanted something greater than what this rural area was able to give me. I wanted to be in control of my own destiny, and I remember wanting to get on the interstate, which I could see from that daycare backyard, and keep going until it ended far across the world (I-180, an offshoot of I-80, connected me to New York City if I went east, and San Francisco if I went west. I’ve lived in both of these places as an adult, and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.).
I was never really afraid of change – or if I was, I pushed through it for the sake of the greater dream of becoming more. That self-determination has always been at the core of my “purpose”. I’ve doubled-down on myself over and over again since that little kid was digging holes under fences, and it has rarely let me down.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an artist, art professor, gallery director, and curator. I wear a lot of hats! It’s a lot of skills and skill sets that intertwine, but ultimately I have 3 careers that I continuously pursue.
As a figurative drawer and painter, I create mostly works on paper about the everyday, and often about my own personal experiences. There’s nothing more amazing in this world than being an artist – creating something from nothing is pure magic, and I am so lucky to be able to do this as one of my professional careers! This past year, I’ve had work included in Brea Gallery’s “Made in California” exhibition as well as the Norco College Art Gallery’s Faculty Biennial. My work was also published in New American Paintings, Pacific Coast, Volume 169. Opening November 15, my work will be included in the group exhibition “Beyond Boundaries” curated by Artsin Square, and my work will also be published this winter in Edition 7 of Artsin Square Magazine.
As an art professor, I get to talk with my incredible students every day about art! It really doesn’t get better than this. I started teaching in grad school as a Teaching Assistant for two of my mentors. I fell in love with teaching pretty quickly and realized it was not just a job I was doing to support my art career, but a true passion and calling. I love teaching as much as I love making art, and as much as I love just about anything in life. My students are so important to me, and I genuinely care about each and every one of them. I love being able to support them and their creative journeys; it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’ve taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, City College of San Francisco, Clark College in Vancouver, WA, and I am currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Art at Norco College in Norco, CA. Shout out to my former and current students – y’all are RAD! and capable of anything and everything you ever want to do or be! <3
Being a Gallery Director has been a totally separate career path for me – an unexpected yet very exciting one! I didn’t set out to become a curator or director of a gallery; it kinda fell into my lap. My previous college’s gallery (Archer Gallery at Clark College) was looking for a Gallery Director, and one of my colleagues approached me about it after she had noticed me independently organizing a few artist talks as an adjunct professor. She told me she knew I’d be good at it and that I should give it a try! and so I did. That was the end of 2019, and the Covid-19 pandemic was just around the corner, unbeknownst to any of us. It was a difficult time for galleries and schools, and I was at the beginning of my career as a curator. Most galleries at that time shut completely down until they could figure out next steps. As a determined and resourceful person, I responded with building out a new website to host both virtual exhibitions as well as virtual artist talks. I also worked with a local artist Alyson Provax on an interactive component to a virtual exhibition where she created 3 physical art objects that we shipped to thousands of exhibition “viewers” across the world. It was *so much work! at the height of the pandemic, but we stretched to fill the space and meet the need of the time. In those early moments and early conversations with Alyson, I realized that I actually loved curating and loved being a gallery director – what an incredible thing to empower artists and share their work with the world, especially to my students! and what a gift it has turned out to be!
4.5 years and 2 college gallery directorships later, and I have hit my stride in this career path. As a full-circle moment, I have invited Alyson to finally have her “in-person” exhibition at my current gallery at Norco College. Her current solo show is titled “Maybe you know this feeling” and it is stunning! Up through December 6 at Norco College Art Gallery. Come check it out, y’all!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Determination, resourcefulness, and flexibility – there are plenty more, but these come to my mind first.
I would say that determination is the most important. Just never ever EVER give up! Seriously, no matter what the challenges are. Just keep going!! My car broke down in the middle of nowhere in Eastern Wyoming as I was moving across the country after undergrad. My husband and I had no money, no resources, no back-up if anything happened. I screamed into the desert as the car sat unmoving on the side of the road. I remember Joel, my husband, trying to comfort me by saying “we can always go back” – and I remember very clearly responding with “NO! No matter what happens, I will never go back.” and I haven’t. That was almost 20 years ago. We’ve lived in Portland, OR for a total of 11 years, San Francisco for 6, and now Los Angeles for 2.5. In that time, I put myself through graduate school and advanced my career. I’ve gone from a Retail Associate at an art supply store to an Art Professor and Gallery Director and a published artist who’s shown their work in galleries and museums all over the country.
Stay true. Stay clear. Stay focused. Persevere, no matter what. You will get there, and it will be magical!
Resourcefulness and flexibility kinda go hand-in-hand – always be willing to think outside the box. Always be ready with a Plan B, C, D, E… Q. Things will often not go the way you plan, and it will be frustrating. Be open to a new plan and a new way! There’s never just one way to reach your goal. And every step along the way is a learning opportunity, and a story you’ll be able to share to make others feel less alone in their journey.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
My husband Joel Wasko, for sure. He’s my super hero. I often come up with wild, far-too-large, almost-impossible ideas, and he really tries to support and to help make those dreams come true. No idea is too big – he’s always willing to live in the “yes” with me (“living in the ‘yes'” is a big thing for us!), and that openness really allows for both of us to inspire each other, and to get super creative – independently and together.
Since I first met him, he has been there to hear me, see me, be with me, and hold my hand through so many ups and downs. He believes in me, and I believe in him. We’ve been together since I was 21 years old (I’m almost 43), so almost 22 years now. A lifetime of love and support and overcoming challenges together. Find yourself a Joel, everyone! Highly recommended. Love you, Joel!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.michelleramin.com
- Instagram: @michelleramin
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-ramin-4271b919/
- Other: https://www.norcocollege.edu/art/index.html
Image Credits
Headshot and artwork photography by Joel Wasko.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
