VOLTA VOICES | ARIEL ADKINS
CREATOR OF ARTFULLY AWEAR
CURATOR OF ART, CULTURE & COMMUNITY AT TWITTER
Kamiar Maleki: Ariel, you wear your art on your sleeve, tell us a bit about yourself and Artfully Awear!
Ariel Adkins of Artfully Aware in front of an artwork by Naomi S. Clark
Ariel Adkins: I was raised to be an art lover. My mother was an artist, and always encouraged me to think outside the box, to "DIY", or to look for a creative solution. I studied Painting in undergrad and ended up working in the art world and giving up my practice. Even though I was in the art world, seeing and engaging with art all the time, I missed the creative process. After my mom passed away, I began expressing myself through clothing as a way to channel my grief into positivity. I eventually started using my painting skills to create one-of-a-kind garments, and that became the basis of my work.
KM: Which artworks/artists inspire you to create hand-painted dresses and fashion items? And are there still some artworks that inspire fashion you have yet to create?
AA: I'm inspired by all different mediums, genres and eras of art. My exploration began by exploring Art History, but now I am just as excited to collaborate with contemporary artists or to create my own wearable art. It feels as though I'll never run out of projects!
KM: How do your artist friends and the artists you meet inspire your work?
AA: I love learning about other artists' processes – what materials they use, how they set up their workspaces, even what books they read or podcasts they listen to in order to stay engaged and inspired. I have a lot of fun learning new methods of creation and then trying to recreate them on clothing or wearables.
KM: You are Curator of Art, Culture, & Community at Twitter, how do you engage with the art world in this role?
Ariel Adkins in front of an artwork by Steve Driscoll, presented by Angell Gallery, Toronto, at VOLTA New York 2018
AA: My goal in this role is to elevate art and creativity on Twitter, through exhibitions and campaigns, and to engage with artists and the art world more broadly to ensure they have the tools and knowledge to be successful in sharing their work with a broad audience. Art on Twitter is not only a perfectly filtered photo of a clean, crisp artwork – it is the conversation between artists, curators, writers, performers, sharing why they do what they do. It's a peak behind the scenes at how art is made, a discussion about its place in society or inequities in the art world. My job is to make sure we are supporting and encouraging this rich conversation.
KM: What are the projects you are working on currently on behalf of Twitter in the art world?
AA: #WallForACause began as a quarterly exhibition in the NYC Twitter office of artwork created by local artists inspired by social movements from the platform. This year, we've transitioned this program to take place virtually only on Twitter, which has resulted in much more reach and the ability to engage and elevate artists from all over the world. We're also incorporating art into our campaigns. For example, we commissioned artists from Twitter to create new work celebrating the joy, vibrancy, and creativity of the Black community for Juneteenth, and showcased them on the platform using the hashtag #BlackJoy.
KM: Has your direction with Artfully Awear changed since you have been working at Twitter?
AA: The direction hasn't changed. I just keep uncovering more and more inspiration on Twitter! The company and my colleagues have been phenomenally supportive of Artfully Awear; I have even held fashion shows of my work at our company's internal conferences, with co-workers modeling my pieces.
KM: You have been a regular visitor at VOLTA New York and PULSE Miami in the past years, tell us a bit about your projects at the fair.
AA: In 2016, I hosted a gathering for Twitter employees at VOLTA New York in the middle of a massive blizzard. The turnout was great! The experience inspired some employees to begin engaging more with the art world, and some have even gone on to start collecting. In 2018, we hosted our first event at PULSE in Miami, a #SheInspiresMe brunch celebrating female-identifying artists, including Bisa Butler and Miya Ando, highlighting their work in the fair with a tour and networking brunch. In 2019, we hosted a #TwitterVoices brunch at PULSE, this time highlighting Latinx artists with a curator-led tour by Naiomy Guerrero, and a shared meal and discussion about Latinx representation in the art world with important voices from the Latinx art community like Karen Vidángos.
KM: Could you tell us what you enjoy working with and visiting sattelite fairs like VOLTA?
AA: For me, satellite fairs offer more accessible discovery. I always learn about new artists working on exciting and important projects, whose names may not be as familiar but who are just as relevant as those whose work is exhibited in the larger fairs. I also find that satellite fairs tend to be more diverse, and I am always looking to elevate artists from marginalized communities, so this aligns with my goals and what I am trying to achieve by partnering with or hosting an event at a fair.
Follow Ariel Adkins on Instagram at @artfullyawear