Today we’d like to introduce you to Bernadette McConnell.
Hi Bernadette, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
I was very blessed to have mentors throughout my arts career who pushed me towards the direction of gallery work because I was always artistic, but I also always wanted to help others first. Going to Orange County School of the Arts for high school really solidified how the arts as an industry are integral to our everyday lives, but it was working for the on-campus and off-campus galleries at Cal Poly Humboldt that showed me my place. It has been 8 years now working professionally within galleries, which is a feat very few 26-year-olds can claim. I find it really easy to put my job first because I am so pro-artist, so it is no surprised that I am in this position now as the Director of the La Luz de Jesus Gallery. I thank Joy Shannon, Jack Bentley, and K Ryan Henisey for helping me become the skilled professional I am today
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It astonishes me because I remember sleeping out of my car in sophomore year of college while working really hard to get out of that situation, and now, I am working my literal dream job. Finding housing is always stressful for people in the arts because we thrive where there are artistic communities, but that often correlates with incredibly expensive rent. For the majority of my career, I have had to work between 2 to 3 part time jobs to make ends meet. I don’t anymore; it is just me and my dream career, but the grind of “making it happen” really never stops. And honestly? That’s my favorite part.
As you know, we’re big fans of La Luz de Jesus Gallery. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
La Luz de Jesus Gallery is one of the first galleries to ever exhibit Lowbrow art. We are very proud to present artists and exhibitions from the underground to the masses. Established in 1986, La Luz de Jesus Gallery is the brainchild of entrepreneur and art collector Billy Shire, considered primarily responsible for fostering a new school of California art and prompting JUXTAPOZ Magazine to dub him “the Peggy Guggenheim of Lowbrow.” Showcasing mainly figurative, narrative paintings and unusual sculpture, the exhibitions are post-pop with content ranging from folk to outsider to religious to sexually deviant; we really don’t hold back. I am very excited to continue this tradition and bring in some really, really cool art.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I loved creating digital comic strips and short animations in middle school. I really never cared to show it to anyone, but I loved making them. I still have a lot of these files. It is fun working with art now that itches the same part of my brain as a child that was drawn to cartoons and comics.
Contact Info:
- Website: laluzdejesus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laluzdejesus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaLuzDeJesusGallery
Image Credits
@leorphoto
Waylon Horner
Dan Barry
Alexa Simpson
José Rodolfo
Loaiza Ontiveros
