A brushstroke and a dream

UTRGV studio art senior Jose Lozano participated in an artist’s residency this summer in New York City, attending classes, networking with artists from all over the world and visiting iconic landmarks.  

Artist’s residency programs are intended to provide artists with the opportunity to reside in an institution with other artists and curators to hone their skills.

The program Lozano attended was hosted by the New York Academy of Art in New York City. 

“[The] residency, in particular the one I went to, was intended for [us] to become familiar with the art program at the New York Academy of Art,” he said.  “We were also there to experience the classes they offer, to see if I would be interested in possibly attending [graduate] school there.”

For the duration of the program, he and about 30 other artists attended five classes a week. The classes focused on painting, sculpture and art history, according to Lozano.

“I spent a month at the school pretty much learning about the classes and getting familiar with the city and the program,” he said. “For this art residency, its [main purpose] is to absorb as much as you can.”

In addition to being a great learning experience, Lozano told The Rider that it is also an affordable alternative to studying abroad for art students.

“The cost was about $3,000,” Lozano said. “It was affordable for me because, at first, I was thinking about doing study abroad, but that was going to be a bit more expensive and would only last about two weeks. So, I decided this program was really going to be a good fit for me.”

During his stay in New York, Lozano visited several art museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Despite the travel experience, sightseeing and the knowledgeable lecturers he met during the residency, Lozano said the best part was being able to see iconic works from artists, such as Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso in person.

“The best experience I had while being in this residency was being able to be a full-time artist in New York and having museums available such as the Met to closely study paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Raphael and many more of my favorite artists,” he said.

To enroll in the program, Lozano had to submit a portfolio and his transcripts for the selection. 

“I had to turn in a portfolio of my works that had to be within six to 10 images and I sent them pictures of some drawings and paintings,” he said. “At least four of them had to be from life. I also had to send them my transcripts from my undergraduate [studies].”

 He encourages fellow art students to be persistent and keep making art, applying to programs and searching for opportunities.  

“I would advise students who are on the fence about pursuing art to keep on working,” Lozano said. “I met people at the program who worked about six to 10 hours a day on their art alone and building relationships with a lot of different people. Just keep learning, reading and collecting information wherever you go.”