When we last put the spotlight on 100 creative forces in Phoenix, it was no secret there were more than 100 individuals who were making waves in the local arts community. So as we count down to our annual Best of Phoenix issue, we're profiling 100 more. Welcome (back) to 100 Creatives .
Christine Cassano was born and raised in Virginia and received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and Old Dominion University in Norfolk before she moved across country and relocated to Phoenix.
The mixed-media artist works primarily in concrete, paint and found objects with an interest in ideas related to integration and adaptation. She describes her work as "intricate assemblages [created] by casting concrete panels with an arrangement of found objects embedded within and on the panel surfaces."
This summer her artwork will be featured in exhibitions at Willo North Gallery, The Herberger Gallery and at Method Art Gallery in Scottsdale.
I came to Phoenix with . . . a u-haul, a pick-up truck and an art degree. I came alone, I didn't know a soul here and I didn't have a job lined up. I had never lived outside of my home state, but suddenly I was moving to live 2381 miles away without a solid reason why. It was terrifying, but felt I needed to move to a place that was completely different with enough distance so I could find my own way ...and if I happened to fall flat on my face, I couldn't just pack up with a black eye or busted lip and move back. It's been 11 years and totally worth it...and the only things that have kicked my ass are working with concrete outside during Phoenix summers and one big fall while hiking down a mountain.
I make art because . . . for me the art making process is a very human way to make life more interconnected, more ephemeral and more interesting. It's either that or I'm just insanely compulsive with needing my hands to transcribe the ideas in my head...perhaps all of the above.
I'm most productive when . . . it's 4:01 and it needs to be done by 5:01, but I'm the most creative late at night in my studio when the music connects and ideas can freely wander.
My inspiration wall is full of . . . other artists' works and some collaborative pieces. For me it's about the appreciation of another's dedication to creativity. It's about the connectivity that is shared when you know and understand others who are inherently driven by something much larger than themselves.
I've learned the most from . . . simply letting go. ...both literally and figuratively.
Good work should always . . . create strong and interesting visual dialogue.
The Phoenix creative scene could use more . . . sane state legislators who will work relentlessly in the fight to restore basic funding for the arts within our state budget.
The Creatives, so far ... (And while you're here, check out 100 Tastemakers on Chow Bella.)
100:Lara Plecas 99. Isaac Caruso 98. Brandon Gore 97. Kelsey Dake 96. Hector Ruiz 95. Caroline Battle 94: Jennifer Campbell 93. Jeff Chabot 92. Tiffiney Yazzie 91. Daniel Germani 90. Irma Sanchez 89. Daniel m. Davis 88. Kirstin Van Cleef 87. Emmett Potter 86. Sarah Hurwitz
