Tempe Artist Kendra Sollars: 100 Creatives

Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 8. Kendra Sollars.

It’s difficult to describe Kendra Sollars in one word, but “multitalented” might work best.

The 27-year-old Tempe artist grew up a competitive synchronized swimmer and took her aquatic talents all the way to The Ohio State University, where her team won two national championships in 2009. From 2011 through 2012, she performed with Cirque deSoliel’s O in Las Vegas.

Lately? She’s been busy working with Lauren Strohacker on Animal Lands, their Contemporary Forum grant-winning project that brings imagery and video of native wildlife to urban spaces.

See also: Phoenix Artist Nic Wiesinger: 100 Creatives

“My collaborative project, Animal Land, with Lauren Strohacker is my main focus at the moment,” Sollars says. “Because it is ongoing and collaborative, the process is extensive. Whether we are filming animals at one of our partnering wildlife rescue/conservation centers, editing the footage, scouting installation locations, or creating exhibition pieces, Lauren and I always have something to do!”

The duo will show an Animal Lands piece at Chaos Theory 15 in October, and in May of 2015 they will display work made with their Contemporary Forum grant money at Phoenix Art Museum.

“Like most artists, I have a day job, so I fill my free time with the things that I love: working in my indoor garden, playing with my wildly energetic little dog, Minnie, and working on establishing my art career,” she says. “A dip in the pool to go back to my roots never hurts either!”

Speaking of swimming, Sollars says she has plans to return to the pool in an artistic capacity. “In the near future I plan to build on my skills as a synchronized swimmer and choreographer and take those into the world of performance art.”

Here’s hoping she dives in soon.

I came to Phoenix with no choice. I’m a native! I moved to Columbus, Ohio, in 2005 to attend The Ohio State University but returned to my home state after graduating.

I make art because not everything that I want to communicate can be expressed in words. From a young age, I learned I could communicate through form and movement in synchronized swimming and the combination of, and transition from competitive performance to art-making was logical. As an artist, not only can I express more complex ideas but I also understand myself better.

I’m most productive when I am in a team or a partnership. During my early transition from athlete/performer to a different type of artist, Lauren Strohacker approached me to collaborate on and develop Animal Land. A shared vision is a powerful tool but the dependence between artists definitely raises the stakes. However, having grown up in an environment that constantly demands teamwork and accountability, the collaboration felt natural and I knew we would thrive.

My inspiration wall is more of a series of inspiration spaces. Whether I’m thinking about Animal Land or my own emerging work, ideas come from physical experiences. Because of my connection to performance, I understand that there is no inspiration wall for choreography. It has to be imagined and felt before it can be realized. My process as an artist stems directly from my interest and history with choreographed performance.

I’ve learned most from my experiences as an athlete. In synchronized swimming, absolute perfection is the goal so procrastination is not an option. You show up to the pool every single day whether you are sick, hurt, exhausted, or otherwise so dedication and resilience is required. You fail over and over and success only comes with persistence and insight. A dedicated art practice is no different, however, making art has taught me that success comes in many forms, and rather than chasing perfection I search more for evolution.

Good work should always evoke a feeling and then induce thought. My favorite work moves me emotionally to the point where I have no choice but to try to understand it. We are visual creatures and my work as a performer with Cirque du Soleil reinforced the importance of aesthetic and atmosphere when helping people imagine new worlds.

The Phoenix creative scene could use more exposure. In my experience, people who have never been to Phoenix assume that our art scene consists solely of Native American and Western art. While that is an important aspect of our cultural history, we have so much more to offer. Phoenix is full of creatives working in a variety of styles, from traditional to experimental and the rest of the world needs to know about it!

See the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives:

100. Bill Dambrova
99. Niki Blaker
98. Jeff Slim
97. Beth May
96. Doug Bell
95. Daniel Langhans
94. Nanibaa Beck
93. Nicole Royse
92. Ib Andersen
91. Casandra Hernandez
90. Chris Reed
89. Shelby Maticic
88. Olivia Timmons
87. Courtney Price
86. Travis Mills
85. Catrina Kahler
84. Angel Castro
83. Cole Reed
82. Lisa Albinger
81. Larry Madrigal
80. Julieta Felix
79. Lauren Strohacker
78. Levi Christiansen
77. Thomas Porter
76. Carrie Leigh Hobson
75. Cody Carpenter
74. Jon Jenkins
73. Aurelie Flores
72. Michelle Ponce
71. Devin Fleenor
70. Noelle Martinez
69. Bucky Miller
68. Liliana Gomez
67. Jake Friedman
66. Clarita Lulić
65. Randy Murray
64. Mo Neuharth
63. Jeremy Hamman
62. La Muñeca
61. Kevin Goldman
60. Emily Costello
59. Kerstin Dale
58. Vara Ayanna
57. Nathaniel Lewis
56. Ruben Gonzales
55. Lisa Poje
54. Bobby Zokaites
53. Frances Smith Cohen
52. Julie Rada
51. David Miller
50. Xanthia Walker
49. Kyllan Maney
48. Cary Truelick
47. Constance McBride
46. James D. Porter
45. Allyson Boggess
44. Abigail Lynch
43. Ashley Cooper
42. Jaclyn Roessel
41. Brandon Boetto
40. Melissa Dunmore
39. Gavin Sisson
38. Rossitza Todorova
37. Monica Robles
36. Josh Kirby
35. Jesse Perry
34. Yai Cecream
33. Nathan Blackwell
32. Carley Conder
31. Ben Willis
30. Nicole Michieli
29. Brian Cresson
28. Tyson Krank
27. Mikey Estes
26. Anwar Newton
25. Sarah “Saza” Dimmick
24. Tato Caraveo
23. Jorge Torres
22. Laura Spalding Best
21. Shawnte Orion
20. Mike Olbinski
19. Christina You-Sun Park
18. Jon Arvizu
17. Anya Melkozernova
16. J.B. Snyder
15. Damon Dering
14. Rebekah Cancino
13. Liz Warren
12. Timothy Brennan
11. Mimi Jardine
10. Rosalind Shipley
9. Nic Wiesinger

Follow Jackalope Ranch on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.