DYNAMIC: Student artists Kailey Flores and Haze Brown sell their artwork at Riverside’s very own Artwalk
By Rylan Christensen, Staff Writer
If you live in Riverside, chances are you’ve heard of the Riverside Artwalk that takes place downtown once every month. This event began in 2002, founded by Cosme Cordova and Mark Schooley to celebrate diversity, arts, and culture in the Inland Empire. For many people, this event is a fun outing on a boring Thursday, but for others, this is their opportunity to display and sell their artwork. Many of these artists are students, and some of them come from Poly High School.
Kailey Flores’ passion is storytelling through photography, and she plans to pursue a career in photojournalism. “I like the idea of being a part of other people’s stories. [Photography] has also given me the ability to meet people and really sit down and delve into their stories and then take an image to forever solidify them and their personal narrative,” Flores explains (11). At the Artwalk, Flores sells prints of her photography as well as handmade earrings. Unlike photography, making earrings is a hobby. Initially, she didn’t intend to sell them at all, but when she realized selling her work would pay for even more supplies, she began selling them to friends at school. Eventually, she branched out to selling both her earrings and photos at the Artwalk.
Haze Brown’s love for art began in elementary school, where he would draw just to occupy himself. “[Art] is a way to pass time, it’s like a coping mechanism and it’s just time away from people and your phone… It’s very rewarding to see the final print,” says Brown (11). Brown works mainly with pencil and paint, and describes his work as “slight horror.” People began showing interest in his work during his sophomore year when he posted scans on his social media. Not long after this, he decided to try the Artwalk after hearing about it from a few friends. While Brown loves art and plans to pursue it further as a hobby, he is interested in forensic psychiatry as a career.
Understanding what it feels like to be a vendor at the Artwalk as opposed to a guest isn’t something that those visiting really take the time to consider, but it really is a vulnerable thing to put all your art out on display for people to judge and decide if it’s good enough to spend their money on. Flores chooses to focus on more than the transaction, “You kind of realize what you’re getting out of it, it’s more than selling and making money because you never know how much you’re going to make… But its more about the experience, meeting people and hearing different stories,” says Flores (11). It seems if you get too caught up in making money, you forget to embrace the fact that you get to display your work and make connections with other artists. Brown had a similar experience, “It was a good experience… everyone was really friendly… all the other vendors were nice… but people who go to the Artwalk never actually go to buy stuff,” says Brown (11). As Flores said, you never know how much you’re going to make, so it’s important to focus on more than the money, but as many people know, it’s hard not to get caught up in that mindset. We base our worth on whether or not others approve of us and our work, which is why Brown has chosen to stop selling his work. “I made money for a bit but now I’m just kind of doing it for myself again,” says Brown (11). The next Artwalk is Thursday, October 3, in Downtown Riverside. Don’t forget to check it out!