Today we’d like to introduce you to Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz.
Hi Wanda, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I am currently an associate professor of Studio Art at the University of Central Florida. I am originally from New York City and came here after years of making art in NYC to begin my career as a professor.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Anyone making it in the arts can tell you it is not a smooth road (or even a paved one, at that). The biggest struggle that I grappled with was stable income and home/studio space security. It really is challenging to make it as an artist and art is an expensive craft. Thriving as I am did not come easily, so I am never ungrateful about any of the bounty that I get to enjoy now. You should never forget where you came from.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I draw, paint, perform, and most recently, have started making sculptures. I am particularly interested in the intersections of race, culture, trauma, and healing as an artist. I am most proud that my work was commissioned by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and that I have exhibited my works around the world. I think my work comes from my unique vantage point as a first-generation Puerto Rican/college grad/scholar born and bred in the inner city. I am also comfortable in many different mediums. Honestly, no one does what I do the way I do it. For that, I am most proud.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Persistence, leading with love in my heart, and a sense of humor have all been important to my steady growth. I also keep striving and don’t sit on my successes for very long. If being raised in NY has taught me anything, it’s that you are only as good as the last thing you’ve done. That keeps me pushing onward.
Contact Info:
- Email: wraim73@gmail.com
- Website: www.raimundiart.com
- Instagram: Wanda_Raimundi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WepaWoman/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6N-dxCsaQW8m8UyR9ZJ7dg
Image Credits
Dominic DiPaolo
Nancy Rosado
