Untitled by Ana Maria Vidalon, 2013, mixed media on paper, 22 x 30 inches, available on Artsy here
Let’s talk about artists who are women of color
In honor of International Women’s Day, Bay Area painter Chelsea Wong, art consultant Donna Enad Napper (Art Consulting Services), and curator Maria Jenson (Executive Director, SOMArts) to think critically together about the ways art by women of color is represented in our modern institutions, particularly in the Bay Area.
Join the conversation as these influential women discuss their expertise and experiences creating social change through the arts.
This program is inspired by the exhibition, Ana Maria Vidalon: Hidden Figures, currently on view at Creativity Explored. It is the first presentation of drawings and paintings by Vidalon, a Peruvian woman with a disability living in the Bay Area who employs alternative methods of communication.
Tickets are available with a suggested donation of $15 on Eventbrite – nobody turned away.
Meet the panelists
Maria Jenson
Image courtesy Maria Jenson
Maria Jenson is recognized as a leader in the arts for advancing innovative strategies to sustain creative communities in the midst of rapidly changing urban environments. As Creative and Executive Director of SOMArts, Jenson has deepened the organization’s commitment to racial equity, creating clear pathways for Bay Area artists to cultivate new ideas and grow their careers.
Through her leadership, Jenson has expanded SOMArts’ public programs, advanced new public-private partnerships, and fostered groundbreaking exhibitions such as The Black Woman is God, The Third Muslim: Queer and Trans* Muslim Narratives of Resistance and Resilience, and many more. These projects represent SOMArts’ commitment to incubating the growth and careers of Bay Area artists and curators.
Prior to joining SOMArts, Jenson was a key member of the SFMOMA External Relations team during the museum’s expansion and was the Founding Director of ArtPadSF, an independent art fair launched in the Tenderloin at the Phoenix Hotel in 2010. A graduate of the 2018 Getty Foundation Executive Leadership Institute, Jenson is a sought-after thought leader on the role of cultural institutions advocating for a more democratic and equitable society.
Donna Enad Napper
Image courtesy Donna Enad Napper
Donna Enad Napper’s career in contemporary art spans more than twenty years as a gallery owner, curator, and art consultant in both southern and northern California. She founded and directed a Los Angeles gallery for eight years, representing emerging and mid-career artists based nationally and abroad. In 2012 she moved to the Bay Area to become Curator and Director of Public Programs for San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, where she created the organization’s first ongoing program of participatory and interactive sound and art performances and presented the first solo exhibition featuring an international artist. Presently she is an art advisor with Art Consulting Services for corporate clients in industries such as real estate, legal, banking, health care, and technology.
Donna has been invited to serve as a guest curator or juror for group exhibitions at numerous art organizations throughout the Bay Area. She actively supports artists with professional development by regularly reviewing artist portfolios and critiquing student artwork for various art non-profits and institutions. Recently, she was an instructor at a week-long professional development workshop for national artists at Donkey Mill Art Center in Kona, Hawaii.
Donna currently serves on the Advisory Council and Curatorial Committee for Root Division and is the Co-Chairperson for the Northern California chapter of ArtTable, a national organization for women who hold leadership positions in the visual arts.
Chelsea Ryoko Wong
Image courtesy Chelsea Wong
Chelsea Ryoko Wong is a painter and muralist whose vibrant figure compositions reflect the diversity and style of her home in San Francisco. Through the use of watercolor, gouache and acrylic techniques, Wong creates busy scenes of co-mingling people drawing from real-life events and her imagination. Her work is known for celebrating racial and cultural diversity, promoting working-class communities, and evoking a sense of curiosity and wonder. Through heavily stylized and idyllic imagery, Wong creates an encouraging visual statement promoting joy, acceptance, and openness to one another.
Wong began her studies at Parsons School of Design (New York, NY), and finished at California College of the Arts with a B.A. in Printmaking in 2010. She is the first recipient of the Hamaguchi Emerging Artists Fellowship award at Kala in Berkeley, CA (2010) and has recently completed a mural for the FB AIR Program in San Francisco, CA (2019). She has exhibited across the United States, Europe, and Asia.
“The interplay between bright colors, busy environments, and ironic humor, reflect my daily life living in a city. My paintings present a tiny slice of humanity, finding solitude within chaos; presenting curiosity and questions when looking for answers.”