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Art + Community

Aficionado, @aficionadobrand will be hosting their 3rd event at Tropicasa, @tropi.casa Saturday July 31st. You can get your tickets online or pay at the door. I went to their event back in 2020 featuring artists such as @joeyp_ , @rolan_sanch, @spidspill, @la_sierra_arte, and another event featuring @jd.blango, @tazz_boo, and @meemorp_. I recall it very well. It was my first time being at an art exhibition with a friend of mine. Enjoying a beer as I met an old friend being @tazz_boo and meeting new individuals and talking to them about their work and going on and on about what we saw and our interpretations and understanding what the artists put behind it as well. I was able to be there for the second event due to work, but I did take pictures before hand. From my experience it has been fun along with the work that goes towards this. This being the third and learning from experiences there is much to be seen. The final feature for this week is Aficionado, @aficionadobrand



The man behind Aficionado is Luis Alonso Robles the founder and brand director for Aficionado. He goes on to share a bit about what he's been enjoying as of recently "Regarding the project, I've been enjoying many things. Specifically, seeing so many people support each other. Genuine support seems scarce, and when I come across it, it makes me happy." That's what it's all about! We have to support each other no matter what. Giving us the drive to keep going and see potential dreams come true. I go on to ask about some of the creatives he's worked with and "Aficionado has worked with plenty of creatives. The list might be too long. We've platform ten visual artists, five musicians, two dancers, and they were all local artists. It's just the beginning, and we're looking forward to establishing relationships with more artists." I named a few on the top and I recall a dancer and he posts dancing outside. He's got sick moves! I asked for a dancing tutorial video one day or maybe even dancing courses.


Luis Alonso Robles the founder and brand director for Aficionado.

We begin by asking how did Aficionado come to be? What lead to its creation along with its growth? As Luis explains "Aficionado is a passion project. I come from a dancing background, and I danced for ten years of my life. I'm currently 24, but when I was a teenager, I looked for a community or a place to express myself and be supported. I never found it. At the time, there were little to no studios in the valley. The few that existed were too conventional. The older I got, the more I notice it was less about the art form and more about the competition. Competition is for losers, especially in the arts. Every artist has something unique to bring to the table. Sure, there might be categories, mediums, genres, but every artist is singular. Aficionado is a means to fill that void. I'm optimistic Aficionado will build a support system for artists, and we're going to do it here at home, in the 956." When it comes to competition I think about art classes and as I spoke to Alejandra @44waterlilies she brought up how art classes put a number or a letter on your work, but who's to say it's that? Who gives the right to put number or a grade on someones work and the creating a sense of "is my work not good enough?" and leading to the thought of "art" not being for them. When you should be able to create and put it out there. As we can see with Aficionado in their bio being "Art + Community" I can see this as both. Going to their event and being part of the community, but being with the artists who are also a part of the community. From their different mediums, styles, and how they express themselves. I already see Aficionado taking the step in "building a support system for artists." As this leads to what Luis mentions afterwards "Aficionado's mission is to inspire artists to showcase their work. It takes a lot of guts to put your work out there, but we're here to help. There's a lot of work to be done, and as I mentioned earlier, this is just the beginning." Creating a safe space for artists is very important! There's a lot of artists, creatives in general who want to put their work out there. For example BummerShed @bummershed is a new D.I.Y spot or "individual house venue" in mission who brings on musicians and the community to vend/witness local music. Great things are popping up! As a community we can bring each other up and the mission behind Aficionado is great!



What is the mission statement behind Aficionado? "We believe art is important for cultural development. Our mission is to inspire and build platforms for diverse art forms. We believe in artistic unity." I can see that with my experiences with the previous events along with the line up with the upcoming event. From the diversity of creatives showcased and what they do to express themselves.



With creatives being a part of this event how were they chosen or what is the process to be a a part of the event? "We're headlining two artists for our third exhibition. We chose one male and one female. Octoabe and Sara Barriera will be showcasing their artwork for AAE No.3 — Wed on't have a set and stone selection process. It's the first time we advocate artists to send us their portfolios, and we loved it. For the most part, we've been relying on word of mouth." A lot travels through word of moth for sure especially when it's seen through social medias. We surely all do have our processes behind how the curations/creatives get chosen and it's pretty interesting. Luis continues by sharing about the 2 artists chosen for the event "Octo has a unique swagger. His work has a rebellious nature, and I like that. You can tell he doesn't hold back. Plus, he's a grounded individual. I met him and his brother, and they seem like genuine people. I'm glad to have him a part of the show." He surely is "rebellious" and "doesn't hold back" from the artwork and our interview we had. I enjoy that he creates what he wants to create. As he mentioned "I can draw a fucking dick if I want to" and there's nothing wrong with that at all.

Sara's work carries so much emotion. She's very nice and enthusiastic about the show. She's great at storytelling, and I think people will enjoy seeing her pieces as well." From looking at her work I can certainly see the emotion and it's very nice as well. Looking at the flyer as well I can see a certain theme behind it as well, but I can't pin it. Even if there isn't a theme that's how I see it, but overall it fits perfectly.



What can we look forward to besides vendors at the event? "The event will be dynamic. We're incorporating various art forms, and we're adding a market for

the first time. We'll be offering complimentary wine and water for the show as well. The art enthusiast attending the show will be surrounded by visual art, aerial dancers, live painting, vendors, music, friends, food, drinks, and more. It doesn't get any better than that." That certainly sounds amazing! Looking at art while drinking wine along with others as well. Most importantly with a friend, but at the same time you don't need a friend to go with when you'll be surrounded by the community.



How does Luis wish to grow with the brand "'m taking it day by day. The idea is to provide value to artists, art enthusiasts, and aspiring artists. I'm looking forward to building a small team of creatives for future Aficionado projects. Artists have the power to make a change, and I think we have trouble organizing so much

energy." Artists really do have that power by creating things that we cannot express so easily, but witnessing can help us for sure. From getting in touch with ourselves to better understanding a situation. There's so much in The Valley that we want to help and showcase what's here, but it's tough to gather up all these individuals and I wouldn't want their energies going out.



From the first to exhibition to upcoming event how has Luis grown? Has anything changed? "I've learned many lessons from organizing the last two exhibitions. I think the most important is planning things thoroughly. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Over-preparing is essential." For sure having a plan is very important and taking the time to organize is a must. I planned my event within a month and it was super quick! I just jumped the gun and said fuck it why not! I have a week off from work lets do it! I learned to take more time to prepare and get things ready before deciding to do an event again.



What would Luis like for the community to get from attending an Aficionado event? "Enlightenment. Life is tough, and art can mend us. Enlightenment might be an ambitious goal, but art has the power to shift our perspective on life. It might even help us meditate on our mortality. Help us become better people.

Philosophical ideas aside, I would like people to attend the exhibition and be present. Octo and Sara are very talented, and people should sit back and enjoy the view. I encourage people to bring someone close to them, observe the art, and take it all in." For sure, I felt that my goal was for people to have fun, but my mission was for the community to witness the creatives/individuals around them who provide creatively within our community. Y'know "Shining a light on the hidden gems of the 956." I can see the "help us become better people" rather than going to an event because it's going to go off, why is it gonna go off? Is it what I'm going to experience and the individuals I'm going to meet here as well? Going home you have a certain piece stuck in your mind due how it shifted my perspective on life or helped me "mediate on our mortality." Art certainly has a lot of power, but of course in the end we shared the same goal being "sit back, enjoy the view...observe the art and take it all in." It's only for one night, enjoy it.



How does it feel to host a third event? As Luis explains "Happy. A lot of thought goes behind organizing these events. I hope people come out and enjoy

the creativity behind the event." It's one night! Enjoy every second of it! See the details and specs of every art piece! Follow the creatives, the vendors, and individuals participating and support them. So much goes behind events that we have to enjoy the "creativity behind the event."



Does Luis plan to collaborate Aficionado with others? "Collaboration plays a critical role in all Aficionado projects. We have many ideas, but the magic

is in the execution. At the moment, we're focusing on art exhibitions. We recently collaborated on a Tee with Joey P, and he killed it. Tropicasa has been extremely helpful in providing a home for Aficionado. Collaboration is essential in everything we do. Whichever project we decide to work on next, we will concentrate all our energy on building something creative and high quality." The shirt came out amazing for sure! For sure looking forward to what come next.


@joeyp_ , @spidspill, @la_sierra_arte, @rolan_sanch

From the previous shows what is some feedback received and looked back upon? "We've received plenty of positive feedback. But I know there's always room for improvement Whatever doesn't work, we throw out the window. What works, we keep and iterate on it." We can hear "it was a good event!" or "Great job!" but what helps most is certainly constructive criticism. Being able to know what we as the organizers didn't or what would help for next. Even with ourselves. Seeing and witnessing what we liked and what we didn't. As Luis mentions "Whatever doesn't work, we throw out the window. What works, we keep and iterate on it." which is very important.


Luis Shares his thoughts on the local scene in The Valley,

"If I had to zero down on one word, it'd be potential. We have tons of potential, but I think we need to stop holding back. I think artists are the people who can make that change happen."


Along with one final comment

"Big shot out to everyone who's supported Aficionado. Rolando Sanchez, Pedro Rodriguez, Carla Casas, Jaden Blango, Danny Villareal, Arilene Pimentel, Kevin Mouret, Joey P, Cecilia Sierra, Miranda Aleman, Indigo, Miguel, Wavy Chico, Christian Rage, Octoabe, and Sara Barriera."


The images provided for this feature are by Rolando Sanchez , @rolan_sanch





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