Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Bruce.
Caitlin , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in New York City, and grew up in upper Manhattan surrounded by all of the energy and art and culture in such a place. My family had a not-for-profit outdoor theater company from 1999 to 2016 that I helped out with, and learned first hand the power of art in public places and also the many challenges that come with art making (logistical, social, political, economic). The theater was particularly focused on more inclusive casting and democratizing access to theater– principles that inform my ongoing work today.
I have always been fascinated by art and cities, and so when I was in undergrad at Northwestern University, I started a research project about murals in Latinx/e/a/o neighborhoods in Chicago (Logan Square, Pilsen, Humboldt Park). During that work in 2006 I talked to brilliant muralists, walked all over the city, and took hundreds of analog photographs. When I got to graduate school (also at Northwestern) I continued this work, and got to know members of Chicago’s style writing scene (often framed as ‘graffiti’) through permission events like Meeting of Styles.
These artists taught me a lot, connected me to collaborators around the world, and helped launch what has now been a sixteen years long career focused on public art and shared spaces. I’ve lived and worked in the U.S., Mexico, and France, and I’ve been teaching and researching at the University of Pittsburgh since 2014. In 2016 I co-founded an urban art research and education collective called Hemispheric Conversations Urban Art Project (www.hcuap.com) and gotten to work with amazing writers, muralists, and street artists in creating art in my current home, Pittsburgh.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In academia it is relatively recent for folks to accept the study of graffiti and street art as valuable or worth time. Now, it is an exploding subfield, but when I started out in undergrad it was definitely seen as unusual.
In the programming work I do with artists I am learning as I go. My training was in research and teaching, not art management, so much of what I learn is from my collaborators and mentors in the Pittsburgh arts ecosystem. Creating art in community is also not always understood as “scholarship” by some more traditionalist academics and sometimes getting support for such work can be a challenge, but one that myself and my collaborators overcome by being good communicators, tenacious, and finding lots of avenues for collaboration.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a researcher, teacher, and art programmer.
My work is primarily about art and how art shapes and is shaped by communities, and offers a way for people to communicate across social differences. My primary research method is ethnographic, meaning, I go to places and talk to people. I love to hear peoples’ stories and I’m grateful my professional vocation allows me to do that for my research, and then share those insights with my students.
I’m very proud of the collaborative work I’ve done with my team, Hemispheric Conversations Urban Art Project: we’ve hosted several arts residencies, curated many gallery shows, gotten many murals painted on Pittsburgh and surrounding borough walls, and more importantly, been able to celebrate and support talented artists.
I am also proud of my research. I’ve written three books and several articles, and all of them draw from the inspiring work of artists and scholars and programmers I’ve met in Latin America, Europe, the U.S., and beyond. If you have a question about graffiti or street art, it’s very possible I have spent some time wondering about it too!
Finally, I’m very proud of my students. I’ve worked with some incredible graduate and undergraduate scholars who have their own brilliant research trajectories that I get to witness.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
You can check out my research work at caitlinfrancesbruce.com, and my art collaborations at HCUAP.com. Thanks for the opportunity!
Pricing:
- Consulting– Contact for fees
- Speaking- Contact for fees
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.caitlinfrancesbruce.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hcuap/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-bruce-08606a2b/
- Other: https://www.hcuap.com
