Justin Korver, artist and educator
Let’s be honest, 2020 was a traumatic dumpster fire that, if all was going well, was stir crazy. I can’t wait for the day when we can all safely gather together again. I know that even while socially distant I don’t want to be isolated in the studio, in the classroom, or from our amazing communities. We all had to find new ways to feel close while maintaining CDC-recommended guidelines. I would have despaired of loneliness if it wasn’t for artists and creatives like Alyssa Danna, Lee Peterson, Brittany Ham, Megan Harrison, Martha Saywell, Adrianna Santos, Kate Gillen, Sarah Fox, Leslie Moody Castro, Nina Hassele, Kallie Cheves and, most of all, my partner Alyssa Richards. There is, of course, a much longer list of people I should thank and if you’re on that list please forgive me.
If you’re lucky enough to be isolated in comfort, please get creative and find ways you can support the arts. It’s essential that we remember the nourishment and joy that the arts continue to bring us. We’re all working together to try to preserve human lives but let’s also remember to make each other’s lives worth living. I believe so much in what we can do together and the support I’ve felt in the past year makes me hopeful for the changes coming in 2021.