By Noel Fernandez, age 10
Amy Andrieux is the executive director and chief curator of MoCADA, which stands for the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art. She’s also a professor at Parsons, where she teaches integrated design. She’s also sometimes a journalist.
This Interview was conducted by Noel Fernandez, age 10, on Oct. 6, 2024.
It has been edited for brevity and clarity for print. Listen to the full interview on our podcast, IndyKids Voices!
Noel: Can you explain what your job at MoCADA is?
Amy: A museum is a place where we can go visit art. And it’s all types of art, from paintings to photography to sculpture, moving images, movies, films. … I have two jobs in my role. As a curator, my job is to come up with ideas [for] different types of shows that touch on current events—what is culturally important to us right now as human beings on this planet—and [then] pulling together different artists whose work speaks to those themes. As an executive director, my job is to make sure the museum stays open, so I fundraise. I bring in all the sponsors, all of the philanthropists who help to support MoCADA with money so that our doors stay open, our programs stay free, and everyone can come see the art, [while making] sure that everyone is paid.
Noel: How does MoCADA distinguish itself from other museums?
Amy: We consider ourselves a resource for people who are interested in learning about African culture and the diaspora. [The word] “diaspora” describes a group of people who were from one place and moved to another place. MoCADA in particular [focuses] on Africa and the African diaspora. We focus on those different cultures and try to teach people about it. So that’s different. Another way that makes us different is that from the beginning of our museum (1999), we always said that social justice was important to us, too. So we’re also looking at different ways to solve problems in the community.
Noel: Do you have any advice for younger artists?
Amy: I would think about what it is that your art is trying to say. … How is your artwork different from other artists? I would also think about what’s happening in the world, because sometimes artists think that it’s important to just make money and to make a thing that everybody likes, and that’s not what artwork should be about. Art should come from the core of your heart.
