By NOEL FERNANDEZ, age 9
Have you ever wondered if there is an art program on an island where you can learn more about its history? Well, if you visit Governors Island this fall, you’ll find an art organization called KODA.
KODA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to mid-career artists, providing residencies, exhibitions, and arts education. They currently have a residency program on Governors Island. KODA was founded in 2019 to support artists who make artwork about social justice-related topics.
The KODA art program has invited artists to create work under different social justice themes like Border + Boundaries, Racial Justice, Land + Environment, and Identity + Justice. KODA is now focusing on a mental health residency program from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31 for women and people who are nonbinary. According to Elif Usuloglu, KODA’s program manager, the reason why they focus on mental health is because Klaudia Ofwona Draber, KODA’s founder and executive director, thought it would have a good impact globally since it is a crucial topic of our life.
KODA supports mid-career artists because most art programs don’t provide enough attention to those artists. Usuloglu told IndyKids, “Klaudia saw that there were a lot of resources and support for emerging and established artists, but not a lot of support for mid-career artists, which was proven by our many interviews where the artists mentioned their excitement and gratitude of KODA focusing solely on mid-career artists.”
Usuloglu started to work on KODA after she graduated from NYU with her master’s degree in arts administration. “I feel like every artist has something to say,” she told IndyKids. “I love an artist who creates work where you can join in on the artwork, whether it’s like you can touch it or you can interact with it, or it’s more of a performance where you interact with the artists themselves.” She enjoys art that is interactive because it could lead to awesome moments where you can connect with a stranger on an interesting topic. KODA offers a good path to do arts in order to pursue your dream of becoming an artist and making an impact globally.
