Julia Arredondo, Lunder Institute for American Art Resident Fellow, shares two episodes of QTVC Live!, a DIY shopping channel that showcases underrepresented makers.
Frustrated with arts institutions for continuously skirting topics of career sustainability for underprivileged and marginalized creatives, QTVC Live! began as a way to openly discuss business and budding entrepreneurship within the context of art. Having been formally trained in arts institutions, QTVC Live! founder and host Julia Arredondo found that it was often taboo to discuss pricing and business practices within the context of the arts classroom which alienated students and emerging artists seeking to learn more about business acumen.
QTVC Live! believes that visibility of the creative “hustle” serves as a much needed form of class and cultural representation in the arts. Femmes of color are prioritized on the show as, historically, this is the most underrepresented demographic in the art market to date. By sharing our stories and creative processes, QTVC Live! advocates for the value of creative labor as an irreplaceable and valuable asset.
Currently, QTVC Live! is in its second season of programming in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland, Ohio. Episode 1 features artist/activist Aram Han Sifuentes who debuted their Peaceful Protester reflective tote bag. Episode 2 features Chicago-based ceramics studio, Depy Zepo, who showcased a selection of handmade, ceramic vessels. All items are available for purchase.
-Julia Arredondo
QTVC Live! Episode 1 Season 2 from Julia on Vimeo.
QTVC Live! Episode 2 Season 2 from Julia on Vimeo.
Julia Arredondo (she/they) is an artist entrepreneur who recently completed her master of fine arts at Columbia College Chicago. Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Arredondo is heavily influenced by the small, family-based businesses she grew up around. Formally trained in printmaking and specializing in artistic forms of independent publishing, she founded Vice Versa Press and Curandera Press. Her latest endeavor, QTVC Live!, a DIY shopping network for artists and underrepresented creatives, is currently in its second season of production in collaboration with the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art. Arredondo is a recent recipient of the Hyde Park Art Center’s Artist Run Chicago Fund grant. She believes that open dialogue around creative finances is a much-needed form of class representation in the arts.