Blog Archive

Introducing: Alyssa Skiles, Programs Manager -- In Her Own Words - 2010-07-01

“The arts and creation are what make me tick.

“I was raised in Vancouver, Canada, and spent the first 22 years of my life there.  Then I met and fell in love with my husband, moving with him to his hometown of Yakima.

“My father was a sculptor. When we’d drive around town, he and my mom always pointed out things about architecture and design.  My parents say I was about 5 or 6 when I first started expressing myself through art and I remember the first real art exhibit I ever saw. My parents took me to the Vancouver Art Museum to see an Andy Warhol show. I didn’t really understand the art but was in awe.

“Even though I had an affinity for art and encouragement from my parents in that direction, I started in college with a psychology and criminology degree in mind. Those subjects really interested me.  However, my mom was concerned about that choice. My parents raised me to be really empathetic and part of my studies included spending time in local prisons working with incarcerated individuals. My mom thought the work might be overwhelming.  I decided to shift focus and moved across the country to go to the Ottawa School of the Arts. As I worked on my portfolio development, I fell in love with visual arts.

“I’m a creator, meaning that I don’t identify with a single medium. In the morning, I‘ll sing a song I’ve made up to our dogs.  Then I might go on a painting ‘binge’ for a few weeks. I have a detached pottery studio at home. My husband and I are looking at setting up a print-making facility on the other side of it.

 “I have an Art Education degree and am currently working on a masters with a focus on integrating arts into core curricula. I’m hoping to use that knowledge in our efforts here at Allied Arts.

“Just a few weeks ago, I began the full-time Programs Manager position with Allied Arts. Before being here, I worked with arts integration programs in the Yakima Public Schools with students ranging from elementary age to alternative high school teens. This experience ties directly to one of Allied Arts’ primary goals: embracing arts education as a key part of our identity. We want to bring art education to students who may not otherwise get that opportunity.  We want to build programs that center on the basics of arts education, helping kids learn how to create on their own. Many kids lack even rudimentary exposure to the arts. We want to change that, starting with visual arts.  Later on, as we find the means, we can expand into other arts as well.

 “One of the most exciting things about this new job is that I’m starting to learn the ropes of management, which is important not just personally but for our organization. Jessica has lofty goals for us, hoping to take Allied Arts to a national level through affiliation with national-level guilds and programs.  It’s really exciting!

“What do I want people to know about the arts? That art heals and art inspires. Our valley faces such large problems, but I know that the arts are something that could begin to close the socio-economic gaps that we have. The arts inspire people to move forward. The arts bind us all together.”

Leave a Comment

Name:
Email:
Entry:
Code: