Cavana Faithwalker: Why do you paint?
Jerome White: It's spiritual, something inside me that I have to do - it's something that calls and tells me to do it and I respond.
CF: Talk about the themes you select and why you do them.
JW: I enjoy music, so I create a mix between music and spirituality as a form of communication to the human spirit. Lately I'm focused more towards family and how we need to bring that back, especially as African-Americans. We have so many fathers in jail. Fathers that don't take care of their kids and mothers too. I wanna bring back that family connection.
CF: Do you think your artwork can do that?
JW: Yes, in the way that it's like a subliminal message. It inspires them to look for the positive.
CF: Do you consider yourself on a mission?
JW: Yeah, it never ends. To strengthen the family or connect with a higher power.
CF: Now you are teaching art at Cleveland Heights High. Do you have other goals or to paint 24/7 and make your living from that?
JW: I plan to continue teaching though I would like to spend more time on my artwork. Teaching helps sharpen your own skills; you see things you normally wouldn't see. You know the things around us inspire us artists; the things God has put in the world.
CF: Are you in contact with other artists on artistics level at your studio?
JW: I would like to do more of that, usually I connect with other artists at openings and we can all sit and converse a little bit about what's going on. That's my opportunity to pick their brain and they pick mine, we share ideas and thoughts maybe plan collaborations.
CF: As an artist in Cleveland, how are your sales?
JW: They're okay - you know the market is up and down and you're always trying to figure out how to do better. Especially if you're a beginning artist vs someone who is successful (even they have ups and downs and are trying to figure out for tomorrow). So it's constantly thinking about new ideas, new ways of presenting the artwork to the people. You also have to divide yourself, because many times, things that sell aren't always where you want to be with your artwork.
CF: Have you done any collaborations?
JW: In Norfolk Virginia with Clayton Singleton. I think he teaches at the high school level, he's also into poetry. We've collaborated on mural projects.
CF: Are you aware of what has been going on in the arts community surrounding the effort to gain public support for the arts? JW:>/b> I've seen some of it on the Internet, I'm not totally up on it but I know they are trying for more support. I'm sure they are trying to get more projects going in the arts so artists can make a living.
CF: Yeah, this is one of the few regions throughout the country that doesn't support the arts with public funding. Go to other cities: Columbus, Toledo, Cincinnati or Pittsburgh and on the arts are firing on all cylinders. The economy has slowed a lot of efforts, but there is a difference between being slowed down in an economy and being put on life support (like our region). What would you do to pull the arts community together or make this a better place for artists?
JW: Have an organization for artists to come together and meet with ideas to help us improve as business people, with workshops perhaps. A place where we could rub elbows and meet others interested in investing and collecting artwork, also, develop projects where we could have a consistent income- maybe grants that the government might provide? However, I usually I find out by word of mouth, the more you're out there the more you here about different opportunities.
CF: Have you been to the Foundation Center site or the Nia Arts Advocates site yet? This may be a far cry from what you are talking about, but I know the Foundation Center has a workshop in November for individual artists. That opportunity and others are listed in announcements at the Nia site.
JW: No I haven't seen those.
CF: Going back to a place for artists and business folks to meet and rub elbows - what does that place look like in your mind's eye?
JW: Similar to what we have right here at Starbucks or at Arabica; a place where you might have a library, music, or live music, and you could have things like live poetry and run different events on weekends. Have events where artists could put on art shows and/or artists could have studios there where you could rent studio space. When I was in Norfolk, VA there's a place called Dee Art Center, it's a studio downtown and you can take classes there or rent out several studios, but you have to be juried to get in.
CF: It's not like a live/work space, it's only studio space?
JW: Right.
CF: I wanted to interview you this week because I mentioned last week that you didn't get into Cain Park this year, and after I went to see their offerings I was a bit mystified. There are local artists in it, of course. Any thoughts about not being selected?
JW: The first time I made it in was 1998 when I first moved back to Cleveland, and my work wasn't as professionally tight as it is now. Anyways, I didn't get in the next two years and I didn't enter the next two years. So I entered again this year and didn't get in, and I ran into Ms. [Honey] Feinberg, [Cain Park, Arts Festival Coordinator] who saw my work in Shaker, liked it and encouraged me to enter. Like I said, I still didn't get in. I'm not quite sure why, because usually over the past two years there were about three or four African American artists out of 160, so that's not even 10%
CF: It's 2.5% - I think that's also the same percentage of people of color and woman who head large corporations. Could it be that not many minorities tried to get in?
JW: I don't know and I don't want to speculate. But, if there was a way we could be represented more it would be great. Cleveland Heights has a high number of African Americans; Heights High is 70% African-American, so to not have that representation is odd. Hopefully there is somebody out there that will maybe read the article and do something about that.
CF: Where do you get your inspiration? What arts places do you frequent?
JW: My first inspiration comes from within, but I do go to the Art Museum, and I might go over to Malcolm Brown gallery every so often and visit him. I look on the Internet at some of my own peers, you look for it all around.
CW: Does marketing on the Internet works for you?
JW: It almost replaces a portfolio and it's easier. Instead of carrying a portfolio around you can just give someone a card or postcard with your website on it. And then those people can share with others and you have word of mouth, that way it could reach someone on the other side of the world.
CF: Are you interested in getting involved in the arts to help get it organized and even help position it for possible public sector support? There is Cuyahoga County Cultural Taskforce, the Cuyahoga County Cultural Arts Roundtable, Creative Cleveland Coalition, Arts and Culture Coalition and others.
JW: It's something I'd like to be involved in so that my voice can be heard. If the area isn't supporting artists, the artists are going to move away. I'd like to find at least one organization to get involved with.
CF: Do you think it is possible to create an organization that makes you more efficient at accomplishing your goals? In business, socially, professionally?
JW: I'm sure it is possible, but the artists would have to take time to figure it out.
CF: What's coming up in the future for you?
JW: The NASA mural project that I did on 105th and Superior with SEEMA students led to another gig at the [Cleveland Hopkins International] Airport. I also have an interview happening in "Upscale" magazine about muralists in the Dec/Jan issue, and I'm about to enter a show in Chagrin Falls with a Nov 7th opening.
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