By April Sullivan
This month we are honoring writer and visual artist Sueitko Zamorano-Chavez as our first Artist of the Month for 2023. I met Sueitko most recently as they were a vendor at our Holiday Art Market. They were referred to us through poet Val Vera who hosts the Thunder and Lightning Open Mic that Art Spark Texas has partnered with a few times.
Val’s open mic is a poetry showcase for BIPOC and Disabled Artists. When Val reached out to Sueitko on Instagram, they thought, well, I am both of those! Sueitko’s experience at that open mic made them think how nice it was being in a community where their poems and short stories were understood in a way that they don’t typically find in traditional open mics. The content and references to disability were appreciated. It was refreshing to have that support by people who really got it!
Sueitko’s writing and visual art are inspired by their indigenous culture. Sueitko was born in Veracruz, Mexico and moved to the United States as a teenager. They studied Psychology at the University of Texas and received a Masters degree, and are now working as a Psychologist in Austin, Texas.
Sueitko uses their art, both visual and literary, to express their emotions. They use their art as a way to develop community, as a method for activism (or artivism), and storytelling. Every element of their work has meaning. Every word in writing and every line, color, and shape in a piece of art.
Watching Sueitko at their booth at the Art Spark Texas Holiday Market, it was obvious that they were in their element, talking to visitors about their art. Explaining the meaning behind specific works of art as a way to show their love for their cultures and a way to connect people to issues. As Sueitko told me, some issues can become politicized and by telling the stories of the people behind the issues, they become humanized.
For Sueitko, their art is about the community, not the money. Sure, it’s nice to sell a work of art, or have someone appreciate a poem, but art doesn’t need to be marketable or sellable, it just needs to be created by you and it is automatically beautiful and a work of art.
Find out for yourself! Meet Sueitko as the featured guest on our January Lion and Pirate Open Mic or follow them on Instagram @2spiritqueer.