Gerard Silva

“I believe that nature is a really good roommate that you want to keep, and I would hug a tree if you dared me. I believe our oceans are the way to forget all our worries. I believe art is everything and books are holy. I believe you should dance daily, no matter what you are doing. And I believe you should dance with me!”

Gerard Silva, an artist and teacher, serves as Exhibitions and Special Projects Manager for Fleisher Art Memorial with emphasis on social activism through art. As a member of Fleisher’s community for over a decade, he has led workshops with students enrolled in the Teen Lounge Program, the Children & Youth Program and continues to teach Screenprinting classes in the Fleisher adult program. His experience as an artist with different cultural viewpoints allows him to recognize and serve the needs of not only students but also of the diverse communities surrounding Fleisher. Consequently, Gerard is the main organizer for the annual Día de los Muertos celebration, works with the Latina artist collective Valientes Guerreras (Brave Warriors), helped with the community garden created by refugees from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bhutan and is currently working on various projects with both Casa de Venezuela and the Laos in the House organizations. Previously, Gerard built a diverse career: he was an Art Director for Ayer in New York, an Assistant Preparator at the Tucson Museum of Art, and an Interior Designer for both Design Within Reach and his own firm in Philadelphia. Currently, he maintains a studio practice exploring text-based art, and is both a member of Fleisher’s student advisory board and the advisory board for Da Vinci Art Alliance. In addition, he is part of the Toosdees Screenprinting Collective and the Star Wheel Printers Collective. He volunteers with the Philly Reading Coaches program and the Latinx immigrant organization, Juntos.

how does innovation influence your work?

“Innovation is more than just technology; It is a philosophy, it is evolution, it is new ways to look at the world and plenty more. Innovation influences my work because it challenges my point of view, thus creating conversation that generates new ideas. This is essential to my work as an artist and to the art world in general.”

how do you define creativity?

“I define creativity as the act of finding a new connection and realizing that everything is connected. To visualize this act is to be creative.”

what big ideas have propelled your career?

“The study of language, the fact that letters are just symbols, and words are just a series of symbols that we memorize and give meaning to is the big idea that keeps me going. If we try to make a connection to each other through language, why can't we solve the bigger issues of the world?”

Biography:

When he’s not negotiating with his cat, Pete, about the use of the home office, André Natta is Resolve Philly’s project editor for Broke in Philly: a reporting collaborative project on economic mobility. He previously served as editorial director of the Lenfest Local Lab at the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Andre started and maintained the local independent news site, The Terminal, in Birmingham, Ala. for more than 10 years. A 2018 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow, he’s previously worked in both hospitality and economic development in Alabama and Georgia and been a columnist for the Poynter Institute and B-Metro Magazine. The Bronx, New York native also served as a digital news producer for both the Southern Education Desk, a Corporation for Public Broadcasting funded regional journalism collaborative, and NPR member station WBHM.