In “Artistas” this month, Samuel Miranda on how to ensure a picture lasts forever
By hola | Published | No Comments
(photo courtesy of the author)
Every artist holds their own inspiration and motivational stories. Each story leads to creation, and these pieces tell vast and colorful stories. Samuel Miranda, a teacher, poet and visual artist, shares his story like no other.
As Miranda tells us in tomorrow’s episode of “Artistas in the Capital,” his students motivated him and one another to create something more. As a teacher of 30 years, Miranda has seen his share of classrooms and students, but they are also central to his poetic journey, which began when he started teaching high school.
“I was inspired to be part of this writer’s community that saw young people as writers in and of themselves,” says Miranda. “Not people to be taught, but people working on the craft who could learn alongside you.”
Originally from the South Bronx in New York City, Miranda ruminates on being a quiet kid and the independence he experienced growing up. He moved to D.C. in 1988 and notes that the art community in D.C. is the opposite of NYC.
“The artists I know are collaborative. They work with each other. They offer each other opportunities,” he says.
Miranda’s work, such as his collection of poetry “Protection from Erasure,” is also influenced by his Puerto Rican culture and aims to capture everyday life and more. He continues by saying his poems are more than poems — they’re stories to be listened to and remembered.
“Here, listen to this. Listen to it again. Listen to it one more time because if you stop listening, then you forget. And if you forget, it erases from your memory.”
About “Artistas in the Capital”
“Artistas in the Capital” is a monthly conversation with local artists, authors, dancers, entrepreneurs and researchers, ranging widely from the local community to the universality of art. Each episode sheds light on important topics and provides a platform for lifting up artists, writers and other D.C. Latino creatives.
The interviews were conducted by interns in Hola Cultura’s Storytelling Program for Experiential Learning (SPEL). SPEL is dedicated to bringing together D.C. high school and college interns with fellows and mentors for story lab sessions and workshops that prepare them for their futures through the production of accurate digital media published on the Hola Cultura website.
– Story by Crystal Lee
– Copy edited by Alesandra Medrano and Michelle Benitez
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