Monica Valentine by Sophia Cosmadopoulos

In collaboration with Summertime, co-founder Sophia Cosmadopoulos interviewed American artist Monica Valentine, who has attended the Creative Growth Art Studio in Oakland, California since 2012. This is an edited version of the interview.

Born in 1955, Monica Valentine’s primary practice takes the form of optically charged sculptures composed of foam shapes that are densely covered with beads and sequins. Valentine is blind and wears prosthetic eyes, having lost her sight in early childhood. Working with great dexterity, Valentine threads sequins and seed beads onto thin pins, then uses her hands to feel along the foam in order to find their placement. The process is rhythmic and calculated. Monica's work is included in the June 2021 exhibition Super Rough in New York, guest curated by Takashi Murakami.

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Sophia Cosmadopoulos: Hi Monica, would you please introduce yourself?

Monica Valentine: My name is Monica Valentine and I’m an artist here, and I’m doing a bead sculpture called Styrofoam Head - I’m doing red seed beads, orange sequins.

Sophia: Wow! Would you describe what you’re working on a little bit?

Monica: It’s a styrofoam head, it’s a mannequin head.

Sophia: And what are you covering it in?

Monica: Sequins. Red seed beads, orange sequins.

Sophia: How do you pick the colors that you use?

Monica: I can tell by the feel, I have seed beads from New Orleans. I have seed beads right here. From New Orleans.

Sophia: So how do you feel the colors? What do they feel like without being able to see them?

Monica: Red - red is hot. Blue is cold. Yellow, white are warm. Pink is warm. Green is freezing.

Sophia: Green is freezing?

Monica: Yeah. Orange is kind of hot, warm, in between.

Sophia: Yeah. What about white and black?

Monica: White’s warm. Black, I don’t like black. Blech. Black is a funeral color. A funeral color. For crying.

Sophia: You don’t like black? You never use it?

Monica: No.

Sophia: To be able to feel color sounds like a real gift. How long have you been able to do that?

Monica: A long time.

Sophia: Would you tell me about how you choose your materials when making your art?

Monica: Well, I get my materials out of the box. I choose the red. If you’re doing the red. I’ll choose the blue, put the blue in here, chose the blue out of the box too.

Sophia: Do you always work with seed beads, sequins and pins?

Monica: Yes yes.

Sophia: What do you like about the styrofoam?

Monica: I like that it feels good. Feels easy to put the pins into.

Sophia: I notice your beaded sculptures come in a variety of different shapes. What’s your favorite shape to work with?

Monica: I like the cubes, the spears, the pizza, and the log.

Sophia: I love the pizza, it’s so beautiful.

Monica: I finished it! It got sold in the New York Show!

Sophia: Did it?! At the Outsider Art Fair? I just went to that. Where else do you like to go?

Monica: Parks are for hiking. I like beaches too.

Sophia: Yeah me too.

Monica: I like to do bead sculptures. I’m doing weaving too on Tuesday afternoons too.

Sophia: Is weaving a new thing for you?

Monica: Yes! It feels good. I feel good doing weaving.

Sophia: What kind of materials do you use when you’re weaving?

Monica: I use yarn.

Sophia: And do the yarn colors feel the same as the beads?

Monica: Yeah, red! Same color, red.

Sophia: Wow. Interesting. Is red your favorite color?

Monica: Yes it is. Yes it is!

Sophia: And do you always wear red?

Monica: Sometimes I do, yes. I match my clothes every day. Color coordinated.

Sophia: Wow. And even your earrings match, I see that now. That looks so great.

Monica: I wear red for the month of February for Valentines Day.

Sophia: How long have you been here at Creative Growth?

Monica: Seven years.

Sophia: That’s a long time! Was your artwork the same when you started here?

Monica: No, I first did punch rugs, then I started doing bead sculpture.

Sophia: Were you making work before you came to Creative Growth?

Monica: I used to work at Creativity Explored. I started there in 2002.

Sophia: Another one of my favorite studios! So, you started out at Creativity Explored, what about before that? Would you tell me a little bit about your childhood?

Monica: I was born at Mills. Mills Hospital.

Sophia: Mills Hospital! Where is the rest of your family?

Monica: Well, my sisters are in the Bay Area. Jeanie is in Belmont. It feels good growing up. I used to play with toys when I was a child. My sister takes me places. She takes me to Stonestown Mall. I went to Stonestown on Wednesday and my sister treated me to a smoothie.

Sophia: So, when you transferred to Creative Growth, you were making rugs, you said?

Monica: Yup. Then bead sculptures too.

Sophia: Can you describe your average day here at Creative Growth?

Monica: Five days a week.

Sophia: And so, what happens when you get into the studio usually?

Monica: I just put my things away and get back to work!

Sophia: Wow really? You work all day?

Monica: Yeah

Sophia: What are some of your favorite shows you have been a part of?

Monica: I’ve been to the openings, I’m going to the openings, summer openings. I enjoy that.

Sophia: What do you enjoy about it?

Monica: Meeting - going around, meeting people.

Sophia: Yeah. Do you like talking about your work to other people?

Monica: Yes, I do. I just tell ‘em: I’m an artist. I’m an artist, and I show ‘em my artwork.

Sophia: Amazing. Monica, thank you so much for letting me interview you today, I really appreciate it.

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In 2020, Creative Growth created a viewing room for Monica’s artwork, which you can see here.

This is an edited version of the interview that was recorded in February 2019. To date, the full interview has not been published.

Banner image is a detail from Monica Valentine, MV 67, 2018. Portrait is courtesy of Creative Growth.