3 minute read
GENINE CAVALHIERA
BY MARK ALAN ANDERSON
“H ow often do you find people who are willing to talk to you for twenty minutes about the nib on a pen!” Urban Sketchers President Genine Carvalheira laughs as she recalls her first symposium in Lisbon. For an industrial and interior designer who admittedly struggled with an inner critic, it was a big leap to travel to another continent and hobnob with sketchers from around the world.
The discovery of Urban Sketchers around 2008 led to her engaging with that inner voice, and like so many others she suddenly found herself drawing everything. She smiles glowingly and shares with me that “in Urban Sketchers there was this amazing community of like-minded people …” I want to get her take on the social aspects of urban sketching, especially during the past two years. Carvalheira credits community and peers for helping her to evolve. Friendships, conversation, and learning about people are vital. “For some people, it’s all about the friendship and community, and for others their focus is on learning and growing.” We discuss “process” more than once, a topic that we explore further when Carvalheira mentions a fondness for cooking. “I guess I like to cook because it’s like building. As an industrial
ABOVE: PLAZA SIMON BOLIVER
designer and interior designer, I’ve always built things. I like to put the whole thing together.”
As the new president of Urban Sketchers, a builder seems an especially appropriate selection for leadership. So, what’s Carvalheira’s vision? “It’s not my vision, it’s our vision.” She is adamant on this point. “The board is made up of officers and directors who are of equal importance, so we, the board, develop our vision as we move forward.” A strategic plan is developed every three years, the current plan was realized in 2020. “The pandemic threw a big wrench into plans, so we’re adapting for the future… how Urban Sketchers can get together, learn, and commune with each other.”
She pauses for a moment to think, then continues. “Right now, with the pandemic we’re still on hold, in terms of the symposium for this year. Understanding that shutdowns were coming, we started to prepare with this regional event grants program. We have sixteen submissions so far. What we’re trying to do is see how we can broaden the offerings of Urban Sketchers: how do we become more accessible? How do we empower our chapters to create events that are more regional so people have multiple opportunities to come together and sketch. With that, the intent of the grant was to let our communities lead us. We want to see what our community wants, and we’re here to help our chapters put an event on of their choosing. We’ll help guide them in terms of education, support, sponsorship, media, and membership…we all crave to be together again—what does ‘being together’ mean these days?”
Switching gears, we discuss the heart of Urban Sketchers, volunteerism. “I didn’t realize I could volunteer for the organization,” she shares, “so I didn’t even consider it. If I had known, I might have started giving back in a bigger way earlier. If you’d like to get involved, write to any member of the executive board, our volunteer coordinator at volunteer@ urbansketchers.org, or write me and I’ll email you back.”
SKETCHING THE ROCHESTER SKYLINE
As our conversation comes to an end, the message is clear that we are adapting and evolving. Urban Sketchers is made up not just of chapters but of individuals. Being able to connect with individuals and have them feel connected with the whole is a powerful motivation. Previously a resident of New York, Rochester, and Toronto, Carvalheira’s wife’s job brought them to their present home in Bogata, Colombia.
