CERF+: Making a Difference, One Artist at a Time

Medium: Varied (Wood, Metal, etc.)
Location: Seattle, Washington 
instagram.com/hernanpaganini

Hernan Paganini spends his time creating and exploring the relationship between places, their stories, and the construction of our own subjectivities. Working through recovered and found objects, he has produced many sculptures, installations, collages, and site-specific works.  

In his own words he shares, “I produce the fragments that are juxtaposed, staggered, scraped, enraged, approached, denied, affirmed, constructed, and reconstructed in new possible interpretations … actions that attempt to incite new questions, unlearn what was learned and think again about how we relate to others, to the system, and to the objects of daily consumption.” 

When Hernan found CERF+ this past year, he said, “The support from CERF+ arrived as a human hug on a cold night, a tender precise moment like a northern wind breathes to keep the wheel moving. The network of people, working together, will build us a future that we want to live in.” 

He won’t be changing how he does things, but he is looking at what he does under a new lens, sharing, “The events that are manifesting today in the world are a great possibility to grow. There is much more to learn from the challenges than the comfort zones, but it requires us to be flexible, take off our masks and live in an honest and awake mode. The things don’t change, they naturally evolve under different life scenarios.” 

Medium: Buffalo Horn 
Location: South Dakota 
www.kevinpourier.com

Kevin Pourier has spent the past 30 years as an artist with a rather unique medium, buffalo horn. He carves the buffalo horn into jewelry, traditional buffalo horn cups and spoons, boxes, sunglasses, thimbles, and stand-alone sculptures. His talents have taken him to art markets across the U.S. – from LA to NYC, as well as into museums and online venues. Pourier was excited for the start of the 2020 year, as he had plans to start an artist residency at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, working in a new medium, bronze. Unfortunately, this was canceled due to the pandemic.

With the unexpected change in his plans and the lack of art shows, Kevin found himself in a predicament, similar to many artists – his full-time job was no longer sufficient to support his family. Searching online for help, he found CERF+ and applied. “CERF+ was a lifesaver when I was most distraught,” he shared. “Art is my life and at the time of the disaster I couldn’t work. They stepped in and helped without all the red tape and rules. The staff there kept in touch and followed up and made sure that I got what I needed. It was such a relief to have the help and concern after the hopelessness I felt at the time.” 

Kevin spent much of his time learning how to go virtual with his art, but he is looking forward to the future and getting back to traveling. He said, “We are getting more and more vaccinated here now and it gives our community a better chance of surviving this crazy mess. We just have to be patient and stay safe so that later this year we can maybe get back to this new normal.”