Jolene Fernandez
Jolene (she/her) is a teaching artist and recent UCLA graduate with a major in Art and a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE). Her practice is propelled by childhood curiosities, animation, and the fluidity of life in this dimension and beyond. She is an active dreamer and passionate observer who believes that art is the ultimate tool to learn about ourselves and the worlds we inhabit. She has had the honor of teaching art to students from preK-8th grade across Los Angeles; families in Koreatown and seniors in Pasadena with UCLA VAPAE; LAUSD teachers at the Hammer Museum; and teenagers across the five boroughs of New York City through her home arts organization, Teen Art Salon. She is devoted to cultivating spaces for marginalized artists to feel empowered and celebrated, and for all to engage in the freedom of fun.
“I am committed to CFAER Teens because as a first-generation Filipino American from a working class family, having access to free-of-charge arts programs as a teenager inspired and motivated me to pursue my dream of becoming a working artist, despite socio-economic barriers. It’s an absolute privilege and a joy to be able to practice my passion as a profession; to witness the chain of opportunity weave itself into the stories of other budding, marginalized artists and creatives; and to watch them innately thrive.”