Meet New NYFA Board Member: Carmelita Tropicana

“Think of yourself as a self-contained business and work to acquire the skills that will sustain your work financially.”

In continuing with our ongoing series of blog posts dedicated to the exceptional arts advocates who operate behind the scenes here at NYFA, we are proud to introduce one of our newest board members, performance artist Carmelita Tropicana (Fellow ‘87, ‘91, ‘06). Carmelita was nice enough to sit down with us and discuss her newest projects, her history with NYFA, and her advice for emerging artists.

Carmelita Tropicana is an Obie Award recipient for Sustained Excellence in Performance. 
Since she burst onto New York’s downtown arts scene in the
1980’s, she has straddled the worlds of performance art and theater and presented her work in the US, Latin America, and Europe. She is known for her irreverent humor, subversive fantasy and bilingual puns.

NYFA: What projects are you working on?

CT: I’m working on two projects that are in different stages. Schwanze-Beast (Tail-Beast) is a sci-fi performance which just had a workshop production as part of a development residency supported by the Vermont Performance Lab and Marlboro College. Schwanze Beast was part of the Progressive Performance Festival and was directed by my sister and collaborator Ela Troyano. It is the story of an illegal android (played by Erin Markey) and an undocumented hybrid woman hyena (played by me) and their struggles as they try to immigrate to the only place that may take them: Nebula.

My next project is a collaboration with another NYFA fellow, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Fellow in Playwriting/Screenwriting ‘10). The project is an intergenerational hybrid/debate/conversation/play that examines the artistic/social legacies of “downtown” New York and interrogates what it is to miss what you never knew, the uses/abuses of nostalgia, race and the avant-garde and how to remain artistically viable.

NYFA: Why did you decide to become a member of the NYFA Board?

CT: I have a sweet spot for NYFA. I applied and received my first grant from NYFA for performance art. The fellowship meant a stamp of approval, recognition by my peers, and last but not least, money. Since then I have received two other fellowships in playwriting/scriptwriting and served on that panel, an experience that was gratifying and educational.

I was honored when I was asked to join the board of NYFA, an organization that has supported the work of thousands of artists in different disciplines. NYFA is an organization that addresses the needs of today’s artists; it is a resource center with a variety of services and programs that include fellowships and fiscal sponsorships. As someone who has spent decades making art I hope to bring my experiences to a community of artists needing resources whether they are emerging, mid career or established/ veterans. Boards are made up of different professionals with a variety of skill sets and adding the voice and point of view of an artist is essential. This is my way of giving back to a community that has supported my work.

NYFA: What advice do you have for emerging artists?

CT: You must have passion to make art. It’s a tough profession. Think of yourself as a farmer. There are the good years when crops are plentiful and then there are leaner years and you must plan for both. Think of yourself as a self-contained business and work to acquire the skills that will sustain your work financially. Look to organizations like NYFA that provide resources. Surround yourself with a community of artists and share resources. Don’t be afraid to ask. As my friend’s Jewish grandmother used to say: “Ask and you may get, don’t ask and you definitely don’t get.” And to those that help you along the way, make sure you thank them.

– Chris Messer, Executive Assistant

Images, from top: Carmelita Tropicana, Photo by Uzi Parnes; Carmelita Tropicana, Schwanze Beast, Photo by Kelly Fletcher courtesy of Vermont Performance Lab; Carmelita Tropicana, Schwanze Beast, Photo by Kelly Fletcher courtesy of Vermont Performance Lab.