Michelle Lema of @ArtWorldNYC
Experiencing art through Michelle Lema’s @ArtWorldNYC is pure magic.
With every capture, you are instantly taken into each art experience she visits. Her detailed captions let you know all you need to know and how you can experience it too. We have been following her since she began and are captivated by each post. We asked her a few questions about how she got started and why, as well as what her art interests are and how COVID and Black Lives Matter has impacted her account.
Briefly introduce yourself. What is @ArtWorldNYC?
Hello! My name is Michelle Lema. I’m a native New Yorker of Ecuadorian descent. I created @ArtWorldNYC to be a resource and guide to art and immersive pop-up experiences in the city. NYC has this reputation of being super expensive, but there are so many free exhibits and hidden gems open to the public, and my goal is to share these finds with my community.
What does experiencing, capturing, and sharing art mean to you?
Art has been a huge part of my life since childhood. I went to a specialized arts high school, LaGuardia, and fell in love with creating art. Though I don’t make art anymore, I see and share art. I love going to gallery openings and learning about the artist and the story behind their work and then informing my community.
Did you never think that @ArtWorldNYC would grow so quickly?
I did not expect it at all! I was sitting at my college’s library back in 2018 researching galleries I wanted to visit, when the idea of @ArtWorldNYC came to me. I would post my gallery hopping adventures on my personal Instagram account, but I decided that I wanted to start over and build a platform specifically to share the art I experienced and share all the information on where and when to find it so more people can experience art, as well. Two years later, and it has skyrocketed in so much support. I am so thankful and grateful for the art community I am included in. I love meeting fellow art enthusiasts, and it’s always lovely hearing that they found my page as a source for adventure.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
My favorite artist is Yayoi Kusama. Despite all the adversities she’s faced she has become one of the most successful living women artists. Her work is pure magic and she creates everything from paintings, sculptures, to performance art and installations. She had an exhibition in D.C. which sold out pretty quickly, and the only way to get tickets to attend was to get walk-in tickets at the Hirshhorn Museum. I stayed in an Airbnb in Maryland and then took an Uber at 5 am to secure my exhibit ticket when the museum opened up at 10 am.
If you had to pick, what would be the top 5 museums, galleries, or art experiences every gurl must visit?
In NY, I highly recommend visiting:
Dan Flavin Institute, and
Internationally, you must see the immersive Van Gogh exhibit in Canada.
How has COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter impacted @ArtWorldNYC?
When the quarantine began, I could not in good conscience continue posting about things to see and do in NYC, which led me to be very inactive with posting. Instead, I used my page to spread information on COVID-19 and share petitions, email templates, and other calls to action to help the BLM movement. There’s a wonderful organization on Instagram called @signsforBLM that allows New York creatives to make posters that the group picks up from the creatives’ home through curbside pickup and then distributes them to activists at protests. If one cannot go to a protest, @signsforBLM is a great way to help the movement straight from one’s home.
We know you are a recent graduate, what are your career goals? What's next for you?
I am an aspiring CPA. This fall, I am beginning to work as an audit associate at an accounting firm. While I grow as a professional in the accounting world, I will continue my passion project and continue seeing art in my free time. I hope to eventually put out weekly newsletters and a website for art itineraries both in NYC and where I travel and make more vlog style content.
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Written by Diane Lindquist