Meet Colette Bernard | Artist & Art World Commentator / Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Colette Bernard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Colette, what do you attribute your success to?
Being the change you wish to see is so important to me, which is why I started to create videos about the art world that are more palettable to young audiences. I remember being very passionate about art but having little to no access to its history or background info as a young artist. Now that I’m in my twenties and am post-BFA, I have a really unique insight: what the youth would be interested in, and the historical context needed to appropriately do some educating.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Over the pandemic, I started creating videos about the art world, art history, art news and my own art. I had no idea that it would evolve into being my full time job, which is insane considering I just graduated from college during the pandemic while this was snowballing. I’m grateful to be able to share my own creations while also providing educational content about other people’s art.

My relationship with the internet has always been a signifigant role in the narrative behind my work, so this entire experience has just opened so many more doors for me conceptually.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in New York City, so a good day to me is passing time at the Met or a walk through the East or West Village. I also enjoy going out on trash day and hunting down random items for art making. I even found an original Vernon Panton chair doing this once.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I actually come from a family of creatives. My father, Dr. Shane K Bernard, is a south Louisiana historian and author, mainly focusing on Cajun/Creole and southern cultural history. He also works full time at Tabasco as the curator and historian. My grandfather, (dad’s dad), is Rod Bernard, who is a pioneer to the music genre Swamp Pop and Zydeco, a Louisiana folk genre. He has a golden record, went on tour including an appearance on Dick Clarke’s American Bandstand, and worked in radio until his retirement.

I definitely think that their success has contributed to mine, having grown up seeing that a career in the arts is sustainable and supported within our family.

Website: www.colettefineart.com

Instagram: artistcolette

Twitter: artistcolette

Youtube: Artist Colette Bernard