Meet Corisa Moreno | Artist / Play Activist / Educator

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

Hi Corisa, what’s one piece of conventional advice that you disagree with?
I strongly disagree that to “succeed” or get ahead in our careers, we must sacrifice rest. As an artist focused on joy, I believe in embracing the full spectrum of human experiences, like napping. The conventional approach to maximizing our time for work has made so many of us forget that we are here to live. We’ve been tricked to think productivity is a reward. It’s not a surprise that we are stressed out and unhappy. I’m saying this as someone who works a lot just to pay rent, buy groceries and all the basics for survival. But what if our lives were structured in such a way that we didn’t have to feel guilty about resting: taking walks, having lunch away from your desks, or sitting in the park with your kids? The word downtime comes from the 1950’s to explain when machines were out of service. The fact that we call rest ‘downtime’, is one example of what an overworked state we are in. I’m here for a culture shift. We aren’t meant to go go go. And I’m not talking about self-care. I’m not talking about getting a mani-pedi or lighting candles. Sure, do those things if you want but for me the commodification of ‘self-care’ has added pressure to spend more money on another thing I have to squeeze into my schedule. I think we should be seeking time to do nothing. We need the freedom to do nothing. (Scrolling on social media doesn’t count!) I advocate for reclaiming our right to rest, to connect with one another and to play. I believe our best creations stem from moments of quiet reflection and our best memories from genuine human connection, not from endless hustle. I saw an ad recently that said, “Want to figure out how to create a 26-hour day?” For fuck’s sake, NO. I want to take a nap and then hang out and laugh with old and new friends.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?

I create art to inspire joy from playful moments of human connection. I work with childhood games that are cross-cultural and cross-generational to make my art. For example, cat’s cradle – a game that uses a piece of string to create movement and abstract images. I want to transport viewers back to the playful times of childhood to remember that we connect in the simplest ways. I paint hands playing cat’s cradle and weave string through the canvas. I also developed a technique of running the cat’s cradle string across two canvases to bind diptychs. This symbolizes the inherent tension and beauty in human connections, inviting viewers to engage both visually and emotionally with my work.

At exhibitions, I would bring a piece of string and ask guests to join me to play cat’s cradle—an experience to bridge the gap between artist and audience. People would often share with me their memories about playing the game. The stories spanned from learning how to play from their grandparents to using cat’s cradle as a way to make new friends from someone who moved a lot as a child. I enjoyed these interactions so much that I wanted to make the art the object that the audience could play with. This led me to building “fortune teller” sculptures. These interactive sculptures are constructed from raw canvas and highly decorative and meant to evoke the whimsy of the child’s paper-folded truth teller. The sculptures are invitations to let go of the ‘do-not-touch-the-art’ mind set by allowing viewers to engage directly with the art. Through my work, I hope people are reminded of the significance and necessity of in-person human interactions by reconnecting with their inner child.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In a city as diverse and vibrant as LA, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. As an art lover, I think you must go to LACMA and MOCA and the galleries in the arts district downtown. Are you vegan? The Butcher’s Daughter in Venice. Meat lover? I know a taco truck on Figueroa for excellent carne asada and carnitas. Noodles? Hot Thai on San Vicente. Opulence? Bottega Louie in DTLA. I could spend over a month taking you around for any and all foods. Rooftop bars and restaurants also rank high in my LA to-do’s. Do you like hiking? There are so many possibilities including Franklin Canyon hiding in Beverly Hills. Love the ocean? Early mornings to see dolphins or early evenings to watch the sunset. I honestly could go on and on. I think you should stay at least 2 weeks. 

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 feel lucky to have an incredible group of friends. I hear so often that it’s hard to make connections in LA but this is where I have made friends for life. If you haven’t found your people, don’t give up, they are out there. And of course, a special shoutout to my kid, who was a huge part of my inspiration for this series on play. I am grateful for their honest artistic advice that helps keep me grounded and reminds me to accept imperfection.

Website: www.corisamoreno.com

Instagram: @corisamorenoart