Social Hour held a tribute event to Selena, the queen of Tejano music, that consisted of dancing, painting, eating good food, and appreciation of local art this past Friday.
Social hour is a community driven organization that is dedicated to providing creative spaces for artists and creative minds. Their first event brought together local artists that highlighted Selena’s art, fashion, and lifestyle.
Brittany Alexander was the coordinator of this event and said, “I started off doing toy drives for kids with my friends so I’ve been doing these events for about three years now… They’re a lot of fun but after a while, I couldn’t afford to throw them anymore, so I created my art shows to help fund the toy drives.”
Alexander expressed how she always had the gift of bringing people together and went on to say, “There’s a huge need in Modesto for stuff like this and not only for people to come and see art but for creatives to showcase their work.”
It is common for artists to keep their creations to themselves, but this event gives the opportunity for them to showcase their talent.
Eric Echavarria, an artist from Waterford, described how having his art on display made him feel, “Vulnerable” and said, “I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid. I was nervous, I don’t really show my stuff. I go to the bar, and I draw, then I go home! The only person that ever sees me draw is the bartender who works there.”
Zsatia Vega, an artist from Modesto, shared her favorite piece she brought to the event. “It’s a face in the middle of the painting and her face is beat for the gods, her makeup is on point, her highlight and contour is on point, and she’s surrounded by roses that represent beauty and love.”
She went on to say, “I like to draw things that are beautiful, I really focus on beauty, women, and sexual things. A pop of color is really my favorite and I believe that color is the most important. When people buy my paintings and put them on the walls I want it to be the most colorful thing in their house.”
There were artists that expressed how their craft allowed them financial freedom and happiness.
Trey Richer, a full-time artist from Manteca, described why he chose to showcase at this location, “I’ve done shows in Stockton, but never the Modesto community, mainly come to meet people and see all types of new faces and shit… I do this because art makes me happy.”
The purpose of these events is to enlighten the community with positivity, diversity, and creativity instead of driving to the big cities [Bay Area].
Alexander added that “There’s cool stuff everywhere, why can’t we have that here?”