Photo: Dr. Ceylon Mitchell, M3 Mitchell Media & Marketing
The City of Charlottesville and the surrounding region’s robust arts community has lacked a centralized arts council since the Piedmont Council for the Arts shuttered in 2017. A new effort to establish an equitable, accessible, and focused arts organization is now in the works, facilitated by independent consultant Ruby Lopez Harper. The initiative invites artists, creative workers, and residents from across the area to participate in the Charlottesville Area Arts Community Needs Assessment & Input Survey, accessible online at newcityarts.org through December 26. Ahead of that deadline, we put Harper in the HotSeat to learn more about the arts and culture leader.
Name: Ruby Lopez Harper
Age: 53
Pronouns: She/her/ella
Hometown: Bellflower, California
Job(s): Consultant in the arts; mom; wife; Sligo Middle School PTSA president; adjunct professor, George Mason University; executive director, Craft Emergency Relief Fund
What’s something about your job that people would be surprised to learn? Focusing on my consulting work, I would say it’s way more work than people think it is.
What is art to you? Expression, connection, and reflection
Why is supporting the arts important? It’s our core—without it we have no reference to who we are, why we are, and how we are.
What are you working on right now? I’m in between projects, but I love making fabric origami butterfly brooches in the evenings.
Favorite exhibition venue: I love unusual spaces like side rooms in bars or lobby spaces, but my favorite venues are third spaces like libraries and recreation centers.
Favorite artist: Woof, I love them all! I shop a lot of markets and festivals. My current obsession is blown glass jewelry by SaraBeth Post Eskuche.
Best advice you ever got: No is a full sentence.
Proudest accomplishment: I’m blessed to live in gratitude and abundance so I love every little win. In fact, I just gave board chair remarks for the Maryland State Arts Council board and that was the center of the message: Celebrate every win, the small ones and the big ones. They all count.
Favorite Charlottesville restaurant: The pitfall of being a consultant is that I don’t always get a lot of spare time to dine around.
Favorite Charlottesville gallery/museum: I got a chance to see a recent show at the McGuffey Art Center—I love the space!
Favorite Charlottesville landmark/attraction: I hear a lot about First Fridays, and the Grand Illumination. I’m looking forward to checking out the Holiday Market at McGuffey.
Bodo’s order: Everything bagel with cream cheese
Describe your perfect day: Delicious meals I didn’t cook, an exploration outing, a nap, and time with my family sharing laughter and wonder.
If you could be reincarnated as a person or thing, what would you be? It would be my cat, Po—she lives the best life!
If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? Abundance, prosperity, and rest for everyone
Are there any superstitions you abide by? Several. I carry a lucky button and a prosperity talisman in my wallet. We have a money frog and a lucky cat in the entryway, and a stick of cinnamon over the door.
Most embarrassing moment: It’s an everyday kind of moment—when people wave, and I think they are waving at me but it’s actually the person behind me.
Do you have any pets? We have one cat now, Po. Our hamsters, Mango and Pippin, died earlier this year.
Favorite movie and/or show: “Ted Lasso” and “Schitt’s Creek”
Favorite book: The Old Farmer’s Almanac
Who’d play you in a movie? Salma Hayek or Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent
What’s your comfort food/meal? White rice, brown gravy, and peas
Go-to karaoke song: “Son of a Preacher Man” by Dusty Springfield
Subject that causes you to rant: Depends on the day and the audience.
Best journey you ever went on: In the immortal words of Prince, ”this thing called life.”
Next journey: We are moving back to California from Maryland.
Favorite word: My safe-for-work word is “rutabaga;” I’ve been told I use “careening” a lot; and I have a very colorful vocabulary when I’m not at work.
Hottest take/most unpopular opinion: Mayo, not Miracle Whip; Heinz, not Hunt’s; couldn’t care less about The Ohio State University; and Pepsi, not Coke.
What have you forgotten today? Hahaha—this question always makes me think about a comedy special by Suzy Eddie Izzard: “Did I leave the gas on? No! I’m a squirrel.”
