from FSU Art BA ’20 Carlina Peralta:
Cat Family Records is a nonprofit art organization mostly ran by students, interns and volunteers. During my internship experience, I have been able to apply the knowledge I obtained in the classroom to different projects while also freely experimenting among multiple aspects within the organization. Cat Family Records encourages and promotes a space for artists of all mediums, whether it be music, graphic art, photography, animation, painting, yoga and more. The creative freedom of self-guided projects allows for hands on experience in which your colleagues will offer constructive criticism where you then tailor accordingly. Having people with different skill sets promotes learning new programs hence different stylistic approaches. Consequently, in light of real-world happenings such as Black Lives Matter protests, we aligned our platform to support and promote Black owned businesses as well as held art call features for black creators.
Through my internship I had the opportunity to illustrate two coloring books, one in which will be sold as an E-book on the website and another personal one I wish to share with children all over the world. I hope to share the beautiful privilege of art and touch the hearts of those who are not as fortunate as I am. Art is a way that we can bridge the language and cultural barriers reminding us that we are all one in the same. Ideally these coloring pages will serve a dual purpose in contributing to my portfolio with the intention of illustrating a children’s book in the near future. There is also a quarterly Zine called, T.ART, this mini magazine contains art of all mediums and calls for contribution from every artist in the organization. I was tasked with providing small illustrations to accompany poetry excerpts, along with samples of cohesive borders and page numbers.
The effect of COVID-19 called for a temporary halt on original shows, festivals and the annual adoption event, Cat Fest, which are intended to bring community together. However, we were able to shift our content to an online production. Had these events still been in effect I would have had the opportunity to develop my graphic design skills through flyers, regardless I was introduced to the program after effects which can be used for title effects, animations, and logo effects. While I did learn a lot, under different circumstances I would have loved to meet other creatives in Tallahassee outside of Cat Family Records and watch the curated events come to life.
