Another Pinay shines in top US TV show

Remember Sara Jimenez, the Filipina artist who landed among the finalists in the recently-concluded second season of Bravo TV’s Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, produced by Sara Jessica Parker?

Sara was featured in Funfare sometime last year when she broke into the show. Her father is Emmanuel Jimenez, a World Bank executive in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and her mother is a Canadian. Emmanuel is the first cousin of Baby K. Jimenez, my friend journalist based in Toronto, who is here on extended vacation, and also of Nini Yatco (mother of Gabby Concepcion’s wife Ginbee).

“Sara is currently taking up her Master’s in Fine Arts at Parsons in New York,” BKJ told me.

Anyway, Sara was here for a short vacation recently and Funfare had a brief interview with her.

Will Sara get involved in local entertainment? It remains to be seen.

What have you gained from the show?

“Work of Art was a completely new experience, where for the first time I was 24 hours in an environment of artists, focusing on making art for weeks on end. I learned that I could go farther than I thought I could. I discovered that there are no limits to what is possible. I went in thinking I could only do some things, and came out realizing if I dig deep, there is so much potential.”

What was the most difficult experience or episode for you, and why? How did you overcome it?

“The most difficult episode for me was the kid’s challenge because it was, I believe, the fourth challenge and my body and mind were exhausted, not yet accustomed to the pressure and stress. The hardcore environment, coupled with the content of the challenge was a lot at the time. It brought up memories from my childhood. Zelda, one of the girls with me on the show, was such a spark of light and energy, I felt really moved by her and couldn’t help but think of where I was at her age. I think the only way I got through it was by going through the feelings and embarrassment and coming out the other side. I felt a huge weight lifted off me after all that accumulated pressure was cried out and I felt a lot calmer and centered afterwards, funnily enough.”

What was it like meeting Sarah Jessica Parker?

“Sarah Jessica is sincerely so kind, generous, present and lovely. She was a breath of fresh air in the chaos; such a wonderful presence.”

Did you think you would get as far as you did?

“I really wasn’t sure I would even make it onto the show. I had little hurdles set up for myself. First, it was, ‘I just want to be accepted on WOA’…then it was, ‘I just want to make it two weeks’…then, ‘I want to make it to the Final 5’…and finally, ‘I want to make it to Final 3.’ So by the time I got to the end I was just in shock and the feelings took a while to catch up to me. I am truly grateful for the opportunity.”

You were the second to the youngest participant. Was that an advantage or disadvantage for you?

“Part of me was scared that I would not have enough experience. Since I did not have a degree in art, I was afraid I would not know enough to get through all the challenges. On the other hand, I felt like because I was relatively new as an emerging artist, that I didn’t over intellectualize the challenges or feel like ‘I should be farther along than this.’”

Has your Filipino heritage influenced your artwork in any way?

“My mom drew a lot when I was younger and really encouraged my art making. My dad had a lot of Southeast Asian art in the house which influenced designs, patterns and colors in my art making.” 

I understand that you were involved in Filipino community organizations and you spent one week in a slum area in Manila doing community work.

“For a couple of years I worked with FiRE (Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment). It is an incredible women’s organization in New York that works with diasporic Filipino communities. They also collaborate directly with the Philippines through the umbrella group, Gabriela. Two years ago, through FiRE and Gabriela, I spent about five days in Tatalon, an urban-poor sector of Quezon City. There I worked alongside women of Gabriela, building community through art. We made some murals together and they taught me about how they were organizing politically for women’s rights locally and nationally.”

If offered opportunities in the Philippines, would she accept them?

“Of course! Most definitely!”

What does the future look like for you?

“Right now, I am at Parsons doing my MFA which is invigorating, challenging and intense. So far, I really love it and want to focus on deepening my practice and exploring new methodologies/techniques.” 

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