Meet Alicia Ordal | Artist & Designer

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

Hi Alicia, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
I’m happy making things. When I’ve got a concept for an artwork, I love thinking creatively and generating lots of visual scenarios in my head – pairing colors, forms, and materials together. Then I imagine how these things would look in a space (gallery, room, alley etc.), how they’d respond to their environment, and how they’d engage with a viewer. I sometimes have too much fun with this part of the process and struggle to make things happen. This is where deadlines come in handy, lol. Once something that was floating around in my head begins to materialize in the real world, it’s incredibly satisfying.

Other things that make me happy are meaningful relationships, traveling to new places and cats. If I’m making art late at night, my cats are silently creeping around and monitoring everything going on. Sometimes they’ll mischievously knock things over or lay on top of the thing I’m working on. That to me is a perfect art-making companion and brings me so much joy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I could definitely draw before I could read and write. Early on, art became a tool for me to find my voice and engage with the world. As a dyslexic/ADD/neurodivergent (whatever we’re calling it now) learner, I think I was wired to focus on creative pursuits. I love experimenting in the studio and art-making provides the freedom to create my own rules, concepts and visual language. Last year I had the chance to make work at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver for an exhibition of current & former Redline Residency artists that allowed me to build upon this practice.

As an artist, one of the big lessons I’ve learned is the importance of maintaining professional relationships within my community. None of us are making work in a vacuum… I’m part of a larger narrative and it’s important to acknowledge who or what is influencing my practice.

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?
Here are some places or activities in the Denver area that I’d take a friend to (in no particular order):

Havana Sauna – I’m a big fan of saunas and have been going to this Korean spa in Aurora for about ten years.

Seoul K-B.B.Q. & HotPot – Their food is so good and it’s a few doors down from Havana Sauna. Love going here after the sauna.

Junk Drawer – This is an underground, queer dance party that takes place at different locations in Denver. Jeff Page, Justin Najjar-Keith and Aleks Rodriguez do an amazing job running this event. They fly in dj’s from other states/countries to perform and also hire local artists to create décor/ambiance for each party.

Barr Lake – This lake is a bird sanctuary in Brighton that I like to walk around. The trail’s about 9 miles long, so if I brought a friend, I’d make sure they have water, food and good shoes. The trek is worth it because of all the vibrant wildlife and foliage along the way.

Mutiny Café – I have to mention this one because this secondhand bookstore has been a cultural staple in Denver for so long. It’s changed owners, but it’s a comfort to see this place still going strong.

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?
Yeah, shoutout to Claudia Moran and Gretchen Marie Schaefer! Both of them bring valuable stuff to Denver’s art communities…
Claudia is Executive Director at Museo de las Americas. The Museo showcases important work from the LatinX community in Denver and at-large. Claudia’s so supportive of the museum’s artists and I think she’s cultivated a culture of encouragement there.

Besides being a great artist, Gretchen is Program Director of the Visiting Artist, Scholar and Design Program at Rocky Mountain of Art & Design. Gretchen brings a variety of influential lecturers to the RMCAD campus and I’m always gleaning new ideas from their talks.

Website: aliciaordal.com

Instagram: @getreal_alicia

Image Credits
courtesy of Wes Magyar