about artful vagabond

Artful Vagabond explores the creative mind through story, film and cultural projects.

Artful Vagabond began in 2009 as an art and travel blog by sculptor, cultural project developer and former travel professional Serena Kovalosky. In 2011, she launched the 365 Days Project, a daily, one-year exploration of the creative mind that evolved into a series of interviews with visual artists from around the world. The goal of the project was to “take a good look at what often separates art from the people it is supposed to serve and find a way to bust through the myths, stereotypes and sense of intimidation surrounding art and artists.”

The 365 Days Project provided the springboard for Kovalosky’s innovative cultural projects that explore the intersection of art, culture and art tourism. Her projects have promoted a cultural “sense of place,” brought substantial revenue and publicity to participating artists, generated art tourism, particularly to rural areas, and continues to redefine attitudes about art.

During a curatorial trip to the Canada’s Yukon Territory to explore a potential collaboration to bring Yukon artists to the United States, a new project emerged. As Serena Kovalosky traveled from studio to studio, visiting carvers, painters, a “shaman of the knives” and Native weavers, listening to their stories and experiencing the Yukon through its artists, she thought, “I should be filming this. . .”

Upon her return, an extraordinary opportunity supported that vision: A local public access television station suggested that Serena launch her own film series and offered assistance.

Kovalosky assembled a film crew and began work on her first film, “In Search of Magical Waters.” The goal of the film, currently in post-production, is to bring the viewer into the artist’s life and creative process in a “cinéma verité style, offering insights into how artists “see” and experience their world.