Conversations with Terri Porta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Terri Porta.

Hi Terri, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Hi, I am an artist from Billings, Montana. I didn’t start out as an artist. In fact, I had no idea that I wanted and loved art, until after I had my son. We were sitting at the kitchen table while he was a toddler one day, and I decided to take out the craft paint and do an activity with him. He sat and painted for about five minutes and then was done but I stayed there and kept painting for the next few hours and decided I’d like to know more about art. When I looked into it, I learned a lot online. But I got so excited and wanted to keep going after several years of painting that I decided to go back to school and learn more about art, I have just recently graduated from Montana State University, Billings with my bachelor of fine art degree and my women’s study minor. The experience was so amazing. It included several trips abroad and one trip to the Venice biennial. Which is like the Olympics for contemporary art. All of this changed my view and open my world to the big vast horizons around art. Last year in 2022 I was invited to an exclusive international artist in Residency in Orqueveaux France. I was in France for six weeks, all of which I spent completely focused on art.

I wanted to learn as much as I could, and expand my understanding of the international art world, but also change my own art and influence my own creative abilities with travel. And it worked by the time I graduated this last December. I was applying to larger and larger events, and have now been selected as Billing’s first-ever artist in residence, funded by a grant through the national endowment for the arts, and the community supporting me as I grow. My job through this grant will be to create two public art pieces along the bike path in Billings to create a feasibility study so that we can have an artist and residency continuing throughout as long as we can do it here and an art commission with a playbook that will talk about how to be an artist in residence, and how to continue in the city with the job that I will be doing. I am very excited about this journey. Ever since I was sitting at that table with my son, I knew my life would be different, and that I had found something that gave me purpose beyond what I’ve ever known my son and I are still active together, creating and having a lot of fun.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been around 10 years since I started with my first art painting in that time I have been divorced, moved three times and now will be having surgery on my back. Due to a spinal injury, not related to art. There have definitely been ups and downs in the public art scene. I have produced several large public art pieces in Billings as well as pop-up murals around the state, each of these came with its own individual set of challenges. Some were so large I did not think the project would go through. I feel lucky that Billings and the community have trusted me to produce art that they will grow to love and want to keep around for their children. I am also a fine artist as well and as any artist can tell you the climb in the ladder for the commercial industry of art is daunting. I have had to make several sacrifices in my life to follow my dreams. Those sacrifices in the end turned out to be just the choices that would help me propel myself forward and learn.

But I feel like those challenges were as much of a learning process as the successes. In fact, I am strange, and I love to see the failures and mistakes, especially in my art and have learned to embrace them because they often lead me down a new direction and reveal a positive force for good in my heart. If I would’ve not had several of those mistakes happen or been able to get over the challenges, they produced I would not be in the position I am today. Because if anything, I have learned that talent fades. Your arms and fingers will not paint the way you used to think they should paint. But your mind if it’s sharp can persevere. It is unendingly able to learn new patterns and new experiences, teaching it to look at life in new ways.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
When I went back to school, I learned so many new things to add to my art. It excited me to add new media to the experience around sculpture and ceramics and new media, and drawing and painting. I also loved the people that I was involved with and found that the art community is open and welcoming, and incredibly responsive to those who would like to succeed. When I became a public artist, it was almost by mistake. I had a friend and commercial painter, tell me he thought I should do murals which spurred the idea and from there I’ve done some really large paint projects in Billings including, an over 5000 square-foot mural in Downtown Billings at the City Hall parking garage. That was one of my first works and it took me 4 1/2 months to complete. It also had augmented reality in the Mural and people could scan it with their phone and get more videos and more information about the events that they saw in the historical painting. I had many people in the community offer their stories when they saw the paintings going up. And I began to record them.

The stories are not available to the public now, but at the time the community embraced the entire idea with such a thrilling result that we had over 400 people at the reception and so many people excited about Billings Public art. Billings is the largest city in the region touting over 150,000 people in Yellowstone county. Montana is a very small community even though it is a really large state Artists across the state know each other and know what we’ve done. I would like to celebrate all my fellow artists because for one; I am not the best painter for two, I’m not the best artist and for three I’m here only to say that art is an awesome industry and it’s something anyone should try. if you look at my website and all the things that I’ve had the opportunity to do, maybe you’ll see something stick out but for me, the opportunity to work in a community of people who appreciate you and appreciate what you do is more important than anything. People I’ve been able to hear their stories and listen to their adventures and Paint about them make me happy. And I found my purpose in life. The art that I do is expressive, it doesn’t try to be perfect. It’s not overly snobby and it’s approachable to anyone.

If you look at my fine art, I am searching for answers just like every other artist. Sometimes when people know me, or they recognize me in the store from the news or some other event, I’m always surprised and delighted. But I’m more delighted when they’ve seen my art. And they recognize the humanity and connection that I am attempting to use. I believe that art is something that can reach into your soul and connect to the child within you. That child who knew that something they did was special. Kids are my biggest inspiration. I spent a little time with my neighbor’s son last evening, who is five years old. He has every toy you can imagine. He is so excited about the projects in his toys. I did not exist, only his world existed. We went into it together just like I would with my art. It was the funniest part of my day.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
One of the big topics I keep hearing about in my industry is AI. Computers creating art has every one of my art friends upset. At least that’s how I interpret their emotions. The way I see it AI is another tool something that I can use to explore in a creative way.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.terriporta.com