Rising Stars: Meet Olivier Dubois-Cherrier of Picture Rock, Tucson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olivier Dubois-Cherrier.

Hi Olivier, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After working for 20 years in the commercial screen-printing and digital printing industry, first for my father and then within my own companies, I decided to become fully involved with visual art making. Even if my parents weren’t artists, one of my grandparents was a painter and another a sculptor. I guess it influenced my trajectory even if they were passed when I did the switch. I used to draw naturally well when I was a kid, and reconnecting with my skills after 25 years of abstinence was a revelation that would impact the rest of my life. Thanks to an elaborate system of delegation. I’ve been able to carry on with my CEO role for more than 10 years, even if I was never present in the company because living in another country while I was growing up as an artist. We could consider I could not stay put somewhere until I decided to settle for good in Tucson. I used to live in France until I became a man. I moved to the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe where my main professional activities were based, at 30. Seven years later, I moved to the Dominican Republic. I lived 5 years in Barcelona, Spain, where I reconnected with my artistic skills. I then moved back to the Dominican Republic as a full-time artist this time, and after 4 years, I moved to the U.S. as an international student studying for a BFA in Miami. This was to extend my stay in the U.S. until my green card would be eventually processed, so I came to Tucson for an MFA in sculpture at the University of Arizona. When arriving in Tucson 6 years ago, I was a free man, recently divorced with grown-up children living in Europe; it was time for me to settle in a place where I could at last root and belong to. My business recently sold. I was then able to buy a lot of land in the desert, design and build my own house and develop the project of The Island in Tucson, And Outdoor Art Space for a New Paradigm. Emily, whom I met in Tucson, has been my significant other for the last 5 years and is completely involved in every aspect of the project.

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?
I could say my life has been quite a smooth road.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a visual artist (MFA from the University of Arizona) and an adjunct faculty (teaching drawing) at Pima Community College. But I am also the founder and manager of The Island in Tucson, 11 acres of outdoor art space located on the edge of the Saguaro National Park. I’m a critical thinker and an apprentice philosopher; I published 3 notebooks about applying philosophical principles in my daily life. Emily and I are eco-fanatics who love our planet very much and never stop thinking of how we can reduce our impact on the earth. I am very independent and free; I refuse to follow any ideology or leader. I believe that if one takes care of his individuality, one avoids falling into individualism and becomes a better actor for the community. I am an anarchist who refuses a pyramidal form of authority; I rather instead a horizontal and true democratic form of organization. At last, I believe artists should end the art world’s corruption by refusing the dirty money from many nasty wealthy donors. I favor an ethical relationship with the world that can happen only with full transparency between the members of any society.

So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
First, we get our support at The Island in Tucson thanks to the guests we host in two eco-friendly, conceptually designed guesthouses. We also receive morale support from our local friends and from local people who are interested in what we are doing at The Island in Tucson. So far, nobody has ever yet worked with us. We are a young organization with only 2 years of experience. But if one wants to get involved as a volunteer and help us move forward with our Outdoor Art Space for a New Paradigm project, we will be very happy to talk with anyone and listen to their proposal. We try to be open-minded as much as possible without any restriction other than full respect of the cultural and natural heritage of the area where we are located.

Contact Info:

• Website: theislandintucson.org
• Instagram: @theislandintucson

Image Credits
Olivier Dubois-Cherrier