Spotlight on Florence Cunningham
Opera audiences supposedly are "silver-haired," "golden-aged," just plain "older," or even "dying," according to a plethora of online articles lifted from both the popular press and arts organizations' publications. Nevertheless, some recent studies proclaim hope for our art form, reporting that the average age of a Metropolitan Opera attendee currently is 52 (down from age 57 in 2020), and the Paris Opera audience's average age now is 47! Your Operagram would never delve into the birthdates of our subscribers, but this month's "Spotlight" shines on one of our newest members, Florence Cunningham.
Florence Cunningham
Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Florence moved to New Mexico when she was 17. In 2014 she graduated from the University of New Mexico, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with emphases in Printmaking and Photography. Intrigued with fine art lithography, Florence completed an internship at the Tamarind Institute, UNM's affiliate which is credited with revitalizing the moribund field of fine art lithography. Florence, a "gung-ho student" of this art form often used in the 18th and 19th centuries to produce musical scores and maps, became the Institute's first teaching assistant in over 15 years.
While she "loved the physical act of printmaking," and filled the artist role "complete with a half-shaved head and Doc Martens," she couldn't picture a long-term future for herself built around it, so actively sought out other art-related experiences with internships and teaching. Through that searching, Florence found herself drawn more to the business, research, and advocacy aspects of art. As an undergraduate, she worked at UNM's Bunting Visual Research Library and interned at the Albuquerque Museum as an editing assistant. At SITE SANTA FE she assisted with research for grant programs and enjoyed introducing young people to art as a teacher in SITE's partnership with UNM's "Bridge Academy" for high school students, and at an Albuquerque prep school. But another teaching experience impacted her in a major way.
Teaching art at the Santa Fe Juvenile Detention Center delivered what she calls "good culture shock." "I realized, coming from a safe, middle-class environment, I was privileged. The kids at Juvie thought arts were only for and from white people." Florence connected with and inspired her students by researching artists who had been incarcerated and introducing topics on prison and graffiti art forms, she stressed the idea that "artists are storytellers who manage a balance of acknowledged pain and strategic hope. You can have a second chance in life!" along with her art lessons.
Her students also influenced and inspired her. She now volunteers with Future Fund of the Albuquerque Community Foundation, "a group of young professionals focused on making an impact in our community, redefining the meaning of philanthropy, and nurturing future leadership in Albuquerque." Florence also is active with the Albuquerque Rotary Club and has joined our Opera Guild and its Communications Committee because she "likes to be around people who want to do good things for the community."
Florence first became interested in opera because she wanted to explore more aspects of the arts and try something new. That exploration paid off, leading her to literally "make a leap" into something new this summer. She auditioned and was selected as the Scribe in Act 2 and stunt double for Leah Hawkins in the tragic final scene of "Tosca." Outfitted with a gorgeous costume and glamorous stage make-up, on June 30 Florence debuted with Tosca's dramatic leap – six feet down onto a massive, fluffy mattress!
Florence currently is enrolled in a New Mexico State University program for entrepreneurial development, but already has mastered the basics of initiative, structured experimentation, adaptability, and communication. In July of 2019, Opera America reported on a Los Angeles Opera program to update perceptions and increase the relevance of their company, including developing a contemporary, accessible “brand voice” to represent themselves. The new brand personification was characterized as "…female…curious about the world... an adventurous traveler…a collector of people, cultures and fashion… a connector." That personification could describe our own new Santa Fe Opera Guild member Florence Cunningham.