In Conversation with Jessica Santiago

JL
Your unique journey to the art world took you through the realms of finance and real estate. How did you first decide to make art your profession?

JS
I actually went into the art world after being diagnosed with cancer in 2014. I quickly realized that I needed a full paradigm shift in my life and to undo the effects of living with extreme levels of stress and anxiety my previous career had desensitized me to. I was lucky enough to have started what I call my spiritual awakening journey a year prior, and I was privy to emotions’ effect on our physical state. After being diagnosed, I knew that I needed to heal from the inside out and immediately took time off and found myself spending my days immersed in music, meditation, reading philosophy, and viewing art.

I had a profound download one afternoon in meditation and received the inspired thought that I needed to go into the art business and work with emerging artists. It went straight to my core, and I knew it would be my life’s work from then on. I started from the very bottom in my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.

JL
You and ArtRepublic were ahead of the curve when it came to digital art, AI and NFTs. When did you first realize the possibilities of those technologies, and how did it become a focus of your work, such as through your AI curatorial platform?

JS
Jacksonville was far from a cultural capital and had minimal resources for the arts, so the community helped me become incredibly resourceful and innovative to make the impact and contribution I knew I wanted to make.

I could foresee that Jacksonville had much growth ahead, but there were important untold stories of the rich Black history that needed to be the foundation of the community’s culture before that happened.

I decided to start a mural project in 2016 which over five years contributed 53 murals, an annual art week, educational programming and artist development. At the time, major mural projects had existed all over the globe and I was searching to differentiate ours. I came across digital artists on Instagram and was immediately fascinated by the medium.

I began reaching out to artists who were creating immersive healing environments, and producing music to coincide with their visuals — icons of the medium who worked in it since the 80s. These artists at the time were incredibly underrepresented and under-resourced. I knew right away that digital art would allow me to contribute my strengths to artists who would play an important role in society and collective wellbeing, which was deeply personal for me.

Having established ArtRepublic’s ethos as the merging of art, technology and well-being, the exhibitions included meditative works and sound frequencies that had a serious impact on viewers. I knew then that if we were able to put AI sensors within the displays, we could get data to prove these positive effects, which was important if we wanted enterprise clients to invest in the works.

Luckily, at that same time, my husband, who is very tech-forward, shared a video of a TED Talk on Blockchain. After that, I became obsessed with how the technology would allow the medium to scale.

At the time, I put in a rider for the production companies I worked with requiring them to delete digital art files after our exhibitions were over … pretty sure most of them thought I was crazy, but I knew the works would have a proper market and serious value one day. I remember sitting with artists describing the need for what we now know as an NFT marketplace that would allow us to protect and sell the works.

I’ve realized that my place in the ecosystem is as a curator, and the best way for me to leverage this technology is to create a deep understanding of the artists and clients I work with to make the most intuitive connections that amplify both’s values and create high-impact engagement with the installations.

JL
Much of your work centers on public spaces and platforms. Did you know from the start of ArtRepublic that you wanted to focus on curating for more accessible spaces, rather than private collections?

JS
I did know from the very beginning that I wanted to work in public spaces. When I first decided to go into the art world, it was a profound, exciting time, but it didn’t take long for me to see that without a formal education, without living in a cultural capital, without the connections and pedigree, I might not be able to make the kind of mark I had hoped for. Public spaces felt accessible and impactful. I immediately fell in love with the spirit of street artists who gave at such a deep level for the benefit of the collective. I saw public digital art as the next phase of public art and a lane not many were in at the time.

JL
Wellness is central to ArtRepublic’s mission – you even partnered with Deepak Chopra on an NFT launch in 2021! How did you first begin to incorporate ideas of wellness and emotional connection into your curation?

JS
I consider myself incredibly blessed for the way I entered the art industry — seeking my own personal healing. To this day, if I need to alter my mood I turn to music, art and being around artists. I have always viewed art’s highest essence as a way to reach new levels of consciousness.

From my first wellness-focused digital art exhibitions I could see the medium’s healing abilities. People of all walks of life and generations felt like the work was for them. I watched a little girl sit with an installation for three minutes, and her father was in tears because she was autistic and had never sat still that long.

We are not far from a reality where we will measure the impact of our public art the same way advertisers do to sell us products, but instead offering a positive experience.

JL
ArtRepublic’s name refers to historical eras where patronage fueled artistic movements. How do you think that model can be applied in the present day, and what role can businesses and brands play in supporting creative innovation?

JS
Like many self-taught people, I’m sure, when I first began studying art history, I started with the Renaissance. I became fascinated by their dedication to patronage and their desire to enlighten their people through access to the arts. Not only were they fighting to establish a Republic where there was equality among the people, but they also understood that they needed to move beauty from behind elites’ closed doors into the public realm for their people to live harmoniously. At the same time, technological advances like the printing press and the ledger fueled the free flow of information and commerce.

Today, our technological tools are fueling a massive amount of content that  bombards us daily, and it will soon reach heights we have never imagined. Businesses who want to positively contribute to society will have to be more curated than ever before. The leaders who stand apart from the noisy crowd will be those offering environments that induce focus, presence and inspiration. 

Today, our enterprises and brands have the means that iconic patrons like the Medici once had. I believe they have a similar responsibility to ensure our public realms create harmony. Digital art requires new models to be able to scale. Enterprises need their spaces to remain innovative, engaging and reflective of their communities’ identity. Digital art gives them a means to not only be valued patrons to the arts, providing residual income to artists, but also to create spaces that benefit the collective wellbeing.

I truly believe that we are on the cusp of a shift where, through the empowerment of artists and the merging of art, tech and wellness, we can reach new levels of thriving.