Julia Arredondo
QTVC Live!
Interdisciplinary Book & Paper Arts
Project Statement
QTVC Live! YOUR freaky home shopping network.
QTVC Live! is an independent media channel that showcases underrepresented makers and their products via a live sales platform broadcasted via social media. It’s like QVC, but way cooler. QTVC Live! began as the MFA thesis project for founder/host, Julia Arredondo, while attending Columbia College Chicago.
Frustrated with academic arts institutions for not discussing sustainable career practices (specifically for minority makers), Julia sought to start a platform that not only hyped her local Chicago community but also helped spotlight the incredible breadth of creativity currently taking place nationwide in DIY scenes. Each QTVC Live! episode features a different vendor talking openly about production, pricing, background, and cultural narratives that feed each person’s practice.
QTVC Live! is an interview-style show where creatives/artists/makers are invited to sell their products live, in front of a camera from a DIY studio built in a Chicago apartment. Instagram Live is used to broadcast each episode featuring different artists each week. Femmes of color are given priority to exhibit on the show, as historically this is the most underrepresented demographic in the art market to date.
Artist Statement
I am an Artist Entrepreneur. My work explores the changing consumer market and responds to contemporary shifts in buying and selling practices. Often my art takes form as merchandise, which is then sold and distributed through self-run, web-based businesses. Taking shape as screenprinted prayer candles, hand-manufactured editions, commodifiable services and more; my work is inspired by startup culture and dreams of the ultimate exit strategy. I approach business as a form of empowerment, where I control the narrative around my work and actively engage in conversations around monetary compensation and creative labor. By overseeing my own artistic production and distribution, I challenge the creative market that values free and cheap labor over career sustainability.
Artist Biography
Julia Arredondo is an artist entrepreneur who recently concluded her MFA at Columbia College Chicago. Originally from Corpus Christi, TX; Julia is heavily influenced by the small, family-based businesses she grew up around. Formally trained in printmaking and specializing in artistic forms of independent publishing, Julia founded Vice Versa Press and Curandera Press as her entrepreneurial debuts. Julia recently launched media entities, QTVC Live! and COVIDtv, which are now on hiatus. Stay tuned.