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Quel est l'impact des arts sur vous ?

Art impacts every aspect of my life: how I process information, connect with others, and navigate being an artist, educator and parent. It taught me to look more closely and recognize stories and perspectives that are often overlooked. Those lessons have shaped how I teach, parent, and engage with my community. For me, art is not separate from everyday life; it is a way of creating connection, belonging, and understanding. Ultimately, it has given me the courage to become who I was always meant to be.

Quel impact les arts ont-ils eu sur les Virginiens ?

Art is all over Virginia (and beyond!), whether people notice or not. It’s in the clothes we wear, our home decor, and even the lettering on the menus of our favorite restaurants. Cutting-edge art, whether it’s a painting, a piece of music, or a movie, shapes how our communities view the world. Art can take a concept that feels foreign or uncomfortable and show it in a whole new light that connects us to one another. In all of its forms, art is what helps us see each other’s humanity, gives us hope in dark times, and emboldens us to imagine a better world.

Qu'est-ce qui pourrait surprendre quelqu'un à votre sujet ?

I fenced épée while I attended James Madison University.

Si vous pouviez être un artiste de classe mondiale, que feriez-vous ?

As a visual artist, I’m still working on that! But in my next life, I would love to be an opera singer or musician, but I can’t decide on which instrument.

Si vous deviez dire quel est votre superpouvoir, quel serait-il ?

Finding connections. No matter what I’m reading, watching, listening to, or whom I meet, I naturally find connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, topics, and people. I love turning those connections into new initiatives and projects that bring people together and have the potential to make a meaningful impact.

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Rowena Federico Finn (she/her/siya) is a Filipina-American multi-disciplinary artist and educator in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her research-driven practice explores identity, belonging, and resilience through history, storytelling, and material culture. Finn combines textiles and natural elements from the Philippines to create meticulous works of art that invite viewers from all cultures to examine how these materials shape our traditions and identities. A graduate of James Madison University, her work has been supported by The Foundation for Contemporary Arts, the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, and the Hambidge Center, and is included in the permanent collection of the Chrysler Museum of Art. Finn has served on a number of boards and is co-founder and president of the Virginia Coalition of Visual Artists. Her artistic and community leadership are deeply interconnected, with both grounded in a commitment to representation, cultural connection, and social change.