100 Dallas Creatives: No. 44 Artistic Integrator Erica Felicella

Courtesy Erica Felicella

Mixmaster presents "100 Creatives," in which we feature cultural entrepreneurs of Dallas in random order.
Erica Felicella is endlessly likable. That she would be a driving force behind one of the city's coolest art events comes as little surprise after spending an afternoon with her. This executive director of Art Conspiracy is intelligent, grounded, and friendly. And she really cares about the community.

In all aspects of her life, she's invested in engaging both local artists and the general public. But nothing seems forced. Her work as a performance artist is brave and thoughtful, and she is one of the biggest cheerleaders of Dallas and its arts scene. She chatted with Mixmaster in anticipation of this weekend's Art Con X, and this interview is excerpted from that larger conversation.

How did you get connected with Art Con?
Sarah Jane Semrad. I met her before Art Con days during Pigeon Stone Projects, which was basically taking the gallery concept into alternative spaces, but run like you would for a gallery. I've always said that every time I've taken a meeting from Sarah Jane, I left with a t shirt and a packet. You can't say no to her. And it was a perfect fit for me. Once you get bit by the Art Con bug, you can't leave.

In addition to ArtCon, you're an artist yourself. What do you do?
I started primarily in photography. I've moved in the last 2-3 years to primarily performance art. I've been making a stink in the city in the performance world for a while. Endurance performance is probably the best way to describe what I do, I've done a couple of pieces outside that realm, but my pieces take a long time of R&D before actual production. In 2012 I did a piece called "Visible Shell" that had me confined in a space for 48 hours on view, in public, in an acrylic box. I had a full team of performers that rotated in and out every two hours for 48 hours. I wrote the same sentence on a piece of paper over and over.

I didn't live here at the time, but remember reading about and thinking, how is that woman able to do that?
I do everything I need to do to make sure I'm safe. I talk to doctors, I train, but I don't practice because I feel that would make it inauthentic. But everything I could do to prep for it is done. Meetings with psychiatrists because I'm going to lose my mind, and psychologists to have the therapy to talk about, dietitians. I had to have a full team of nurses and doctors because I had to have a catheter. And, well, I'll probably never do that again. But I had to do it. 48 hours, something's going to happen.

Are you working on something now?
I've done four pieces this year. I did a performance at the Perot Museum calls "Grand=Stand," which was basically about how we perceive ourselves and how the world sees us and how different those points of views are because we're our worst critic. And I have a problem with grandstanding in general, it makes me very uncomfortable. But being an artist you have to do some of it. For 24 hours, I opened up my social media channel, and asked everybody to send me statements that I would not say about myself that they find to be valid or true, positive or negative and I compiled that whole list without going through it and I read it out loud on a podium and it was heavy. I wouldn't have said any of it. Some of it made me laugh, some of it was super embarrassing, some of it made me cry. And I'm working on a piece I've done several times called Unburden, I did it at RO2, and I did it in the Arts District and I'm slated to do it one more time, but I've been pretty busy with Art Con.

Do you find that there's something that unifies your works?
Most of my work is about community engagement. And what's really humbling is that I try really hard to make sure my work is relevant and if nobody engaged than I failed. Unburden was a gamble, but it succeeded. I've had people who come just for it, you can see them sit right down and then they leave.

100 Creatives:
100. Theater Mastermind Matt Posey
99. Comedy Queen Amanda Austin
98. Deep Ellum Enterpriser Brandon Castillo
97. Humanitarian Artist Willie Baronet
96. Funny Man Paul Varghese
95. Painting Provocateur Art Peña
94. Magic Man Trigg Watson
93. Enigmatic Musician George Quartz
92. Artistic Luminary Joshua King
91. Inventive Director Rene Moreno
90. Color Mavens Marianne Newsom and Sunny Sliger
89. Literary Lion Thea Temple
88. Movie Maestro Eric Steele
87. Storytelling Dynamo Nicole Stewart
86. Collaborative Artist Ryder Richards
85. Party Planning Print maker Raymond Butler
84. Avant-gardist Publisher Javier Valadez
83. Movie Nerd James Wallace
82. Artistic Tastemakers Elissa & Erin Stafford
81. Pioneering Arts Advocates Mark Lowry & Michael Warner
80. Imaginative Director Jeremy Bartel
79. Behind-the-Scenes Teacher Rachel Hull
78. Kaleidoscopic Artist Taylor "Effin" Cleveland
77. Filmmaker & Environmentalist Michael Cain
76. Music Activist Salim Nourallah
75. Underground Entrepreneur Daniel Yanez
74. Original Talent Celia Eberle
73. Comic Artist Aaron Aryanpur
72. Classical Thespian Raphael Parry
71. Dance Captain Valerie Shelton Tabor
70. Underground Culture Mainstay Karen X. Minzer
69. Effervescent Gallerist Brandy Michele Adams
68. Birthday Party Enthusiast Paige Chenault
67. Community Architect Monica Diodati
66. Intrepid Publisher Will Evans
65. Writerly Wit Noa Gavin
64. Maverick Artist Roberto Munguia
63. Fresh Perspective Kelsey Leigh Ervi
62. Virtuosic Violinist Nathan Olson
61. Open Classical's Dynamic Duo Mark Landson & Patricia Yakesch
60. Rising Talent Michelle Rawlings
59. Adventurous Filmmaker Toby Halbrooks
58. Man of Mystery Edward Ruiz
57. Inquisitive Sculptor Val Curry
56. Offbeat Intellect Thomas Riccio
55. Doers and Makers Shannon Driscoll & Kayli House Cusick
54. Performance Pioneer Katherine Owens
53. Experimental Filmmaker and Video Artist Mike Morris
52. Flowering Fashioner Lucy Dang
51. Insightful Artist Stephen Lapthisophon
50. Dallas Arts District
49. Farmer's Market Localvore Sarah Perry
48. Technological Painter John Pomara
47. Progressive Playmakers Christopher Carlos & Tina Parker
46. Purposive Chef Chad Houser
45. Absorbing Artist Jeff Gibbons