Meet Etheard Joseph | Multi-Disciplinary and entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Etheard Joseph and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Etheard, how does your business help the community?
Etheard Arts is my company. As a multi-disciplinary artist, I’m always working on a few different projects. Besides my personal large-scale fine arts abstract paintings, I’m working on two other major bodies of work. Last year, I created the artISts Connecting South Florida documentary project. The mission is to document creative people, places, and the art-making process in South Florida.
We all have creativity within us, and I want to help them tell their story to the world. The episodes are available via the artISts Connecting South Florida YouTube page.
A few months ago, I started the discarded fishing line public arts project. The mission is to use discarded fishing lines, nets, ropes, plastic, and so many other objects found during beach cleanup to create large-scale public art.

“According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation, monofilament, or mono fishing line, proves to be a huge obstacle due to its coloration and composition. Because the line is clear, birds and sea turtles have difficulty seeing it and easily become trapped. The line is plastic; it will not biodegrade once introduced into the ocean and may be a threat for hundreds of years, depending on environmental conditions.”

I love the environment; a lot of my paintings are inspired by nature. I wanted to use art as a vehicle to further continue the dialogue about projecting our beautiful environment. The short-term goal is to have a few pieces displayed throughout Palm Beach County for Earth Day 2024, and the long-term goal is to create a traveling exhibit with the body of work. In addition, collaborate with scientists, divers, the fishing community, and other experts on the project.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I use my art to communicate with the world. I use a lot of symbols and metaphors. Ultimately, I want the person who’s looking at the work to think and wonder about all kinds of things. Especially with my abstract work. In many instances, I’m placing many years of information on that large canvas. In many ways, my paintings are my journals or diaries. I’m very proud of the fact that I’m able to use art in many different mediums to tell stories and connect people.

I overcome challenges by keeping working on my craft. Every day is a training day. I never want to miss an opportunity to learn something. One of the main lessons I have learned is to be humble. I love the arts, and I want to use the fishing line art project as a vehicle to bring people together and protect our environment. All of these projects are becoming their own stand-alone brands. I have started to create merchandising for the fishing line art and the artISts Connecting project in order to continue funding these projects. All of the information is available via my website, etheardart.com.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Going to the beach is a must. kayaking in the Jupiter Inlet. Going fishing all over Jupiter and Juno Pier. While at Juno Pier, visit the Loggerhead Marine Center; the place is just amazing. As far as drinks and food are concerned, the possibilities are endless. From hot dogs at the Dune Dog, tacos at Papi Chulos, or elegant dining at 1000 North or The Woods at Hourborside Place.

There are so many places to go. The New Studio for Visual Arts in Jupiter, The Maltz Jupiter Theater, The Box Gallery in West Palm Beach, The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, and The Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m so fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many great people. I’ll just name a few. I obtained my Masters in Business Education from Hofstra University. I owe a great deal to my amazing mentor, Pro. Marsha Iverson, and Jessica Ransom, director of artist services at the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, Jessica is a pillar in the community, and she goes above and beyond for us artists.
The following individuals have been very instrumental in assisting with the Discarded Fishing Line Project: Friends of Jupiter Beach director Mary Aguiar, Conservation Manager Valerie Nicole Tovar, Loggerhead Marinelife Center Environmental Education Coordinator Sara Duggan, The River Center—The Loxahatchee River District, and Director of Education and Artist Relations, Chelsea Odum at Resource Depot.

Website: https://etheardart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/etheardart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Etheardarts/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FISHINGLINEART

Other: https://www.instagram.com/fishinglineartproject/