Categories: About, Meet the Team! 2 Comments

Creative Team

 

Creative Team

Lead Documentarian

KATHRYN CAUDLE comes from a military family and lived in both Europe and the Far East as a pre-teen. She attended high school in Kailua, Hawaii, which gave her a unique view of the natural fusion of land, air, and sea. That is where she discovered her passion for photography and subsequently created a freelance photography business, Scratchkatshots. She completed her A.A. in Fine Arts, with an emphasis in Art History, from San Diego Mesa College. Her goal is to continue her education and eventually earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. Working with various clientele, Kathryn immerses herself in San Diego’s visual and culinary arts scene, capturing images that develop a narrative regardless of their environment. She also works with local organizations and businesses utilizing her skills to help manage their social media and build their branding.

Cultural Correspondents

CATHY BRESLAW is a visual artist, arts writer, educator and public speaker whose work has been the subject of over 30 solo exhibitions. Cathy currently serves on the City of Carlsbad Art Commission and has been featured in approximately 50 group exhibitions around the nation. Cathy has an M.F.A. in Visual Arts from Claremont Graduate University (CA), an M.S.W. in Counseling from Howard University and a B.A. from George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Her work has received national acclaim and has been described as “visual poetry that enriches and inspires.” – David Pagel, LA Times 2008.

LINA DE LA TORRE is a free-lance writer about arts and culture.  She has been published online in US and Italy, including past contributions as a HuffPost Contributor. She is also an amateur photographer and has included some of her own photos in her articles. She studied at UCLA and subsequently worked in Information Technology for many years. During her career she was fortunate to have opportunities to travel and work outside of the US, primarily in Europe and Mexico. She developed professional level skills in Spanish, French, and Italian and worked on teams in the local languages.  She is passionate about performing arts and travel and has woven those interests together over the years. Her hobbies include gardening, baking, flamenco dance, and piano.

JUSTIN DUYAO is a writer, editor and creative director with experience in journalism, art criticism, copywriting and creative editing. He holds an MA in Critical Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) at Willamette University, as well as degrees in English Literature, French and Religious Thought from Harding University. He is the recipient of a ‘Make | Learn | Build’ grant from Oregon’s Regional Arts and Culture Council, as well as a Writing Fellowship from the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies at PNCA. His art writing has been published by Oregon ArtsWatch, Variable West, HereIn and the San Diego Union-Tribune, and he has non-fiction essays published in Dismantle Magazine, Weathered and the Clackamas Literary Review, among others. He lives in San Diego, California.

CORNELIA FEYE arrived in New York City from Germany thirty years ago with two suitcases and a typewriter. Since then, she has tried to combine her background as an art historian – she holds a M.A. in Art History and Anthropology from the University of Tübingen, Germany – with her experiences travelling around the world for seven years, and her love for writing. After a career in museum education, she founded Konstellation Press in 2016, an indie publishing company for genre fiction, to give a voice to independent writers and create a supportive community for local authors. Feye’s first novel, Spring of Tears, an art mystery set in France, won the San Diego Book Award. During the pandemic she finished her fourth novel Death of a Zen Master, a mystery set in a remote Zen Monastery. Cornelia lives in Ocean Beach, where she finds inspiration in her garden and always looks for the green flash. 

GERRY GIULIANO grew up in farmland New Jersey, yet only sixty miles from New York City. Prior to his move to San Diego and amidst some travel, he lived in a mix of other rural and urban areas on the East coast. His time shared between city and country has left him with a mutual appreciation for the outdoors and urban expression. Gerry received a BS in Economics from Salisbury University and works in sales for a medical device start-up, which aims to change the paradigm of minimally invasive surgery. Journalism is a new creative outlet for Gerry and he is also working on a magazine dedicated to Ocean Beach. He enjoys new culinary experiences, hiking, surfing and boxing.

ROXANA LOPEZ is a San Diego native and a recent graduate of San Francisco State University, where she earned her Bachelors of Art in Art History. A documentarian by nature, Roxana created her freelance photography business in 2007. The Bay Area’s murals and street art helped her to connect the dots between her photography and writing. She developed and gave walking tours that examined the visual elements, social justice themes, and community history woven throughout the murals. Roxana is passionate about documenting and sharing street art because it is a critical component of elevating the stories of marginalized communities. Since returning to San Diego, Roxana has jumped back into the local art community. She is an artist assistant for the de la Torre Brothers and an art preparator at the Museum of Photographic Arts. Before moving to the Bay, she volunteered for San Diego Art Institute, Museum of Photographic Arts, Voice of San Diego, and Creative Mornings San Diego. From the Bay Area to San Diego, Roxana’s main focus has always been and always will be expanding minority representation in the arts.

LUCAS PEREZ is a published writer, gold medal winning calligrapher, and an accomplished polyglot. His passion has always been for words. His linguistic journey  began as a child in Mexico, and has taken him to 28 countries (living in three), and enabled him to study Japanese “Nihonga” painting in Tokyo—to master Chinese calligraphy in Taipei—and to learn about contemporary art & critical theory in New York City.  He has a home in San Diego that he shares with his partner, but spends his time working bi-coastally between California and New York. He has written for various online publications including  http://www.hyperallergic.com. To learn more about his work, please visit lucasperez.org.

REBECCA ROMANI holds an MA in Television, Film and New Media and writes about film and culture for various publications. She lectures on film for Palomar College and SDSU OSHER and guest curates for the San Diego Downtown Public Library. Her videos and artwork have shown in festivals in the US, Europe, and the Middle East. Originally from Northern California, Rebecca Romani has lived in Belgium, France, and Morocco. When not watching films, she can be found photographing street art or hunting down the elusive perfect chocolate mousse.

MARIO SANGUINET worked in local government for almost four years, where he briefed City Management on Smart Cities and Urban Agriculture. Since 2014 Mario has been teaching college students how to become better humans by focusing on their relationship and public speaking skills. Naturally, Mario has all the friends and talks goodly. Mario graduated with a bachelors and masters in Communication from San Diego State University. Unfortunately, this does not make Mario a Pokémon master, just a Communication master. But Mario’s still determined to catch them all.  Mario is the perfect blend of pop culture and current events. Mario keeps up with news and pop culture so others don’t have to. In his spare time, Mario attempts to write and say things to make strangers laugh, to mixed success. In college, one of Mario’s professors called him a “Renaissance man,” and Mario’s tried to live up to that everyday. Mario is an advocate for solar collectors, a recreational debt collector, and a competitive coin collector.

KRISTEN NEVAREZ SCHWEIZER is the daughter of Filipino and Mexican immigrants who met in San Diego. She loves this city, earning her bachelor of Theatre Arts at San Diego State University before working at local-focused institutions, including the San Diego Business Journal, Poway Unified School District, San Diego REPertory Theatre, and the Downtown Community Planning Council. In addition to covering theatrical events, she profiles artists in her award-winning ‘ART SEEN‘ series. She is currently on staff at Makers Church in North Park.

MIMI SELLS  originally moved to San Diego in the 1970’s as a newly married, liberal arts graduate of SUNY Albany, subsisting on low wage jobs and government food surplus. Later, moving north to L.A. and then the Bay Area, she successfully pursued a decades-long marketing career for high tech and non-profit organizations and earned an MPA from USC along the way. In 2019, they returned to San Diego to enjoy life with two grandkids nearby. As a born New Yorker, Mimi has always loved the creative arts and the energy of vibrant communal spaces, becoming a founding member of the Vision Bird Rock Task Force to improve her local community.

For over 10 years, Mimi has also been writing a blog, NoBlueHair reflecting on aging with attitude. She’s published articles in The New York TimesLos Angeles Times and, most recently, the La Jolla Light.  From taking online art classes at the Atheneum to becoming a member of San Diego Writers, Inc., Mimi has kept creatively busy during Covid lockdown. Now that the live arts are re-emerging, she reached out to Vanguard Culture to help chronicle the exploding San Diego arts scene.  And, still married, her husband is actively pursuing his love of performing, writing and producing music.  

ALEXEI SPINDELL is a native San Diegan and recent recipient of a BA in philosophy, an almost-minor in studio art, and NorCal vibes from Humboldt State University. He is tentatively pursuing a Master’s degree in philosophy with an interest in 19th century German philosophy, Eastern philosophy, and aesthetics. Having stumbled all around California, he has finally settled on diving into the culture of his hometown where he can find answers for his love of the arts and his fear of missing out.

CORI WILBUR is a freelance journalist, music junkie, classically trained dancer and aspiring comedienne. She began college studying dance at the University of San Francisco and somehow wound up earning her B.A. in Political Science from UCLA. There she found a passion for journalism. She has previously worked as a blogger for the Daily Bruin and the Editor for The Life Connection Magazine. 

Thank you for your continued support! Vanguard Culture is a volunteer-powered 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to advancing San Diego’s Creative Industries.

Our arts coverage is comprised of THE BUZZ, featuring artist interviews, show reviews, and behind-the-scenes insight into San Diego’s Arts & Culture; POETIC LICENSE, featuring beautiful photo essays of artist studio visits by visual artist/curator Chi Essary; the award-winning ‘ART SEEN‘ series highlighting creative professionals who are the engine of our arts & culture community; and our newsletter Vanguard Culture WEEKLY, featuring a curated selection of San Diego’s best, most exciting, and unique cultural and culinary events.

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We look forward to an exciting season of quality arts coverage, vanguard events, and professional development for creatives. We hope you will join us!

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With gratitude,

Susanna Peredo Swap
Founder & Executive Director
Vanguard Culture

Vanguard Culture

Vanguard Culture is an online media entity designed for culturally savvy, socially conscious individuals. We provide original interviews and reviews of the people, places, and events that make up San Diego’s thriving arts and culture community, as well as curated snapshots of the week’s best, most inspiring and unique cultural and culinary events. We believe in making a difference in the world, supporting San Diego’s vibrant visual and performing arts community and bringing awareness to important social and community causes.

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