Featured Member November 2021: Ann Votaw
“Art Makes Us Pause..”
This month we spoke to Ann Votaw, who is a writer, former dancer, and NYC-licensed sightseeing guide and one of our events hosts.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself — where are you from, where did you go to school, what do you do, and how long have you lived in NYC?
I am a total Hoosier, born and raised in Indiana. My great grandmother, my granny, my mom, and I went to Ball State University, in Muncie. David Letterman went there too. I have been in New York since 2003. I moved to pursue dance.
Q: What does art mean to you and what do you like most about it?
Art makes us pause and be more aware of what we can't see, of what we feel in metaphor.
Q: What is your favorite art form and why?
I especially enjoy painting because I love the colors and the way each artist works with light.
Q: What do you love most about living in NYC, and particularly the arts in NYC?
I love that New York is always changing, always evolving based on who lives here. In that way, New York is already a work of art in itself. The art here reflects the world.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about your experiences with Women of Culture thus far?
I like meeting other women and the conversations around art that may be slightly different in tone than conversations with men. I'm not sure how to explain that more because it's just a hunch, a pretty good one, that women see things in art and society that men may not.