ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE 2019
2019 Fellowship Awards
2017 Conductive Garboil Grant
2016 Grants for Artist Projects
2019
Romson Bustillo
January 2020 | Discipline : Visual
Romson Regarde Bustillo is a Pacific Northwest Artist with a rich, layered background. Born in the Philippines on the large multi-ethnic/multi-faith island of Mindanao, his family immigrated to Seattle in 1978. After high school, he moved into the 619 Building in Pioneer Square and began making work. The late painter Drake Deknatel and mixed media artist Marita Dingus were important influences and mentors during this time.
At an early age, he recognized social constructs as often unjust. In response, he began to travel abroad to explore other norms. First returning to the Philippines to research Filipino Indigenous, colonial era, and contemporary cultures and iconography, followed by extended stays in Europe, Latin America, SE Asia, and Africa to further his artistic and cultural growth. He has taught printmaking for over twenty years. In 2017, he was co-recipient of the Conductive Garboil Grant for, in words of the award, “…engaging audiences outside the aesthetic industrial complex.”