Jason Rogalski shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Jason , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Most mornings, I go to Chollas Lake and spend an hour filling the jugs of the Watering Station. These are for anyone, but mostly kids to water the butterfly flowers. It’s pretty hard work to fill all 15 gallons. While I’m doing it, I stay focused that this is my artwork, just like drawing a picture. Every moment counts.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Jason Rogalski. I tend to make sculptures that local organisms live in freely; like a bird house, but mine are for other organisms like skunks, or bees, or owls or anything that lives here in San Diego. Sometimes, I build full installations for whole ecosystems. My work also incorporates the human factor because we live here too. The work needs to be esthetically appealing so that the humans & animals can live together. I come from a background of science based art & education. I’m a credentialed teacher in science & fine art and will be starting my 17th year this August.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
About 10 years ago, my family & I were living in City Heights, where I’ve lived most of my life. As I walked up to the house I was renting, I saw an elderly man throwing rocks at my car. I knew him and he spoke little english. With hand gestures and our little shared language, I asked why he was throwing rocks at my car. He pointed underneath and I saw a young skunk cowering there. I told him that I liked the skunks and it was okay with me for it to be here. For me, this was an eye opening moment. I often sat on my steps after work and decompressed from my day. If skunks walked by, I would toss them some nuggets of food…same with opossums, raccoons or whatnot. In that moment, I realized that most people didn’t feel that way. We as humans tend to take over a given environment. We manipulate EVERYTHING. The area I live in bares almost no resemblance to how it looked prior to humans. We change the plants, the soil, build roads & houses and try to eradicate all living organisms that we don’t like. At this time, I’d been teaching a ecological science unit on succession. Primary succession is when there is nothing, like a new island created by lava, but then lichen begins to eat the new stone and maybe a bird brings seeds and slowly a small ecosystem slowly develops. Then something wipes that ecosystem out, let’s say a fire or a flood. As the next ecosystem develops, it has a lot already working for it, developed soil, old roots, animals that know the area, so it grows much faster and larger. This is called Secondary succession. It yields some of the largest ecosystms on Earth, like the Mojave Desert or the Amazon. When I realized what was happening in my City Heights neighborhood, I called it “Urban Succession”. We as humans dictate everything and attempt to drive out anything we don’t like. This bothered me a lot, so I started building to house the organisms with sculptures that people would like.
Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
My current large project is The Wishing Machine. When I bring water to the watering station, kids are excited. It seems to strike a deep instinct. Children love to water plants. People love to help other organisms. This piece gives them this opportunity.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
I deeply believe that I must rely on myself first and foremost. I can make positive change. It may start as a fad, that’s fine. Lots of foundational shifts start there. I share my perspective and if other’s like it, it will spread.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What light inside you have you been dimming?
I LOVE teaching. It brings me joy to share life tools with the kiddos. However, it does take some energy away from my direct art practice. In life, we have a finite amount of time & energy. Sometimes, i do think about the path not taken. What sort of projects might I have actualized? But then, I compare that with the kids that I’ve positively impacted and there’s no contest.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rogalskiart.com/index.html
