Caroline Castro

Caroline Castro’s wild life prompted her creative activism. She went from a self-proclaimed “Jesus Freak” late bloomer who joined a religious cult in Seattle that helped victims of sexual assault by marrying them off to “obedient Christian men” to a filterless queer comedian in New York City. Hailing from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, Caroline moved to the States for college where she had a rude awakening on American identity. She wrote Spanglish plays to cope with missing home and alchemize epiphanies on how personal and political control plays out domestically. After continuously witnessing unfair labor conditions and feeling very aimlessly stuck in survival mode, she discovered a book that lit the pathway to enlightenment: “Debt” by David Graeber. Its pages revealed the concept of ownership and “owership” and the violent plague that reinforces them. She also discovered the words of Audre Lorde and adrienne maree brown that suggested pleasure could heal and guide us instead. Caroline believes art is a huge cultural tool in re-sensitizing humans, forming safe collective intimacy through artful dialogue, and curating visual reflections of what we seek to change in society through ourselves. Her work focuses on the power of consent and our ability to advocate for others as we advocate for ourselves. Caroline is a visual artist, writer, mystic, and mentor. She uses various mediums to solve problems and challenge culture creatively—like designing temporary-tattoo pasties to free the nipple, writing scripts about queer women redefining freedom, and painting visuals that reimagine human autonomy and symbiosis.

What drew you to the M.A. in Arts Politics:

The intersection of art and activism. I’ve been an independent artist and yearned for community to grow with resources to thrive.