There is a certain kind of magic that never leaves us. Something planted early, long before we even understand what a career or a calling is. It is the part of us that used to draw without worrying if it was good, that painted with both hands, that built wild cardboard cities and made instruments out of empty cans. It is the artist in every kid.
For some people, that spark dims over time. Life gets loud, responsibilities stack up, and the quiet space where creativity used to live fills with other things.
But for others, the ones lucky enough to be surrounded by people who encourage it, celebrate it, and help it grow, that spark does not just stay lit. It becomes a beacon. A community. A movement.
Genie Castro is one of those beacons.
Every time I run into Genie, she is wearing the fabbist outfit in the room. Bright, expressive, joyful, the kind of look that reminds you that you are allowed to be colorful in this world. But what inspires me is not just her style or the seemingly endless stream of new artwork she brings into the world. It is how she treats creativity like a communal act, not a solo performance.
She does not just make art. She makes space.
Space for people to explore.
Space for people to try.
Space for people to remember that they too were once kids who loved color.
Her abstract paintings are truly some of my favorite pieces of art I have seen in person over the last few years. Vibrant, alive, full of movement and personality. Just like her. But what I love even more is how, every time I see her, she is quick to lift someone else up. Genie is the type of artist who, before showing you her own new work, will walk you right over to another artist’s piece and say, you have to see what they are doing.
That is leadership. That is generosity. That is community.
At SuperCharged Printmakers, her printmaking studio in the Casket Arts Building, Genie has created a place where creativity is not just welcomed. It is contagious. It is a space that feels like a playground where grownups remember how fun it is to make something with your hands again. It is a place where students, newcomers, seasoned artists, and curious visitors all collide in the best ways possible.
You look around that studio and realize this is what happens when someone never lets go of the kid inside them and then invites everyone else to reconnect with theirs.
Her work at the Minnesota State Fair with the Cream of the Crop Artists Gallery proves how art becomes even more powerful when artists promote each other. For twelve days straight, she and her team do not just sell prints. They create an experience that draws thousands back year after year. It is entrepreneurial, yes, but also deeply communal. A celebration of Midwest creativity. A reminder that art thrives when shared.
Her history stretches across decades and institutions. Mia, MCAD, corporate collections, national showcases. As if she has been weaving her influence quietly and steadily through the entire Minneapolis arts scene. Her work has hung alongside giants like Andy Warhol and Frank Stella, yet she remains the same person who will excitedly introduce you to the newest artist in her gallery as if that is the real honor.
Because to Genie, it is.
It all comes back to that spark, the one we felt as kids. Genie never stopped nurturing hers, and she has committed her life to helping others tend to theirs.
And that is what makes her such a rare and beautiful force in the world.
She reminds us that creativity is not just a personal journey. It is a shared one. When a community supports its artists, when artists support each other, and when leaders like Genie open doors, lift others, and make the world more colorful, that childhood spark becomes something bigger. Something lasting.
Something that lights the way for all of us.
By Patrick Tape Fleming