Art Is Awesome with Emily Wilson

Episodes

• Kara Maria - Painter & PrintmakerApr 28, 2026 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, Emily chats with Kara Maria, a painter and printmaker based in San Francisco Episode Highlights: Kara discusses her large-scale wood panel print on display at Chase Center in San Francisco, created at Magnolia Editions in Oakland with master printer Tallulah Terrell How a monarch butterfly painting became the starting point — and then had to be modified — for the Chase Center commission Her colorful aesthetic, rooted in 1970s cartoons, Spirograph, comic books, and Japanese woodblock prints (particularly Hokusai) The influence of her husband, Mexican artist Enrique Chaya, and their travels to Mexico on her color palette Childhood memory of a school librarian who gave her a shelf in the library for her handmade illustrated books Her journey from music school to painting — and why she knew she could never stop making art Her love of Bay Area edges: the Marina, Ocean Beach, and the view from Mount Davidson Why her studio, SF MoMA, the de Young, and the Legion of Honor all hold special meaning About Artist Kara Maria: Kara Maria is a visual artist working in painting, drawing, printmaking, and public art. Her recent work addresses climate change, biodiversity loss, and their significant impact on humanity. She meticulously paints miniature portraits of threatened, endangered, and extinct animals amid fields of flying shapes, twisting lines, and swirling colors. These works celebrate the joy and exuberance of life, emphasizing the incredible variety of existence on our planet. Maria received her BA and MFA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has exhibited work in solo and group shows across the United States at venues such as the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University, CA; the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma, CA; the Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV; the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, TX; and the Katonah Museum of Art in New York. Maria has been selected for awards and honors, including the Masterminds Grant from SF Weekly; a grant from Artadia; and an Eisner Prize in Art from UC Berkeley. Her work has received critical attention in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, and Art in America. She has been awarded artist residencies at the Montalvo Arts Center, the Recology Artist in Residence Program, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and the de Young Museum Artist Studio. Maria’s work is part of the permanent collections of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University; the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and the San Jose Museum oPlayPlay Kara Maria - Painter & Printmaker
• Chad Hasegawa - PainterApr 14, 2026 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily talks with San Francisco based artist Chad Hasegawa, known for his minimalist, bold abstract style. Chad grew up in Hawaii, moved to San Francisco inspired by the Mission School art movement, and studied advertising at the Academy of Art University before becoming a full-time painter. He discusses how artists like Franz Kline and Mark Rothko shaped his goal of creating work that stirs deep emotion without explanation, and how painting murals on the street — and the raw reactions from passersby — reinforced that vision. Chad is currently painting a mural on shipping containers at the entrance to the San Francisco Art Fair at Fort Mason (April 16–19) and will have a solo presentation at the Good Mother Gallery booth inside the fair. About Artist Chad Hasegawa: Chad Hasegawa is a San Francisco-based artist and a graduate of the San Francisco Academy of Art. Hasegawa's art is a quest for simplicity and emotional resonance. His approach, deeply rooted in minimalism, focuses on reducing complexity to reveal the essence of feeling and reason. Hasegawa believes in stripping away the unnecessary, leaving behind art that genuinely connects with the viewer through color and form. This process, a balance of adding and subtracting elements, aims to capture pure emotion rather than narrate stories. His work is a deep exploration into the intrinsic structures that shape our perceptions. His work is not just an artistic expression; it is a blueprint for understanding and experiencing the world. Through the lens of minimalism, Hasegawa meticulously crafts each piece to serve as a map, guiding viewers through a landscape of feelings and ideas. The essence of his art lies in this careful balance of elements - each subtraction and addition serves a deliberate purpose, ensuring that every stroke, every color, and every form contributes to the overarching narrative of emotional truth. He strips away the extraneous, focusing on the elemental to evoke a raw, unfiltered emotional response. This purity of expression allows the viewer to connect deeply with the work, engaging not just with the art but with their own inner landscapes of emotion and thought. His work reshapes our understanding of art and its purpose, emphasizing the importance of simplicity in a complex world. By removing the superfluous, his work allows us to appreciate the fundamental aspects of life and art. Hasegawa's work uniquely blends emotion and reasoning, ensuring each piece is both meaningful and emotive. When his work lacks feeling, he enriches it with emotion; when it lacks purpPlayPlay Chad Hasegawa - Painter
• REPLAY! Remembering Tosha Stimage - Multidisciplanary Artist & Floral DesignerMar 31, 2026 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, we are paying tribute and remember Tosha Stimage, who passed away earlier this month. We are revisiting Emily's conversation with Tosha back in 2024, as they discuss her artistic journey, from her childhood experiences with nature to her current projects and inspirations. Emily highlights her creative process, experiences during the pandemic, and her upcoming installation at the Presidio Tunnel Tops. About Artist Tosha Stimage: Tosha Stimage is an Oakland-based multi-disciplinary artist who uses a variety of art mediums to examine how we create language. Her paintings, collages, installations, and floral sculptures “use experimentation to re-contextualize physical material and histories with fresh perspectives,” she shared. As the founder of SAINTFLORA , a full-service floral design company specializing in “unconventional flower experiences”, Tosha is also a local entrepreneur and the third and final artist within the Presidio’s Public Art Mentorship Program . In July 2024 Tosha will create and install a large-scale art installation to transform the space between the Presidio Transit Center and the enclosed Picnic Pavilion at Presidio Tunnel Tops . “Flowers put us back in the ‘circle’ and connect us to labor, land, and each other,” Tosha shared. “ I’m incredibly excited to explore the flora of the Presidio and use it to spark curiosity and fresh perspectives. Nature provides an accessible and inclusive entry way for dialogue around complex social and environmental topics.” Honor the legacy of Tosha and support her family by gifting her GoFundMe HERE. Visit Tosha's Website: ToshaStimage.com Support Tosha's Floral Shop: SaintFlora.com Follow Tosha on Instagram: @SaintFloraCo Check out Emily's 48Hills article about Tosha's 'SUPERBLOOM' back in 2PlayPlay REPLAY! Remembering Tosha Stimage - Multidisciplanary Artist & Floral Designer
• Maria Jenson - SOMArts Executive DirectorMar 17, 2026 · 18 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Host Emily Wilson sits down with Maria Jenson, executive director of SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco. Maria shares her journey from dancer and playwright to arts administrator, including stops at SFMOMA before finding her home at SOMArts. The conversation covers Cece Carpio's solo exhibition Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits, You Are Welcome Here , featuring found objects, poetry-infused wall text, and immersive altar installations that blend Bay Area and Filipino cultural traditions. Maria explains why SOMArts returned to solo shows after focusing on group exhibitions — to amplify community artists ready for bigger platforms. Maria also discusses the "Artists Live Here" cultural convening, which drew over 400 people in response to the announced closures of California College of the Arts and the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Designed as an "unconference" with no slides and no panels, the gathering channeled grief and anger into collective action and joyful community building. Other topics include SOMArts' annual Día de los Muertos exhibition, the Murphy and Cadogan Awards for Bay Area MFA students, and how Maria organized an art fair at the Tenderloin's Phoenix Hotel that brought together galleries, local artists, and civic partners. She credits advocate Ebony McKinney as a major influence and finds creative inspiration in the Bay Area's natural landscape. About Creative & Exective Director Maria Jensen: Maria Jenson is recognized as a leader in the arts for advancing innovative strategies to sustain creative communities in the midst of rapidly changing urban environments. As Creative and Executive Director of SOMArts, Jenson has deepened the organization’s commitment to racial equity, creating clear pathways for Bay Area artists to cultivate new ideas and grow their careers. Through her leadership, Jenson has expanded SOMArts’ public programs, advanced new public-private partnerships, and fostered groundbreaking exhibitions such as The Black Woman is God, The Third Muslim: Queer and Trans* Muslim Narratives of Resistance and Resilience, and many more. These projects represent SOMArts’ commitment to incubating the growth and careers of Bay Area artists and curators. Prior to joining SOMArts, Maria was a key member of the SFMOMA External Relations team during the museum’s expansion and was the Founding Director of ArtPadSF, an independent art fair launched in the Tenderloin at the Phoenix Hotel in 2010. A graduate of the 2018 Getty Foundation Executive Leadership Institute, she is a sought-after thought leader on the role of cultural institutions advocating for a more democratic and equitable society.PlayPlay Maria Jenson - SOMArts Executive Director
• Joe Cerda - Painter & Tattoo ArtistMar 3, 2026 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Richmond-based artist Joe Cerda about his multifaceted creative practice spanning tattoo art, painting, and sculpture. Key Topics: Joe's earliest artistic memories, including his godfather teaching him to draw a boat at age four His self-taught journey into tattooing, starting with hand-poked tattoos and a homemade machine built from a Walkman motor Moving between Southern California and the East Bay, eventually opening his own tattoo shop in Richmond His specialty in realistic portrait tattoos and photorealistic paintings Travel-inspired artwork from trips to Spain, the Philippines, and Mexico Sculpture training at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco The emotional connection he feels to his paintings versus commissioned tattoo work Influence of representational artist Richard Schmid on his painting technique His plans to incorporate more abstract elements while maintaining realism Location: Cerda Art Studio, Richmond, California Next Episode: Maria Jensen, Executive Director of SOMArts Visit Joe's Website and Tattoo Studio: CerdaArt.net Follow Joe on Instagram: @CerdaArtStudio -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions . For more info, visit <a rel="noPlayPlay Joe Cerda - Painter & Tattoo Artist
• Kristine Mays - Wire SculptorFeb 17, 2026 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily features San Francisco wire sculptor Kristine Mays discussing her politically charged exhibition "State of the Union" at Modernism Gallery. Created in response to the uncertainty and division at the beginning of 2025, the show explores themes of American identity, social justice, and individual responsibility through intricate wire sculptures. Kristine walks through several powerful pieces: "This is America," a frayed wire American flag with beads representing blood and tears; "Human Complacency," depicting the see/hear/speak no evil concept; and "Modern Day Lynchings and Hashtag Memorials," featuring hand-embroidered names of Black people killed by police on silk ribbons. Many works incorporate quotes from writers like Audre Lord, whose words "your silence will not save you" inspired Mays to create this body of work as both political statement and personal healing. She traces her creative journey from childhood craft projects with her mother to her current practice working with construction-grade wire. She explains how she creates faceless figures and sculptural garments that allow viewers to project their own stories and recognize loved ones through gesture alone. The meditative quality of working with wire and its durability appeal to her desire to create lasting legacy work. A major milestone: the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture recently acquired her piece "Hush Harbor." Kristine, who has participated in San Francisco Open Studios for over 20 years, credits her "divinely led" journey and her mother's early encouragement to create without fear of failure. About Artist Kristine Mays : Kristine Mays, a San Francisco native has been an exhibiting artist since 1993. She was the Grand Finale Winner in 2015 of the 5th Annual Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series National Competition. This competition not only provided an opportunity to exhibit her work at Art Basel Miami, but she had a solo exhibition at the Scope NYC Art Fair as well, and was also afforded a chance to collaborate on a large scale public mural. Her mural is on the side of the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco on Fillmore and Geary Streets. (It has large wire feathers placed among the portraits that adorn the walls, reflecting the fleeting existence of black jazz musicians in San Francisco.) In 2015 she also participated in the Hearts in San Francisco program, creating a large 400 pound heart for their annual public art installation. The heart spent a few weeks on display in Union Square before going to its final home upon purchase from AT&T. In 2009, Kristine was a featured artist in the San Francisco Art Commission's "Art in Storefronts" pilot program, a project which transformed vacant storefronts and commercial corridors into a destination for coPlayPlay Kristine Mays - Wire Sculptor
• Adriene Busch - WeaverFeb 3, 2026 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this week's Episode, Emily features Adriene Busch, a Bay Area fiber artist and weaver whose exhibition "Of Water" is currently on display at M Stark Gallery in Half Moon Bay. They chat at Adriene's home studio and discuss her artistic journey and creative process. Adriene grew up in Arizona making art but studied business in college, considering art impractical as a career. She continued creating throughout her education, exploring photography, ceramics, and painting. About 10 years ago, she discovered fiber arts through embroidery, which led her to weaving—a medium that combines everything she loved: the composition skills from photography, the tactile nature of ceramics, and the color mixing from painting. Her breakthrough came with "West Bay: A Love Letter," a large-scale aerial view of the Bay Area made with felted wool details like San Francisco skyscrapers. This piece was displayed at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Center for a year and caught the attention of gallerist Marianna Stark, who offered her the current exhibition. About Artist Adriene Busch: Adriene Busch is a contemporary weaver based in San Mateo, California. She has worked in various modes of fiber art since 2016, eventually committing fully to tapestry weaving. As a self-taught weaver, she finds great joy and satisfaction from artistic problem solving and in the continual development of her technical skills and artistic vision. She is intentional in her selection of materials, using color and texture to represent particular characteristics of her surroundings. As a tapestry weaver, she enjoys the many choices that working with fiber allows; in her pieces, color, texture, and composition interplay to create a balance between bold and neutral, flat and three-dimensional. Adriene’s work reflects her personal connection to the world around her, creating pieces that embody her daily experiences. Visit Adriene's Website: WestBayFiber.com Follow Adriene on Instagram: @WestBayFiber For more on Adriene's exhibition "Of Water" at the M Stark Gallery - CLICK HERE -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/purePlayPlay Adriene Busch - Weaver
• Christine Wong Yap - Visual Artist & Social PractitionerJan 20, 2026 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Christine Wong Yap, a visual artist working in printmaking, social practice, and community-based art. Christine discusses her latest project "Bay Windows/Ventanas," a trilingual public art installation featuring lanterns created with Chinese-speaking women in Chinatown and Spanish-speaking women in the Mission District. The lanterns, displayed at five locations through March 11th, explore themes of mental health, belonging, and immigrant experiences through traditional paper-cutting techniques. About Artist Christine Wong Yap: Christine Wong Yap is a visual artist and social practitioner who works in community engagement, drawing, printmaking, publishing, textiles, and public art. Through her hyperlocal participatory research projects, she gathers and amplifies grassroots perspectives on belonging, resilience, and mental well being. Last year, she received a a Creative Power Award from the Walter & Elise Haas Foundation and Creative Capital Award . She has served as Neighborhood Visiting Artist at Stanford University (Stanford, CA) and Creative Citizenship Fellow at the California College of the Arts (San Francisco, CA). She has developed projects with the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, For Freedoms, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, Times Square Arts, and the Wellcome Trust, among others. She holds a BFA and MFA in printmaking from the California College of the Arts. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has lived since spending a decade in New York City from 2010 to 2021. Visit Christine's Website: ChristineWongYap.com Follow Christine on Instagram: @ChristineWongYap For more about Christine's Bay Windows project and upcoming scavenger hunt CLICK HERE To learn about The Creative Capital Award CLICK HERE -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including HPlayPlay Christine Wong Yap - Visual Artist & Social Practitioner
• Replay! Tucker Nichols - Artist & IllustratorJan 6, 2026 · 20 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Happy New Year! Cheers to a great 2026! In today's Episode, we continue our Winter Hiatus with a Replay of EP27 from June of 2024, with Illustrator Tucker Nichols... Emily chats with NorCal based artist Tucker Nichols as he shares stories about his spontaneous move to Taiwan, where he immersed himself in a vibrant artistic community. He discusses his extensive body of work, including children's books and the initiative 'Flowers for Sick People.' He reflects on his background, including his mother’s influence and his intense study of East Asian art. Tucker's journey includes struggling with Crohn's disease and a career shift to become a full-time artist, supported by his wife. He talks about influential works and places, emphasizing his lifelong passion for art. The podcast concludes with three thought-provoking questions Emily asks every guest. Stay tuned as we return in 2 weeks with a brand new Episode with featuring a new batch of Awesome Artists! About Artist Tucker Nichols: Tucker Nichols is an artist based in Northern California. His work has been featured at the Drawing Center in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Denver Art Museum, Den Frie Museum in Copenhagen, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. A show of his sculpture, Almost Everything On The Table , was recently on view at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. He is currently an Artist Trustee at SFMOMA. His drawings have been published in The New Yorker , The New York Review of Books , McSweeney's, The Thing Quarterly, and the Op-Ed pages of The New York Times. He is co-author of the books, Crabtree (with Jon Nichols) and This Bridge Will Not Be Gray (with Dave Eggers). Flowers for Things I Don’t Know How to Say was released in March 2024. Flowers for SicPlayPlay Replay! Tucker Nichols - Artist & Illustrator
• REPLAY! Saif Azzuz - Libyan-Yurok ArtistDec 23, 2025 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, for our end of the year REPLAY! Episode, we revisit Emily's chat with Pacifica based artist Saif Azouz, discussing his journey in art, inspiration from nature and literature, his current exhibition 'Cost of Living', and his reflections on boundaries and displacement. Saif's experience with art, his use of materials, and his perspectives on creativity and community are highlighted throughout the episode. About Artist Saif Azzuz : Saif Azzuz is a Libyan-Yurok artist who resides in Pacifica, CA. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Painting and Drawing from the California College of the Arts in 2013. Azzuz has a forthcoming solo exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum in Houston, TX in 2025 and has exhibited widely in the bay area including exhibitions at 1599dt Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Adobe Books, San Francisco, CA; Anthony Meier Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA; Galerie Julien Cadet, Paris, FR; ICA SF, San Francisco, CA; Pt.2 Gallery, Oakland, CA; Ever Gold [Projects], San Francisco, CA; NIAD, Oakland, CA; Rule Gallery, Denver, CO; Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, New York, NY; Jack Barrett, New York, NY and K Art, Buffalo, NY. Azzuz is a 2022 SFMOMA SECA Award finalist and has participated in the Clarion Alley Mural Project and the Facebook Artist in Residence program. Selected public collections include de Young Museum - Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; Facebook, Menlo Park, CA; Gochman Family Collection, NY; KADIST, San Francisco, CA; North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC; Rennie Museum, Vancouver, Canada; Stanford Health Care Art Collection, Menlo Park, CA; UBS Art Collection, New York, NY; and University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, MN. Learn more about Saif, CLICK HERE. Follow on Instagram: @SaifAzzuz -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) <a href="http://creativePlayPlay REPLAY! Saif Azzuz - Libyan-Yurok Artist
• Kathy Aoki - Conceptual ArtistDec 9, 2025 · 19 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily interviews artist Kathy Aoki, known for her witty, satirical works that blend pop culture, gender commentary, and fictional narratives. Kathy discusses her “Koons Ruins” project, her creative process, and the inspiration behind her art, including playful takes on celebrity culture and the art world. Tune in for a fascinating conversation about imagination, humor, and the power of storytelling in contemporary art. About Artist Kathy Aoki: Kathy Aoki is a multi-disciplinary visual artist who uses satire to critique the absurd value systems that dominate gender, pop culture, and politics. Her printmaking work can be found in major collections across the U.S. including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.She received fellowships at MacDowell (NH), the Headlands Center for the Arts (CA), and Frans Masereel Centrum (Belgium) and other venues. Aoki has completed commissions for the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, and the San Jose Museum of Art. Her studio is located in the San Francisco Bay Area where she is a Professor of Studio Art at Santa Clara University. Visit Kathy's Website: KAoki.com Follow Kathy on Instagram: @KathyAokiArtist For more info about Kathy's exhibit Koons Ruins CLICK HERE. -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GPlayPlay Kathy Aoki - Conceptual Artist
• Jamil Hellu - Photographer & Visual ArtistNov 25, 2025 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this Episode, Emily interviews artist Jamil Hellu. Jamil shares his multicultural background—Brazilian, Syrian, Paraguayan, American, and queer—and discusses how these identities inform his work. The conversation explores his journey from Brazil to the U.S., his evolution as an artist, and his teaching at Stanford. Jamil talks about his latest exhibition, "In the Studio," at Rebecca Camacho Presents in San Francisco, which delves into identity, transformation, and the use of vibrant color and materials in self-portraiture. He reflects on his creative process, the influence of queer culture, and the importance of community in the Bay Area. The episode also features Jamil’s thoughts on representation, the impact of artists like Claude Cahun, and the significance of residencies in his artistic development. Tune in for an inspiring discussion about art, identity, and the power of self-expression. About Artist Jamil Hellu: Jamil Hellu is a visual artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who creates personal and politically charged projects to expand the discourse on identity representation. Through an interdisciplinary studio practice rooted in photography, his work is a dynamic exploration of queerness, community, and cultural heritage. Born in Brazil and of Middle Eastern descent, Hellu's diverse ethnic background informs his practice and research, offering a critical lens through which to examine issues of race, discrimination, and belonging. In today’s political climate, where LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, and racial justice remain central to social struggles, Hellu’s projects invite viewers to consider the ways we construct, perceive, and validate identities. Through a vibrant visual vocabulary, he repeatedly engages in self-portraiture, activating conversations around visibility, cultural lineage, and the evolving nature of self-representation. His work contributes to ongoing discussions about who gets to be seen and who doesn’t and the power of visual storytelling as a form of resistance. Hellu earned his MFA in Art Practice from Stanford University and has exhibited widely. His work has been discussed in publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Artforum, and VICE. His projects have been supported by grants and residencies such as the Fleishhacker Foundation, the San Francisco Arts Commission, and the Headlands Center for the Arts. An active participant in the San Francisco Bay Area arts community, Hellu serves as an Advisory Board member for Recology’s Artist-in-Residence Program and represents local artists in the Board of Directors of SF Camerawork. He is a Photography Lecturer in the Department of Art & Art History at Stanford University. Visit Jamil's Website: <a href="https://jamilhellu.nPlayPlay Jamil Hellu - Photographer & Visual Artist
• Masako Miki - Multimedia ArtistNov 11, 2025 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily interviews artist Masako Miki, whose solo exhibition "Midnight March" is on view at the ICA San Francisco through December 7th. Masako discusses her journey from Osaka, Japan to California, her fascination with Japanese folklore—especially the "Night Parade of 100 Demons"—and how these stories inspire her colorful felted sculptures. The conversation explores themes of animism, transformation, and protest, as well as Masako’s creative process and the importance of art in shifting perspectives. Tune in to hear about her artistic influences, the significance of her studio, and the playful yet profound characters she brings to life. About Artist Masako Miki : As a multimedia artist, Masako Miki navigates diverse mediums, including textile sculpture, watercolor, and outdoor public installations to explore the intersection of mythology, folklore, and contemporary social issues. Miki has exhibited her immersive felt sculptural installations and watercolor works on paper in the US, and internationally. She has exhibited at institutions including Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and de Young Museum. Inspired by Shinto’s animism, Miki attempts crafting new mythologies concerning cultural identity as social collectives. Miki was a recipient of the 2018 Inga Maren Otto Fellowship Award from Watermill Center in New York, also has been a resident artist including de Young Museum and Facebook HQ. Miki’s work is in collections at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Colección Solo in Spain, The Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation, Facebook, Inc., and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Miki’s monumental outdoor public art installation at Uber HQ in San Francisco and OH Bay cultural coastal park in Shenzhen China is on view. She is currently working on Mina and Natoma Street Corridor Project with SFMOMA and SFAC designing functional sculptures. Miki is a native of Japan and currently based in Berkeley, California. She is represented by RYANLEE Gallery in New York and Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco. Visit Masako's Website: MasakoMiki.com Follow Masako on Instagram: @MasakoMiki Learn More about Masako's exhibit "Midnight March" at the ICA SF through December 7 - CLICK HERE. -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine</iPlayPlay Masako Miki - Multimedia Artist
• KALW Radio - Bay Made Showcase Live RecordingOct 28, 2025 · 1 hr 3 minThis special episode of Art is Awesome was recorded live at KALW Public Radio in San Francisco, featuring host Emily Wilson and a dynamic panel: artists Tricia Rainwater and Jennifer Wofford, and curator Candace Huey. The conversation explores the power of art in challenging times, the importance of community, and the unique creative spirit of the Bay Area. Highlights include: Opening chat with Emily and KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny. Reflections on each guest’s artistic journey and current projects, including Tricia’s solo exhibition at SF Camerawork and Jenifer’s new mural project. Insights into the role of art in healing, activism, and building community, with stories about resilience, resourcefulness, and the impact of representation. Discussion of recent Bay Area art events and exhibitions, such as Superflex and Everyday War, and their significance in today’s social climate. Audience Q&A covering mentorship, censorship, and advice for emerging artists. Tune in for an inspiring, honest, and heartfelt look at what art can do—and why it matters now more than ever. More from this Episode: KALW Public Radio - Bay Made Tricia Rainwater - TriciaRainwaterArt.com - "The Tellings We Keep" at SF Camerawork Jenifer Wofford - Wofflehouse.com - "MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy" - @Woffsilog on Instagram Candace Huey - EdgeOnTheSquare.org - @EdgeOnTheSquare on Instagram -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.PlayPlay KALW Radio - Bay Made Showcase Live Recording
• Julio Cesar Morales - Multidisciplinary ArtistOct 14, 2025 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily Wilson interviews artist Julio Cesar Morales. Julio discusses his journey from Tijuana to San Francisco, his influences from social movements, music, and literature, and his interdisciplinary approach to art. The conversation explores his exhibitions "My America" at Gallery Wendy Norris and "Ojo" at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis, both focusing on themes of migration, borders, and immigrant experiences. Julio shares stories behind his watercolor series inspired by real-life attempts to cross the US-Mexico border, and reflects on the symbolism of twins and portals in his work. He also talks about his collaborations in sound art, the importance of music in his creative process, and the impact of community and social justice on his art. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about art, migration, and the power of storytelling. About Artist Julio Cesar Morales: Julio César Morales employs a range of media and visual strategies to explore issues of migration, underground economies, and labor, on personal and global scales. He works by whatever means necessary: in a series of watercolor illustrations, Morales diagramed means of human trafficking in passenger vehicles, while in other projects he employed the DJ turntable, neon signs, the historical reenactment of a famous meal, or the conventions of an artist-run gallery to explore social interaction and political perspectives. Julio's artwork has been shown at venues internationally, including; the Lyon Biennale, France; Istanbul Biennale, Turkey; Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles; Singapore Biennale, Singapore; Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany; Prospect 3, New Orleans; SFMOMA, San Francisco; Perez Art Museum, Miami; Museo Tamayo, Mexico City; Museo del Barrio, New York City; The UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, Davis; and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, amongst others. His work is in private and public collections including MoMA, New York; The Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles; The Kadist Foundation, San Francisco and Paris; The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Deutsche Bank, Germany; and The Office of Art in Embassies. Morales has been written about in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Artforum, Frieze, Flash Art, Art Nexus, and Art in America. Julio's Artist Profile, CLICK HERE . Follow Julio on Instagram: @JCM_3000 OJO Exhibit at the Shrem Museum of Art at UCDavis, CLICK HEREPlayPlay Julio Cesar Morales - Multidisciplinary Artist
• Paul Kos - Conceptual ArtistSep 30, 2025 · 18 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily chats with renowned conceptual artist Paul Kos. Paul shares stories from his upbringing in Rock Springs, Wyoming, his journey from aspiring diplomat to celebrated artist, and his influential years at the San Francisco Art Institute. The conversation covers his early inspirations, unique conceptual works—including the famous "Richmond Glacier" and "Chartre Bleu" stained glass TV installation—and his collaborations with art collector Rene di Rosa. Paul reflects on the role of accidents in his creative process, memorable exhibitions, and the Bay Area places that inspire him. Tune in to hear aboutt the life and art of Paul Kos, with insights into the evolution of conceptual art in Northern California. About Artist Paul Kos : Paul Kos, born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, is an influential American conceptual artist and educator. He is one of the founders of the Bay Area Conceptual Art movement in California and has been a leading artist and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area for over three decades. Kos's work often incorporates video, sound, and interactivity into sculptural installations, challenging conventional art media and subject matter. His major retrospective "Everything Matters" was held at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in 2003, and a second major survey of his work, "Equilibrium: A Paul Kos Survey," was held at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa in 2016. Kos's art is included in numerous public museum collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). He has received numerous awards, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship in video and audio. Visit Paul's Website: PaulKos.net More Info on Far Out at Di Rosa San Francisco CLICK HERE . More Info on the People Make This Place exhibit at SFMOMA - CLICK HERE -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is AwesomPlayPlay Paul Kos - Conceptual Artist
• Luis Felipe Chavez - PainterSep 16, 2025 · 13 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This episode of "Art is Awesome" features painter Luis Felipe Chavez, who discusses his journey from a small town in Mexico to exhibiting his work in San Francisco. Emily explores Luis’s background, his inspiration from Mexican muralism, and his experience navigating life and art between two countries. The conversation covers his solo exhibition "Intermedial," which juxtaposes places and architecture from Mexico and the United States, reflecting on themes of migration, identity, and cultural overlap. Luis shares personal stories about his artistic development, the impact of winning a drawing contest as a teenager, and the influence of artists like Jose Clemente Orozco. About Artist Luis Felipe Chavez : Luis Felipe Chavez is a queer artist originally from a small town in central-western Mexico. His artistic journey began at the age of fourteen with drawing and painting classes in Guadalajara, Jalisco. From 2015 to 2020, Chavez pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. Each summer during those years, he traveled to the U.S. to visit his family—spending time working alongside his father and brother in the agricultural fields of Bakersfield, California, and in factories in Phoenix, Arizona. In 2020, amid a global atmosphere of uncertainty and loss, Chavez completed his degree and began developing a new body of work. Later that year, driven by a desire for change despite limited English and lingering fears, he packed a few clothes and some paintings into a suitcase and moved to California. By the end of 2021, Chavez relocated to San Francisco, where he continues to live and work. Working primarily with traditional drawing and painting techniques, his art explores themes of migration, labor, identity, and belonging through a queer, cross-cultural lens. Visit Luis' Website: LuisFelipeStudio.Com Follow Luis on Instagram: @LuisFelipeStudio More on Luis' exhibit "INTERMEDIO" at Jonathon Carver Moore CLICK HERE. -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome onPlayPlay Luis Felipe Chavez - Painter
• Replay! Trina Robinson - Film & Video ArtistSep 2, 2025 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, we are replaying Emily's chat with film and video artist Trina Robinson from September 2023. The Podcast is taking a quick Summer hiatus, and will return in mid September with a brand new episode. About Artist Trina Robinson: Trina Michelle Robinson explores the relationship between memory and migration through film, print media and archival materials. She wants to get to the root of lost memories, especially in relation to migration, whether the move forced or initiated by a search for new opportunities. We all have a migration story in our bloodlines. She studies the fragments of memory and repurposes them. The lives of her ancestors are the catalyst behind her artwork and their stories are woven into every detail. Why did they leave? What were they hoping to find? What remains? She wants to explore every fracture, fold and glitch to release the trauma that lives inside. Her work has been shown at galleries and film festivals throughout the country including including the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) - a Smithsonian affiliate, the San Francisco Art Commission Main Gallery, Southern Exposure and Root Division in San Francisco, and New York’s Wassaic Project. As a storyteller, she traveled the country and telling the story of exploring her ancestry with The Moth Mainstage at Lincoln Center in New York, in addition to touring with them on stages in San Francisco, Portland, OR, Omaha, NE and Westport, CT. Her story aired on NPR’s The Moth Radio Hour in October 2019. She received her MFA from California College of Arts in Spring 2022. Her earlier written work was featured in the Museum of the African Diaspora’s I’ve Known Rivers Project , and New Jersey Dramatists Which Way to America at the Jersey City Museum and Puffin Cultural Forum. She has worked in production in print and digital media for companies such as The New York Times , Vanity Fair , The New Republic , California Sunday Magazine and Slack, in addition to working as a teaching artist with Women’s Project and Productions in New York. She has been invited to be a speaker or guest teacher at multiple conferences, colleges and high school campuses, including the being the keynote speaker at the 2021 Oregon Heritage Conference, 2019 Kentucky Borderlands Conference, Feminist Border Arts Film Festival at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M., and Design Tech High School in Redwood City, C.A. In addition to discussing her research and approach to storytelling, she also enjoys discussing the importance of raising marginalized voices and how to mindfully create a diPlayPlay Replay! Trina Robinson - Film & Video Artist
• Replay! Shao Feng Hsu - PhotographerAug 19, 2025 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, we are replaying Emily's chat with photographer Shao Feng Hsu from August of 2023. The Podcast is taking a quick end of Summer break, but will return with a brand new Episode in mid September. About Artist Shao Feng Hsu: Shao-Feng Hsu is a photographer whose work around the world mainly focuses on the interaction of humans and aquatic environment. From his native Taiwan — where he trained as a competitive swimmer — to Australia, Cambodia, Japan, and beyond, Shao-Feng Hsu has immersed himself in aquatic cultures in an ongoing study of the impact of the Anthropocene Era on our waters. In December 2017, he was selected to participate in Angkor Photo Festival Workshop, where he documented life in a village without proper sanitation and running water. Expanding on the project's themes back in Taiwan, he collaborated with the environmental NGO, RE-Think, on projects to illustrate shoreline pollution. His project, Inner Tidal Zones, combines color photograms and digital images to capture the perspective of aquatic creatures and the emotions of the water. He is a graduate of the Creative Practices program at the International Center of Photography and a recipient of Rita K. Hillman Award of Excellence. During the pandemic lockdown he co-founded Fotodemic.org and cademy.biz. He is currently a Fellow at the Headlands Center of the Arts and teaches B&W darkroom at California College of the Arts (CCA) Photography Program. Visit Shao's Website: ShaoFengHsu.com Follow Shao on Instagram: @ShaoFengHsu For more about the Headlands Graduate Fellowships HERE. Pictures of You: Headlands Center for the Arts Graduate Fellowship Exhibition at The Lab SF Camerawork -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by EmPlayPlay Replay! Shao Feng Hsu - Photographer
• Pao Houa Her - PhotographerAug 5, 2025 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this week's Episode, Emily features a discussion with artist Pao Houa Her. Pao's exhibit, 'The Imaginative Landscape,' showcases her exploration of the Hmong community's history and culture through photography and art. The artist details her inspiration from family stories, her travels back to Laos, and her work's focus on themes like home, community, and deception. They also discuss Pao's background, including her education and achievements, and her desire to tell visual stories that resonate with the Hmong community. About Artist Pao Houa Her: Pao Houa Her was born somewhere in the northern jungles of Laos. She fled Laos with her family when she was a baby, crossed the Mekong on her mother’s back, was fed opium to keep from crying, lived in the refugee camps in Thailand and landed in America on a silver metal bird in the mid 1980s. She is a visual artist in Minnesota who works within multiple genres of photography. Her received her BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and her MFA from Yale University. Visit Pao's Website: PaoHHer.com Follow Pao on Instagram: @PaoHouaHer For more about Pao's Exhibit: "The Imaginitive Landscape" - San Jose Museum of Art and John Michael Kohler Arts Center -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions . For more info, visit <a href="wwPlayPlay Pao Houa Her - Photographer
• Zeina Barakeh - Animation Artist & Global Security ScholarJul 22, 2025 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, Emily features an interview with Zeina Barakeh, an animation artist from Beirut now residing in Alameda, California. Zeina discusses her journey from studying interior design in Beirut to obtaining an MFA from the San Francisco Institute of Art and her current PhD in philosophy focused on global security. Her work often reflects her experiences with war, exemplified by her projects like 'CYBOTAGE,' which explores the neuro enhancement of soldiers using art. Zeina's art and educational journey highlight the intersection of creativity with themes of war, resistance, and personal experience. She emphasizes the importance of involving diverse voices in ethical discussions around technological advancements in warfare. About Artist Zeina Barakeh: Zeina Barakeh is a Palestinian-Lebanese artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Exhibitions and film festivals include: Poetry is Not a Luxury , The Center for Book Arts, New York City; Silent Narratives , Yinchuan MOCA, Yinchuan, China; Preoccupations: Palestinian Landscape s, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco; Another Hole in the Head (15th), New People Cinema, San Francisco; The Shape of Birds: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa , Newport Art Museum, Rhode Island; Kerry Film Festival (19th), Killarney Co. Kerry, Ireland; Altered , Gallery106, Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco; PHOTOFAIRS SF, Connected: The Channel of Democracy: Womanhood, Power & Freedom in Video Art , Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, San Francisco; Blue Plum Animation Festival (13th), Johnson City, Tennessee; Detritus , San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose; What Makes Us? , Focus Gallery, Zimmerli Art Museum, New Jersey; Harlem International Film Festival (11th), MIST Harlem, New York City; Creation Stories , Johnson & Johnson World Headquarters Gallery, New Jersey; Bring It Home: (Re)Locating Cultural Legacy Through the Body , San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries, San Francisco; PULSE New York , Art Fair, New York City; UNTITITLED , Art Fair, Miami Beach, Florida; Editions/Artists’ Book Fair , New York City; International Film Awards Berlin , KINO im Kulturhaus Spandau, Berlin; The Chasm Arena , Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco; Women Redrawing the World Stage , SOHO20 Chelsea Gallery, New York City; The Fertile Crescent: Gender, Art, and Society , Bernstein Gallery, Princeton University, New Jersey; The Third Half , The Public Theater, New York City; Facettes , Espace SD, Beirut. Residency awards include: Perspectives: Here and There , Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions, Rutgers University, New Jersey; and Vermont Studio Center.PlayPlay Zeina Barakeh - Animation Artist & Global Security Scholar
• Demetri Broxton - Multi Media ArtistJul 8, 2025 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this Episode, Emily features an in-depth conversation with mixed media artist Demetri Broxton whose work is showcased in several prestigious museums and exhibitions in San Francisco. The discussion delves into Demetri's artistic themes, including his use of beads, the influence of his family history, and specific works like 'Save Me, Joe Lewis' and textiles depicting Black whalers for the 'Black Gold: Stories Untold' exhibit. Demetri also shares his background, how he became involved with Root Division, and answers questions about his artistic journey and influences. About Artist Demetri Broxton: Demetri Broxton is a Bay Area artist, independent curator, and the Executive Director of Root Division in San Francisco. Born and raised in Oakland, CA, he earned a BFA at UC Berkeley with an emphasis in painting and an MA in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University. His artwork has been exhibited internationally and most recently at the Chinese Historical Society of America, Art Gallery of Alberta, de Young Museum, Crocker Art Museum, Kala Art Institute, and the Norton Museum of Art. Broxton’s artwork is held in several private and public collections including the Monterey Art Museum, de Young Museum, and Crocker Art Museum. He is represented by Patricia Sweetow Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Visit Demetri's Website: DemetriBroxton.com Follow Demetri on Instagram: @DBroxtonStudio For more about the exhibit Black Gold - Stories Untold, CLICK HERE . For more about Demetri Broxton at The Guardhouse, CLICK HERE. -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) <a href="http:PlayPlay Demetri Broxton - Multi Media Artist
• Ester Hernandez - Printmaker & Pastel ArtistJun 24, 2025 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, Emily features an insightful interview with artist Ester Hernandez. Ester shares her journey from growing up in a farm town in the San Joaquin Valley to becoming a renowned printmaker. She discusses the impact of growing up in a culturally rich Mexican environment and her experiences at UC Berkeley, where she studied various art forms despite facing challenges as a woman of color. A central focus of the episode is Ester’s famous piece, 'Sun Mad', which critiques the use of pesticides in farming and has been displayed in prestigious museums worldwide. She also reflects on her early love for drawing, the inspiration from friends Sandra Cisneros and Alice Walker, and her ongoing effort to document her family's history with cotton farming in a new book. About Artist Ester Hernandez: Ester Hernandez was born in California’s San Joaquin Valley to a Mexican/Yaqui farm worker family. The UC Berkeley graduate is an internationally acclaimed San Francisco-based visual artist. She is best known for her depiction of Latina/Native women through her pastels, prints and installations. Her work reflects social, political, ecological and spiritual themes. Hernandez has had numerous national and international solo and group shows. Among others, her work is included in the permanent collections of the National Museum of American Art – Smithsonian; Library of Congress; MoMA, New York; Legion of Honor, San Francisco; National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago; Museo Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, Mexico City; Museum of Contemporary Native Art, Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM; Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Her artistic and personal archives are housed at Stanford University. Visit Ester's Website: EsterHernandez.com Follow Ester on Instagram: @EsterHernandezArt -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast A Better World: A Comic About Ester Hernandez -- CRPlayPlay Ester Hernandez - Printmaker & Pastel Artist
• Beau McCall - Button ArtistJun 10, 2025 · 18 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this Episode, Emily chats with "The Button Man", Harlem artist Beau McCall, an artist renowned for his unique use of buttons in wearable and visual art. McCall's work is featured in prominent collections such as New York's Museum of Arts and Design and London's Victoria and Albert Museum. McCall recounts his upbringing in Philadelphia, his move to Harlem, and his early inspirations. He explains how his fascination with buttons began with his mother's collection and grew through various craft classes. McCall shares memories of his artistic evolution, his experiences with the Harlem community, and the personal significance of his work, including tributes to friends lost to AIDS. The episode concludes with McCall's advice to aspiring artists and a nod to his ongoing support from his mother. About Artist Beau McCall : Drawing inspiration from the vast button collection of his mother and family, Beau McCall creates wearable and visual art by applying clothing buttons onto mostly upcycled fabrics, materials, and objects. With deliberate focus the buttons are arranged to stimulate one’s curiosity and imagination, while simultaneously drawing attention to the unique history of buttons. Thereby McCall’s work generates a discussion surrounding many topics such as pop culture and social justice. McCall began his professional career in Harlem in the 1980s after arriving from his native, Philadelphia with nothing more than a few hundred dollars, a duffel bag, and buttons. Circa 1988 he made his critically acclaimed wearable art debut at The Harlem Institute of Fashion (HIF) show for HARLEM WEEK. McCall went on to become an established force within HIF’s Black Fashion Museum collective presenting at their shows consecutively through circa 1995, as well being featured in their museum exhibitions and prestigious events. During this time, McCall’s visually captivating work was featured in the fashion bible Women’s Wear Daily, on the PBS version of George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum (1991), and in the award-winning film Quartier Mozart (1992), directed by Jean-Pierre Bekolo. The film won prizes at film festivals in Cannes, Locarno, and Montreal and was nominated, in 1993, for a British Film Institute award. McCall eventually applied his mastery of the button to visual art. Since then, he’s been proclaimed by American Craft magazine as “The Button Man.” His visual and wearable art has been included in exhibitions at The Museum at FIT, Nordstrom, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Houston Museum of African American Culture, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Langston Hughes House in partnership with the inaugural Columbia University Wallach Art Gallery Uptown triennial and StoryCorpsPlayPlay Beau McCall - Button Artist
• Oscar Lopez - PainterMay 27, 2025 · 13 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this week's episode, Emily interviews painter and muralist Oscar Lopez. Oscar shares his journey from growing up in Mexico City, where graffiti first introduced him to art, to becoming an established artist in California. He talks about his murals honoring farm workers, his shift from computer science to art, and the challenges he faced as a minority artist. Oscar also discusses the importance of believing in oneself and the struggle with self-identity as an artist. His works are currently displayed at the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Jose and Fort Mason in San Francisco. About Artist Oscar Lopez in His Own Words: I am visual artist born and raised in Mexico City, where I first came into contact of the art world in the Graffiti urban art scene. After immigrating to the USA to San Francisco, Bay area (Silicon Valley), focusing on trying to understand our complex society through a Mexican immigrant’s lens in the USA. As a Mexican native who has being affected by the influence and the interruption of my culture by international immigrants and trends of imperialistic organizations. I use a critical eye to engage with the globalization, imperialism, and capitalism that affect every corner of the two nations that share my soul. My concerns are reflected in a dialogue of the Stockholm syndrome symptoms created by the oppression and discrimination of imperialistic orders. In both sides of the border this is having a bigger impact in minorities, people of color and the workers that hold entire nations that also suffer of social and cultural amnesia. In order to survive in these societies built on the foundations of white supremacy and colonialism our ancestors have been forced for generations to either hide, directly confront, or sympathize with our oppressors, resulting in a mass forgetting of cultural and social practices. As our cultural identity and practices have been suppressed we have become hostages in our own homeland. Our collective social and culture amnesia continues to affect people of color on both sides of the border. The globalization of multicultural problems such as classism, racism, and inequality affect the social and psychological side of humanity. Since we so easily forget where we come from as individuals, as an artist I choose to remember, honor, and reclaim those roots and rights. Multicultural problems affect how we see ourselves in comparison to others, in a disengagement with our history, and in a loss of our customs. Even the color of our skin is a source of contention. These problems are intangible, invisible for many. As an artist, I want to create tangible images that reflect our psychological symptoms and demand us to confront our submission to the powers that hold us. Visit Oscar's Website: <a href="https://wPlayPlay Oscar Lopez - Painter
• Emilio Villalba - PainterMay 13, 2025 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily Wilson interviews painter Emilio Villalba about his personal and professional journey in the art world. Emilio discusses his decision to become a full-time artist, his creative process, and the inspirations behind his latest show, 'Paintings from Home,' at Dolby Chadwick in San Francisco. Emilio, who also teaches Canada College, also shares the challenges and rewards of his artistic practice, his background as an animator, and insights into his creative influences, notably the Bay Area figurative artists. About Artist Emilio Villalba: Born in Southern California in 1984 to Mexican immigrants, Emilio Villalba felt his artistic drive early on. Emilio initially studied animation and received his BFA in 2006 from the Art Institute of California and quickly began work in that field in his early 20’s until moving to San Francisco and transitioned to the medium of painting. In San Francisco he received his MFA in Painting in 2012 from the Academy of Art University. Villalba’s work reflects his studies in both abstract and figurative painting. At the core of Emilio’s painting’s there is pure portraiture, but great focus on the disharmony of the self and perception. Pressures from society and the toll it takes on the emotional state of the subject when confronted with benevolence. Raw emotions and the fragility of the soul. Villalba overlaps and repeats human features with a kaleidoscope effect. “Don’t Worry” is the 2018 painting of his that I decided to feature. It pulls you in with a sadness at its core and doesn’t want to let you go. It reminds me of the face we may give to the world, that all is ok, but the eyes tell a different story. I urge you follow the links below and discover his somber and seductive work. Visit Emilio's Website: EmilioVillalbaArt.com Follow on Instagram: @Emilio_Villalba For more on Emilio's work at The Dolby Chadwick Gallery , CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/artisawesomPlayPlay Emilio Villalba - Painter
• Laurel Roth Hope - SculptorApr 29, 2025 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this Episode, Emily features artist Laurel Roth Hope. Laurel discusses her journey from a conservation worker to a full-time artist, emphasizing her use of recycled materials in her sculptures. She shares her creative process, influences, and collaborations with her husband, artist Andy Diaz Hope. The episode highlights her current residency at Recology, San Francisco, where she creates art from landfill materials. Laurel's work often reflects themes of ecological impact and human interaction with the natural world. About Artist Laurel Roth Hope: Laurel Roth Hope lives and works in Northern California. Prior to becoming a full-time, self-taught artist she worked as a park ranger and in natural resource conservation. These professional experiences influenced her current work, which centers on the human manipulation of and intervention into the natural world and the choices we must make everyday between our individual desires and the well being of the world at large. Hope was a 2025 SF Recology AIR Artist in Residence, a 2020 Space Program SF Resident Artist, a 2017 Smithsonian Artist Research Fellow, and a 2016 Resident Artist with the Kohler Arts and Industry program in Wisconsin. In 2013 she and her sometime collaborator, Andy Diaz Hope, completed a year-long Fellowship at the de Young Museum of San Francisco examining the history of human cooperation through architecture. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian, the Museum of Art and Design in New York, the Mint Museum, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, 21C Museum, the Zabludowics Collection, the Progressive Collection, and the Ripley’s Museum of Hollywood, among others. She is represented by Catharine Clark Gallery of San Francisco. Visit Laurel's Website: LoLoRo.com Follow Laurel on Instagram, CLICK HERE. Learn about the Recology exhibit, CLICK HERE. -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: <PlayPlay Laurel Roth Hope - Sculptor
• Ciara Ennis - CuratorApr 15, 2025 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, Emily features an interview with curator Ciara Ennis, director of the De Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University. Ciara discusses her evolution from painter to curator, her efforts to challenge traditional museum practices, and her initiatives aimed at fostering inclusivity and dialogue within the art community. Key programs highlighted include the Flat Files of Curiosity Initiative and the Project Room for South Bay artists. She shares insights into her curatorial philosophy, influenced by her studies and experiences, including her impactful first exhibition in London and admiration for artist Joseph Beuys. The episode underscores Ciara's commitment to making museums more accessible and dynamic spaces for diverse audiences. About Curator Ciara Ennis: As Director Professor of Practice in the Department of Art and Art History, Dr. Ennis is responsible for developing the vision, artistic direction, and strategic leadership for the museum including exhibitions, programming, permanent collection, academic integration, and public profile. Ennis oversees museum operations, staffing, finances, and fundraising, and serves as the primary liaison between the museum and Santa Clara University. Prior to directing the de Saisset Museum, Ennis served as Director and Curator of Pitzer College Art Galleries, transforming it into a significant center for contemporary art and discourse through intellectually provocative initiatives focused on diverse communities of artists exploring issues that define our times. A Museum Studies scholar, Ennis’ research explores the appropriation of Wunderkammer strategies as a means for rethinking contemporary curatorial practice. Ennis has been a panelist and guest speaker for the College Arts Association, American Studies Association, the International Sculpture Conference, the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, the California Community Foundation, the Rijksakademie Amsterdam, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Ennis is a member of Prospect Art’s Advisory Board and X-TRA Contemporary Art Quarterly ’s Advisory Council. She has an MA (RCA) in Contemporary Curatorial Practice from the Royal College of Art, and a PhD in Cultural Studies/Museum Studies from Claremont Graduate University. For more on the exhibit, Maya Gurantz: The Plague Archives CLICK HERE . Follow Ciara on Instagram: @CiaraEnnis5 -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, thePlayPlay Ciara Ennis - Curator
• Mary Graham - Visual Artist & SingerApr 1, 2025 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily interviews artist and singer Mary Graham about her journey from drawing as a child, to painting in high school and eventually moving to the Bay Area to study at the California College of the Arts. Mary discusses her recent residencies in Maine and Colorado, and exhibitions at the Berkeley Art Center and Jonathan Carver Moore Gallery. She delves into her impactful 'brown paper bag' series, which explores themes of colorism inspired by her father's stories and broader research. Mary also reflects on influential works by artists like David Hammonds and Betty Saar, and shares her inspiration drawn from the streets of San Francisco. The episode highlights Mary's creative process, community experiences, and the significant role of the emerging artists program at the Museum of the African Diaspora in her career. About Artist Mary Graham : Mary W.D. Graham an interdisciplinary artist working in painting, sculpture, and vocal performance. Utilizing art-making methods rooted in traditional techniques, she studies the notion of “the ancestors” as a conceptual medium through which historical, interpersonal, and introspective insight might be gained. Her conceptual development originates from the veneration of her own lineage, an off-shoot of the African American spiritual tradition of ancestor worship. The work expands to encompass themes of generational love, collective human origin, our relationship to history, and our relationship to the future (the unknown). Working primarily in figuration and portraiture, she utilizes a level of precision in her representation. Her compositions are minimal; the subtlety of the substrate, or the intentional application of color intend for focus to be drawn to the subject. The subtlety of this approach is meant to provide a contemplative environment in which significance might be derived. These aesthetic philosophies of simplicity, stillness, and precision are applied to her performance work as well, which is rooted in her training as a classical vocalist. Here, the human voice is utilized as a kind of clarion. The haunting melodies are structured to slowly fill space and time, drawing viewers in so that they might share in what manifests from the collective experience of song. Mary was born in 2000 and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania amongst a family of artists. She attended California College of the Arts where she received her BFA in Individualized Studies in 2022. Her travels for arts and cultural exchange have taken her around the globe to Mexico, Japan, Kenya, South Africa, Peru, Morocco, Indonesia, and India. Graham has been exhibiting, collaborating and performing nationally since 2006. She was a commissioned artist for projects at Burning Man from 2019 through 2023, performed at the InstiPlayPlay Mary Graham - Visual Artist & Singer
• Stephanie Robison - SculptorMar 11, 2025 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week on 'Art is Awesome,' host Emily Wilson chats with Stephanie Robison, a sculptor living in Oakland and the chair of City College of San Francisco's Art Department. The episode delves into Stephanie's background, from growing up in Oregon and being encouraged by a high school counselor to attend college, to falling in love with sculpture, particularly stone. Stephanie discusses her creative process, the resistance she enjoys from materials like marble, and how her grandmother inspired her love for making things. She also shares her experiences with exhibitions and her thoughts on teaching. About Artist Stephanie Robison: Originally from Oregon, Stephanie currently resides in California teaching sculpture and serving as Art Department Chair at the City College of San Francisco. Robison holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Marylhurst University and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Oregon. Her work has been exhibited at Marrow Gallery, Marin Museum of Contemporary Art and Orange County Center for Contemporary Art in California, Robischon Gallery in Denver, Colorado, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Joseph A Cain Memorial Art Gallery and Greater Denton Arts Council in Texas, Yeiser Art Center in Kentucky, Site:Brooklyn Gallery in New York, Foster/White Gallery, Whatcom Museum and Tacoma Art Museum in Washington, and Peter Robertson Gallery in Alberta Canada. Stephanie is represented by Marrow Gallery in San Francisco, California and Foster/White Gallery in Seattle, Washington. Her work can also be found at Robischon Gallery in Denver, Colorado. The sculptures of Stephanie Robison plays with multiple oppositional relationships. Working with industrial fabrics and wood, she creates large-scale installations that examine relationships between culture, nature and the built environment. Her latest series of work combines traditional stone carving and the process of needle felting wool. By merging incongruous materials such as wool and marble, she works to synthesize and fuse: organic and geometric, natural and architectural, handmade and the uniform industrial. Focusing on materiality and color with this new work, Robison creates charming, often humorous or awkward forms referencing aspects of the body, relationships and the environment. Visit Stephanie's Website: StephanieRobison.com Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @SquishyStone For more about Stephanie's Exhibit, "Incantations for the APlayPlay Stephanie Robison - Sculptor
• Daisy Nam - CuratorFeb 25, 2025 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily features Daisy Nam, the director and chief curator at the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Arts. Daisy discusses her journey from growing up in Los Angeles to her roles at prestigious institutions like NYU, Columbia, Harvard, and Marfa Ballroom. She shares insights on the significance of art spaces in cities, her love for art books, and memorable exhibitions, particularly the current 'Steady' sculpture show involving artists Esther Partegas and Michelle Lopez. Daisy highlights the unique aspects and challenges of working in the contemporary art world, emphasizing the importance of maintaining art spaces and building partnerships within the art community. Daisy also shares her personal experiences and perspectives on art and nature in Northern California. About Curator Daisy Nam: Daisy Nam is the director and curator of CCA Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco, which opens their new galleries on the expanded campus in Fall of 2024. Previously, she was at Ballroom Marfa , a contemporary art space dedicated to supporting artists through residencies, commissions, and exhibitions, first as the curator in 2020 and then the director and curator in 2022. From 2015–19, she was the assistant director at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts , Harvard University, managing the administration and organizing programs, exhibitions, and publications. From 2008–2015, she produced seven seasons of talks, screenings, performances, and workshops as the assistant director of public programs at the School of the Arts, Columbia University . Curatorial residencies and fellowships include: Marcia Tucker Senior Research Fellow at the New Museum, New York (2020); Bellas Artes, Bataan, Philippines (2020); Surf Point in York, Maine (2019); Gwangju Biennale Foundation, Korea (2018). She holds a master’s degree in Curatorial and Critical Studies from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Art History and Cinema Studies from New York University. She has taught at RISD, and lectured at Lesley University, Northeastern, SMFA/Tufts, SVA as a visiting critic. She co-edited a publication, Best! Letters from Asian Americans in the arts withPaper Monument in 2021. CLICK HERE to learn more about Daisy. CLICK HERE to connect to The Wattis Institute <a hrePlayPlay Daisy Nam - Curator
• Ranu Mukherjee - Multi Disciplinary ArtistFeb 11, 2025 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Ranu Mukherjee, a painter, textile, and film installation artist, who was recently appointed as Dean of the Film and Video School at CalArts in Los Angeles. Ranu discusses her background, her collaborative work with choreographers, and her latest project designing a curtain for the San Francisco Ballet's 'Cool Britannia'. She shares insights into her inspirations, including forests and their literary forms, and her early experiences that led her to become an artist. The episode concludes with Emily's regular segment, 'Three Questions', discussing influential works and inspiring places. About Artist Ranu Mukherjee: Ranu Mukherjee’s work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the 18th Street Arts Center, Los Angeles (2022-2023) de Young Museum, San Francisco (2018-2019); the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design (2017); the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco (2016); the Tarble Art Center, Charleston, IL (2016) and the San Jose Museum of Art, CA (2012), among others. Her most recent immersive video installations have been was presented in Natasha, Singapore Biennale 2022-2023, the 2019 Karachi Biennale (2019) and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2016) as well as in numerous international group exhibitions. Mukherjee has been awarded a 2023 Artadia Award,a Pollock Krasner Grant (2020); a Lucas Visual Arts Fellowship at Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA (2019-2024); an 18th Street Arts Center Residency, Los Angeles (2022); Facebook Artist in Residence (2020); de Young Museum Artist Studio Program (2017); the Space 118 Residency, Mumbai (2014); and a Kala Fellowship Award and Residency, Berkeley (2009). Her work is in the permanent collection of the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; de Young Museum, San Francisco; the Escallete Collection at Chapman University; the JP Morgan Chase Collection, New York; the Kadist Foundation, San Francisco and Paris; the Oakland Museum of California; the San Jose Museum of Art; and the San Francisco International Airport, among others. In 2021 Gallery Wendi Norris released Shadowtime, a major monograph on Mukherjee's work over the past decade featuring a conversation with author and climate activist Amitav Ghosh, and an essay by Jodi Throckmorton, curator of Mukherjee's first solo museum exhibition at the San Jose Museum of Art. Mukherjee co-created Orphan Drift, a London-based cyber-feminist collective and avatar making combined media works since 1994. They have participated in numerous exhibitions and screenings internationally including in London, Oslo, Berlin, Oberhausen, Glasgow, Istanbul, Vancouver, Santiago, Capetown, and the Bay Area. Mukherjee received her B.F.A. in Painting, from the Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA in 1988, and her MFA in Painting at the Royal College of Art, LondoPlayPlay Ranu Mukherjee - Multi Disciplinary Artist
• Kirstine Reiner Hansen - PainterJan 28, 2025 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with painter Kirstine Rainer Hansen, as they discusses her transition from design and illustration to becoming a self-taught artist specializing in 'Disrupted Realism.' Born in Denmark, Kirstine has lived across various countries, ultimately settling in Carmel, California. Her path to art was unconventional; due to financial and societal pressures, she initially studied design but shifted to painting after struggling to find work during a recession. Kirstine's work, influenced by artists like Rembrandt, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud, is currently on display at the Jack Fisher Gallery at the Minnesota Street Project in San Francisco. She talks about how moving to San Francisco shaped her artistic style, transitioning from classical realism to a more fragmented, collage-based approach. Kirstine also dives into "Three Questions" talking about her artistic identity, influential works, and inspiring locations in the Bay Area. About Artist Kirstine Reiner Hansen: Kirstine Reiner Hansen is an artist based on the Central Coast of California, US. Born in Odense, Denmark, she received a BA in Design and Illustration at Kolding School of Design. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries, most recently she had 2-person exhibition at Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco. In 2012 she received the Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant and was twice a semi-finalist for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. She has been featured in Juxtapoz Magazine, BloPop Magazine and the Asian Curator as well as in the book ‘Distrupted Realism’ by John Seed, 2019. Her work is featured in the movie ‘ Meaning of a Ritual ’ by Berlin director Natalie MacMahon, 2023. Visit Kirstine's Website: ReinerHansen.com Follow on Instagram: @ReinerHansenArt For more about her current exhibit "Atmospheric Disruptions" at the Jack Fischer Gallery, CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesoPlayPlay Kirstine Reiner Hansen - Painter
• Tricia Rainwater - Multimedia ArtistJan 14, 2025 · 15 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily chats with multimedia artist Tricia Rainwater. Tricia delves into her artistic journey, focusing on self-portrait photography and installations. Her work, seen in exhibitions like 'Allegedly the Worst is Behind Us' at San Jose's Institute for Contemporary Art, addresses themes of political innateness, erasure, and the importance of creating personal archives. She also shares her experiences from childhood photography to her impactful pieces that highlight missing Indigenous women and girls. Their conversation touches on the emotional power and societal responsibilities of art. About Artist Tricia Rainwater: Tricia Rainwater (she/her) is a mixed Choctaw Indigiqueer multimedia artist based on Ramaytush Ohlone land. Tricia’s work ranges from self portraiture to large sculptural installations. Her work has been featured nationally and internationally through group shows and artist features. In her work, Tricia, focuses on creating pathways to a resilient and hopeful future by centering the process of grieving and healing. She is a recent recipient of the SF Artists Grant through the SF Arts Commission. Visit Tricia's Website: TriciaRainwater.com Follow Tricia on Instagram: @TriciaRainwaterArt Learn more about the exhibit, 'Allegedly The Worst Is Behind Us', currently at the ICA San Jose - CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions . For more info, visit <a href="www.Go-ToProduPlayPlay Tricia Rainwater - Multimedia Artist
• Carrie Ann Plank - PrintmakerJan 7, 2025 · 13 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this week's Episode, Emily features artist Carrie Ann Plank. Originally inclined towards a medical career, Carrie Ann found her true calling in printmaking. Her work, which combines science and art, is showcased in multiple renowned collections, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Library of Congress. Her latest exhibition, 'Cacophony' at Jonathan Carver Moore, visualizes sound through layered prints. Carrie Ann discusses her process, inspiration from scientific data, and collaboration with scientists. About Artist Carrie Ann Plank: Carrie Ann Plank is a San Francisco based artist working in installation, printmaking, and painting. Focusing on layers of sophisticated geometry, Plank examines the space of intersecting patterns to describe new structures. The work utilizes mathematical equations to create multiple overlapping impressions that reveal additional distinct pattern formations. The resulting forms are space in between, the intercession, of concrete data. Carrie Ann's work is included in multiple collections including the Fine Art Archives of the Library of Congress, Fine Art Museums of San Francisco, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, the Guanlan Print Art Museum in China, Museum Meermanno in The Hague, Netherlands and Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba. Residencies include Black Church Print in Dublin Ireland, KALA in Berkeley, CA, Konstnärernas Kollektiva Grafikverkstad in Malmö, Sweden, Local Language, Oakland, CA, Taller Experimental de Gráfica de La Habana in Havana, Cuba, the Íslensk Grafík in Reykjavik, Iceland, Edition/Basel in Basel, Switzerland, Mullowney Printing in San Francisco, CA, Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Isle, ME, and Bullseye Glass in Emeryville, CA. Additionally, Plank has had a 20 year teaching career before devoting herself solely to her artist practice in 2018. Plank is active in the Bay Area arts community serving on boards and committees such as Root Division, California Society of Printmakers, and Art for AIDS. She is also a 2024 SECA nominee. Visit Carrie Ann's Website: CarrieAnnPlank.com Follow Carrie Ann on Instagram: @CarrieAnnPlank Learn more about Carrie Ann's exhibit "Cacophony" at Jonathan Carver Moore - CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center.PlayPlay Carrie Ann Plank - Printmaker
• Replay! Rupy C. Tut - PainterDec 17, 2024 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, we are replaying a conversation from December 2023, as our final drop of the year. It features Emily chatting with artist Rupi C. Tut, whose work focuses on capturing the stories of women like herself and her family. Rupy shares her journey from moving to the U.S. from India, studying pre-med at UCLA, to deciding to pursue art and successfully exhibiting her work in renowned museums, such as the De Young Open and the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco. Rupy discusses her dedication to portraying everyday heroism, belonging, and cultural identity through her art, emphasizing the importance of representation and the significant influence of her background in her creative process. The episode also highlights her training in Pahati painting and her latest show, 'Out of Place,' reflecting on the broader impact of her work on diverse audiences. Rupy is a recent 2024 SECA Art Award recipient, and her work is currently being featured at the SFMOMA with other SECA Award winners. Art is Awesome will return on January 1st with brand new Episodes, featuring artists Carrie Ann Plank and Tricia Rainwater. About Artist Rupy C. Tut: Rupy C. Tut is a painter dissecting historical and contemporary displacement narratives around identity, belonging, and gender. As a descendant of refugees and a first generation immigrant, Rupy’s family narrative of movement, loss, and resilience is foundational to her creative inquiries. Tut's artistic practice expands, innovates, and reframes the traditions of Indian miniature painting. She mixes her own pigments and turns to hemp paper and linen to contend and make visible one’s place in the world. ​Rupy C. Tut lives and works in Oakland, California. Her work has been presented through exhibitions and talks at the de Young Museum, San Francisco; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; London City Hall; Stanford University; The Peel Art Gallery and Museum Archives, Toronto; a solo exhibition Rupy C. Tut: A Recipe for Brown Skin at the Triton Museum of Art, Santa Clara; and a solo exhibition Rupy C. Tut: Search and Rescue at Jessica Silverman, San Francisco. Rupy C. Tut is represented by Jessica Silverman. Visit Rupy's Website: RupyCTut.com Follow Rupy on Social Media: @RupyCTut For more on Rupy's SECA Art Award Exhibit at SFMOMA , CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily BeasPlayPlay Replay! Rupy C. Tut - Painter
• Lorraine Woodruff Long - QuilterDec 3, 2024 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily features Lorraine Woodruff-Long, a textile artist from San Francisco who turned to quilting after losing her job during the pandemic. Lorraine's work, rich in cultural heritage and social commentary, gained recognition when her piece was featured in the deYoung Open. She discusses her inspiration, including the iconic 'Quilts of Gee's Bend,' her use of text in quilts, and her focus on issues like gun violence and climate change. Lorraine's journey to becoming a quilter and her passion for teaching are also highlighted. Lorraine also shares her thoughts on being an artist, influential works, and her favorite creative spot in San Francisco. About Artist Lorraine Woodruff-Long: Lorraine Woodruff-Long is a self-taught San Francisco quilter with a primary focus on color, improvisation, and recycled/repurposed fabrics. Raised in Houston, and educated at University of Texas/Austin, Lorraine served in Peace Corps Kenya and afterwards moved to California as a “bucket list” dream to temporarily experience living in a progressive urban city. She fell in love with San Francisco and never left. After a career in marketing and advertising, Lorraine later worked in the nonprofit sector while raising two city kids with her architect husband before spring boarding into a fiber art practice prompted by the pandemic. Lorraine’s work has been juried into art exhibitions at the de Young Museum/San Francisco, the California Heritage Museum/Santa Monica, the Sanchez Art Center/Pacifica, Muzeo Museum & Cultural Center/Anaheim, TAG Gallery/Los Angeles the Drawing Room/San Francisco, and the San Francisco Women Artists Network Gallery. She has received numerous awards for her quilts at local, national and international quilt shows. Quilt exhibitions include the International Quilt Festival/Houston, QuiltCon, the Pacific International Quilt Festival, Visions in Cloth, and Quilt San Francisco among others. Lorraine is a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, San Francisco Quilt Guild, Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), East Bay Heritage Quilters, ArtSpanSF, Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art, and a volunteer with the Social Justice Sewing Academy Remembrance Project. Her work is included in the 2021 book, “Stitching Stolen Lives: The Social Justice Sewing Academy Remembrance Project.” She currently teaches quilting at City College of San Francisco Extension and SCRAP-SF and teaches quilting workshops online and to guilds around the country. Visit Lorraine's Website: QuiltingInTheFog.com Follow Lorraine on Instagram: @QuiltingInTheFog </PlayPlay Lorraine Woodruff Long - Quilter
• Troy Lamarr Chew II - PainterNov 19, 2024 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Troy Lamarr Chew II, a talented painter with an ongoing exhibition at San Francisco's Altman Siegel gallery. Troy pursued his passion for art, eventually studying at the California College of the Arts and receiving a prestigious residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts. His recent work explores invisibility, inspired by his time as an Uber driver. His work can be seen in notable museums and galleries. Troy discusses his artistic journey, influences, and unique approach to language and representation in his art. About Artist Troy Lamarr Chew II : Troy Lamarr Chew II explores the legacy of the African Diaspora and its reverberations throughout American culture. His work looks methodically at systems of coded communication and how this is translated and mistranslated both within the Diaspora and the mainstream. Chew’s rich artistic visual language draws inspiration largely from Black culture and its history. A highly skilled realist, inspired by European painting techniques, Chew uses these art historical traditions to reframe their exclusion of Blackness. In his Out the Mud series, hand dyed and sewn cloths from West Africa are replicated in a trompe l’oeil fashion, their patterns “torn” away to reveal portrayals of contemporary Black culture and resistance. In another series, Slanguage , the artist paints Flemish style vanitas picturing everyday objects, coded in hip-hop lexicon. His Three Crowns series explores the social history of cosmetic dentistry and the use of grills in hip-hop culture. The artist’s lush and luminous oil paintings embody the energy of this infinitely re-mixed yet deeply rooted genre. In 2020, Chew was awarded the prestigious Tournesol Residency at Headlands Center for the Arts after becoming a Graduate Fellow from California College of the Arts, San Francisco in 2018. Solo exhibitions include The Roof is on Fire , Altman Siegel, San Francisco, CA (2022), Yadadamean , CULT Aimee Friberg Exhibitions, San Francisco, CA (2020); Fuck the King’s Horses and all the King’s Men , Parker Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2020); WWJZD , Cushion Works, San Francisco, CA (2019) and Stunt 101 , Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA (2019). Recent group exhibitions include Walk Against the Wind , Micki Meng and Parker Gallery, New York, NY (2023); The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century , The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD (2023); Imperfect Paradise , Barbati Gallery, Venice, Italy (2023); Continuum , presented by the Kinsey African American Art & History Collection and Residency Art Gallery at Sofi Stadium, Inglewood, CA (2022-2023); I Yield My Time. Fuck You! , Altman Siegel, San Francisco (2020); California WinterPlayPlay Troy Lamarr Chew II - Painter
• Bridget Quinn - Art Historian & AuthorNov 5, 2024 · 18 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily features a conversation with writer and art historian Bridget Quinn. Bridget discusses her latest book 'Portrait of a Woman,' which delves into the life of Adelaide Le Béliard, a pioneering 18th-century artist. She shares her journey of discovering Adelaide's work, her challenges in a male-dominated Royal Academy, and her rivalry with Marie Antoinette's painter, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun. The episode also includes an exploration of how art and letters were used to reconstruct Adelaide’s story and a touching discussion of how Bridget's own experiences shaped her writing. This episode highlights essential themes of art, feminism, rivalry, and the force of Adelaide's will against significant odds. About Author Bridget Quinn: Bridget Quinn is author of the books She Votes: How U.S. Women Won Suffrage, and What Happened Next , an Amazon Editors’ pick for Best History books 2020, and the award-winning Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order), an Amazon pick for Best Art & Photography Books 2017 and a 2018 Amelia Bloomer List selection of recommended feminist literature from the American Library Association. Translated into four languages, in 2018 Broad Strokes was a national finalist for best art book of the year in Ukraine. NPR’s Susan Stamberg calls it “a terrific essay collection” with “spunky attitudinal, SMART writing,” marking the second time “attitudinal” has been used about her work (first: Kirkus 1996). Her current book is Portrait of a Woman: Art, Rivalry & Revolution in the Life of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, more than thirty years in the making. Raised on the high plains of Montana with six brothers, two sisters, a devout and sporty mother and a WWII Marine-turned-lawyer father, in a home surrounded by cows and nuclear missile silos, she’s lived since in Norway, New York, Oregon and California. She’s taught art history, history and writing for more than two decades; worked in museums and for galleries and private collections; worked at climbing gyms on both coasts, and was a researcher for the first several ESPN X Games, covering rock climbing, ice climbing, BMX freestyle and downhill mountain biking. A graduate of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and a regular contributor to online arts magazine Hyperallergic , she’s a nationally sought-after speaker on women and art. She is a contributing editor to On the Seawall , and the former co-host of The GrottoPod: Writers on Writing . An avid sports fan and Iron(wo)man triathlete, her Narrative magazine essay “At Swim, Two Girls” was included in The Best American Sports Writing 2013 . She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family, dogs, and hella bikes. Visit Bridget'sPlayPlay Bridget Quinn - Art Historian & Author
• Chloe Sherman - PhotographerOct 22, 2024 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, Emily features photographer Chloe Sherman, who shares her journey from Portland to San Francisco and her role in capturing the queer community of the 90s. Chloe's work, which portrays a time when the city's rents were affordable and its social spots thriving, has been exhibited internationally and highlighted in a well-received book. The episode also details how Chloe's daughter's social media efforts during the pandemic brought greater visibility to her art. The conversation delves into Chloe's inspirations, daily routines, and creative influences, with a mention of her show 'Renegades' at the Leica store in San Francisco. About Artist Chloe Sherman: Chloe Sherman (b. 1969, New York) is a San Francisco-based fine art photographer known for her vibrant portraits of queer life in San Francisco during the 1990s. As a vehement visual chronicler, Sherman captures an intimacy and vibrancy that brings a unique subculture to life, even decades later. Sherman received her degree in fine art photography from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1999, during which time she began documenting a generation of young self-identified Queers. The community became family, and she reveled in their collective creativity, support, pride, and their strident defiance of cultural norms. This was the catalyst for an entire body of work that would go on to be recognized and shown internationally. Sherman’s photographs, all shot on 35mm film, offer a window into an era of defiance, freedom, resilience, and tenderness, shedding light on the energy of San Francisco at a time when it was brimming with possibility. Her images are a throughline, anchoring viewers to a moment in Queer history and immortalizing moments of gender experimentation and joy. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at F³ Freiraum für Fotografie (Berlin), Schlomer Haus Gallery (San Francisco), Kunsthalle Nürnberg (Nuremberg), Leica San Francisco, and The Diego Rivera Gallery (San Francisco). She has been published extensively in Nothing But the Girl (ed. Susie Bright and Jill Posner; 1996), RESEARCH: Angry Women in Rock (Juno Books; 1996), Out In America (Viking Press; 1994), Rolling Stone Magazine, Interview Magazine, Deneuve, the Advocate, and the New Yorker. Sherman’s work is a part of the permanent collections at The National Gallery of Art, SF MOMA, and those of private collectors. In 2023, Hatje Cantz Verlag published a monograph of her work, Renegades: San Francisco – 1990s . Visit Chloe's Website: ChloeShermanStudio.com Follow Chloe on Instagram: @ChloeDSherman Learn more about her Renegades exhibit at Leica Store San FranPlayPlay Chloe Sherman - Photographer
• Amrita Singhal - PainterOct 8, 2024 · 13 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with painter Amrita Singhal, known for her vibrant oil paintings and the Rama Prayer mural in Berkeley. Amrita discusses her background, growing up in a culturally rich city in India, and how her former career as a tax lawyer enriched her artistic practice. After leaving law due to health issues, Amrita pursued painting, finding her voice in oil paints. Her work often explores themes of spirituality, with influences from Giotto and Matisse, and she creates immersive virtual reality experiences based on spiritual practices. Amrita also shares her inspirations and favorite places in the Bay Area. About Artist Amrita Singal: Amrita Singhal is based in Berkeley, California. She had the good fortune to study drawing and art history with the brilliant and reclusive painter Louise Smith who was a contemporary of the Bay Area Abstract Expressionists (Diebenkorn, Park, Bischoff et al.) and a one time student of Hans Hoffman, Erle Loran and Margaret Peterson O’Hagan. Two of Amrita’s paintings are in the permanent collection of the UC Berkeley Art Museum (BAM). She has painted a Berkeley Public Works Art mural for Meyer Sound and regularly exhibits her work in solo and juried group shows. Amrita is currently producing one of her painting series in virtual reality and as an immersive exhibit. Visit Amrita's Website: AmritaSinghal.com Follow on Instagram: @AmritaSinghalStudio CLICK HERE to check out the Rama Mural in Berkeley. -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed unPlayPlay Amrita Singhal - Painter
• Gyöngy Laky - SculptorSep 24, 2024 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Sculptor & Fiberworks Center founder Gyöngy Laky...Ging shares her incredible journey from being a refugee from Hungary to becoming a pivotal figure in textile arts. She talks about her initial inspiration, work at Fiberworks Center, and a teaching stint at UC Davis. Ging also discusses how her experiences and background influenced her unique approach to textiles, incorporating natural materials and cultural anthropology insights. The episode concludes with Ging reflecting on her artistic milestones and the significant impact of the Bay Area's creative environment. About Artist Gyöngy Laky: Gyöngy Laky's sculptural forms are exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States. Internationally, her work has been included in exhibitions in Canada, Denmark, Sweden, England, Holland, Spain, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Italy, Columbia, Philippines, Japan and China. Laky has participated in the US Federal Art in Embassies Program in Bangkok, Thailand; NATO, Brussels, Belgium; and Poland. In addition to one-person exhibitions in the U.S., she has had solo exhibitions in England, Denmark, Hungary and Spain. She is also known for her outdoor site-specific installations which have occurred in the US, Canada, England, France, Austria, Bulgaria and Italy. A past recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Award of Distinction, 11th International Triennial of Tapestry, Central Museum of Textiles, Lodz, Poland; and Award for Artistic Excellence, Women in the Arts, The Women’s Foundation, San Francisco, CA, Laky was also one of the first textile artists to be commissioned by the Federal Art-in-Architecture Program. Her work is in many permanent collections including the San Francisco MOMA, The Smithsonian’s Renwick Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Oakland Museum, the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu and others (see “Collections”). In 2002-03, she was one of a team of three to develop a comprehensive Arts Master Plan for the new state-of-the-art, US Federal Food and Drug Administration campus being built in Maryland. In 2003, a book, “Portfolio Series: Gyöngy Laky,” was published by Telos Arts Publishing, UK, and the Bancroft Library at UC, Berkeley, released her oral history. Her personal papers are in the Smithsonian Institution‘s Archives of American Art, Washington, DC. Laky’s art has appeared in numerous books, magazines and catalogs in the US and abroad. April 2008, the New York Times Magazine commissioned her to create titles for its environmental issue (the titles received an award from the Type Directors Club). Laky was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1944 and emigrated to the United States as a small child. She graduated from Carmel High School and comPlayPlay Gyöngy Laky - Sculptor
• Wanxin Zhang - Ceramic SculptorSep 10, 2024 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Ceramic Sculptor Wanxin Zhang...Wanxin discusses his journey from studying art in China, his move to America, and the influence of prominent Bay Area artists on his work. He shares how artists like Robert Arneson and Viola Frey helped shift his perception of ceramics from craft to fine art. Wanxin's sculptures, which blend historical references with contemporary culture, are showcased in several prestigious museums and galleries. He recounts his early inspiration from his mother and the pivotal moment he decided to move to the U.S. Wanxin also talks about how changing his medium from metal to clay allowed him to express his identity and cultural heritage more profoundly. About Artist Wanxin Zhang: Wanxin Zhang was born and educated in China. He graduated from the prestigious LuXun Academy of Fine Art in Sculpture in 1985. In 1992, after Zhang established his art career as a sculptor in China, he relocated to San Francisco with his family and received his Master in Fine Arts from the Academy of Art University. Zhang had been on the faculty of the Academy of Art University, Department of Art Practice at University of California, Berkeley and California College of The Art in Oakland, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Zhang's sculptures represent a marriage between historical references and a contemporary cultural context; they carry messages of social and political commentary. His work is deeply influenced by the Bay Area figurative movement and artists such at Peter Voulkos and Stephen De Staebler. As a studio sculptor and educator, Zhang was the first place recipient of the Virginia A. Groot Foundation Grant in 2006 and the Joan Mitchell Grant in 2004. His sculptures have been shown in San Francisco, Santa Fe, Miami, Seattle, Palm Desert and New York City. In 2007, his pieces were part of the 22nd UBE Sculpture Biennial in Japan; in 2008, his sculpture was selected by the Taipei Ceramics Biennial in Taiwan; and in 2013, he was part of the Da Tong's 2nd International Sculpture Biennial in China. Zhang had his first solo art museum show at the University of Wyoming Art Museum in 2006, with solo museum exhibitions following at the Arizona State University Art Museum, Boise Art Museum in Idaho, Fresno Art Museum in California, The Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art in Michigan, Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington, and Holter Museum of Art in Montana. His works have been selected to be included in Confrontational Ceramics by Judith Schwartz, and can be found in major art magazines such as "Art News," "Art in America," "Sculpture," and "American Ceramics." Zhang has many public collections, and his private collectors are located both nationally and internationally. In 2012, the San Francisco Chronicle picked Zhang's exhibition at the RichmondPlayPlay Wanxin Zhang - Ceramic Sculptor
• REPLAY! Esteban Samayoa - Charcoal ArtistAug 27, 2024 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, we're taking an end of Summer break and revisitng a 2022 interview with Oakland painter Esteban Samayoa. Esteban shares his artistic journey starting from childhood, his growth in Oakland, and his diverse body of work. The discussion covers exhibitions featuring outdoor charcoal drawings, vibrant color paintings reflecting his Mexican and Guatemalan heritage, and installations exploring his recent conversion to Islam. Esteban emphasizes breaking barriers for artists of color, portraying community life, and highlighting the beauty of family and friends in his art. Emily also mentions the upcoming episodes and exhibitions featuring various artists. About Artist Esteban Samayoa: Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa grew up in Sacramento and started drawing when he was three years old. His only formal art class was at Sacramento City College, where a teacher showed him how to use charcoal, which became his favorite medium. A few years ago, to push himself, Esteban moved to Oakland. One gallery offered him a show, then another, and now he has a solo show at Pt 2 gallery, Ain’t No Dogs in Heaven . Visit Esteban's Work and Pt.2 Gallery by CLICKING HERE. Follow Esteban on Instagram: @wulffvnky Follow Pt.2 Gallery on Instagram: @pt.2gallery -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions . For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com <PlayPlay REPLAY! Esteban Samayoa - Charcoal Artist
• Margot Norton - CuratorAug 13, 2024 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with BAMPFA Chief Curator Margot Norton. In this Episode, Margot discusses her background, including her move from New York to Berkeley and her previous roles at the Whitney Museum and the New Museum. She describes an upcoming exhibition titled 'To Exalt the Ephemeral,' which focuses on impermanent art. She shares the transformative potential of museums, her inspiration from artists like Pepón Osorio and Eva Hesse, and her experience working with UC Berkeley students. The exhibition highlights experimental materials, memory, photography, and ends with a video installation by Joan Jonas. Then of course, "Three Questions" with Margot sharing her curatorial career and inspirations. About Curator Margot Norton: Margot Norton is the Chief Curator at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). She is formerly the Allen and Lola Goldring Senior Curator at the New Museum, New York. She organized the 2021 New Museum Triennial Soft Water Hard Stone , co-curated with Jamillah James. Norton joined the New Museum in 2011 and has worked on a number of exhibitions, curating and cocurating presentations by Carmen Argote, Diedrick Brackens, Sarah Lucas, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Pipilotti Rist, Mika Rottenberg, Bárbara Wagner and Benjamin de Burca, and Kaari Upson, among others. In 2017, she curated the Eighth Sequences Real Time Art Festival in Reykjavik, Iceland, and the Georgian Pavillion at the 2019 Venice Biennale with artist Anna K.E.. Before she joined the New Museum in 2011, Norton worked as a curatorial assistant at the Whitney Museum, New York. She has contributed to and edited numerous publications and exhibition catalogues, and regularly lectures on contemporary art and curating. She holds an MA in Curatorial Studies from Columbia University, New York. Find more from Margot HERE. Follow Margot on Instagram: @MargotNorton To learn more about BAMPFA's Exhibit, "To Exalt the Ephemeral" CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily is a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.comPlayPlay Margot Norton - Curator
• Alma Landeta - Multidisciplinary Artist & EducatorJul 30, 2024 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. On this Episode, Emily chats with Alma Landeta, an artist whose work centers on queer and trans representation. Alma shares their background, including their education at the Maryland Institute, their move to Oakland, and current residency at the Palo Alto Art Center. They discuss their unique approach to portraiture, aiming to build a reflective relationship with their subjects. The episode also highlights Alma’s involvement in the LGBTQAI+ community through various projects, including a mural at the San Francisco LGBT center and a show at the Bakersfield Museum of Art. Alma reflects on their inspirations, upbringing, and the significant impact of an influential college teacher. Alma also shares insights on their journey towards embracing their identity as an artist and how they aim to provide hope and comfort to marginalized communities through their work. About Artist Alma Landeta: Alma Landeta (they/them) is a mixed-race, Cuban American, queer multidisciplinary artist and educator whose work seeks to build community through the exploration of intersectional identities. They make art about the importance of bodily autonomy for queer and trans people through drawings, paintings, and installations. Landeta received a Masters of Arts from MICA. They have shown work nationally and internationally through solo exhibitions, group shows, and artist residencies. Alma was the 2022 Homebody Fellow at Ma's House, and 2020-2022 Latinx Teaching Artist Fellow at Root Division. They sit on the Board of Directors as Studio Artist Representative for Root Division. Visit Alma's Website: StudioLandeta.com Follow Alma on Instagram: @Alma.Landeta For more info on Alma's exhibits: Resonantly Me and the 2024 King Artist Residency -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is HoPlayPlay Alma Landeta - Multidisciplinary Artist & Educator
• Suchitra Mattai - Multi-disciplinary ArtistJul 16, 2024 · 17 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily chats with south asian multidisciplinary artist Suchitra Mattai. Suchitra, born in Guyana and now based in Los Angeles, discusses her journey and the influences behind her artwork. She details her move from a background in statistics to a career in art, highlighting how her work addresses themes of memory, labor, migration, and colonization. Suchitra shares insights about her solo exhibit, 'She Walked in Reverse and Found Their Songs' at ICA San Francisco, which explores her ancestors’ forced migration and personal history through installations made of used saris. The episode also includes discussion about how she combines different materials to tell stories and reconcile her multicultural experiences. Additionally, Suchitra talks about the impactful art pieces and places that inspire her creative process. About Artist Suchitra Mattai: Suchitra is a multi-disciplinary Guyanese American artist of South Asian descent. She received an MFA in painting and drawing and an MA in South Asian art from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Recent projects include group exhibitions at the MCA Chicago, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the MCA Denver, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center and the Sharjah Biennial 14 and solo exhibitions at the Boise Museum of Art , Roberts Projects, and Kavi Gupta Gallery. Upcoming projects include solo exhibitions at the ICA San Francisco (San Francisco), the Tampa Museum of Art (Tampa, FL) , the National Museum for Women in the Arts (Washington, DC) and Socrates Sculpture Park (NYC, NY). Her works are represented in collections which include Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the Nasher Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Joselyn Museum, the Tia Collection, the Perez Collection, the Shah Garg collection, and the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Visit Suchitra's Website: SuchitraMattaiArt.com Follow on Instagram: @SuchitraMattaiStudio For more about her exhibit, "She Walked In Reverse And Found Their Songs" at the ICA San Francisco, CLICK HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.cPlayPlay Suchitra Mattai - Multi-disciplinary Artist
• Alison Saar - Sculptor & PrintmakerJul 2, 2024 · 16 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This Episode, Emily chats with Los Angeles based sculptor & printmaker, Alison Saar. She was visiting the Bay Area recently working with Arion Press on their recent production of Octavia Butler's Kindred . They dive Alison's artistic journey, influences, and her recent project illustrating Octavia Butler's 'Kindred' for Arian Press. Alison reflects on her upbringing in a creatively rich environment, heavily influenced by her artist parents, Betty and Richard Saar. She discusses her techniques, particularly her affinity for woodcuts and linoleum blocks, and the importance of texture in her work. The conversation also touches on Saar's interest in African and Indigenous art, her spiritual connections, and significant influences such as Elizabeth Catlett. The episode concludes with insights into Saar's favorite creatively inspiring places in Los Angeles and her experience of continuously making art from a young age. About Artist Alison Saar: Alison credits her mother, acclaimed collagist and assemblage artist Betye Saar, with exposing her to metaphysical and spiritual traditions. Assisting her father, Richard Saar, a painter and art conservator, in his restoration shop inspired her learning and curiosity about other cultures. Saar studied studio art and art history at Scripps College in Claremont, California, receiving a BA in art history in 1978. In 1981 she earned her MFA from the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. In 1983, Saar became an artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem, incorporating found objects from the city environment. Saar completed another residency in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1985, which augmented her urban style with Southwest Native American and Mexican influences. Saar’s style encompasses a multitude of personal, artistic, and cultural references that reflect the plurality of her own experiences. Her sculptures, installations, and prints incorporate found objects including rough-hewn wood, old tin ceiling panels, nails, shards of pottery, glass, and urban detritus. The resulting figures and objects become powerful totems exploring issues of gender, race, heritage, and history. Saar’s art is included in museums and private collections across the U.S. Visit Alison on the web by CLICKING HERE . Follow Alison on Instagram: @Alison_Saar Learn more about her Kindred project with Arion Press HERE . -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in SanPlayPlay Alison Saar - Sculptor & Printmaker
• Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán - PainterJun 18, 2024 · 14 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily features a conversation with Oakland based painter Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán. Hector discusses his life and artistic journey, including his upbringing in Berkeley, education at Parsons School of Design and Rhode Island School of Design, and the challenges he faced with his health. He shares insights into his artwork, including his first solo show 'Tocando Tierra' in Los Angeles, which represents men in his life and himself at different stages. Hector also talks about his experiences teaching at Creative Growth in Oakland, working on a mural with artist William Scott at SFMOMA, and his forthcoming studies in the MFA program at UC Berkeley. The episode highlights Hector's deep connection to his culture and community, and how these influences shape his artwork. About Artist Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán: Hector spent his foundation year at The Parsons School of Design and a year in The Rhode Island School of Design’s painting department. He was a finalist for the Tournesol Award at The Headlands Art Center and has received the Berkeley Individual Artist Grant. His work has been exhibited at Fall River MoCA, Bureau Gallery, Movimiento De Arte y Cultura Latino Americana (MACLA), Good Mother Studio, and Part 2 Gallery. He published an art book with Sming Sming Books. He works as an artist instructor for William E. Scott. He currently lives in Oakland, CA. Héctor’s work has been published in Juxtapoz, 48 Hills, Mousse Magazine and Graphite Journal “POCKET” at the Hammer Museum. To learn more about and purchase his book, Brown Eyes From Russell Street, CLICK HERE . For more about his exhibit in Los Angeles, Tocando Tierra, CLICK HERE. Follow on Instagram: @HectorFMunoz -- About Podcast Host Emily Wilson: Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine , Latino USA , and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco. Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast -- CREDITS: Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson . Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeodPlayPlay Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán - Painter
• Tucker Nichols - Artist & IllustratorJun 4, 2024 · 19 minWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with NorCal based artist Tucker Nichols as he shares stories about his spontaneous move to Taiwan, where he immersed himself in a vibrant artistic community. He discusses his extensive body of work, including children's books and the initiative 'Flowers for Sick People.' He reflects on his background, including his mother’s influence and his intense study of East Asian art. Tucker's journey includes struggling with Crohn's disease and a career shift to become a full-time artist, supported by his wife. He talks about influential works and places, emphasizing his lifelong passion for art. The podcast concludes with three thought-provoking questions Emily asks every guest. About Artist Tucker Nichols: Tucker Nichols is an artist based in Northern California. His work has been featured at the Drawing Center in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Denver Art Museum, Den Frie Museum in Copenhagen, and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. A show of his sculpture, Almost Everything On The Table , was recently on view at the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. He is currently an Artist Trustee at SFMOMA. His drawings have been published in The New Yorker , The New York Review of Books , McSweeney's, The Thing Quarterly, and the Op-Ed pages of The New York Times. He is co-author of the books, Crabtree (with Jon Nichols) and This Bridge Will Not Be Gray (with Dave Eggers). Flowers for Things I Don’t Know How to Say was released in March 2024. Flowers for Sick People , his ongoing multimedia project, can be viewed here . Visit Tucker's Website: TuckerNichols.com Follow Tucker on Instagram: <a hrefPlayPlay Tucker Nichols - Artist & Illustrator