Welcome 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:  ArtByOscarLopez.com

Follow  on Instagram:  @OscarLopezArt

For more on his mural at Fort Mason, CLICK HERE. 

For more on his mural at the ICA San Jose, CLICK HERE. 

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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

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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

Welcome 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.

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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

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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

Welcome 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. 

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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

Welcome 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

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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

Welcome 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 Institute of Contemporary Art + San Francisco in 2022, and in 2024, opened her first solo exhibition at Museum of the African Diaspora as part of their Emerging Artist’s Program. Graham’s work has been covered by CBS News, 48hills and the MoAD Journal. She has been awarded residencies with Black [Space] Residency in San Francisco, California; Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Deer Isle, Maine; and Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, Colorado.

Visit Mary's Website:  MaryDGraham.com

Follow  on Instagram:  @Mary.Graham.Art

To learn more about the Beatiful Scars Exhibit at Jonathan Carver Moore CLICK HERE.

For more on Archives Yet To Come at the Berkeley Art Center, CLICK HERE. 

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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

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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

Welcome 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 Average Person" CLICK HERE. 

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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

Welcome 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

CLICK HERE to get more info about the Wattis exhibition 'STEADY' 

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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

Welcome 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, London, UK in 1993.  She serves on the Board of Trustees at the San Jose Museum of Art, and the Board of Directors at Bridge Live Arts. She is a Professor and Chair of Film at California College of the Arts, San Francisco. 

Visit Ranu's Website:  RanuMukherjee.com

Follow  on Instagram:  @RanuMukherjee

For more on 'Cool Britannia' at the San Francisco Ballet - CLICK HERE.

For more on Ranu's book, 'Shadowtime' - CLICK HERE

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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

Welcome 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. 

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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

Welcome 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. 

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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