This week my guest is artist Ben Venom. Ben is best known for his quilts that incorporate heavy metal, punk rock, and other fringe elements.

Although unaware of it at the time, Ben’s creative trajectory would change due to a singular event - a visit to the DeYoung Museum back in 2006. Ben had gone to see the exhibition The Quilts of Gee’s Bend a show featuring more than 60 quilts made by four generations of African American women - all descendants of slaves. The quilts on show, were created from scraps of fabric and worn out clothes assembled to create remarkable patterns with bright colors, and textures. The beauty and the functionality of these quilts - many of which were used to keep families warm who had no heat or running water at the time - left an enormous impression on Ben and left him thinking for a long time, in 2008 he created his first quilt.

In today’s show we talk about how Gee’s Bend continues to inspire Ben's career, his own personal thoughts behind his work, the many worlds that Ben’s work appeals to, and as usual so much more.