High School Daze

Matty Mo (Yes! That Matty Mo) joins the podcast to share about his experience in becoming The Most Famous Artist. He is known for pink walls, pink rivers... and yes the monoliths that have been appearing all over the world. He shares his thoughts on what makes an artist, building a legacy, expresses how important sharing information is in the art world, and his dream to start a town. Oh yeah... Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and thanks for listening!

Joanna joins the podcast as the first guest to have graduated from the school where I currently teach. She comes to talk about her journey in her work that uses adobe to combine sculptural and architectural elements. Her love for earth and plants from the southwest is evident in speaking with her. Joanna's work was also recently featured in the State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now show at the Momentary and Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. I feel that she will be a name that is synonymous with New Mexico and art in the likes of O'Keeffe.

The Karnas family joins the podcast to share their story about Threads For Unity, a "wearable" art business, intended to help the community. Siblings: Miquela, Brynley, Mase, along with mom Ana, and dad Mason show that art can be a catalyst to support the community. This is a special episode as it is the first time that an entire family joins me. This is definitely a feel-good episode, just in time for the holidays!

I have known Jazz in a variety of roles... the one that stands out to me most is as my boss during my time in an Americorps program, Public Allies - New Mexico. Before that however I was able to experience her voice as a slam poet while living and working in Las Cruces. We talk about our journey since we last saw one another and how dropping out of high school doesn't dictate what your life can be and what success can look like.  I credit Jazz with helping me find purpose and finding clarity in what I should be doing with my life. She was hugely instrumental in bringing me to Albuquerque and the rest is in the books... I hope you enjoy this episode of HSD with the one and only Jazz Cuffee.

Eric Romero is an oil painter based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His paintings are showstoppers and having spoken to him for the first time on this episode I appreciate his approach to the narratives behind them. He shares how his experience of high school was a time of challenges and ultimately growth. Eric also shares how important travel is, girl dad life, and how being competitive can serve as a tool for success. You can find him on Instagram @ericromeroart and also on his website ericromeroart.com.

I was first introduced to Matt Gondek's work while binging podcasts. He is the host of Clean Break (cleanbreakpodcast.com) and after listening to an episode I had to check his work out. I was immediately drawn to his "deconstructive” pop art. I remember as a kid drawing my favorite heroes or cartoon characters missing limbs, or worse. His works and feelings about the art world made want to try and have him on the podcast. We talk about where art is headed, pizza Friday, Green Day, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a little something for everyone. So... here we go HSD with Matt Gondek!

Nico Salazar is a fine artist, illustrator, designer and founder of Future Fantasy Delight. He joins the podcast to talk about his inspiration and life as a New Mexican. I have to admit that I am a fan of his work because of his creative combinations of characters with a mix of rave, cholo, and pop cultures. Nico also shares how sharing one's work could lead to opportunities...possibly even a sponsorship by your favorite marker company. You can follow him on Instagram @futurefantasydelight, futurefantasydelight.com, and soon a website he will launch for his fine art.

Roni joins the podcast to talk about her life as an educator, designer, and mentor. I am so inspired by her take on education and how TAB (teaching for artistic behavior) helps young artists thrive. She has worked on projects for Disney, Hallmark, has received a Golden Apple in teaching and has served as the president for the New Mexico Art Education Association. She continues to help teachers, young and old, find their best practices. I totally agree with her philosophy that students are her "colleagues" and when treated as such, they can grow and flourish in the art classroom. You can reach Roni via email: [email protected], Instagram: @ronirohr, or Facebook: Roni Rohr.

Johnpaul Gutierrez joins the podcast to talk about his grind when it comes to making art. We jump into life as a father and artist, plus throwing in a 9-5 job to the mix. Johnpaul offers some good advice in terms of presence online, we talk about artistic process, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Please send any questions or comments to [email protected], follow us on Instagram @highschooldazepod , plus rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform.

Léon joins us from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Where he is an art professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Cd. Juarez . Juarez has always intrigued me. Along with the ideas around remix and visual culture which León has expertise. We talk about so much and I feel like we are only skimming the surface... (Photo credit: Monica Lozano)