Material Feels

What is an artist residency, and who are they for? How has the pandemic impacted our sense of time? How is time a “material?” Slow down and learn from Alicia Toldi and Carolina Porras, the creators of Piney Wood Atlas, a catalogue of small, unconventional artist residencies throughout the United States.

We explore fire as a material, both figurative and literal, with musician and fire spinner Zak Tipton. Discover how the flow arts, specifically poi, challenges us to feel present in our bodies, get a taste of the lineup for Season 2 and discover what your host has been doing during the time “away from” the podcast.

We wrap up Material Feel’s first season with an exploration of sound with collaborator and assistant producer Liz de Lise, an artist based in Philadelphia, where they front the band Lizdelise, a dreamy pop rock band. Discover the spatial, sculptural elements of sound and how emotions are embedded in the material.

Gracia Logue-Sargeant is a bodyworker and musician based in Oakland, California. Explore the body as a material, how trauma-informed care allows us to access emotion, and track the relationship between breath, pain and release. Original music by Lizdelise & Phantom Tides; read the show notes for more!

Join us at Valley Oak Wool Mill in Woodland, California, where fleece is transformed into yarn. We weave with Danielle Garber a weaver based in Oakland, California, at her studio Every Thread Handwoven. Read the show notes for more!

Redwood Hill has been mixing drinks for over a decade; she is currently an instructor for the Restaurant Opportunity Center, a non-profit in Oakland, California. Explore the art of craft cocktails and recipe-building, the relationships between memory and taste and the dynamics of serving. Original music by Lizdelise; read the show notes for pictures, links & more story!

Meet San Francisco-based woodworker and furniture-maker Dominique Tutwiler of Oaksmith Furniture. We meditate on wood, the art of furniture design and how makers reclaim concepts of home. Original music by Lizdelise; read the show notes for more about the material, the maker and the music.

We visit Kids ‘N’ Clay, a children’s ceramics studio in Berkeley, California to chat with creative director Matthew Duke. I weave my memories of clay in with his experiences and observations as an educator. Episode 1 is dedicated to my high school ceramics teacher, Walter Rabetz. Read the show notes for more about material (clay), the feels (the dedication) and the music.

A podcast for artists, makers, teachers, hobbyists, people who are art-curious and even those who claim not to have a creative bone in their body. Visit a studio with us. Eavesdrop on the materials at play. Get the feels. Material Feels is written and produced by Catherine Monahon. Each episode is accompanied by an original piece of music created composer and songwriter Liz de Lise.