On today's episode, I'm joined by Rashieda Witter, a cultural caretaker, art historian, curator, writer, and photographer currently based in Chicago. Rashieda is interested in the intersections between art museums, community, and social equity, and is invested in making art institutions more equitable and accessible for all.

She is currently the Black Visual Arts Researcher at the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC). In addition to serving as an art history lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, Rashieda has held curatorial roles for the Stellenbosch Triennale, The Phillips Collection, and the National Gallery of Art.

Follow Rashieda on Instagram at @_rashieda.

Get involved with the Black Metropolis Research Consortium (BMRC) here.

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

This week I'm joined by Samora Pinderhughes, a composer, pianist, vocalist, filmmaker, and multidisciplinary artist known for striking intimacy and carefully crafted, radically honest lyrics alongside high-level musicianship. The New York Times describes Samora as “one of the most affecting singer-songwriters today, in any genre” that “turn(s) the experience of living in community inside-out, revealing all its personal detail and tension, and giving voice to registers of pain that are commonly shared but not often articulated.”

Samora has collaborated with artists across boundaries and scenes including Common, Herbie Hancock, Glenn Ligon, Sara Bareilles, Robert Glasper, Simone Leigh, Daveed Diggs, Kyle Abraham, Titus Kaphar, and Lalah Hathaway, to name a few. He has been mentored by Anna Deavere Smith, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, and others.

Samora is also the creator and executive & artistic director of The Healing Project, a growing arts organization that orients around the question: What if we built our world around healing?

Follow Samora on Instagram at @samorapinderhughes

Follow The Healing Project on Instagram at @healingprojectsound

Listen and buy Samora's album, Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears on Bandcamp

Click here to listen to Am I Human? and to get involved with the #EndTheException campaign.

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Welcome back to another episode of The Art of It All! This week I caught up with Djali Brown-Cepeda, a cultural preservationist and award-winning filmmaker from Lenapehoking (New York City), working within archival, film, and television spaces to preserve Black and Brown stories. As an Afro-Indígena Caribeña and Olorisa Yemayá (initiated priestess of the Lucumí tradition), her work is rooted in remembrance, reclamation, and rematriation, centering oral tradition and lived experiences as pathways toward cultural restoration. She is the founder of NuevaYorkinos, a digital archive and multimedia project documenting Latino and Caribbean New York City through family photographs, videos, and stories. Thanks for tuning in! 

Follow Djali Brown-Cepeda on Instagram here and on Substack here.

Follow NuevaYorkinas on Instagram and check out the website for more info on how to submit your story.

This conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

It's been a long time, I shouldn't have left you…without a dope beat to step to! (Word to Timbaland!) But I’m so glad to be back and to get things started, I’m kicking it solo. On this week’s episode you'll hear a little bit about what you can expect from the show going forward. I also share my perspective on the recent defunding and dismantling of federal arts, cultural, and education agencies. To close, I leave listeners (and myself!) with a few questions around the art we create and how it reflects the world around us. Read below to visit the sources referenced throughout the episode, and other resources. 

Update: Senior leaders and other employees, including all ten directors who oversee grants across various disciplines of the arts, left the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) the week of May 5th, 2025.

Read more here:

Protect My Public Media

Inside Harvard’s lawsuit against the Trump administration : NPR

Trump signs executive actions on education, including efforts to rein in DEI

Trump sets sights on national African American history museum

Urge Congress to Save IMLS and NEH (For museums, staff, and board members)

Arts Directors Exit the National Endowment for the Arts

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Welcome back to another episode of The Art of It All! This week, I caught up with phenomenal artist and educator Melly about her journey from social justice activism and organizing to her role as a pop star practicing what she calls 'artivism'. We also dig into her personal ethos of championing Black queer feminist futures and chat about the message behind her powerful debut single titled 'Dirty Girl'. Thanks for tuning in! Follow host @dariasimoneharper  on IG and the show at @theartofitallpod!

Check out Melly's Instagram and website! 

STREAM MELLY'S DEBUT SINGLE 'DIRTY GIRL' HERE!

Read additional coverage on the 'Dirty Girl' release via Outfront Magazine.

View Melly's video, 'Exodus,' which we discussed throughout this episode!

This conversation was recorded on June 15th, 2022, ahead of the release of 'Dirty Girl' on August 26th, 2022.

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Welcome back to The Art of It All! On this week's episode, I caught up with multimedia artist Audrey Lyall about her background in fashion design, and the inspiration behind her fabulous mixed media paintings, from early 2000s style trends, to the beauty supply store. We also discussed how her paintings explore different beauty traditions from around the globe, and how she’s been able to create her own world through her artistic practice. Thanks for tuning in!

Check out Audrey's Instagram and website! 

Want to check out the articles we mentioned this week? Read them here:

A New Generation of Black Women and Nonbinary Gallerists by Jasmin Hernandez for Artsy

The New Bend Nods to Gee’s Bend but Strays From Quilting by yours truly for Hyperallergic

Also a big shoutout to Phillip Collins x Good Black Art!

This conversation was recorded on March 3rd, 2022.

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Welcome back to The Art of It All! This week’s episode is a throwback to an interview I had a few months back with the incredibly talented painter Jewel Ham. We discussed some of the influences and messages behind Jewel’s captivating paintings, as well as her debut solo curatorial project called Wrist Game, and more!

Follow Jewel Ham on Instagram at @whateverjewel. Fun fact, Jewel is represented by our previous guest, Cierra Britton Gallery (@cierrabrittongallery)!

Check out her collaboration with Good Black Art via their Instagram; there's a still a limited number of works available for purchase.

Follow host Daria Simone Harper for show updates and more at @dariasimoneharper!

Thanks for tuning in!

*This episode was recorded on 08/05/2021*

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode, featuring art curator, advisor, and gallery director, Cierra Britton! Follow Cierra on Instagram at @vivalacie and her gallery at @cierrabrittongallery!

Check out the Cierra Britton Gallery website for more info, and donate to the Cierra Britton Gallery fundraising campaign.

Follow host Daria Simone Harper for show updates and more at @dariasimoneharper!

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Thanks for tuning in this week! Follow Polly Irungu on Instagram at @pollyirungu and on Twitter at @pollyirungu!

Follow Black Women Photographers on Instagram at @blackwomenphotographers, and check out the website here! Click here for more info about the first annual Black Women Photographers Grant Fund.

Follow host Daria Simone Harper for show updates and more at @dariasimoneharper!

This conversation was recorded on June 18th, 2021.

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)

Thanks for tuning in! Follow Basil Kincaid on Instagram at @basilkincaid and check out his website here!

Follow host Daria Simone Harper for show updates and more at @harpisbazaar!

Follow the show on IG at @theartofitallshow and follow the host at @dariasimoneharper! Don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe. Sharing an episode with a friend never hurts either;)