Visual artist and educator Christopher Batten returns to reflect on evolution, resilience, and what it means to keep pushing—on canvas and in the classroom.

Now in his 10th year living in Baltimore and his third year teaching at Morgan State, Christopher shares how his practice continues to evolve. We talk about the role of failure, what teaching over 1,000 students has taught him, and how martial arts, memory, and perseverance shape his work. This conversation was recorded shortly before his residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and after being featured in Luminosity in Detroit.

• Teaching as an artistic tool and the unexpected lessons it brings
• Why HBCU teaching fulfills a lifelong dream and sense of purpose
• How rejection fueled four years of growth—and what changed when a “yes” finally came
• The importance of celebrating milestones and making space for creative restoration
• Shifting definitions of success and the value of impact over popularity

🎧 Revisit Christopher’s 2021 episode to hear the early stages of this journey.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
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Baltimore-based artist and designer Elijah Trice returns to talk about growth, storytelling, and painting the everyday with dignity and joy.

Since our last conversation in 2022, Elijah has expanded his practice beyond hyperrealistic portraiture to explore themes of childhood memory and creative freedom. We recorded this just after his first solo show, Nothing Else Matters, which followed a transformative residency at Maryland Hall. Elijah shares how his architectural training shaped his painting style, what he’s learning from teaching, and why joy is radical in a world so often defined by struggle.

• How building furniture sparked a deeper connection to making
• Using vivid backgrounds and saturated color to honor Black elegance
• Tapping into nostalgia, storytelling, and his inner child
• The pros and cons of meticulous planning vs improvising in the studio
• Why nothing else matters—except the subject

🎧 Catch Elijah’s 2022 episode for more on his early work and evolution as an artist.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

If you’ve ever danced your heart out at a sold-out basement party or streamed a late-night DJ set on your phone, you’ve felt the pulse of Kotic Couture’s world. In this episode, Baltimore Magazine’s 2023 Best Local Artist shares how she swapped rap verses for turntables, co-founded one of the city’s most inclusive monthly events, and turned a bedroom-studio experiment into the Prototype album—all while building a fiercely supportive community of fellow Black queer creatives. 

• Embracing vulnerability: lessons learned from emceeing full-hour sets before new audiences
• Prototype album deep dive: turning a fearless DIY experiment into a cohesive, locally produced project
• Curating intentional spaces: co-founding VERSION—one of Baltimore’s most inclusive monthly parties—and sustaining community through venue closures ​
• Power of word-of-mouth: why personal referrals and community trust can outweigh big marketing budgets
• Pandemic pivot: adapting from in-person shows to digital drop-ins and stepping back into a scene transformed by new DJs
• Broadening impact: collaborations with Black Techno Matters and Liberate DC, plus surprise opportunities in fashion and gallery features

Catch Kotic Couture's first appearance on the podcast here: 

This episode was recorded during a season dedicated to creative growth, transformation, and honoring the foundations that helped build Baltimore’s culture.

Photo: 

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Ceramic-based artist and educator Ara Koh returns to The Truth In This Art for her second conversation with Rob Lee. Known for her layered clay paintings and material-intensive installations, Ara shares how her practice has deepened through repetition, research, and unexpected cracks—both literal and metaphorical.

In this episode, Ara talks about processing wild clay from her travels, the physicality of working with heavy materials, and the importance of fitness in sustaining her studio life. She reflects on inherited discipline, finding freedom through form, and why staying curious—about geology, textures, or even pickleball—is key to her creative rhythm.

Highlights include:

• How a geology book inspired a new body of work built through 100+ clay pours
• What her grandmother’s love of Monet taught her about aesthetics
• The unglamorous truth behind art labor—and why she doesn’t mind it
• Unlearning ceramic rules while teaching them to others
• Thoughts on burnout, balance, and the meditative value of hot yoga

🎧 Want more? Check out Ara Koh’s first interview in the archive—where we talk about her background, early influences, and the foundation of her clay-based work.
This interview was recorded in person at Eaton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Curator, writer, and executive director of the ICA at VCU Jessica Bell Brown returns to reflect on her evolving leadership at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University. In this conversation, we talk about openness as a strategy, the role of listening in shaping institutions, and what it means to make space for experimentation in times of uncertainty.

Jessica shares how porosity, risk, and care shape her curatorial and executive approach—from expanding access beyond traditional art forms to launching chef residencies and community media programs at the ICA. We discuss the influence of her time at MoMA and the Baltimore Museum of Art, the power of contemporary art to respond to crisis, and why joy and curiosity remain central to her vision.

Topics Covered:

• What leadership looks like through the lens of listening
• Expanding access to arts beyond galleries and into kitchens and podcasts
• Navigating risk and limitation in an age of shrinking arts funding
• The evolving responsibility of cultural institutions
• The importance of reflection, care, and creative openness

🎧 Explore more conversations like this in our archive.
 📍 ICA VCU Website: https://icavcu.org

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Guggenheim Fellow, artist, producer, and educator Kokayi returns to unpack the layers of sound, storytelling, and being a vessel for cultural memory.

Since our first conversation, Kokayi has pushed deeper into multidisciplinary work—blending sound design, improvisation, code, and community-building. This conversation tracks his reflections on legacy, experimentation, and why he’s wary of institutions that try to own culture. We talk about what’s next, how he stays rooted in practice, and what it means to be free in a creative economy that rewards conformity.

• Sound as both artform and archival practice
• Why joy is built into his live performance structure
• Navigating mentorship, freedom, and capitalist frameworks
• Creating from truth instead of chasing metrics
• The importance of protecting your time and your IP

🎧 Revisit Kokayi’s earlier episode to hear how his practice has evolved—and where he’s taking it next.

SEE A BODY - KOKAYI FROM BLACKNESS & THE INFINITE POTENTIAL WELL

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Artist, educator, and Afro Charities Executive Director Savannah Wood joins to reflect on legacy, growth, and leading one of Baltimore’s most ambitious cultural preservation efforts.

Savannah has overseen major milestones—most notably, the $16M redevelopment of the historic Upton Mansion, future home of the Afro-American Newspaper (AFRO) archives. We talk about curiosity as a compass, how archives become creative tools, and why joy, movement, and cultural memory drive her work forward.

Topics Covered:

• Activating history through artist commissions and intergenerational programs
• Transforming the Upton Mansion into a public anchor for Black archives
• The role of tennis and joy in creating grounding spaces
• Understanding cultural stewardship as an inherited and intentional act
• Collaborating across generations to develop meaningful public programming

🎧 Explore more conversations like this in our archive.

📸 Photo by Schaun Champion

Resources:

• Silent Auction
• Wildest Dreams Benefit for Afro Charities – June 7 Tickets
• Afro Charities Website
• Instagram: @afrocharities, @savannahinpublic

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Artist Lewinale Havette returns for a conversation on art, spirit, and shedding constraints.

Recorded at Palo Gallery during NYC Art Week, Lewinale reflects on her evolution since 2022—from early paintings shaped by language and migration to her latest abstract works rooted in instinct, spirituality, and ancestral memory. We discuss authenticity, pushing limits, and why she’s letting go of surface-level meaning in favor of deeper emotional truth.

• Why she’s moved from narrative-driven art to intuitive abstraction
• Using linen, ink, and ancestral symbols to honor West African water deities
• Her take on the performative nature of art culture
• The emotional reactions her work sparks—from awe to fear
• What it means to create art for everyone, including herself

🎧 Be sure to listen to Lewinale’s first episode from 2022 to hear the full arc of her artistic growth.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Director and choreographer Sam Landa joins for his first appearance on the podcast to talk about reimagining what circus can be—and how LIQUID uses punk aesthetics, narrative, and high-stakes performance to deliver something unforgettable.

As co-founder of New York Circus Project, Sam blends circus, theater, and dance to push creative boundaries. We recorded this at Union Market District in DC just after the premiere of LIQUID. Sam shares how his training as an aerialist, studies in computer science, and passion for problem-solving come together to shape a bold vision for contemporary circus.

• Why he launched New York Circus Project to elevate circus beyond novelty
• What Hamlet taught him about fusing acrobatics with theatrical canon
• How punk, aerial work, and cocktail menus collided in LIQUID
• Thoughts on audience risk, narrative grounding, and creative leadership
• The role of stakes and structure in multidisciplinary productions

🎧 Experience the energy and vision behind LIQUID, now running at Union Market District through June 7. Tickets and info at newyorkcircusproject.org.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble

Artist and educator Hae Won Sohn returns for a reflective conversation on process, adaptability, and making art that holds up—materially and conceptually.

Now based in Queens, Hae Won shares what’s evolved since her 2021 Sondheim Prize win and how her process-first approach has deepened through teaching, repurposing materials, and balancing art with life. Recorded after her Surface Tension exhibition in Baltimore, this episode covers the intersections of sculpture, craft, and creative discipline.

• From plaster scraps to sculptures: why her grandfather’s resourcefulness still shapes her practice
• Balancing artistic growth between Baltimore and New York
• How she teaches sculptural thinking by modeling failure and experimentation
• Her thoughts on anti-branding, creative integrity, and resisting aesthetic stagnation
• Why Surface Tension challenged her to rethink scale, space, and drawing as sculpture

🎧 Be sure to revisit Hae Won Sohn’s first episode to hear the roots of this evolving body of work.

Host: Rob Lee
Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.
Production:

• Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis
• Edited by Daniel Alexis
• Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor

Photos:

• Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.
• Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.

Support the podcast

• The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/
• The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble