Shows
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonKALW Radio - Bay Made Showcase Live RecordingThis special episode of Art is Awesome was recorded live at KALW Public Radio in San Francisco, featuring host Emily Wilson and a dynamic panel: artists Tricia Rainwater and Jennifer Wofford, and curator Candace Huey. The conversation explores the power of art in challenging times, the importance of community, and the unique creative spirit of the Bay Area.Highlights include:Opening chat with Emily and KALW Executive Producer Ben Trefny.Reflections on each guest’s artistic journey and current projects, including Tricia’s solo exhibition at SF Camerawork and Jenifer’s new mural project.Insights into the ro...
2025-10-281h 03
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPaul Kos - Conceptual ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily chats with renowned conceptual artist Paul Kos. Paul shares stories from his upbringing in Rock Springs, Wyoming, his journey from aspiring diplomat to celebrated artist, and his influential years at the San Francisco Art Institute. The conversation covers his early inspirations, unique conceptual works—including the famous "Richmond Glacier" and "Chartre Bleu" stained glass TV installation—and his collaborations with art collector Rene di Rosa. Paul reflects on the ro...
2025-09-3018 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonLuis Felipe Chavez - PainterWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This episode of "Art is Awesome" features painter Luis Felipe Chavez, who discusses his journey from a small town in Mexico to exhibiting his work in San Francisco. Emily explores Luis’s background, his inspiration from Mexican muralism, and his experience navigating life and art between two countries. The conversation covers his solo exhibition "Intermedial," which juxtaposes places and architecture from Mexico and the United States, reflecting on themes of migration, identity, and...
2025-09-1613 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonReplay! Shao Feng Hsu - PhotographerWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, we are replaying Emily's chat with photographer Shao Feng Hsu from August of 2023. The Podcast is taking a quick end of Summer break, but will return with a brand new Episode in mid September. About Artist Shao Feng Hsu:Shao-Feng Hsu is a photographer whose work around the world mainly focuses on the interaction of humans and aquatic environment. From his native Taiwan — where he trained as a co...
2025-08-1914 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPao Houa Her - PhotographerWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this week's Episode, Emily features a discussion with artist Pao Houa Her. Pao's exhibit, 'The Imaginative Landscape,' showcases her exploration of the Hmong community's history and culture through photography and art. The artist details her inspiration from family stories, her travels back to Laos, and her work's focus on themes like home, community, and deception. They also discuss Pao's background, including her education and achievements, and her desire to tell v...
2025-08-0517 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonDemetri Broxton - Multi Media ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this Episode, Emily features an in-depth conversation with mixed media artist Demetri Broxton whose work is showcased in several prestigious museums and exhibitions in San Francisco. The discussion delves into Demetri's artistic themes, including his use of beads, the influence of his family history, and specific works like 'Save Me, Joe Lewis' and textiles depicting Black whalers for the 'Black Gold: Stories Untold' exhibit. Demetri also shares his background, how he b...
2025-07-0816 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonEster Hernandez - Printmaker & Pastel ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, Emily features an insightful interview with artist Ester Hernandez. Ester shares her journey from growing up in a farm town in the San Joaquin Valley to becoming a renowned printmaker. She discusses the impact of growing up in a culturally rich Mexican environment and her experiences at UC Berkeley, where she studied various art forms despite facing challenges as a woman of color. A central focus of the episode is E...
2025-06-2416 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonEmilio Villalba - PainterWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily Wilson interviews painter Emilio Villalba about his personal and professional journey in the art world. Emilio discusses his decision to become a full-time artist, his creative process, and the inspirations behind his latest show, 'Paintings from Home,' at Dolby Chadwick in San Francisco. Emilio, who also teaches Canada College, also shares the challenges and rewards of his artistic practice, his background as an animator, and insights into h...
2025-05-1314 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonLaurel Roth Hope - SculptorWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this Episode, Emily features artist Laurel Roth Hope. Laurel discusses her journey from a conservation worker to a full-time artist, emphasizing her use of recycled materials in her sculptures. She shares her creative process, influences, and collaborations with her husband, artist Andy Diaz Hope. The episode highlights her current residency at Recology, San Francisco, where she creates art from landfill materials. Laurel's work often reflects themes of ecological impact and human i...
2025-04-2917 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonKirstine Reiner Hansen - PainterWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with painter Kirstine Rainer Hansen, as they discusses her transition from design and illustration to becoming a self-taught artist specializing in 'Disrupted Realism.' Born in Denmark, Kirstine has lived across various countries, ultimately settling in Carmel, California. Her path to art was unconventional; due to financial and societal pressures, she initially studied design but shifted to painting after struggling to find work during a recession. Kirstine's work, influenced b...
2025-01-2814 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonTricia Rainwater - Multimedia ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode Emily chats with multimedia artist Tricia Rainwater. Tricia delves into her artistic journey, focusing on self-portrait photography and installations. Her work, seen in exhibitions like 'Allegedly the Worst is Behind Us' at San Jose's Institute for Contemporary Art, addresses themes of political innateness, erasure, and the importance of creating personal archives. She also shares her experiences from childhood photography to her impactful pieces that highlight missing Indigenous women and gi...
2025-01-1415 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonCarrie Ann Plank - PrintmakerWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this week's Episode, Emily features artist Carrie Ann Plank. Originally inclined towards a medical career, Carrie Ann found her true calling in printmaking. Her work, which combines science and art, is showcased in multiple renowned collections, including the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Library of Congress. Her latest exhibition, 'Cacophony' at Jonathan Carver Moore, visualizes sound through layered prints. Carrie Ann discusses her process, inspiration from scientific data, a...
2025-01-0713 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonAmrita Singhal - PainterWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with painter Amrita Singhal, known for her vibrant oil paintings and the Rama Prayer mural in Berkeley. Amrita discusses her background, growing up in a culturally rich city in India, and how her former career as a tax lawyer enriched her artistic practice. After leaving law due to health issues, Amrita pursued painting, finding her voice in oil paints. Her work often explores themes of spirituality, with influences from G...
2024-10-0813 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonREPLAY! Esteban Samayoa - Charcoal ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. This week, we're taking an end of Summer break and revisitng a 2022 interview with Oakland painter Esteban Samayoa. Esteban shares his artistic journey starting from childhood, his growth in Oakland, and his diverse body of work. The discussion covers exhibitions featuring outdoor charcoal drawings, vibrant color paintings reflecting his Mexican and Guatemalan heritage, and installations exploring his recent conversion to Islam. Esteban emphasizes breaking barriers for artists of color, portraying community life, a...
2024-08-2717 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonMargot Norton - CuratorWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with BAMPFA Chief Curator Margot Norton. In this Episode, Margot discusses her background, including her move from New York to Berkeley and her previous roles at the Whitney Museum and the New Museum. She describes an upcoming exhibition titled 'To Exalt the Ephemeral,' which focuses on impermanent art. She shares the transformative potential of museums, her inspiration from artists like Pepón Osorio and Eva Hesse, and...
2024-08-1317 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonAlma Landeta - Multidisciplinary Artist & EducatorWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. On this Episode, Emily chats with Alma Landeta, an artist whose work centers on queer and trans representation. Alma shares their background, including their education at the Maryland Institute, their move to Oakland, and current residency at the Palo Alto Art Center. They discuss their unique approach to portraiture, aiming to build a reflective relationship with their subjects. The episode also highlights Alma’s involvement in the LGBTQAI+ community through various projects, inc...
2024-07-3017 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonSuchitra Mattai - Multi-disciplinary ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. In this episode, Emily chats with south asian multidisciplinary artist Suchitra Mattai. Suchitra, born in Guyana and now based in Los Angeles, discusses her journey and the influences behind her artwork. She details her move from a background in statistics to a career in art, highlighting how her work addresses themes of memory, labor, migration, and colonization. Suchitra shares insights about her solo exhibit, 'She Walked in Reverse and Found Their Songs' at...
2024-07-1617 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonHéctor Muñoz-Guzmán - PainterWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily features a conversation with Oakland based painter Héctor Muñoz-Guzmán. Hector discusses his life and artistic journey, including his upbringing in Berkeley, education at Parsons School of Design and Rhode Island School of Design, and the challenges he faced with his health. He shares insights into his artwork, including his first solo show 'Tocando Tierra' in Los Angeles, which represents men in his life and himself at different stag...
2024-06-1814 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonTosha Stimage - Multidisciplanary Artist & Floral DesignerWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with artist and floral designer Tasha Stimage, as they discuss her artistic journey, from her childhood experiences with nature to her current projects and inspirations. Emily highlights her creative process, experiences during the pandemic, and her upcoming installation at the Presidio Tunnel Tops.About Artist Tosha Stimage:Tosha Stimage is an Oakland-based multi-disciplinary artist who uses a variety of art mediums to examine how we cr...
2024-05-2114 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonSaif Azzuz - Libyan-Yurok ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Pacifica based artist Saif Azouz, discussing his journey in art, inspiration from nature and literature, his current exhibition 'Cost of Living', and his reflections on boundaries and displacement. Saif's experience with art, his use of materials, and his perspectives on creativity and community are highlighted throughout the episode.About Artist Saif Azzuz :Saif Azzuz is a Libyan-Yurok artist who resides in Pacifica, CA. He r...
2024-05-0715 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonCharlene Tan - Interdisciplinary ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with filipina-american interdisciplinary artist Charlene Tan.In this Episode, Charlene shares her background, inspiration, and creative process behind her exhibition, Warp/Weft which pays homage to her Filipino heritage. It discusses her use of traditional Filipino materials like mung beans and ube, the personal connections embedded in her artwork, and the viewers' responses. Charlene's journey as an artist, from childhood to her current exhibitions, is also highlighted, a...
2024-04-2314 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonMaria Guzman Capron - Textile ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with textile artist Maria Guzman Capron, as she discusses her journey from painting to textiles, influences from her multicultural background, her innovative textile design for the San Francisco Ballet, and her mission to incorporate craft into contemporary art.About Artist Maria Guzman Capron:Maria A. Guzmán Capron was born in Italy to Colombian and Peruvian parents. She received her MFA from California College of the...
2024-04-0917 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonMaymanah Farhat - Curator & Art HistorianWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with art curator and art historian Maymanah Farhat. About Curator Maymanah Farhat:Maymanah Farhat’s art historical research and curatorial work focus on underrepresented artists and forgotten art scenes. Since 2005, she has written widely on twentieth and twenty-first century art, contributing essays and chapters to edited volumes, artist monographs, and museum and gallery catalogs. She has written for such publications as Brooklyn Rail, Art Journal, Journ...
2024-03-1217 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonHayv Kahraman - PainterWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Iraqi born, Los Angeles based artist Hayv Kahraman...About Artist Hayv Kahraman:Hayv Kahraman was born in Baghdad, Iraq 1981, now lives and works in Los Angeles. A vocabulary of narrative, memory and dynamics of non-fixity found in diasporic cultures are the essence of her visual language and the product of her experience as an Iraqi refugee/come émigré. The body as object and subject have...
2024-03-0518 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonAndrew Wilson - Multimedia ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Andrew Wilson, a multimedia artist and UC Berkley alumnus.About Artist Andrew Wilson:Wilson received his BFA from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2013 with a concentration in Jewelry/Metals and his MFA from the University of California, Berkeley in 2017. Wilson’s work has been in many galleries and institutions including: The Berkeley Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SOMArts, and the Museum of the...
2024-02-1317 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonCharles Lee - Interdisciplinary ArtistWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with photographer and interdisciplinary artist Charles H. Lee.About Artist Charles Lee:Charles Lee is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, researcher and storyteller whose work exploits the fissures in the versions of U.S. history that we have been taught. His work confronts the fallacy of U.S. iconography and encourages critical dialogue questioning origins of American myths, the obfuscation of Black cultural creators and innovators f...
2024-01-3016 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPhotographer & Installation Artist Marcel Pardo ArizaWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Columbia-born & Bay Area photographer and installation artist, Marcel Pardo Ariza.About Artist Marcel Pardo Ariza:Marcel Pardo Ariza (they/them) is a trans visual artist, educator and curator who explores the relationship between queer and trans kinship through constructed photographs, site-specific installations and public programming. Their work is rooted in close dialogue and collaboration with trans, non-binary and queer friends and peers, most of w...
2024-01-1620 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPainter Rupy C. TutWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with India-born, Oakland based painter Rupy C. Tut. About Artist Rupy C. Tut:Rupy C. Tut is a painter dissecting historical and contemporary displacement narratives around identity, belonging, and gender. As a descendant of refugees and a first generation immigrant, Rupy’s family narrative of movement, loss, and resilience is foundational to her creative inquiries. Tut's artistic practice expands, innovates, and reframes the traditions of Indi...
2023-12-1917 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPainter & Installation Artist David HuffmanWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with East Bay Artist David Huffman, a painter, installation artist and educator. About Artist David Huffman:David Huffman studied at the New York Studio School, New York, NY and the California College of the Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA. He received his MFA at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 1999. Huffman has had solo shows at venues including, Miles McEnery Ga...
2023-12-0514 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonMultidisciplinary & Community-Oriented Artist Arleene Correa ValenciaWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Napa-baased artist Arleene Correa Valencia...About Artist Arleene Correa Valencia:Arleene Correa Valencia is a multidisciplinary and community-oriented native Mexican artist living and working in Napa, CA. Correa Valencia investigates various ethical, political, and aesthetic strategies in her practice to address the effects of our current socio-political and ecological climate on undocumented communities in the U.S.In 2020 Correa Valencia completed her M...
2023-10-2416 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonContemporary Multi-Media Artist Adia MillettWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. On this podcast, Emily chats with Adia Millett, an Oakland based artist working in sculpture, textiles, embroidery, painting, collage, drawing, installation and video.About Artist Adia Millett:Originally from Los Angeles, Adia received her BFA from the University of California, Berkeley and an MFA from the California Institute of Arts. She has exhibited at prominent institutions including the New Museum, New York; P.S. 1, New York; Museum of th...
2023-10-1017 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonMural Artist Juana AliciaWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with mural artist Juana Alicia Araiza.About Artist Juana Alicia:Juana Alicia has been creating murals and working as a printmaker, sculptor, illustrator, and studio painter for over thirty years. Her style, akin to genres of contemporary Latin American literary movements, can be characterized as magical and social realism, and her work addresses issues of social justice, gender equality, environmental crisis and the power of r...
2023-09-1216 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonCharcoal Artist Esteban SamayoaWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Esteban Samayoa, an Oakland based charcoal artist. About Artist Esteban Samayoa:Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa grew up in Sacramento and started drawing when he was three years old. His only formal art class was at Sacramento City College, where a teacher showed him how to use charcoal, which became his favorite medium. A few years ago, to push himself, Esteban moved to...
2023-08-2916 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonWatercolor & Contemporary Culture Artist Kelly InouyeWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with watercolor artist Kelly Inouye. About Artist Kelly Inouye:Kelly Falzone Inouye uses watercolor to explore contemporary culture.She has presented solo exhibitions at venues including Marrow Gallery in San Francisco, SPRING/BREAK Art Show LA in Culver City, and Interface Gallery in Oakland. Notable group exhibitions include “The de Young Open” at The de Young Museum and “Contemporary Watercolor” at Morgan Lehman Gallery in...
2023-08-1520 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPhotographer Shao Feng HsuWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with photographer Shao Feng Hsu.About Artist Shao Feng Hsu:Shao-Feng Hsu is a photographer whose work around the world mainly focuses on the interaction of humans and aquatic environment. From his native Taiwan — where he trained as a competitive swimmer — to Australia, Cambodia, Japan, and beyond, Shao-Feng Hsu has immersed himself in aquatic cultures in an ongoing study of the impact of the Anthropocene Era o...
2023-08-0114 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonArtist & Professor Taravat TalepasandWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Artist & Portand State University Professor Taravat Talepasand.About Artist Taravat Talepasand:Taravat Talepasand is an artist, activist, and educator whose labor-intensive interdisciplinary painting practice questions normative cultural behaviors within contemporary power imbalances. As an Iranian-American woman, Talepasand explores the cultural taboos that reflect on gender and political authority. Her approach to figuration reflects the cross-pollination, or lack thereof, in our Western Society.Visit Ta...
2023-07-0411 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonPhotographic Artist & Landscape Architect Ron SaundersWelcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Ron Saunders, a landscape architect and artist in San Francisco. She visited Ron at his studio at the Minnesota Street Project, and he talked about becoming a landscape architect, why he likes public art projects, and starting a group for Black artists.About Artist Ron Saunders:Ron Moultrie Saunders, a co-founding member of the 3.9 Art Collective, is a photographic artist and landscape architect. Originally f...
2023-06-2012 min
Art Is Awesome with Emily WilsonCeramic Artist Cathy Lu - Our Debut Episode!Welcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Richmond ceramics artist, Cathy Lu. Cathy is one of the winners of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s prestigious SECA award and her work is on display on the second floor of the museum for free through the end of May.About Artist Cathy Lu:Cathy grew up in Miami, in a family of immigrants from Taiwan and China. Her work manipulates tra...
2023-05-2313 min