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.

In this episode Emily interviews artist Masako Miki, whose solo exhibition "Midnight March" is on view at the ICA San Francisco through December 7th. Masako discusses her journey from Osaka, Japan to California, her fascination with Japanese folklore—especially the "Night Parade of 100 Demons"—and how these stories inspire her colorful felted sculptures. The conversation explores themes of animism, transformation, and protest, as well as Masako’s creative process and the importance of art in shifting perspectives. Tune in to hear about her artistic influences, the significance of her studio, and the playful yet profound characters she brings to life.

About Artist Masako Miki :

As a multimedia artist, Masako Miki navigates diverse mediums, including textile sculpture, watercolor, and outdoor public installations to explore the intersection of mythology, folklore, and contemporary social issues. Miki has exhibited her immersive felt sculptural installations and watercolor works on paper in the US, and internationally. She has exhibited at institutions including Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and de Young Museum. Inspired by Shinto’s animism, Miki attempts crafting new mythologies concerning cultural identity as social collectives. Miki was a recipient of the 2018 Inga Maren Otto Fellowship Award from Watermill Center in New York, also has been a resident artist including de Young Museum and Facebook HQ. Miki’s work is in collections at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Colección Solo in Spain, The Byrd Hoffman Water Mill Foundation, Facebook, Inc., and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Miki’s monumental outdoor public art installation at Uber HQ in San Francisco and OH Bay cultural coastal park in Shenzhen China is on view. She is currently working on Mina and Natoma Street Corridor Project with SFMOMA and SFAC designing functional sculptures. Miki is a native of Japan and currently based in Berkeley, California. She is represented by RYANLEE Gallery in New York and Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco.

Visit Masako's Website: MasakoMiki.com

Follow Masako on Instagram: @MasakoMiki

Learn More about Masako's exhibit "Midnight March" at the ICA SF through December 7 - CLICK HERE.

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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:

Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil

Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast

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CREDITS:

Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.

Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.

For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This 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 role of art in healing, activism, and building community, with stories about resilience, resourcefulness, and the impact of representation.
• Discussion of recent Bay Area art events and exhibitions, such as Superflex and Everyday War, and their significance in today’s social climate.
• Audience Q&A covering mentorship, censorship, and advice for emerging artists.

Tune in for an inspiring, honest, and heartfelt look at what art can do—and why it matters now more than ever.

More from this Episode:

KALW Public Radio - Bay Made

Tricia Rainwater - TriciaRainwaterArt.com - "The Tellings We Keep" at SF Camerawork

Jenifer Wofford - Wofflehouse.com - "MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy" - @Woffsilog on Instagram

Candace Huey - EdgeOnTheSquare.org - @EdgeOnTheSquare on Instagram

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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:

Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil

Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast

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CREDITS:

Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.

Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.

For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

In this episode, Emily Wilson interviews artist Julio Cesar Morales. Julio discusses his journey from Tijuana to San Francisco, his influences from social movements, music, and literature, and his interdisciplinary approach to art. The conversation explores his exhibitions "My America" at Gallery Wendy Norris and "Ojo" at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis, both focusing on themes of migration, borders, and immigrant experiences.

Julio shares stories behind his watercolor series inspired by real-life attempts to cross the US-Mexico border, and reflects on the symbolism of twins and portals in his work. He also talks about his collaborations in sound art, the importance of music in his creative process, and the impact of community and social justice on his art.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about art, migration, and the power of storytelling.

About Artist Julio Cesar Morales:

Julio César Morales employs a range of media and visual strategies to explore issues of migration, underground economies, and labor, on personal and global scales. He works by whatever means necessary: in a series of watercolor illustrations, Morales diagramed means of human trafficking in passenger vehicles, while in other projects he employed the DJ turntable, neon signs, the historical reenactment of a famous meal, or the conventions of an artist-run gallery to explore social interaction and political perspectives.

Julio's artwork has been shown at venues internationally, including; the Lyon Biennale, France; Istanbul Biennale, Turkey; Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles; Singapore Biennale, Singapore; Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt, Germany; Prospect 3, New Orleans; SFMOMA, San Francisco; Perez Art Museum, Miami; Museo Tamayo, Mexico City; Museo del Barrio, New York City; The UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, Davis; and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco, amongst others. His work is in private and public collections including MoMA, New York; The Los Angeles County Art Museum, Los Angeles; The Kadist Foundation, San Francisco and Paris; The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Deutsche Bank, Germany; and The Office of Art in Embassies. Morales has been written about in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Artforum, Frieze, Flash Art, Art Nexus, and Art in America.

Julio's Artist Profile, CLICK HERE.

Follow Julio on Instagram: @JCM_3000

OJO Exhibit at the Shrem Museum of Art at UCDavis, CLICK HERE.

MY AMERICA Exhibit at Gallery Wendi Norris

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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:

Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil

Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast

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CREDITS:

Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.

Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.

For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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 role of accidents in his creative process, memorable exhibitions, and the Bay Area places that inspire him. Tune in to hear aboutt the life and art of Paul Kos, with insights into the evolution of conceptual art in Northern California.

About Artist Paul Kos :

Paul Kos, born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, is an influential American conceptual artist and educator. He is one of the founders of the Bay Area Conceptual Art movement in California and has been a leading artist and teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area for over three decades. Kos's work often incorporates video, sound, and interactivity into sculptural installations, challenging conventional art media and subject matter. His major retrospective "Everything Matters" was held at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in 2003, and a second major survey of his work, "Equilibrium: A Paul Kos Survey," was held at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa in 2016. Kos's art is included in numerous public museum collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). He has received numerous awards, including the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Fellowship and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship in video and audio.

Visit Paul's Website: PaulKos.net

More Info on Far Out at Di Rosa San Francisco CLICK HERE.

More Info on the People Make This Place exhibit at SFMOMA - CLICK HERE

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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:

Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil

Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast

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CREDITS:

Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.

Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.

For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

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 cultural overlap. Luis shares personal stories about his artistic development, the impact of winning a drawing contest as a teenager, and the influence of artists like Jose Clemente Orozco.

About Artist Luis Felipe Chavez :

Luis Felipe Chavez is a queer artist originally from a small town in central-western Mexico. His artistic journey began at the age of fourteen with drawing and painting classes in Guadalajara, Jalisco.

From 2015 to 2020, Chavez pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. Each summer during those years, he traveled to the U.S. to visit his family—spending time working alongside his father and brother in the agricultural fields of Bakersfield, California, and in factories in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 2020, amid a global atmosphere of uncertainty and loss, Chavez completed his degree and began developing a new body of work. Later that year, driven by a desire for change despite limited English and lingering fears, he packed a few clothes and some paintings into a suitcase and moved to California.

By the end of 2021, Chavez relocated to San Francisco, where he continues to live and work. Working primarily with traditional drawing and painting techniques, his art explores themes of migration, labor, identity, and belonging through a queer, cross-cultural lens.

Visit Luis' Website: LuisFelipeStudio.Com

Follow Luis on Instagram: @LuisFelipeStudio

More on Luis' exhibit "INTERMEDIO" at Jonathon Carver Moore CLICK HERE.

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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:

Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil

Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast

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CREDITS:

Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.

Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.

For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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, 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 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 on our waters. In December 2017, he was selected to participate in Angkor Photo Festival Workshop, where he documented life in a village without proper sanitation and running water. Expanding on the project's themes back in Taiwan, he collaborated with the environmental NGO, RE-Think, on projects to illustrate shoreline pollution. His project, Inner Tidal Zones, combines color photograms and digital images to capture the perspective of aquatic creatures and the emotions of the water. He is a graduate of the Creative Practices program at the International Center of Photography and a recipient of Rita K. Hillman Award of Excellence. During the pandemic lockdown he co-founded Fotodemic.org and cademy.biz. He is currently a Fellow at the Headlands Center of the Arts and teaches B&W darkroom at California College of the Arts (CCA) Photography Program.

Visit Shao's Website: ShaoFengHsu.com

Follow Shao on Instagram: @ShaoFengHsu

For more about the Headlands Graduate Fellowships HERE.

Pictures of You: Headlands Center for the Arts Graduate Fellowship Exhibition at The Lab

SF Camerawork

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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:

Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.

Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil

Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast

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CREDITS:

Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.

Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.

For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.