Full Width 
FOCUS MODE
Shortcuts 
Sign Up 
Log In 
Articles 
Reading List More from The Great Discontent (TGD)
Britt Reilly's work lives at the intersection of immersive visual arts, historic architecture and preservation, and modernist design. Britt is the executive director and collections curator at the Irving & Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and when we chat via Zoom, she is flanked by Plexiglas sculptures and a wall painted DayGlo Aurora Pink. "In color theory, hot pink is actually more calming than blues and grays," says Britt, who is full of nuggets like this that exhibit her range of expertise. She has worked with such artists and entities as Jon Rubin, Einat Amir, Pierre Huyghe, Janine Antoni, the Carnegie International, and dOCUMENTA (13); she founded the Pittsburgh Modern Committee of Preservation Pittsburgh; and she and her partner converted a 1930s building into their home, the first collaboration of their studio Hong Kong Trees. She spoke with us about local wanderlust, the magic of preservation, and the benefits of a great discontent. The post Britt Reilly appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
Rafael Espinal was just 26 when he became an elected official. For the next 10 years, he worked within the halls of government, first as a New York State Assemblymember and then as a New York City Councilmember, advocating for artists, independent workers, and underserved communities, especially his own—the Brooklyn neighborhood of Cypress Hills. In 2020, he left politics to take the helm of the Freelancers Union, where he’s putting his experience to work growing the Freelance Isn’t Free movement across the country. He spoke with us about how it feels to create real change, what fueled his major shift in career goals (spoiler alert: it was a great discontent), and how all of his work is inspired by the impact of storytelling. The post Rafael Espinal appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
Brad Montague is an illustrator, speaker, picture book author, video creator, and all-around maker. He’s a self-proclaimed dreamer and doer. Above all, he’s a storyteller, “working to create a better world for kids with kids” through Montague Workshop, the creative studio he runs with his wife Kristi in Henderson, Tennessee. Everything he puts into the world, whether the viral web series Kid President, which featured his then 9-year-old brother-in-law giving soul-buoying pep talks, or books aimed at kids (The Fantastic Bureau of Imagination) and former kids (Becoming Better Grownups), radiates with a sense of poignant wonder. Here he talks with The Great Discontent about the nonlinear path of meaningful work, the power of a parade, and what it means to be a joy rebel. The post Brad Montague appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
Schessa Garbutt is the founder of the Inglewood–based design studio, Firebrand. An educator, lecturer, and published essayist (see The Black Experience in Design anthology, a must-read). Garbutt works at the intersection of co-design practices and making huge, mind-bending ideas and histories ring clear as a bell. Garbutt spoke with The Great Discontent about cultural memory as the foundation for their practice, the pains of delegating, and the strength of rooting in a local community. The post Schessa Garbutt appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
When Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor came up with the idea for Ear Hustle, the podcast they’ve hosted together since 2017, Earlonne was serving a prison sentence of 31 years to life—the result of California’s three-strikes law. The two met at San Quentin State Prison where Nigel, a lifelong artist and photographer, was volunteering in the media center. For 13 seasons, Earlonne and Nigel have been sharing the experiences of those living life on the inside—“ear hustling” is prison slang for eavesdropping—and in the process have exposed listeners to countless characters, illuminating perspectives, and new depths of empathy and understanding. In 2018, Earlonne's sentence was commuted and he’s since continued creating Ear Hustle with Nigel as a free man. A fitting testament to the immense power of storytelling. Earlonne and Nigel spoke with The Great Discontent about their collaboration, process, and ambitions. The post Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor appeared first on The Great Discontent (TGD).
More in creative
Worth noting that there’s no ‘w’ in reckless. We imagine there might be, since a wreck is entirely possible. There’s the recklessness of creative generosity. This happens when we show up with our best work, regardless of how it might feel if it doesn’t land with the desired audience. The recklessness of financial abandon. No […]
Mention Francis Bacon, and you sometimes have to clarify which one you mean: the twentieth-century painter, or the seventeenth-century philosopher? Despite how much time separated their lives, the two men aren’t without their connections. One may actually have been a descendant of the other, if you credit the artist’s father’s claim of relation to the […]
A frog has no trouble grabbing a fast-moving fly in midair. But the same fly, sitting on a leaf, is save, essentially invisible to the frog. We’re a lot like frogs sometimes. We choose to pay attention to things when they’re changing, not when they feel normal. If you want something to get noticed, move […]
Civilization moved past the use of castles long ago, but their imagery endures in popular culture. Even young children here in the twenty-twenties have an idea of what castles look like. But why do they look like that? Admittedly, that’s a bit of a trick question: the popular concept of castles tends to be inspired […]
As the seasons turn we like to have a cosy project on the go. We used orange Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink to create some autumnal themed bunting. Paper bunting in an ideal printing project as it requires multiples! We're making a design from Drawing Fluid and Filler - this will make a screen that requires no exposure equipment but can create much finer detail than paper stencils. The design will stay on the screen until you're finished with it, so you can print with it for days, months or weeks without losing the design! When you're finished, use Speed Clean to remove the design and you'll be back to open mesh. Draw your design onto the mesh of an A4 90T screen gently with a soft pencil. You can place the screen over an image to trace if you prefer. Place the screen upside down (with the mesh raised and flush with the frame). We are working on the back of the screen so that the mesh is elevated. Pour a little Drawing Fluid into a palette or pot. We don't want to dip brushes directly into the Drawing Fluid bottle as it can mold quickly if contaminated. Paint the Drawing Fluid onto the screen. It has a fairly blobby texture so it can be tricky to get very fine lines and sharp corners. Don't worry though, as we can use Screen Filler to neaten the edges later. We are painting the areas that we want to print, so we're painting the positive design, not the negative space. Leave the Drawing Fluid to dry. When dry, tape up the back of the screen with parcel tape. Leave 1-2 cm around the edge of your design. Pour a well of Screen Filler at the top of the screen above the design. Use a squeegee to drag the Screen Filler down the screen. This will fill the holes in the mesh, and be resisted by the Drawing Fluid. Scrape excess Screen Filler back into the bottle. Leave the Screen Filler to dry. Wash the Drawing Fluid out of the screen using a hose. The Drawing Fluid will wash away to reveal open mesh, leaving just the Screen Filler around the design. When dry, re-tape your screen. All of the areas around the design need to be covered with tape or ink will be let through. We have just taped the back of our screen, but you can tape the front too if you prefer, which will make it easier to clean later. If you feel the design needs refining, you can use a brush with some Screen Filler to neaten any edges or add fine details. Attach the screen to a board using Hinge Clamps. Attach a piece of Mylar to the board, using tape as a hinge along one edge. Choose your ink. We are using Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink in Orange. Prop the bottom of the screen up (we like to use an empty tape roll). Place a line of ink along the bottom of the screen under the design. Flood the screen: use a squeegee at a 45 degree angle to push the ink up the screen. Remove the prop and place the screen down on the hinged board. The plastic should be underneath. Use the squeegee at a 45 degree angle to push the ink through the screen onto the plastic. Flood the screen. Slide your paper underneath the plastic. This will show you where the design will print. Remove the plastic, and use masking tape to mark where the paper is placed. Place the screen back down and print onto your paper. Repeat the flooding and printing process on all your paper, using the masking tape to show you where to place each piece. Use a hole punch along the top edge of the flags and string them up. When you're finished with the design, use a plastic brush to scrub some Speed Clean onto the screen filler. After a few minutes, clean with a jet wash or hot water. For the project you will need: A4 90T Screen Soft pencil Drawing Fluid Parcel Tape Screen Filler Squeegee Paintbrush Screen Printing Board Hinge Clamps Mylar Paper to print onto Masking Tape Speedball Acrylic Screen Printing Ink Speed Clean
