Full Width 
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
[written by claude.] Here’s the thing about ChatGPT that nobody wants to admit: It’s not intelligent. It’s something far more interesting. Back in the 1950s, a Russian linguist named Roman Jakobson walked into a Harvard classroom and found economic equations on the blackboard. Instead of erasing them, he said, “I’ll teach with this.” Why? Because […]
If asked about your favorite dish, you’d do well to name something exotic. Gone are the days when a taste for the likes of Italian, Mexican, or Chinese cuisine could qualify you as an adventurous eater. Even expeditions to the very edges of the menus at Peruvian, Ethiopian, or Laotian restaurants, say, would be unlikely […]
What’s possible and what’s required? It’s still surprising to me that some of these ideas aren’t widely held, because they seem so clear to me: Skill is a choice. Talent is overrated, and if we choose to get better at something, we probably can. Responsibility is a privilege. It’s not given to us, it’s taken. […]
“Tomorrow Never Dies” couldn’t be made today, and not just because the Beatles already made it in 1966. Marking perhaps the single biggest step in the group’s artistic evolution, that song is in every sense a product of its time. The use of psychedelic drugs like LSD was on the rise in the counterculture, as […]
Hello. I’m a wood engraver and printmaker who specialises in portraiture. I work from my studio in South Bristol where I’m lucky enough to have an old Albion Press. I’ve lived in Bristol for 18 years and love the friendly and open-minded spirit which it seems to attract. Describe your printmaking process. I use the 'reduction technique' which involves printing many layers from one block. I cut a bit – print a layer – cut a bit more – print another layer over the top of the first – and so on. The process is very simple and mind-boggling at the same time. Also, if I make any mistakes, the whole print edition is ruined! Portraiture has always been part of my practice. I love the shapes, colours, depth, and variety in human bodies and faces. The closer I look, the more detail and nuance emerges. Capturing this has become some what of an obsession. Recently I have been experimenting with ‘glazes’ as part of a research project at UWE Bristol. If you’re not familiar with Glazing, it uses a mixture of oil, resin and certain transparent pigments to create a very translucent and saturated paint or ink. By layering the glazes I am able to create a print which has a subtle glow or luminance. How and where did you learn to print? Printmaking was encouraged during my time studying Illustration at UWE Bristol. Whilst in my second year, I went to an exhibition of Thomas Bewick’s engravings, with my parents. I was totally captivated by his minute vignettes and started to teach myself wood engraving. The Society of Wood Engravers gave me some funding to buy additional tools and I’ve been doing it ever since. Why printmaking? Part of the lure of printmaking is the kit – particularly the old and traditional equipment. I love being part of something with such a rich history. And compared to the endless possibilities of Photoshop, I love how finite print is. When it’s done, it’s done. I also enjoy how challenging it can be. The pressure to get every cut perfect, focuses the mind. It’s meditative. Where do you work? Since 2011 I’ve been at BV Studios in Bedminster, Bristol. I share a large, cold room with a few other artists, and my corner is piled high with books, paper, lead type, jars of pigments and oil. The whole environment puts me in the mood for engraving, printing, and creating. Describe a typical day in your studio. After a quick breakfast and coffee at home, I cycle in and get cracking straight away. First I will look at the previous day’s prints with fresh eyes and remind myself which layer I have finished and what needs to come next. Then the engraving begins – which usually lasts a few hours. Then I’ll mix up some glazing medium with oil colour or dry pigments and print a proof. Once I’m happy with the engraving and the colour, I will spend the rest of the day printing the edition. How long have you been printmaking? Not including the obligatory linocut at school, my interest in printmaking started during my Foundation year at UWE. The Printmaking Department there is incredible and one of the best equipped in the country. The staff were very encouraging and nurtured my teenage interest in all the wonderful machines and chemicals. I started engraving in 2009 after visiting the (previously mentioned) Bewick exhibition at The Icon Gallery. After graduating in 2011 I took a part-time job working in the Print Department at UWE, where I remain to this day. What inspires you? I find human bodies fascinating. The colours, curves, bones, shadows, pits, layers and variety is captivating. As I look at someone and deconstruct their body or face or skin into colours and shapes, I am constantly mesmerised by the depth and nuance of nature. With in every colour there is more colour. With in every shape there are more shapes. I love to recreate this subtlety in my work. What is your favourite printmaking product? Ahh such a tricky question. The answer changes all the time. If I had to choose, I would say the woodblocks made by Chris Daunt. They are works of art, and wood is such a beautiful material to work with. What have you made that you are most proud of? At the time of writing – my latest print ‘Hera’. It turned out better than I had hoped and it's the culmination of much experimentation and research. It’s also, as far as I know, the first print to be made from ‘glazes' Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? I sell directly from my website and from the SWE website What will we be seeing from you next? I will be having my second solo exhibition - The Ink That Glows - at Centrespace Gallery in Bristol. The private view is 8th August 6-9pm (All welcome), Open Daily 11-5pm from 9th to 12th August 2025. This will showcase all my recent engravings and lots of the preparatory and experimental work. Join my mailing list to find out more. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Learn how to do something and then do it differently To see more from Ben, follow him on Instagram!
