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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).
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).
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I’m a printmaker and illustrator based in Sydney, Australia, where I work from my home studio. I originally trained as a mechanical engineer and went on to do a PhD in biomedical engineering, but after having children I made a complete career change and have now been working as a professional artist for around ten years. My work is inspired by Australian native flora and fauna, particularly birds, and I’m probably happiest when I’m making something that involves a printing press. Describe your printmaking process. These days I mostly work with recycled TetraPak cartons as printing plates, using a mix of drypoint and collagraph techniques. I cut, tear, scratch and sand the surface to build up different marks and textures, then ink the plate, wipe it back and print it through an etching press. I love that the material is a bit unpredictable and that something as ordinary as a milk carton can produce such detailed, beautiful prints. How and where did you learn to print? I first learned printmaking at high school when I was 12. My art teacher was a printmaker, so we were lucky enough to have a large etching press at school and were introduced to proper intaglio processes. I studied printmaking right through high school and actually made a series of large collagraphs for my final major work. Later, while I was still working in engineering, I joined Warringah Printmakers Studio in Sydney and started going to their evening classes. I’ve been part of the studio ever since, moving into daytime classes once I had children. It’s a not-for-profit, member-run studio dedicated to printmaking, with regular classes and workshops, so it’s been a huge part of how I’ve continued learning. I think with printmaking you never really stop learning anyway, there’s always another process or technique to play with! Why printmaking? Now that’s a good question! For me it’s definitely the process; and boy are there processes involved. I think people get bitten by the printmaking bug and it kind of transforms you - like Spiderman 😜 It’s like a life-long addiction where you try to conquer the press; some days it shows you mercy, but more often it puts you in your place, and it’s such a humbling process! Where do you work? I run my own small creative business, Negin Designs, from my home studio in Sydney. It’s a one-woman operation, so I do everything from creating art, running my online shop, to packing orders and all the less glamorous admin in between. I love the freedom of working for myself, even if it does mean wearing a ridiculous number of hats. I also license my illustrations for commercial products. One of my longest-running collaborations is with Australian company Earth Greetings, who print my artwork onto things like greeting cards, stationery, homewares and decorations. I love my relationship with them because they genuinely care about how things are made, the materials they use, and the artists they work with. I’m also very involved with Warringah Printmakers Studio, where I volunteer my time as Social Media Manager and Exhibitions Coordinator. It’s a big part of my printmaking life and keeps me connected to a wider community of printmakers. Follow along on Instagram. Describe a typical day in your studio. It depends on what’s going on at the time. I might spend the whole day printing, drawing, photographing work, filming and editing content, packing orders or working on a commission. Or, depending on the time of year, I might spend the entire day doing tax admin, which is obviously why I became an artist, because don’t we all dream big about growing up to do our taxes! And then I have conniptions about how much I spend on art supplies per year. How long have you been printmaking? I’ve been printmaking since I was about 12, when my high school art teacher (Sydney printmaker Salvatore Gerardi) first introduced me to it. What inspires you? I always find this question hard to answer because, apart from the obvious things like nature, other artists and the world around me, I think inspiration for me is very much something that happens in the background. I’m constantly absorbing things without really realising it, and then somehow they resurface later in the work. What is your favourite printmaking product? Any Hahnemuhle printmaking paper and Sakura ink products. What have you made that you are most proud of? Well, technically, my kids. But if we’re talking art… it would have to be my transition into TetraPak as I feel like I have created prints rich in experimentation and pushed some of my own printmaking boundaries. Where can we see your work? Where do you sell? You can see most of what I’m up to on Instagram and TikTok, where I share my day-to-day art and printmaking. I also have a YouTube channel where I regularly add printmaking tips and little how-tos, so definitely subscribe there if that’s your thing! My website, is where you’ll find my online shop, with my hand-pulled prints and other artwork available to buy. What will we be seeing from you next? More birds! I’m really enjoying pushing what I can do with TetraPak and seeing how far I can take such a simple material, so there’ll be more experimenting, and hopefully some larger, more ambitious work. And you’ll be seeing more process videos, because I love showing people what actually goes into making a print. Do you have any advice for other printmakers and creatives? Don’t overthink it, just do it. And if you’re scared, still do it; just do it scared. Feeling inspired and want to try out intaglio printmaking? Visit our website where you will find everything you need to get started!
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