It’s every artist’s dream to be able to do what you want to do. International superstar artists, like today’s guest, Harmonia Rosales, are out here living their creative dreams and its inspirational to all the rest of us. Not only has Harmonia been creating her amazing Renaissance inspired paintings, she has recently finished her first sculpture commission with Unbound at the King’s Chapel in Boston. As if that wasn’t amazing enough she has written Chronicles of Ori: An African Epic, a personal retelling of African myths passed down to her from her grandmother. Harmonia talks about all her latest works and we get into other topics like: what is it like in the studio with Harmonia, the good and bad parts about her success and the power of the stories in her high anticipated book. Listen, subscribe and share! Episode 208 topics include: maturing as an artist vs evolving as an artist creating Unbound sculpture for King’s Chapel lesson learned at the foundry talking to/ talking with your art Harmonia’s perfect studio day artists need encouragement creating her new book Chronicles of Ori using mythology and history to connect to your roots the gift and curse of success as an artist

Happy Atlanta Art Week! Its exciting time around the city. With so much going on its a perfect time for a new episode of the Noize! Let them other folks deal with that crazy Atlanta traffic. You can sit back in your studio and listen to two printmakers and educators talk about art. We got Harris Wiltsher on the show today. Harris has been teaching art at Florida A&M University for 29 years. He talks about the changes in education over his career, the different ways students and technology has evolved in the classroom, the highs and lows of higher education, and of course, we talk about his beautiful prints. All that and more on this episode of the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 207 topics include: teaching at FAMU for 29 years changes in students over decades economics of printmaking what are the new students doing conceptually In What We See print show traveling to HBCU’s the benefits of being at an HBCU the genesis of the Crown series making an interesting print

There is no one way to succeed in this art game. Melissa A. Mitchell is showing us all how to make moves with your art. The story will be told of her incredible run of partnerships, from Spanx, to Foot Locker to Bloomingdales, etc. Today on the Noize we’re going to acknowledge and appreciate the creative talent behind the brand. Melissa talks about her process, her studio, her journey into wearable art, and the deeper connections under the bright colorful designs. Her new ventures include furniture, a new book of affirmations, and much more. That good art talk you love with a global superstar on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 206 topics include: artist vs creative where do ideas come from deeper connections in Mellissa’s art Melissa’s studio set up partnership with Bloomingdales the power of personality designing furniture the journey into wearable art new book of affirmations stories from people moved by your art

In Tandem, the joint exhibition between printmaker extraordinaire Chloe Alexander and your boy, JBarber, recently ended its run at the Emma Darnell Aviation Center in Atlanta, GA. If you made it thank you we definitely appreciate your support. If you didn’t get to see the show now worries! We recorded the artist talk live and your can still here the insights of this incredible show. Moderated by Studio Noize fam Natassha Chambliss, Chloe and Jamaal take about the big themes of the show, relationships, grief and memory. They also talk about the exploration of color, pushing the printmaking medium to new limits, the approach to curating and much more. Its that good art talk (literally!) that you love right here on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 205 topics include: In Tandem artist talk recorded live at the Emma Darnell Aviation Center weaving narratives together exploring printmaking as a medium responding to the moment pushing each other to be great curating Bonds of Kinship exhibition how to Jamaal and Chloe picked the colors for the show childhood memories

The Atlanta art community is second to none. The scene is so vibrant, diverse and supportive in so many ways. Courtney Brooks has been on the scene as an artist and curator for many years. She recently got the opportunity to open her own gallery space, CBrooks Gallery, and take her creative vision to the next level. We caught up to Courtney live in her gallery space to talk about her growth as curator from to doing pop-up shows to running a gallery space, balancing her artistic practice with curating and how to pour into yourself after you do so much for others. It’s that good art talk you love to hear on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 204 topics include: operating an art gallery special art residency integrating art into residential spaces Know Regrets inaugural show at CBrooks Art Gallery growth in curating from pop-ups to galleries Journey of a Black Girl project making art focused on Black girls/women taking care of yourself

To understand what it takes to have a long career in this art game we have to talk to the people that have been doing for decades. LaShun Beal has been making and selling art for 50 years. He’s seen all facets of the art world and has a lot of gems to give on working with galleries, the approach to creating, how to survived at art festivals and more. We talk about the age old question what is a style for an artists and how to interact with potential collectors. After a little art break where your boy JBarber had to get into show mode we are back in these art streets bringing you the best in Black art. It’s the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 203 topics include: 50 years in the art game phases in an art career creating with no limits what is a style? doing outdoor festivals the business of art how to deal with galleries the creative process

Ceramicist, Malene Barnett, returns to the Noize! We learned all about her amazing book Crafted Kinship and now we learn all about her artistic practice. From designing rugs to ceramics walls Malene’s curiosity and passion has pushed her in new directions. After discovering her love for hand building clay she has been on a journey to learn the craft and make work in all forms. We talk about her ceramic murals, how residencies helped her learn about ceramics, being a part of a community of artists, and the structure she uses to keep her on track in the studio. Malene has some great insights in to clay and how it connects her to her ancestors. More of that good art talk that you love on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 202 topics include: Crafted Kinship world tour working in clay finding residencies to study clay being a part of the ceramics community being objective about your work sturcture and discipline in art practice ceramic murals traveling to Ghana for research

As things change around you it is important to stay ture to you passion and your calling. Its the only way to keep progressing toward your goals. Our guests today are George and Esohe Galbreath who know a little something about change lately. They are back to tell us all about their new event, Artful ATL. Saturday, June 7 at the Atlanta Contemporary. They tell us about the 30 plus artist being featured as well as the lessons they have learned from doing successful art event in the city for over a decade. We talk about building community, the new generation of artists working now, and how we pass the legacy on to other people. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 201 topics include: ArtfulAtl opening June 7 at the Atlanta Contemporary changing and growing in the Atlanta art community lessons learned for doing art events for over 10 years a new generation of artists continuing events around building community appreciating the moments being resilient in 2025

Everywhere you go you’ll find artists in community. The Atlanta community has supported and produced some incredible artists like today’s guest, Charity Hamidullah. You can see her murals all over the city, her tattoos all of the people and her canvases all over exhibition walls. Charity talks about switching mediums, the artists that inspire her to grow, and how she takes advantage of all the residency opportunities she’s had so far. It’s more of that good art talk we love on the Noize. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 199 topics include: switching from tattoos to canvas learning how to draw getting into murals being fearless in your art practice how public art changes space exploring mixed media being inspired by other artists getting the most out of residencies 6 week residency in Portugal

Artists know how much of a grind it is to be an artist. So when we see artists exploring and evolving like today’s guest Shanneil Clarke we can appreciate the amount of effort that goes into it. Shanneil is out in these art streets, doing shows and building an audience with paintings featuring his unique Black figures. We talk about the essence of his style, the neck pieces, the gold, etc. and the inspiration behind his work. Shanneil talks about his Jamaican roots, how he vibes with collectors and the collab project he did recently with your boy, JBarber. Great incite into a young artist you can get follow on his journey. Right here on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 198 topics include: grinding in the art streets symbolism of hair breaking down Shanneil’s style: neck pieces, gold, backgrounds life experiences living in Jamaica influence of Black cartoon characters in Shanneil’s art collaborative prints with JBarber exploring materials connecting with collectors

Today we shine the light on our Caribbean brothers and sisters with Malene Barnett and her amazing book Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practices of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers. Melene talks about her heritage and how this incredible book came together. More than 60 artists are featured included some Studio Noize Alumni like April Bey. Malene talks about the connections between Caribbean artists in the diaspora, experimenting with materials, and what it means to be rooted to a place. It’s more of that good art talk that we love right here on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 197 topics include: Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practices of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers highlighting Caribbean artists in the diaspora growing up with parents from the Caribbean experimental materials land, climate and sustainability as a theme pride in your homeland social constructs around artistic disciplines ceramics in the Caribbean

Ariel Dannielle comes back home to the Studio Noize podcast! We been following Ariel since she came on the single digit episodes of the Noize and we love how she has grown as an artist. If you’ve seen her work you know about her wonderful use of color, her complex compositions and her love of all things girly. She talks about her adventures in these art streets from LA to New York to Chicago and back to Atlanta. We get into her approach to painting and capturing moments, her obsession with painting food, her process of capturing these moments of womanhood/girlhood in her paintings. Its more of that good art talk that you love with one of our favorites. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 196 topics include: working on solo exhibitions Feels Like Glitter show at UTA Atlanta being obsessed with painting food capturing moments with friends artistic influences using yourself as reference making in different ways experiencing a residency in Morocco studio space in Atlanta representing womanhood and girlhood in art

New Year, New season of Studio Noize! Your boy JBarber went to see Giants at the High Museum of Art and he has some thoughts. The exhibition featured art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beats and Alicia Keys. There are so many conversations to be had coming out of the show. There’s wealth and celebrity, there’s propaganda, and there’s phenomenal, awe inspiring art. We owe it to them and their efforts to give a good honest critique of the whole endeavor. The same way we examine a show like Afro Atlantic Histories we should examine the good and bad about Giants. A great way to blast into the new year! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 194 topics include: Giants at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta celebrity and wealth in art iconography the who’s who of Black art Kehinde Wiley’s 30ft painting Barkley Hendrick propaganda in exhibitions

We back! It’s been a crazy few weeks for your boy JBarber. I had extensive water damage to my house and had to shut down my studio for a full renovation. My studio is in shambles! It makes me think of two things. One, the people out in western NC that were devastated by the recent hurricane. The River Arts District was completely underwater for days. We have to continue to support them in any way that we can. Two, I can’t help be remember the amazing Legacy Print Weekend at Delita Martin’s studio hanging out with some of the best printmakers in the world. Today we got Rabea Ballin and Ann Johnson on the podcast recorded during our fun in Houston. We talked about experimenting in the studio, insight into your friends’ art process, taking classes at Anderson Ranch and much more. We are forgetting about our big studio problems for a little while and getting back to that good art talk we love. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 194 topics include: Legacy Weekend at Delita Martin’s studio how the ROUX Collective works experimenting with colleagues Can you run leaves through a letterpress? group critiquing with peers taking Mickalene Thomas’ class at Anderson Ranch continuing education for artists seeing artists work

A couple of weeks ago a group of super talented printmakers got to together in Houston at the studio of the one and only Delita Martin. We talking Delita, Chloe Alexander, Anne Johnson, Rabea Ballin, Shanna Strauss, Jess Sabogal, Rashaun Rucker and Steve Prince who couldn’t make it. Even your boy JBarber slid in there some how. The magic of the moment inspired us to create a new printmaking collective called the Legacy Print Council. Of course JBarber pulled out the mics to document such a momentous occasion. Today we got Delita Martin and Chloe Alexander talking about how this all came together and the value of sharing with your peers. Followed by Dr. Kheli Willetts who came by the studio to visit and ended up making a print herself. Kheli talks about being inspired to make a print, the time she spent with Elizabeth Catlett and her observation about the event. It’s just a little taste of that good art talk from Legacy Weekend with the crew. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 193 topics include: how the Legacy Weekend came together energy in the print studio sharing techniques with your peers continuing to learn as your career grows creating a collaborative portfolio Dr Kheli Willetts jumping into printing again Dr Kheli Willetts spending time with Elizabeth Catlett the context of Legacy Weekend

Artists should be comfortable blazing their own paths. Even if it take you outside the norms of Black figuration and makes people look at you funny. Today’s guest, Anthony Burks Sr., knows all about that. As a Black artist using animals as his main subjects he has stories of people that didn’t want his work at first but the beautiful compositions, the masterful drawing and the spirit that he puts into the work is undeniable. Anthony talks about his animals, his creative drive, how he approaches his business and survives as an artist. It’s a wide ranging art conversation for yall today. We know you like that good art talk right here on the Noize! Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 192 topics include: the love of drawing staying in your lane as an artist painting animals as a Black artist turning his home into a gallery handling commissions Zero Empty Spaces art studio and collective using social media to get clients how to get support at a fundraiser the art hustle in Florida

Mint Gallery in Atlanta has closed its doors, suddenly and sloppily. How could this happen to such a well known, well used space? Studio Noize has recorded episodes there. Your boy JBarber had his thesis show there. There was a history and reputation to the gallery. Today we bring back Jasmine Nicole Williams, aka Jiggy Jas, back for an emergency episode of Studio Noize. We unload our thoughts on the closing of Mint and how poorly it was all handled. We discuss the precarious nature of being an artist and how devastating it can be to have your life and livelihood threatened by bad business. We talk about the changing landscape of arts funding, the need for community and the courage it takes to advocate for yourself and your fellow artists. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 191 topics include: the chaos of Mint Gallery closing non-profit arts funding how poor leadership effects working artists being transparent the dream of having a studio what creates culture what comes from the chaos

Pittsburgh-based art historian and curator, Kilolo Luckett joins the Studio Noize fam today! Its always exciting to have dynamic, interesting women on the show because they have so much to offer. Kilolo has created an experimental, contemporary art platform with Alma Lewis and still works as an independent curator with artists like Stephen Towns, Amani Lewis and Thaddeus Mosley. She talks about building connections with artists that she curates, the importance or reading for artists and creating Alma Lewis as a place where artists can grow in their practice. Kilolo shares what she sees as the job of a curator and how to created a culture that supports artists in every way. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 190 topics include: building a connection to artists what an artist reads advocating for artists what a curator does the importance of narratives in art creating Alma Lewis art culture supporting artists during a residency

We are talking about collecting today on the Noize! We got attorney and art collector Nick Bedford. You might catch Nick in Miami at Art Basel, flying worldwide to check out all the shows, or in the studio with your favorite artists. Nick talks about the value of art, following artists as they grow, and getting into the politics behind collecting. Nick shines a light on what he values in purchasing, which includes the sketches and preliminary drawings. It’s a talk about the other side of the art business from a person actively supporting and acquiring work. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 189 topics include: reasons to collect value in art collecting sketches and preliminary works what makes a great artist how success changes artists and collecting following artists as they grow recent treasures in the collection gatekeeping by museums and galleries

The 2024 Florida Prize exhibition at the Orland Museum of Art introduced your boy, JBarber, to 10 fantastic artists in the state of Florida. We got the People’s Choice Award winner from that show, Njeri Kinuthia, on the Noize today. Her work is centered around her experiences growing up in Kenya and the ways she wrestles with culture, religion and social norms. Njeri talks about her love of drawing, her complex relationship with religion, and the ways her art helps her build a sense of self. We go through the details of some of Njeri’s amazing work in the show including Njeri the Great, Nyumba, and Smothered II. Plus some stories about Njeri being a pastor and throwing shade with fabrics. Listen, subscribe, and share! Episode 188 topics include: coming to New York from Kenya finding freedom in the clothing wrestling with cultural norms in art the importance of drawing female oppression 2024 Florida Prize