Artrepreneur Podcast

  Best-selling children’s book illustrator David Soman, known for the series Ladybug Girl, sits down with Artrepreneur curator Matt Rota to dive into his rediscovery of children’s book illustration and the lengthy creation process of Ladybug Girl. David Soman has illustrated other titles such as Three Bears in a Boat, and The Monster Next Door, and currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.    

Pauline Brown and Grace Cho discuss Pauline's career path and more importantly, the subject of Pauline's recent book, Aesthetic Intelligence.

Zoë van Dijk, a freelance illustrator and storyteller, discusses with Artrepreneur curator Matt Rota her navigation of the freelance world, her roots, and her journey into editorial artwork.  Zoë van Dijk’s illustrations are often described as moody and she masterfully plays with light and shadow. Her illustrations have been featured in publications such as Variety Entertainment Weekly, Netflix, Wired Long Reads, Buzzfeed, Vice, the Atlantic, and the Washington Post.

Raghava KK – Multidisciplinary Artist, Curator, and Storyteller, explores the transcendence of art through the ambits of the current digital era without sacrificing the particular. His work traverses traditional forms of painting, installation, and performance, while his practice embraces new media to express post-human contemporary realities. Raghava discusses with Grace Cho, Artrepreneur CEO, the importance of identity and what it means to journey through art. Raghava KK has been named by CNN as one of the 10 most remarkable people and has been a featured speaker at countless events such as the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, multiple TED talks, and has been the keynote speaker at many top conferences around the globe.  

Félicie Haymoz, character designer known for her work on “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Isle of Dogs,”  and Taili Wu, stop-motion “monster-shaper,” contrast their experiences working in the movie world, balancing commercial and creative projects, and how they’ve inspired each other. Artrepreneur’s curator Matt Rota explores with them their path to their current field and the highlights of their careers thus far. Félicie Haymoz and Taili Wu have currently teamed up to teach a unique covid-adapted workshop combining their perspectives through the use of paper puppets.  

Martin Wittfooth, an acclaimed painter, discusses with Artrepreneur curator, Matthew Rota, his artistic journey, album covers, the discovery of his love of oil painting, and the logistics of gallery shows and art fairs.  Wittfooth’s oil paintings explore disquieting themes of “industry and nature, unhinged evolution, and the clash of old ideologies with modern fears”, and have appeared in numerous publications such as New American Paintings, Hi-Fructose, and American Artist. View Martin Wittfooth’s Artrepreneur profile here.    

Sergio Bessa, Director of Curatorial Programs at the Bronx Museum with host Grace Cho (CEO of Artrepreneur), discusses the “Sanford Biggers: Codeswitch” exhibition and exploring what it means to be a curator in the shifting future of the arts industry. Bessa has made an unquestionable claim in the art world with many acclaimed exhibitions, publications, and has contributed texts to numerous catalogs, anthologies, and scholarly journals. Bessa completed his Ph.D. in Art Education from New York University and earned an MFA from Pratt Institute. You can view the “Sanford Biggers: Codeswitch” exhibition virtually on Artrepreneur’s Art360˚.

In conversation with Matt Rota, Javier Ameijeiras, associate designer for the Oscars and Art Director for Hamilton, provides a fresh take on what it means to be an illustrator and designer. He discusses taking the formal pen & paper tools he honed in college and adapting them to exist in 3-D. His creative forces have been applied to the physical worlds of Production Design, Art Direction, and Conceptual Development. Javier has contributed to Emmy winning TV shows, Oscar-nominated films, and Tony Award-winning productions such as the hit Broadway show Hamilton, Disney’s Beauty and Beast, HBO’s Bored to Death, Girls, Boardwalk Empire, and so many more.

Frantz Alcindor is the Director of Career and Internship Services at the Fashion Institute of Technology where he serves the career development needs of over 9,000 students.  In this podcast, Frantz discusses what it takes to find work and succeed in the creative industry. Matching your skillset to job opportunities, viewing yourself as an entrepreneur, and guiding your career path through the lens of problem-solving, are just a few of the topics you’ll hear in this extremely informative podcast. Regardless of where you are in your creative career, Frantz has advice for you.  

Grace sits down with renowned artist & illustrator Scott Gordley to discuss what it was like to paint James Earl Jones’ portrait, as well as Cher, Madonna, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Gordley’s commercial work has appeared in Time, Esquire, Newsday, Playboy, and the London Times, among others. He dives into what makes an illustration “smart”, the importance of understanding your subject, and how to bring extra dimension into your work that’ll catch the eye of any decent art director.

Mark Golden grew up with paints all around him. His father started a paint supply business in the 1930’s in NYC frequented by William de Kooning and Jackson Pollock. Following in his footsteps, Golden started Golden Artist Colors. As CEO, he re-imagined a new company based on delighting customers and sustainability, from its waste management practices to being an employee-owned company (ESOP). With an artist-in-residence program and philanthropic commitment, Golden has created a winning formula. . In this podcast, calling in from a farm in upstate New York, a small town called New Berlin, population 2700, which also happens to be their corporate HQ, he talks about the opportunities and challenges in running a small business and what it takes to steer the ship. For Golden, his business is more than materials for artists, “colors are a catalyst, bridging creative communities and inspiring positive global change through the arts, recognizing that we do have a voice.” Mark Golden received the 1996 Small Business Person of the Year from the US Small Business Administration. Golden Artist Colors was featured on the NBC Nightly News as a successful small business.

Successful founder of Blibetroy, a handbag and accessory business artist, designer, builder and maker Sarah Katherine Bleibtreu never believed that you have to do or be just one thing in life. For her, creativity is fluid and ideas are whispers in the air that need to be captured and cultivated. Working across the disciplines of architecture, fashion, accessory design, and the plastic fine arts, Sarah’s title is also fluid. Whether she’s creating Blibetroy, a handbag business, designing homes, objects or lighting, what stays the same is her vision to create a specific sensory experience and bring it to life so others can enjoy it. . In this podcast, Sarah talks to Brian Young about balancing the creative process and bringing an idea or product to market. She explains how making your version of what you want to exist in the world requires both discipline and openness to keep refining it. And, while everything has to have a monetary value, that doesn’t mean you always need the intention of selling it before it has time to mature.

Dian Holton‘s creativity knows no limits. Nor should it. She exemplifies the modern day “hybrid”, “portfolio” or “slasher” career, being one of over 53 million people doing freelance work in the United States.  With a combination of part-time employment, temporary work, freelance gigs, or a side hustle. her “job title” is fluid; her occupation is a myriad of professions. . Based in Washington DC, Dian is an Art Director/Fashion Enthusiast/Pop Culture + Style Junkie/American Institute of Graphic Arts Washington DC Mentoring + Design Continuum Scholarship Fund Director/AIGA Diversity & Inclusion Task Force Committee member/Footwear Designer/Visual Display Associate. Dian has worked with brands such as The Gap, Nike, and AARP, and Hewlett Packard. She started Daily Digits, an Instagram series where she fashions numbers out of found objects. Dian was named a Graphic Design USA “Person to Watch” in 2016 and has earned many other awards (which would entail much more slashing). . In this podcast, Dian talks about what it’s like to have so many different creative outlets. She describes what makes a collaborative leadership style, what she looks for when deciding on potential projects, and the importance of mentorship at every stage of a creative’s career.

It’s every artist’s dream to have their work in the permanent collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art (New York). It means you’re part of the history of art. But Michael Hafftka’s is focusing on the present and the future. His creative career is going strong after more than four decades as an internationally acclaimed visual artist.  His accomplishments check all the boxes for achieving the status of a legend in the art world.  His work has been recognized by renowned art critics  from The Sunday Times of London and The New York Times. . In this podcast, Hafftka discusses his career from the 1970’s to the present, how he’s embraced social media, and the “dying gallery model”. If you want to know how an artist achieves longevity in his career and what it takes to persist, listen to what art legend Michael Hafftka has to say.

American artist, curator, and creative designer Tony Khawam’s recent work and curated exhibitions are influenced by the unfathomable unrest in Syria. For many creatives, like Khawam, their homeland informs both their artwork and their deeply personal stories behind their creation. There’s no better example of this than Khawam. Born in Aleppo, Syria and currently living in Florida, he believes that stories bring power to art and make the work more compelling. For him, art is a form of expression that facilitates an exchange of cultures and ideas conveyed through the viewer’s aesthetic experience of the work. . In this podcast, Tony talks about his vision as an artist, marketing strategies as an artist and gallery owner, and the two things that potential buyers consider when looking at art. He also shares the qualities he looks for when curating work and identifying artists to exhibit.

As the CEO of The One Club For Creativity, Kevin Swanepoel has led the nonprofit’s mission to support and celebrate the success of the global creative community for over 20 years. Believing that nothing impacts culture or commerce like creativity, One Club gives back to the creative community through four program pillars: education, inclusion and diversity, professional development and gender equality. Born in South Africa, Swanepoel is based in New York City and travels to 14 countries annually. Throughout this career in advertising and design, he’s looked for opportunities to constantly learn and push the boundaries. Prior to his position at One Club, Kevin was a Publishing, Entertainment & New Media Manager at Apple and was the founder and creative director for his own agency. In this podcast, Grace Cho, Founder and CEO of Artrepreneur, talked with Kevin to learn more about how he navigated his early career, how the industry is changing, and how he is cultivating the next generation of global creative talent.

Alexis Yuen is on a mission to discover socially engaged art by underrepresented artists that creates dialogue around today’s pressing issues and encourages action. Alexis is an art advisor, business and branding strategist, art tour docent, activist, and former artist. She’s now a creative entrepreneur and founder of her own company, The Art Diplomat, an art advisory for good. Her new business educates young people on how to change the world through art collecting; curates socially-conscious artworks for homes and brands; breaks barriers and creates paid opportunities for underrepresented artists, and inspires women of color to pursue careers in the arts. . An aspiring diplomat since she was young, Alexis believes in the power of art to bring together different cultures. She travels internationally in search of art, meeting with women artists who are creating socially engaged artworks. In this podcast, she describes her journey to find her place in the art ecosystem, how she found the confidence to start her own company, and why she is passionate about mentoring the next generation of artists and art administrators.

CPA Elaine Luttrull provides an overview of the tax landscape in 2018. The webinar introduces tax deductible topics in the creative industry for businesses and independent contractors.

Toby Usnik: From corporate communications to social impact, championing art's role in global connections.

Discover Chaz Guest's journey from childhood to renowned artist, his exploration of cultural identity, and his impact on the art world.