Studio Noize: Black Art Podcast

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
Harmonia Rosales Bio
Since the genesis of her career, Harmonia Rosales’s main artistic concern has focused on Black female empowerment in Western culture, depicting and honoring the African diaspora.
As a young girl, the impeccable skill and composition of the Renaissance masters' fascinated her but the depiction of white hierarchy and the idealization of subordinate women, often falling under Eurocentric notions of beauty, dissuaded her passion. Thus, her message is not to create an ideal or simply to copy, but rather to create a sense of harmony between the struggling dichotomies.
The artist is informed by the ebb and flow of contemporary society where she seeks to reimagine new forms of aesthetic beauty, snuggled somewhere between pure love and ideological counter-hegemony.
Rosales draws on the energy of living life as a woman of color and society's objectification of that identity. Yet her subjects embody something within us all as they serve as conduits to an inner struggle within our society, which she depicts through metaphorical crowns and deities. The primary purpose of her art is and will always be to encourage sympathy, empathy, and empowerment.

See more: Harmonia Rosales’ website + Harmonia Rosales’ IG honeiee
Harmonia Rosales Launches Book Tour For Chronicles Of Ori: An African Epic
Follow us:
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IG: @studionoizepodcast
Jamaal Barber: @JBarberStudio

Support the podcast
www.patreon.com/studionoizepodcast

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
HARRIS WILTSHER Bio
Born in New York, New York
Raised in The Bronx
“To address specific elements of black history or its community certainly is attainable but the position of my work is to provide a cultural and / or educational meaning to dialogue with my audience and document my personal experiences within the framework of African Diaspora.”
Wiltsher’s artistic endeavors span from being a Bronx Recognizes Its Own (BRIO) recipient, visiting artist, lecturer, independent curator, program administrator for the Florida Art in State Buildings Program, professor and Gallery Director at Florida A & M University.
In addition, his work is included in collections by the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Cranbrook Academy of Art Museum, Sande Webster Gallery Collection, Carver Federal Bank, Art Academy of Honolulu and The Black Archives Research Center & Collection Reserve.

See more: Harris Wiltsher’s website + Harris Wiltsher’s IG @harriswiltsher.art
Follow us:
StudioNoizePodcast.com
IG: @studionoizepodcast
Jamaal Barber: @JBarberStudio

Support the podcast
www.patreon.com/studionoizepodcast

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
Melissa A. Mitchell Bio:
Melissa A. Mitchell is a powerhouse and a prominent Bahamian artist closing critical gaps in art, technology, and fashion worldwide. In just eight short years, the self-taught artist has earned international recognition and the attention of many high-powered and leading brands. This Miami, Florida native utilizes her ideas and creations to heal people through the happiness that only creating can bring. A global deal with Foot Locker, winning a Ford Explorer from a global contest/campaign, a global deal with SPANX, an official TED TALK speaker, an inaugural member of Hennessey’s “Never Stop Never Settle Society, an Afropunk/ Shopify Black Fashion Accelerator member, and features in Forbes and Vogue (design worn by Lupita Nyong’o) only scratch the surface of her accomplishments. Her company, Abeille Creations (ABL), is unique and easy to identify, and Melissa’s impact is undeniable. She is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, holding a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in graphic design. She also earned a master’s degree in public management from the elite institution. She cultivates her philanthropic reach through the college and as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She has created over 500 original art pieces and 40 larger-than-life murals. Other notable features and partnerships include ESSENCE Magazine, Black Enterprise, Atlanta Journal Constitution, The Huffington Post, Peloton, Cadillac, Microsoft, Pepsi, CNN, The Home Depot, MARTA, Jack Daniels, and countless others. Her signature headwraps are textiles that still hold beautiful life and have been worn on Tabitha Brown, Amara La Negra, Yandy Smith, Karen Civil, Rebecca Gross, and more. She is also the author of a coffee table book, Views from My Kaleidoscope and an interactive coloring book, Color &Manifest. The mind of Melissa is sharp and sure to continue to magnify the excellence placed in her to be a household and international name. The heart of Melissa is one of the best, and she pours it so graciously into her work and people, producing a needed change in this world.

See more: Melissa A Mitchell’s website + Melissa A Mitchell’s IG @abeillecreations
Follow us:
StudioNoizePodcast.com
IG: @studionoizepodcast
Jamaal Barber: @JBarberStudio

Support the podcast
www.patreon.com/studionoizepodcast

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
Chloe Alexander Bio:
Chloe Alexander is a printmaker who lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia. Her most recent work focuses on using various printing techniques to create unique works and varied editions. She obtained a BFA from the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State University in 2010. Since then, her work has been exhibited broadly, including at Kai Lin Art in Atlanta, the International Print Center in New York, and the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair in London. Chloe has received several awards, including the Parent Artist Award at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, California and the Penland Summer Residency Fellowship at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. Her work is included in numerous public and private collections, including the Harvard Museums in Cambridge, MA; The Museum of Fine Art in Boston, MA; The Fidelity Investments Art Collection; and The Petrucci Family Foundation for African American Art in Asbury, NJ.
Jamaal Barber bio:
Jamaal Barber is a creative, imaginative soul born in Virginia and raised in North Carolina. In 2013, after seeing a screen printing demo at a local art store, Jamaal started experimenting with printmaking, making it his primary focus. His woodcuts and mixed-media prints illustrate the new Folio Society special edition of The Underground Railroad written by Colson Whitehead. Jamaal recently participated in the MTV/Smithsonian Channel art competition show The Exhibit. He has also worked for Twitter, the New York Times, Penguin Random House, Black Art in America, and Emory University.

See more: Chloe Alexanders’ website + Chloe Alexander’s IG @cbrooksart + Jamaal Barber’s website + Jamaal Barber’s IG
Follow us:
StudioNoizePodcast.com
IG: @studionoizepodcast
Jamaal Barber: @JBarberStudio

Support the podcast
www.patreon.com/studionoizepodcast

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
Courtney Brooks Bio:
An avid supporter for all creatives, Courtney is proud to be a visual artist first and is not afraid to experiment with various mediums like, watercolor, acrylic, oils and photography. Through personal experiences, traveling aboard, whether teaching art classes, painting on canvas or walls, her love for art and building relationships have led to a journey of curating. Since 2014, she developed professional skills that have provided a platform for her peers through creative direction,team building, private and community fundraising events, solo shows and group exhibitions. The significance of the work Courtney has contributed thus far has opened many opportunities. She is the former a Gallery Director and curator of the Southeast Community Cultural Center, known as the ArtsXchange’s Jack Sinclair Gallery. In addition, the first woman of color Curator- in- Residence for Art the Atlanta BeltLine, where she will have the freedom to transform a public art space.
Brooks has a gift to work with a wide range of entrepreneurs, small businesses, grass root based organizations and collaborates with emerging to established visual artists of multiple disciplines, cultures and backgrounds. Along with assisting artists/ muralist as a curator, she focuses on understanding the creative process and undiscovered narratives that provides a sense of urgency. Her goal is to help maximize artists’ potential and expand the visibility in their careers. She understands that being curator carries a role with great expectations and It is a privilege to share work from private collections, establish studio visits and handle concepts with care.

See more: Courtney Brooks’ website + Courtney Brooks IG @cbrooksart
Follow us:
StudioNoizePodcast.com
IG: @studionoizepodcast
Jamaal Barber: @JBarberStudio

Support the podcast
www.patreon.com/studionoizepodcast