If These Walls Could Talk – Details, episodes & analysis

Today Morgan is joined by Meredith Winner, cofounder of the global, women-led arts production agency Building 180. Meredith also cofounded Paint the Void, which has covered over 150 boarded-up storefronts in San Francisco with murals from local artists.

 

In this episode, Morgan and Meredith talk business, discussing Meredith’s hands-on consulting endeavors as well as the benefits of paying artists from a management standpoint. The artists share their experience on how to breathe life into public art, touching on the iterative and collaborative nature of murals and sculptures, as well as how hiring local artists creates pride and strength in the community.

 

Meredith's Instagram: @meredithsnaps

Her projects: @building180 & @paintthevoidproject

Website: building180.com

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Mentioned artists:

Joel-Dean Stockdill

joeldean.me

 

Inga Bard

ingabard.com

Instagram: @ingabard

 

Ben Davis

bendavis.com

Instagram: @benstoppable

 

Katie Boynton

klboynton.com

In this episode, Morgan talks with Jolene Rose Russel, a Sacramento-based artist whose vibrant works have been featured in many local exhibitions and publications, and who has been commissioned for dozens of public and private works in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Morgan and Jolene talk about ways to protect your creativity from the roulette of validating/discouraging social media feedback, and moving towards incorporating social media in a balanced and helpful way. Morgan and Jolene also talk about the ebbs and flows of work, whether it's motivation during a project, seasonal variation in clients, or changing workflow over the years. Finally, Jolene and Morgan discuss the emerging field of AI and art—from using it to find inspiration to controversies in receiving credit and compensation in AI-generated art.

 

Jolene's Website: http://www.jolenerussell.com/

Instagram: @joleneroserussell

Tiktok: @joleneroserussell

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Mentioned artists:

Hanna’s Murals

Hannasmurals.com

Ig: @hannasmurals

In Chapter 6, Morgan discusses art advocacy, finding public mural projects, and painting in public spaces. She introduces some of the practical and economic reasons for funding public mural art, and how to create an effective design in the face of community input that can stretch the artist thin. Finally, Morgan offers a case study that demonstrates the effectiveness of murals against graffiti and explains why varnishing to protect against taggers is often not necessary.

Purchase the Mural Artist's Handbook here:

https://www.amazon.com/Mural-Artists-Handbook-Morgan-Bricca/dp/0578784785/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+mural+artists+handbook&qid=1656707059&sprefix=%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

In Chapter 4, Morgan explains why residential murals are the best place to start for an aspiring mural artist. She outlines 5 main tips for successful private commissions, and details how to set effective boundaries and expectations with clients. Morgan also dives into the design process, incorporating client feedback (she feels her clients have the best ideas!) and how to avoid surprises on your finished product.

In Chapter 5, Morgan talks about all aspects of school murals: funding, design, student engagement, and artist's rights. She offers two case studies of school spaces that have been transformed by artwork, and finally, explains why schools can be the most hesitant to approve project, but benefit the most from the artwork.

Purchase the Mural Artist's Handbook here:

https://www.amazon.com/Mural-Artists-Handbook-Morgan-Bricca/dp/0578784785/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+mural+artists+handbook&qid=1656707059&sprefix=%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

Morgan covers best practices for painting a mural, from materials, when to varnish, how to set up your space, to the physically demanding art of painting ceilings. Morgan also explains why you should buy top-of-the-line paint, what brands she recommends for different projects, and the "hidden skill" of mural painting.

Purchase the Mural Artist's Handbook here:

https://www.amazon.com/Mural-Artists-Handbook-Morgan-Bricca/dp/0578784785/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+mural+artists+handbook&qid=1656642665&sprefix=mural+artists+han%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1

"Speak softly, but carry a big can of paint" —Banksy

 

In the first chapter of her audiobook, Morgan discusses the current mural renaissance, gives a lay of the "Wild West" of mural art, and explains how the reputation of murals is changing for the better.

In the second chapter, Morgan tells the story of how she quit her IT job to start painting murals and why she chose mural art as opposed to other mediums. She addresses the aspects of a sustainable art career (hint: you have to make money) and why you shouldn't take another art class. Finally, Morgan talks about what success means for her and how mural art lets her achieve that goal.

Purchase the Mural Artist's Handbook here:

https://www.amazon.com/Mural-Artists-Handbook-Morgan-Bricca/dp/0578784785/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+mural+artists+handbook&qid=1656642665&sprefix=mural+artists+han%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1

Carlos unpacks how despite it being a hard year, confronting financial fears and the racism he has experienced, last year was his most successful year yet. Carlos encourages artists to walk towards their fear, no matter how they might feel. How to take responsibility for our welfare, not be dependent on politicians and those who don’t have our best interests at heart. This has been the year of truth, not so comfortable.

Carlos shares with us the chakra system for clearing creative blocks and how he applies this process of removing blocks to his community mural-making process. 

“We will believe anything except in ourselves.”

Website:
https://www.carlosrodriguezart.com/

Instagram: @carlosrmk

This passage that I meant for the book was accidentally left on the cutting room floor: 

1. Who gets picked

Deciphering which artists are chosen, which creative voices and perspectives are shared in a community is too frequently the result of an imperfect selection process. For example, street art festivals can gain city and building-owner approval for walls, but typically don’t have much in the way of budget to pay the artists. The art that gets made under those conditions is painted by whoever is willing to work for little to no payment, typically younger and less experienced artists who don’t have families to feed. Intentionally curating a diversity of voices is frequently overlooked in the artist’s selection process, especially on privately-funded public mural projects. One community I bid on a project for had brought ten large-scale murals to their downtown, all funded through private donations. However, nine out of the ten artists selected to paint the murals were either white or male, representing only a small segment of the diverse community. Private interest groups can be a boon to bringing artwork to communities, but ensuring the artist representation is well-rounded makes for more diverse perspectives and is vital to ensuring the artwork relevant to the broader community.

You can find Mural Joe here:

Homepage:
www.muraljoe.com

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/muraljoe

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/muraljoe

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/muraljoe/

Back with a whole new season of fun, in this episode Morgan unpacks Chapter 5 from her new book, The Mural Artists Handbook, on why school murals hold so much potential as venues for creative mural art. She explains why she is so enthusiastic about school murals that she dedicated a whole chapter of the book to the subject. This podcast highlights the benefits of school murals and possible funding sources for school murals Visit www.MuralArtistsHandbook.com to find out more about Morgan’s new book!