If These Walls Could Talk (Morgan Bricca)
Explore every episode of If These Walls Could Talk
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 01 Jul 2022 | The Mural Artist's Audiobook: Chapters 4 & 5 | 00:46:08 | |
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 | |||
| 27 Jul 2022 | Ep 28 Kada Goalen Minneapolis-based Mural Artist | 01:15:22 | |
You can find Kada here: https://kada-creative.com/ Insta @Kada_Creative
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| 01 Dec 2018 | Supporting the Art Community in the City of Palo Alto with Elise Demarzo (Ep. 3) | 00:25:29 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: Part Two of an Interview with Elise DeMarzo, Director of the Public Art Program for the City of Palo Alto. In this episode, we will discuss how Palo Alto supports its artist community and how they plan years in advance to integrate artwork into to the building process. We explore the fine line between accommodating the positive psychological impact art can have on a community and the merit of more challenging, thought provoking pieces. We also discuss the benefits of temporary art, and how a short time frame can allow for more experimentation and spectacle. | |||
| 29 Nov 2018 | Trailer | 00:01:43 | |
Welcome!
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| 27 Jan 2021 | Mural Joe: YouTube's Favorite Mural Art Teacher | 00:59:52 | |
You can find Mural Joe here: Homepage: YouTube: Facebook: Instagram: | |||
| 26 Feb 2019 | City Art Success Story with Chris Beth (Ep. 7) | 00:35:37 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: Chris Beth, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Redwood City, shares how his town went from a ghost town to the most vibrant arts destination on the peninsula, reviving the downtown businesses and community engagement and vibrancy. | |||
| 20 Jan 2021 | The Untapped Potential of School Murals | 00:21:57 | |
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!
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| 02 May 2023 | Ep 32: Jolene Rose Russell | 00:46:49 | |
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 --------------------------------- Mentioned artists: Hanna’s Murals Hannasmurals.com Ig: @hannasmurals | |||
| 01 Feb 2019 | The Benefit of a City Master Plan with Amanda Golden (Ep. 6) | 00:37:03 | |
Host: Guest: Links:
Episode Summary: In this episode Amanda Golden, Principal of Designing Local discusses the benefits of having a city master plan, including identifying various sources for funding the public art, having a plan that individuals or businesses can participate in, the pull of art dense communities, and the magic of site-specific, context-specific artwork. | |||
| 01 Jul 2022 | The Mural Artist's Audiobook: Chapter 7 | 00:42:15 | |
"When bankers get together for dinner, they discuss Art. When artists get together for dinner, they discuss money." —Oscar Wilde In Chapter 7, Morgan dives into her greatest area of expertise: making money making art. Morgan discusses questions such as: how much should I charge for a mural? Should I set a minimum? How much will I earn? She covers the basics of setting up your mural business and lists 5 things you should do this week to grow your business. Morgan talks about her art/business balance, why she always overbooks her mural schedule, and drawing the line between passion projects and working for free. Overall, this chapter explains why the "starving artist" model is unsustainable, and manages the dichotomy of being an artist and a businessperson. 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 | |||
| 30 Nov 2018 | Engaging the Community in the Public Art Process with Elise DeMarzo (Ep. 2) | 00:27:57 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: Interview with Elise DeMarzo, Director of the Public Art Program for the City of Palo Alto. We discuss how to ensure artwork is site specific and relevant while avoiding design by committee, the trend of including a “selfie moment” in mural art, whether murals should be considered temporary or permanent art and why mural art is one of the most litigious type of art to get made. | |||
| 29 Nov 2018 | One City's Journey to Pass a "1% for Art" (Ep. 1) | 00:31:01 | |
Host: Guests: Episode Summary: Maddie McBirney and Paula Rini served as city art commissioners for the Bay Area community of Los Altos. During their tenure they were able to secure a budget for future art, through a 1% tax on future development projects, as well as develop a master plan for art. Show Notes:
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| 22 Nov 2019 | Hanna Daly/ Hanna's Murals (Ep. 13) | 00:34:58 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: | |||
| 20 May 2019 | Creativity is Contagious: Bringing lessons from Burningman home to the suburbs (Ep. 9) | 00:35:54 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: jasonnewblanc@rewoodcity.org | |||
| 01 Aug 2019 | Empire Seven Studios founder Juan Carlos Araujo (Ep. 12) | 00:34:50 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: | |||
| 28 Jul 2022 | Ep 29: BAMP Founder Andre Jones | 01:01:53 | |
Find out more about the Bay Area Mural Program at www.thebamp.org or on Insta @bayareamurapro You can find more about Natty Rebel artmaking at www.nattyrebel.com or on Insta @nattyrebelart | |||
| 01 Jul 2022 | The Mural Artist's Audiobook: Chapter 8 | 00:16:18 | |
"Protecting the joy and primacy of artmaking is an ongoing balancing act in the life of a professional artist" —Morgan Bricca In the final chapter of her book, Morgan dives into keeping the artist happy! She explains how her criteria for selecting projects keeps her artistically challenged and fulfilled, and how to protect the fun of artmaking. You can 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 | |||
| 01 Jul 2022 | The Mural Artist's Audiobook: Chapter 3 | 00:31:43 | |
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 | |||
| 04 Feb 2021 | Who gets picked? And other controversial opinions... | 00:11:01 | |
This passage that I meant for the book was accidentally left on the cutting room floor:
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. | |||
| 17 Apr 2023 | Festivals and Fundraising: Wide Open Walls with David Sobon | 00:45:25 | |
In this episode, Morgan interviews David Sobon, founder of the annual Sacramento mural festival Wide Open Walls. The festival brings in a range of local artists—many of whom have never painted a wall before—as well as international muralists, who collaborate to cover Sacramento businesses - now moving into schools as well - with their designs. Morgan and David talk about getting the program off the ground, the festival's biggest success stories, and how Wide Open Walls supports bringing more art to Sacramento through engaging local as well as international talent.
Find David's Website at wideopenwalls.com David's Instagram: @dsaevents Evoke Arts on Instagram: @_evoke_arts_ - Mentioned Artists: - Maren Conrad: marenconrad.com Instagram: @marenconrad
Raphael Delgado: randmframing.com Instagram: @artbyraphael
Enchi Wang: enchiwang.com Instagram: @enchi.art
Shane Grammer: shanegrammer.com Instagram: @shanegrammerarts | |||
| 24 May 2019 | Ink Dwell: Going big and finding partnership in the quest to cure "Nature Blindness" (Ep. 10) | 00:33:01 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/InkDwell/ Wall of Birds Book: https://www.inkdwell.com/wall-of-birds/ Learn more about the decline of the Western Monarch population and the conservation efforts surrounding it, at the Xerces Society. | |||
| 26 Dec 2019 | Morgan Bricca / Getting Started as a Mural Artist (Ep. 15) | 00:24:45 | |
Host: Links: Episode Summary: I answer questions posed in an email from an artist in Portland, OR who wants to move towards mural painting. I wrap up this last episode in the season with a list of reasons why I love painting murals. | |||
| 27 Nov 2019 | Alex Cook / You Are Loved Murals (Ep. 14) | 00:37:40 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: | |||
| 28 Jan 2019 | Artist's Perspective with Paz de la Calzada and Shannon Geis (Ep. 5) | 00:38:07 | |
Host: Morgan Bricca Guests: Episode Summary: Lunch break on the job site with artists Paz de la Calzada and Shannon Geis. We interview each other and cover money, the benefits of working with other artists, the challenges artist are facing in San Francisco and the benefits of painting over each other’s work. | |||
| 02 Dec 2018 | Public Art as a Catalyst for Social Change with Brad Maihack (Ep. 4) | 00:31:31 | |
Host: Guest: Episode Summary: Brad Maihack is on the board of zero1.org and founder of Social Venture Café. The topics covered in this podcast include: the importance of protecting the experimental, incubation phase of the creative process, the importance of collaboration and integration of feedback for public artists, and the potential for public art projects to create social change. Brad also fills us in about a new public art project he is embarking on in Sonoma. | |||
| 12 Jul 2022 | Creating Artistic Spaces and Experiences with Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith | 00:51:00 | |
You can find Rachel at http://www.rachelwolfegoldsmith.com/ or on Insta @Wolfe_.pack
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| 29 Jul 2023 | Meredith Winner (Ep. 33) | 00:48:15 | |
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 ----------------------------- Mentioned artists: Joel-Dean Stockdill joeldean.me
Inga Bard ingabard.com Instagram: @ingabard
Ben Davis bendavis.com Instagram: @benstoppable
Katie Boynton klboynton.com | |||
| 01 Jul 2022 | The Mural Artist's Audiobook: Chapter 6 | 00:27:52 | |
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 | |||
| 11 Apr 2023 | Curating a Successful Public Arts Program in Arlington, VA with Angela Anderson Adams | 00:32:39 | |
In this episode, Angela Anderson Adams shares nearly 3 decades of expertise as director of the public art program in Arlington, Virginia. Angela discusses the "arts ecosystem" in Arlington, especially how Arlington's grants program and nonprofit partnerships have helped fund the arts over the years. Angela and Morgan explore murals as creating space for remembering history, as well as how murals have combined with architecture and transportation in Arlington to create an inviting urban environment. Learn more about the Arlington Arts Program here: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Arts Instagram: arl_artscene - Referenced Works and Artists: Nancy Holt's Dark Star Park: https://holtsmithsonfoundation.org/nancy-holts-dark-star-park - Find Ham Smith's website at hamsmith.com Instagram: @ham.smith - Kipp Kobayashi: www.kippkobayashi.com Instagram: @kippkobayashi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kipp.kobayashi/ - Linn Myers: linnmeyers.com Instagram: @linnmeyers - See Doug Hollis' Wave Arbor work here: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Public-Art/Public-Art-Collection/Permanent-Collection/Locations/Wave-Arbor and here: https://www.facebook.com/TrocoFab/videos/552885658543849/ - Walter Hood: https://www.hooddesignstudio.com/ Hood's Arlington work can be found here: https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Public-Art/Public-Art-Collection/Permanent-Collection/Locations/John-Robinson-Jr.-Town-Square
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| 02 Mar 2021 | Carlos Rodriguez | 00:40:30 | |
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: Instagram: @carlosrmk | |||
| 26 Jul 2022 | EP 27: Paul J Gonzalez, San Jose- Based Mural Artist | 01:05:05 | |
| 17 May 2019 | One success opens the doors for more: The transformation of Springer Elementary School (Ep. 8) | 00:42:34 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: My blog post about that transformation at Springer is here: | |||
| 01 Aug 2019 | San Jose Director of Public Art Michael Ogilvie (Ep. 11) | 00:34:48 | |
Host: Guest: Links: Episode Summary: | |||
| 01 Jul 2022 | The Mural Artist's Audiobook: Chapters 1 & 2 | 00:25:22 | |
"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 | |||