The Truth In This Art

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with Dana Robinson — Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice combines, reproduces, and deconstructs vintage materials, found objects, and paint to explore youth, Black female identity, ownership, and nostalgia. About Dana Robinson: Robinson grew up in Seminole, Florida — a Florida baby with New York parents — where her mother, a painter, drawer, and sculptor, was an early influence. Her work has been featured in Vulture, Vice, and Ain't Bad, and has been exhibited through virtual reality and gallery platforms. Her practice right now is rooted in Ebony magazines from the 1960s and 70s — a time capsule she describes as universally understood. She creates prints from them, paints advertisements directly onto silk screens, and uses the colors and textures of that era to bring a sense of comfort to the work. From that place of comfort she talks about femininity, Black female identity, and the standards we silently accept — asking why, and what else is possible. Robinson talks about her experience as part of the third cohort at The Last Resort Artist Retreat, her work shown through Moisturizer at SPRING/BREAK Art Show under the body of work Girlhood Studies, and why she chose art as something she could just keep exploring — and never retire from. She has upcoming shows including Get Ready With Me, a solo exhibition by Dana Robinson at the Mildred I. Washington Art Gallery at Dutchess Community College, running November 9th through December 11th, with an opening reception on November 12th from 5–7pm at 53 Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie, New York. She will also be at the Wassaic Project's Holiday Market on December 5th from 12–5pm at 37 Furnace Bank Road in Wassaic, New York. Her work from SPRING/BREAK Art Show with Moisturizer Gallery is also part of Girlhood Studies in the Expanded Field, which opened October 16th — work that was written about in FAD Magazine. Find Dana Robinson on Instagram at @alphabet_party and at danarobinsonstudio.com. Photo credit: Courtesy of the subject. The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). Host: Rob Lee Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis Edited by Daniel Alexis Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor Photos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media. Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted. Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/ The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with Dessarae Bassil — contemporary artist, curator, educator, and co-founder and director of Moisturizer Gallery, a nomadic gallery she has run for almost nine years. About Dessarae Bassil: Bassil is a champion of democratic curation, committed to ensuring all exhibitions feature fifty percent or higher marginalized voices to keep her shows discursive. She taught on the collegiate level for four years — first as a grad student, then continuing after — and describes her curation practice and her art practice as symbiotic. The curation of Moisturizer is always tangential to her own research and interests, so whatever the theme, it's something she's also exploring. She shows more established artists alongside artists who have never been in a show before. The more voices in the room, the juicier the conversation gets — and if everyone in the room is the same, it's just not discursive. At SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Moisturizer presented Girlhood Studies — inclusive, critical looks at themes, experiences, and socially constructed conceptions of girlhood, with work that plays with and breaks apart those conceptions. That show expanded into Girlhood Studies in the Expanded Field, now showing free at One Eyed Studio in New York. Bassil talks about her MFA thesis exhibition Normal Sensations, what discursive curation looks like in practice, and running a nomadic gallery for almost nine years. Find Moisturizer Gallery and Dessarae Bassil on Instagram at @moisturizergallery. Photo credit: Courtesy of the subject. The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). Host: Rob Lee Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis Edited by Daniel Alexis Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor Photos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media. Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted. Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/ The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with David Molesky — oil painter, former art journalist, and figurative artist whose work moves between organic abstraction and mythological figuration, using humor, symbolism, and turbulent natural forces to examine masculinity and the human experience. About David Molesky: Molesky's introduction to art began through drawing at his family's home in Northwest DC, where discovering his father's portfolio in the basement sparked something that never left. His path moved through post-impressionism, large-scale expressionistic figurative work, classical painting, and art journalism, including writing published in Juxtapoz and Fine Art Connoisseur, before landing where he is now — painting bananas as human figures in North Carolina. His banana series has become a signature body of work, blending rigorous technical painting with humor and expansive association. At SPRING/BREAK Art Show, his banana whale paintings sold out. He is currently working on more than fifty paintings, with ideas that keep piling up — bananas holding skulls, close-up portrait formats focused on peel and hand gesture articulation, and everyday scenarios where the banana stands in for the human figure. Molesky talks about why humor has been largely absent from serious figurative painting, how the whimsical character of his adopted hometown shaped his work, and what it means to be serious about your craft without taking yourself too seriously. He also has an upcoming show at Green Hill Art Center in Greensboro, opening February 24th, with a talk on March 24th, running through April 10th. Find David Molesky on Instagram at @moleskystudio and at moleskystudio.com Photo credit: Courtesy of the subject. The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). Host: Rob Lee Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis Edited by Daniel Alexis Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor Photos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media. Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted. Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/ The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with Jesse Kirsch — graphic designer, artist, and co-founder of No Plan Studio, a Takoma Park studio combining contemporary design with century-old letterpress equipment. About Jesse Kirsch: Kirsch is a graphic designer and artist whose work spans print, installation, and community projects. At No Plan Studio, he and his wife and creative partner, Diane, bring modern design together with vintage printing tools, while making room for experimentation and unexpected turns. Kirsch’s path has moved through graphic design, letterpress, art fairs, and ambitious installations, including a project for a renovated NBC studio in Washington, D.C. He talks about how technology can be another tool in the artist’s kit, and why a project, deadline, or purpose can help get ideas moving. During the pandemic, he designed and printed three letterpress prints for Takoma Park, donating the proceeds to grants for local businesses. The project raised around $10,000. What began as a way to help neighbors became a deeper connection to the place he calls home — and a reminder that design can mean more than a paycheck. He also reflects on the name No Plan and the way creative work can take unexpected turns. An article once described the studio’s work this way: “The town is our portfolio.” In this conversation, Kirsch shares how that idea reflects No Plan Studio’s connection to the community around it. Find No Plan Studio on Instagram at @NoPlanStudio, at NoPlan.studio, and find letterpress goods at NoPlan.press. Photo credit: Shawn Bruce. The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). Host: Rob Lee Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis Edited by Daniel Alexis Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor Photos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media. Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted. Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/ The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with Kala Hagopian — founder and lead artist of Hagopian Arts, a woman-owned public art studio in the Philadelphia region. About Kala Hagopian: Artist and founder of Hagopian Arts. Her large-scale murals transform public spaces by blending botanical and wildlife realism with geometric design, rooted in ecology, culture, and our relationship to the natural world. Hagopian grew up in Vermont with her father, painter Philip Hagopian. No money, but art everywhere — fields, forests, and a public school Renaissance Program where she studied directly alongside ecologists and other professionals. Going to the source became instinct early. She trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, started painting murals, launched her first collaborative public art initiative in 2012, founded Hagopian Arts on her own in 2016 — the same year her son was born — and in 2018 started the EcoMural Project, often painting with her baby on her back. That project now sits at 26 murals, each taking three to eight months to complete. She talks about building it through partnerships with organizations like John Heinz Wildlife Refuge, Philly Orchard Project, North American Land Trust, and Pollinator Partnership — groups that bring research, community education, and ecological depth into every project. She also talks money and compromise. Early on, she'd spend six months on a job someone else finished in two weeks — same pay. She kept going, pushing every piece past what was expected. "I wasn't willing to compromise how I really wanted to paint, and I think that's defined me." On independence, her answer is the same every time: "I cannot let life just happen to me. I want to be creating it." Find Kala Hagopian on Instagram at @HagopianArts and at HagopianArts.com. Photo courtesy of subject The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore). Host: Rob Lee Music: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis. Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel Alexis Edited by Daniel Alexis Show Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and Transistor Photos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media. Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted. Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.org The Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.social The Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=en The Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/ The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★