Episode 6 marks the start of Season 2 of Converge the official podcast of Verge Center for the Arts! During this season, hosts Massiel Bobadilla and Justina Martino interview artists, art professionals, and art lovers about finding community in the arts. To kick off this season about Art Communities, Verge friend and board member, Sarah Barkawi, takes over hosting duties to interview Massiel and Justina about their roles at Verge, what they like about each other, and what they envision for the future of art world. We also discuss our definitions of community and our personal experience with artist communities. Books discussed in this episode include This is What I Know About Art by Kimberly Drew and Creative Confidence by Tom and David Kelley. 

On Episode 5 of Converge, hosts Massiel Bobadilla and Justina Martino discuss the ins and outs of art galleries with gallerist, Mima Begovic and artist, John Yoyogi Fortes. Mima talks about how she discovered her passion for working with artists, what it's like to run her own gallery, and discusses some of the challenges of selling artwork. We also talk about how artists and galleries have responded to COVID, offer practical advice for buying art and visiting galleries, and provide tips to artists who are interested in exhibiting in galleries. See John's website at http://www.johnyoyogifortes.com/ or follow him on Instagram @jy4tes. 

On Episode 4: Makers, hosts Massiel Bobadilla and Justina Martino have a conversation with Alejandra and Luis Magana of Echeri Ceramics. Alejandra and Luis discuss what it's like to run a business with your spouse, how Echeri was born, and how their personal and ancestral histories inform their ceramic wares. We also chat about the importance of purchasing from local makers and we each share a few of our favorites. The makers and small businesses mentioned in this episode include: Echeri Ceramics (echericeramics.com), Cru Chocolate (cruchocolate.com), Electric Sun Creatives (electricsuncreatives.com), Lindsey M Dillon Ceramics (lindseymdillon.com), URB APOTHECARY (urbapothecary.com), Pachamama Coffee (pachamamacoffee.com), SUPERFUN (superfun.space), Tula in Bloom (tulainbloom.com), Merry Mack (merrymackinblack.com), and Meg Myers Glass (megmyersglass.com). 

On Episode 3: Public Art, hosts Massiel Bobadilla and Justina Martino have a conversation with artists, Haley Titus and Jeremy Stanger. Haley and Jeremy discuss their backgrounds in art and design, their collaborative mural process, working with clients, and the importance of creating art in the public realm.

On this week's episode of Converge, hosts Massiel Bobadilla and Justina Martino have a conversation with art curators, Faith J. Mckinnie and Liv Moe. Faith and Liv discuss their introductions into the art world, how they began curating, and how they approach curating art exhibits. They also shared some of their favorite exhibits, talked about the importance of providing space to traditionally underrepresented artists, and gave some valuable advice to people who are interested in starting a career in the arts. Artists mentioned in this episode include Jupiter, Beth Consetta Rubel, Nathan Cordero, Lin Fei Fei, Vincent Pacheco, Carl Andre, and Ana Mendieta. Art spaces and organizations mentioned in this episode include Artspace 1616, Axis Gallery, Ali Youssefi Project, The Garage on the Grove, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Black Artists Fund, Sacramento Alliance for Regional Art, Dwellpoint, and Verge Center for the Arts. 

On this week's episode of Converge, hosts Massiel Bobadilla and Justina Martino have a conversation with design professional, Sarah Barkawi, and artist, Daniel Alejandro Trejo, about how art collecting is for everyone. We share tips for how to start your art collection with a small amount of money, how to support artists, and how to engage with your regional art community. We also discuss some of our own experiences with collecting art and share our favorite artworks from our collections that were purchased for under $100. We also answer listener questions about art collecting! Artists mentioned in this episode include Jesse Vasquez, Aida Lizalde, Stefan Burnett, and Natalye Valentina. Art spaces mentioned in this episode include Axis Gallery in Sacramento, CA and The Holland Project in in Reno, NV.