This week on First Coat we have Jordana Vasquez. Jordana and I met at a Placemaking conference a few years ago and we've stayed in touch ever since. She recently co-founded the Women of Color Collective in Sustainability (WOC/CS), which facilitates strategic exchanges between Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) sustainability pioneers, climate justice organizers, and advocacy groups to fight inequity and address climate change.

This week on First Coat we have Atentamente Una Fresa. Atentamente Una Fresa is an artist based in Mexico City. We discuss the new normal for mural installations, how she started doing public art, how music affects her work, the benefits of art in public space, the benefits of doing art with community, and how and why she makes creative briefs for clients.

This week on First Coat we have Massimo Mongiardo. Massimo is based in Miami, Florida, but we met while he was working on a project here in NYC. He's done various murals across the country and launched an Etsy store selling his prints earlier this year. I spoke with Massimo about how to develop a personal style, his process for researching and developing mural designs for clients, how he makes money, and what's influencing him right now.

This week on First Coat we have Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann. Katherine is based in Washington, DC and creates work in her studio and in public space. She has held various residencies and fellowships, including a Fulbright grant to Taiwan and Arts and Humanities grant in DC. She has exhibited at the Walters Art Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Rawls Museum, US Consulate in Dubai, A.I.R. and many more galleries. I spoke with Katherine about how she started doing public art, the three most influential people for her, and what it’s like to be a mom and an artist.

This week on First Coat we have Lym Moreno. Born in Venezuela, Lym currently lives and works in Vienna. Also known as Mosta, she creates works in public space where she constantly experiences different contexts and formats. She combines a diversity of media and techniques such as collage, drawing, paper assemblage, and other print making techniques such as wood cut and serigraphy. Lym also runs courses and workshops for children and adults. I spoke with Lym about moving for love, pseudonyms, wheat pasting, and how she started doing work in public space.

On this episode of First Coat we have Magda Love. Magda is an artist originally from Argentina and has been in NYC for 15 years. Her work can be seen all over the world on the street and in art galleries. I spoke to Magda about her fine art practice, her public art practice, her tips for doing commissions, her mural process, doing community-based murals. We also talked about being Latina and what that means right now.

This week on First Coat we have Betsy Casañas. Betsy Casañas is a Visual and Public Artist, an educator, a community activist and an organizer based in Philadelphia and Puerto Rico. I spoke with Betsy about how she does community-based public art projects, how she uses parachute cloth, and how she leads a creative life.