Cultural Projects & Collaborations

Behind the Scenes: Eight Artist Interview Series

Tradition Café partnered with Studio23 and Resistance Press to produce an nine-artist interview series for a satellite exhibition connected to the larger Art of the African Diaspora program. The project included interviews and media documentation highlighting participating artists.

This series grew from conversations, collaboration, and careful listening. I recorded each interview in advance for both the exhibition projections and the Tradition Café podcast, creating space for artists to reflect on their work, their influences, and the role of art in community and cultural memory.

The Interviews

We recorded each artist interview in advance and shaped it through thoughtful conversation rather than a rigid script.
The goal was to create space for artists to speak openly about their creative process, cultural influences, and the ideas behind their work.

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“Working with Ana has been an incredible experience. She really works hard behind the scenes and effortlessly captures those attention-grabbing  moments that leverages our cultural story. This collaboration has encouraged engagement and  attendance at our events.  Many thanks to Tradition Cafe! “

Yolanda Cotton-Turner

Curator, Resistance Press 510

“I have the honor of returning as a host and curator for the Art of the African Diaspora satellite exhibit at Studio 23 in connection with Resistance Press 510 Gallery & Studio in Alameda. Last year was such a great experience working with owners, Jessica and Wesley Warren of Studio 23 and my long time friend, Yolanda Cotton Turner, owner and curator at Resistance Press 510.  In a short period and busy amount of time we organized and worked with 13 wonderful artists including Yolanda and myself. 

This year feels more intimate with a different pace to organize, plan and add another element and experience to this year’s satellite exhibit.  That new element came in the form of Ana Chavier Caamaño, host of Tradition Café Podcast introduced to us by Jessica Warren.  Traditions Café was the perfect platform to collaborate with for this program as it focuses on the diaspora or cultural background of the guests being interviewed. It made perfect sense considering Ana is a first-generation Dominican-American writer, creator, executive producer, and host who spent her first podcast sharing her own diasporic background on Tradition Café.

Ana’s selection of questions, cheerful and sometimes playful laugh and spirit opens the artists being interviewed in our exhibit up to stories that they may have forgotten existed. They come alive the most when they are being asked about their artwork and cultural backgrounds. The final output of the artist’s interviews are being projected this Saturday, March 21st in the courtyard that separates the two galleries. Visitors can see the exhibit and interviews, learn more about the artists and ask questions. An art opening with featured interviews is an anomaly being offered in this satellite exhibit.”

“In its 29th year,  Art of the African Diaspora this year hosts over 160 African American artists throughout the Bay Area with one sample of each artist’s work featured at the Richmond Art Center in Richmond, Ca., the headquarters of the exhibit.  A beautiful catalog is produced to navigate visitors to various locations called satellite exhibits where more of each artist’s works can be seen in an open studios style fashion, however you can see and celebrate these artists and their artworks in more than just one location at a time.”

Eric Murphy

Featured host, curator and artist