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).