On this week's episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we're joined by Los Angeles-born artist and sculptor Kelly Wall, whose inventive work transforms familiar objects into something entirely unexpected. Fresh off her inclusion in the Hammer Museum's Made in L.A. biennial, with work also appearing at Rockefeller Center, Kelly walks us through her unconventional approach to materials, her love of glass, and the creative process behind her intricate sculptural works.

We dig into her interactive penny press, Wistful Thinking, and Everything Must Go, an ambitious installation that transformed an abandoned Westwood newsstand into a glowing sunset made from 136 individual glass works, each available for visitors to take home. Along the way, we discuss the changing landscape of LA's art scene, the importance of artist communities, and how making art more accessible might help cultivate the next generation of collectors.

It's a lively conversation about experimentation, resourcefulness, and finding new ways to connect people with art, all through the eyes of an artist who genuinely loves her hometown🔥

This week on Friday Heaters, we're joined by Los Angeles based artist Elliott Hundley, whose extraordinary three-dimensional collages bring together photography, painting, sculpture, and thousands of carefully placed pins.

With a new exhibition at Regen Projects, Elliott takes us inside his creative world, where ancient Greek tragedies, personal memories, and everyday materials come together in unexpected ways. We explore the origins of his signature pin-covered works, why he never starts with a plan, and how decades of small experiments have shaped his remarkable practice.

The conversation also gets personal. Elliott reflects on his mother's influence as his first art teacher, the family stories woven into his latest exhibition, and how his relationship with creativity has evolved over the years. Along the way, we talk about the importance of daily practice, trusting your instincts, making art without worrying about expectations, and finding your own path as an artist.

What made this conversation particularly special was Elliott himself. Despite his decades of experience and considerable accomplishments, he brings a remarkable generosity, humility, and openness to the way he talks about art and life. It's easy to see why he'd be such a meaningful teacher and mentor to young artists. I found myself wanting to keep asking questions, not just because of what he knows, but because of the thoughtful and tender way he shares it.

An insightful, funny, and deeply human conversation with an artist who reminds us that creativity isn't always about having a grand vision. Sometimes it's simply about showing up, getting your hands dirty, and seeing what happens.

On this week’s episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we’re joined by curator Diana Nawi, whose career has taken her from institutions including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Pérez Art Museum Miami to co-curating Prospect New Orleans and Made in L.A. 2023 at the Hammer Museum. Now back in Los Angeles, Diana is a curator of contemporary art at LACMA.

We talk about what a curator actually does, how Diana found her way into the field, and why so much of her career has been shaped by relationships, curiosity, and what she describes as learning to “surf the wave in front of you.” She shares lessons from years of studio visits and working closely with artists, her approach to building exhibitions without forcing a predetermined idea onto the work, and why rigor remains central to how she thinks about art.

We also get into the particular character of Los Angeles as an art city, the role of institutions like LACMA, the Hammer Museum, and MOCA, what artists should know about building relationships with curators, and the challenges facing artists and institutions in today’s art economy. Along the way, Diana reflects on Made in L.A. 2023, the value of looking beyond the traditional centers of the art world, and why some of the most meaningful curatorial work begins with simply staying open to what artists are already doing.