On this episode of the Friday Heaters podcast, we sit down with Abby Pucker—founder of the arts organization Gertie, headquartered in Chicago—and a close friend who’s building something we deeply believe in.

Abby shares her path from Sotheby’s and UTA to returning home to Chicago to build Gertie—a platform rethinking how the art world can work by blending exhibitions, membership, and community into a more sustainable model.

We get into the guts it takes to bet on your city, building outside of New York and LA, and what it really looks like to create something meaningful from scratch.

A thoughtful conversation about art, entrepreneurship, and backing a new generation of patrons in Chicago and beyond.

On this week’s episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we sit down with Joe Parmer, co-owner of Custom Art Surfaces (CAS), the Los Angeles–based fabrication shop behind many of the canvases and painting surfaces used by today’s leading contemporary artists.

Joe takes us inside a part of the art world that rarely gets talked about—the physical foundation of a painting. From stretcher bars and substrates to gesso and surface preparation, we break down what actually goes into building a canvas, and why those decisions matter as an artist’s career and market evolve.

We also get into Joe’s path into the industry, from looking for a way into the art world to eventually taking over the business and helping grow it into a trusted partner for serious artists. Along the way, we talk about the relationship between craftsmanship and value, how artists know when it’s time to level up their materials, and what happens behind the scenes when making large-scale or highly customized works.

Beyond the technical side, this conversation opens up a broader look at the art ecosystem—how different roles support the creative process, how the market has shifted in recent years, and how businesses like CAS are adapting to reach a wider range of artists.

This is a deep dive into some of the unseen infrastructure of contemporary art—and the people helping bring artists’ visions to life. Enjoy the heat🔥

On this week’s episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we sit down with Meredith Bayse and Adam Moskowitz, owners of the art gallery Moskowitz Bayse, to talk about what it really looks like to run a gallery as a husband-and-wife team—the balance, the dynamics, and the shared vision behind it.

Built from the ground up, Moskowitz Bayse has created a space that feels both approachable and serious—welcoming to first-time visitors while still serving seasoned art patrons.

We get into the realities of art fairs for smaller galleries, and the need for more accessible entry points for the next generation of collectors.

We also discuss their roster of 24 artists and their focus on early-career talent—supporting artists who are deeply hands-on in their practice and making the work themselves.

A conversation about building something real, and widening the circle of who gets to be part of it. Enjoy the heat🔥

On this episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we sit down with artist Kate Mosher Hall, fresh off her presentation with Hoffman Donahue Gallery at Art Basel Paris. Kate speaks candidly about the realities of being a working artist today — from listening closely to collectors and audiences to her openness to adjusting aspects of her practice based on what resonates, what sells, and what people respond to most.

Beyond the studio, we talk about the routines that keep her grounded — the greatness of cycling, saunas, and cold plunges. We also dive into her early days playing drums in an all-girls punk band and why drummers might secretly make some of the best artists.

Kate also shares deeply personal experiences that have shaped her outlook and resilience: surviving a gunshot wound to the head in high school, the long recovery that followed, and later losing her home and all of her possessions in the Los Angeles fires. After years of rebuilding, she reflects on the emotional process of starting over and eventually feeling ready to welcome new things back into her life.

A long time supporter of Friday Heaters, Kate is a gem. This was a conversation we will treasure forever.

Enjoy the heat🔥

On this episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we sit down with Kibum Kim, co-director of Commonwealth and Council in Koreatown, Los Angeles. Fresh off Art Basel Miami, Kibum reflected on the fair and larger questions in the contemporary art industry.

We discussed the challenges of presenting complex artwork in today’s attention economy, the role of the gallerists as cultural gatekeepers, and why expanding the art world shouldn’t mean simplifying it.

Alongside co-director Young Chung, Kibum has built Commonwealth and Council around community, solidarity, and equitable artist support — including the Council Fund, which redirects traditional collector discounts toward artist-driven support.

Enjoy the heat🔥

On this episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we sit down with painter Lauren Quin, whose abstract, sensual, otherworldly canvases have quickly made her one of the most sought-after young artists in contemporary art.

Lauren’s paintings are boldly colorful and beautiful — but they don’t let you off easy. There’s a rawness to them. A guttural physicality. She carves into paint, prints across surfaces, and pulls tube-like marks through her compositions to create a visual language that feels entirely her own.

We talk about her rapid ascent after graduate school at Yale, the surge of collector demand that followed, and what it means to navigate that level of attention as a young, attractive woman in today’s art world.

Enjoy the heat🔥

On this episode of the Friday Heaters Podcast, we’re joined by Bridget Donahue and Hannah Hoffman, the powerhouse duo behind Hoffman Donahue Gallery. At a time when the contemporary art world is facing major shifts — with galleries closing and traditional models being questioned — Bridget and Hannah are charting a bold new path forward.

After years of running respected galleries on opposite coasts (New York and Los Angeles), the two merged their programs in late summer 2025, combining their rosters and reimagining what a bi-coastal gallery can be. The result is a dynamic new chapter for their artists and their businesses. We talk about the realities of making money in today’s art market, how they build and sustain artists’ careers, what prompted the merger, and their candid perspective on the current state — and future — of the art world.

It was a thrill to sit down with these two powerhouses at the start of their exciting new chapter. Enjoy the heat 🔥

Today’s guest on the Friday Heaters Podcast🔥is contemporary artist, Kara Joslyn. In the contemporary art world where many people shy away from telling it how it is, Kara isn’t afraid to rock the boat. Her clarity and candor are refreshingly real.

We explored her early life influences growing up in Southern California, the interplay between fashion and art, getting goth and working in black-and-white painting, her studio practice, and the tough questions about who gets to call themselves an artist. Some hot takes and some art world heat🔥