In the season finale episode of Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with the outspoken and artistically grounded b. Robert Moore, to discuss his upcoming debut museum exhibition, “In Loving Memory” at the Des Moines Art Center. This achievement is one that Moore, an autodidact visual artist, is humbled to have reached years ahead of what he projected for himself. When so often he hears people question the presence of the black community in Iowa, Moore embraces the challenge of “both memorializing and immortalizing my people”, he says in conversation with Patrisse. Moore opened his studio and exhibition to our production team here at Artist 2 Artist, for like us, he believes passionately about the accessibility of art. In fact, all of his public art works in Des Moines are seen only in the neighborhood in which he grew up!

This episode is a humble and poignant reminder that there is always an impact when we create, local or tidal. Patrisse and b. Moore’s discussions traverse the creation and execution of his show, the pieces displayed there, and how they’ve been innately influential over his process and personal growth, even in healing the most delicate and relatable aspects of his relationships… but Moore is not one to shy away from tough subjects. In fact, they often find themselves translated to a canvas. Perhaps though, that’s exactly where they are meant to be. As Moore shares the way he’s both endeavoring to protect his art practice, and yet ensure his foundation is built to honor his own right to rest and community, we are reminded that the way we relate to our creativity must reflect the way we relate to ourselves and our loved ones. It’s a romance, Moore jokes, but the joke is as grounded as his collection’s use of mud back when he first came on as an A2A guest… This special season finale episode is more than a chance to see some incredible work, and be infused with a deep sense of belonging, inspiration and humility; It is a reminder to step forward, right into the discomforting moment, trusting that the canvas and the paint and the community, that your artistic practice, will illuminate you for being so brave.

Robert Moore’s first museum exhibition, “In Loving Memory” is on view at Des Moines Art Center until October 20, 2024. Admission is free. This art truly is for all.

As our first season winds down, we are reflecting on what brought us together and led us to the creation of the shows you’ve seen on our platform. Reset the Algorithm and Artist 2 Artist are both unique shows with specific visions but one consistent through line can be seen in all that we produce; our dedication to social justice and equity. As queer creators of color, we see the need for change within our communities. Our goal as we built out each episode of season 1 was to see how social justice is being fought for in all different avenues of life. From supporting black female entrepreneurs in venture capital and fighting Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan to speaking with artists who created life changing music from behind prison walls, every episode showed us the magic that lives within human tenacity - especially when used for the greater good of us all. Learning from the amazing Artists, Activists, Entrepreneurs, and Educators has inspired us in countless ways and we are bringing all of that inspiration and vision into an even more impactful Season 2 this fall. Stay with us as we keep fighting to ‘Reset the Algorithm’ for all of us!

This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors joins a discussion of heritage, art and the resistance of reimagination with artists and mother-son duo, Shahla Dorriz and alexandre ali reza dorriz.

"You're the only person in the world who could get my mom and I in a room together to do a podcast of all things”, ali reza says to Patrisse… and while that may be true, we are so grateful they came to chat. This episode is an authentic reminder of the importance of personal expression in conjunction with legacy, and how the representation of heritage can transform future generations through art. Shahla, a fashion designer and creative consultant, shares her journey to finding her most authentic artistic medium through fashion, and the importance of the multi-generational approach to her work that centers the inclusion of her Iranian heritage, often in collaboration with her son. Ali Reza, an artist with a research-based practice, sheds light both on his own work with Crenshaw Dairy Mart in Los Angeles, and his work in creating localized hubs for economic, artistic and agricultural autonomy for his community, but on the awe and inspiration instilled in him through both his own experience of his artistic practice and in the one that has been nurtured between himself and his mother. In conversation, the trio explore the waters of storytelling through fabric, the influence of the duo's Iranian heritage on their work, and both the challenges and rewards that arise when one sets an intention to preserve cultural design and promote diverse, unique perspectives within the fashion industry. This mother-son duo are an impactful showcase of how divergent ideas can curate something beautiful, created through that unique channel that each of us has access to; of how that channel becomes ever more powerful the more honest and collaborative we open ourselves to be. This episode reminds us all that artists have the ability to challenge oppressive systems, to create in a way that reminds consumers of times past from which they have the opportunity to learn, and that in embracing ourselves and the roots from which we grew, we become unshakably planted in our identity. "Value your work. If you know what you're working on and if you see that work as valuable, it is valuable."

Our Anon episodes are a direct result of the number of DMs our podcast channel and Moj’s personal channel receive about our content. Hearing your thoughts is vital to us and we read everything you submit via the Anon form as well as in our DMs.

We thought now would be a good time to do another one of these episodes since we are seeing the discomfort of our audience in real-time to the types of content we are putting out. What you can always depend on with us, the purpose of this show - is to break us all out of our digital echo-chambers. With that comes being stretched, being exposed to new ideas and at times hearing things you disagree with or that make you uncomfortable. It is hard - but we can all handle it. In this episode we talk through the difficulties of being on socials rn and what you can do to cope, the discomfort you all expressed in response to one of our recent releases and some Iranian Diaspora ☕ amongst other things.

If you want to share your thoughts with us, you can always submit to our anon form and we hope to read your feedback soon!

In this episode of Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with Iranian artist Shahrzad Changalvaee, to explore the role of art in the act of resistance under oppressive powers. Shahrzad shares her background and the experience of realizing one is an artist under the limiting and oppressive demands of the Iranian government during her childhood. In her early years as an artist, she was taught that "limitations beget creativity", and while there is value in those words for many of us who forsake our everyday freedom of expression, Patrisse and Shahrzad discuss the fortitude one must cultivate in order to question the sources that offer the words we internalize as artists, as an important step to individuation and independent expression, especially when art inevitably finds its way to becoming itself an act of resistance. Explore the use of language, in art and beyond, Patrisse and Shahrzad emphasize the power of the artist to build coalition, change, abolitionist practices and challenge the regimes that seek to silence or appropriate the artistic voice. Being an artist from Iran, under a restrictive government, may have been Shahrzad's beginnings, but in her work, she revolutionized her self expression and found the power of her voice and ability to create for not only herself, but the culture she wants to celebrate. In this episode, Patrisse and Shahrzad discuss how background and cultural identity play, effect, and cultivate an artist's identity, and the deeply personal journey of finding mediums and language to ensure that the perception of the art, matches its intent; "The artist is like a shapeshifter. The artist is the through line." Using collage, metal sculpture, photography and beyond, Shahrzad offers her art and story to us as itself an act of resistance, and reminds us that while limitations may present opportunity, the language we use both within ourselves and how we choose to express our unique perspective to others, is truly the choice that translates the most healing and revolutionary power, right from the source.

This week on Reset the Algorithm, we talk with Omar Barghouti, the Co-founder of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. The clarity and focus with which Omar expresses the goals of Palestinian Liberation is incredibly admirable. With this organization, they aim to utilize peaceful tactics to place pressure on repressive institutions in an effort to end complacency and free the Palestinian people from occupation. From his time at Columbia University in 1985, where he participated in anti-Apartheid protests and encampments to his thoughts on the encampments of college campuses today, Omar and Moj discuss what it means to resist and how we can truly bring about change through nonviolent strategies. It is not lost on us that conversations like this are challenging for some to hear and that those with different lived experiences might find the topics covered to be very difficult to process. Exposure does that. Our goal with this program and the entire mission of our organization is to be in conversation with EVERYONE, to talk through the lived experiences of MANY, and to break out of our algorithmic echo-chambers. This process is inherently uncomfortable and painful. We know, because it is for us too. But now more than ever, we must listen, we must learn and we must show grace, so that we can move forward in building a world that is safe and fair and healthy for ALL OF US. We know it isn’t easy, but we trust that it is incredibly worth it, and we hope you join us in the journey.

This week on Artist 2 Artist, Patrisse Cullors sits down with the team behind the SXSW film, “Songs From The Hole”. JJ'88, richie reseda, and Contessa Gayles offer us a poignant reminder that a commitment to our artistic expression, is a commitment to heal, transform and inform our communities. A documentary visual album, "Songs from the Hole" made its premiere at SXSW last month. Directed and co-written by Contessa Gayles, the film follows JJ'88 and his innermost experience as he serves a double-life sentence in prison. Introducing the public to the life and music of JJ'88, the film uses imaginative creations of memory, dreams, spiritual experiences, and interviews, set to JJ'88's original music, produced by richie reseda. Exploring the intersection of art and accountability, this weeks’ conversation explores the process by the team collaborated on their film, and the importance of centering the artistic voices and experiences of incarcerated individuals. Through the process of creating his music with richie reseda, and bringing his album to the screen with Contessa, JJ’88 reflects on the power of finding community, and the deeply cathartic, healing and artistically triumphant film they created. Contessa, JJ’88 and richie are a brilliant example of using film as a conscious, authentic medium to highlight a narrative that has the power to reshape our society. “Songs from the Hole” is currently being shown at film festivals and plans are underway for an impact campaign to bring it to prisons, jails, and communities impacted by state violence and gun violence. Contessa continues to spearhead poignant documentary narratives. JJ’88 has released his fourth single, "Hustla's Lament", and richie reseda serves as the Creative and Political Director of Foreveryone Collective, a space dedicated to supporting the artistic and economical contributions of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. This week, we call you to revolutionize your ideas of documentary filmmaking, examine your personal sense of expression, and open your ears to the authentically human, raw, and inspirational journey this film has shared with the world.

In this bonus episode of Reset the Algorithm curated in partnership with Mother Tongue Magazine, Moj Mahdara sits down for an emotional and heart-felt conversation with Rabbi Sharon Brous and Patrisse Cullors.

As we see our world more and more divided everyday, the economy of empathy feels in recession. Creating coalition and holding space for one another’s pain feels like the only way forward. In this exchange Rabbi Brous shares how she is choosing to direct the conversation in her community, while Moj shares their homes and dreams for the people of the Middle East, and Patrisse shares her experience building coalitions and creating intersectional communities.

From crying together to laughing together, this powerful conversation shows us what it means to truly see one another’s humanity and reminds us how much we need each other.