You Can't Eat Art
You Can't Eat Art
Podcast Description
The title of this podcast, “You Can’t Eat Art,” comes from a conversation I had with a relative who disputes the relevance and value of art. He couldn’t see its purpose because in his mind it didn’t serve a tangible function nor did it have the ability to put food on the table. The artists who I interview have been in residence at the Lucas Artists Program at the Montalvo Arts Center; they represent a diverse range of mediums and practices, and each has a unique approach to the relationship between art and commerce. We'll explore why artists choose to make art and offer insight into how artists navigate the commodification of their work, and shed light on what shapes their creative processes. Ultimately,“You Can’t Eat Art” seeks to reaffirm art's role as an indispensable cultural force, one that fosters connection, introspection, and growth. You Can’t Eat Art challenges the reductive notion of art as a commodity, and invites listeners to reconsider how art can challenge, resist, redefine and shape society. The intention is for these conversations to spark an ongoing dialogue to counter prevailing misconceptions about art, and to bring about an understanding of art as what sculptor Anthony Gormley calls “an act of shared communication.”“Syndrome” from the album Tide’s Arising Instrumentals (Mashibeats, 2024) used withpermission of LAP 2023 CA Fellow Mark de Clive-Lowe; © Mark de Clive-Lowe / Mashibeats
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into themes of artistic practice, the commodification of art, and the cultural significance of creative work, with episodes exploring topics like the intersection of art and well-being, as well as innovative approaches to public performance, exemplified in discussions with guests like Ava Roy and Jenn Johns.
The title of this podcast, “You Can’t Eat Art,” comes from a conversation I had with a relative who disputes the relevance and value of art. He couldn’t see its purpose because in his mind it didn’t serve a tangible function nor did it have the ability to put food on the table.
The artists who I interview have been in residence at the Lucas Artists Program at the Montalvo Arts Center; they represent a diverse range of mediums and practices, and each has a unique approach to the relationship between art and commerce. We’ll explore why artists choose to make art and offer insight into how artists navigate the commodification of their work, and shed light on what shapes their creative processes.
Ultimately,“You Can’t Eat Art” seeks to reaffirm art’s role as an indispensable cultural force, one that fosters connection, introspection, and growth. You Can’t Eat Art challenges the reductive notion of art as a commodity, and invites listeners to reconsider how art can challenge, resist, redefine and shape society. The intention is for these conversations to spark an ongoing dialogue to counter prevailing misconceptions about art, and to bring about an understanding of art as what sculptor Anthony Gormley calls “an act of shared communication.”
“Syndrome” from the album Tide’s Arising Instrumentals (Mashibeats, 2024) used withpermission of LAP 2023 CA Fellow Mark de Clive-Lowe; © Mark de Clive-Lowe / Mashibeats
Episode 10: Narrative Intervention with Jalena Keane-Lee
In this episode of You Can’t Eat Art , Clara Kamunde is in conversation with Jalena Keane-Lee an award-winning documentary film maker. Her short films have screened at over 40 film festivals, won best short documentary at the 2020 LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, the 2024 San Diego Asian Film Festival, the Sundance Jury Award in 2023, streamed on the Criterion Collection, Nowness Asia and broadcast nationally on POV.
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About Jalena Keane-Lee:
Jalena’s filmmaking explores intergenerational trauma and healing through an intersectional lens. Jalena, named one of DOC NYC’s 2024 40 Under 40 Documentary Filmmakers to Watch and one of Adobe x Sundance’s 2023 Women to Watch, is currently touring her first feature length documentary, Standing Above the Clouds which follows Native Hawaiian mother daughter activists. The film premiered at HotDocs in 2024 where it won the Bill Nemtin Award for Best Social Impact Doc. It has played at over 15 film festivals and won Special Mention for Best International Director at DocEdge 2024, Best International Cinematography at Film Ambiente, Best Feature Documentary at the 2024 San Diego Asian Film Festival and Best Made in Hawaiʻi Feature Film at the 2024 Hawaiʻi International Film Festival. Jalena won Tribeca Through Her Lens 2020 and DocLands 2022. She co-founded Breaktide Productions, an all women of color production company. She has produced commercial series for clients like Nike, Facebook, and LinkedIn and worked with non-profit organizations like The Center for Cultural Power, The Teaching Well, and Bright Pink to create engaging video campaigns. For more about Jalena Keane-Lees visit our webpage here and Jalena’s website. Follow @jalena.kl
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About Clara Kamunde:
Clara Kamunde is an Oakland-based, Kenyan-born cultural worker practicing at the intersection of arts education and social justice. Her career began with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Los Angeles where, as a grantee for the Artist-In-The-Community program, she collaborated with community organizations to produce and present site-integrated programming in traditionally under-served communities throughout Greater Los Angeles. She is a Marcus Curatorial Fellow at Montalvo Arts Center.
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About the Lucas Artists Residency Program:
Established in 1939, Montalvo Arts Center is home to the third oldest residency program in the United States. In 2004, Montalvo re-committed to its support of artists by opening a new, state-of-the-art facility, relaunching as the Sally and Don Lucas Artists Residency Program. The residency is dedicated to providing artists with a flexible and expansive space in which to create, encouraging the creative process, risk taking, collaboration, and cross-disciplinary investigation of contemporary issues. The LAP is a hybrid model that supports uninterrupted time to develop new work, while offering opportunities to share ideas and projects through public programming and partnerships. For more info about the residency, visit our website. Follow the LAP @lucasartres
Credits:
“Syndrome” from the album Tide’s Arising Instrumentals (Mashibeats, 2024) used with permission of LAP 2023 CA Fellow Mark de Clive-Lowe; © Mark de Clive-Lowe/Mashibeats
Podcast cover art created by Olivia Esparza© Montalvo Arts Center, 2025
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