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
You Can’t Eat Art Episode 8 – The Impulse To Create
In this episode of You Can’t Eat Art, Clara Kamunde is in conversation with multi-disciplinary artist Francisco Graciano, a primarily self-taught artist who’s impulse to observe and create manifested in early childhood. Fransisco has been creating art in San Jose as long as he can remember and his practices include sculpture, public art, ceramics, painting, woodworking and watercolor tattoo.
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About Francisco Graciano:
Francisco Graciano, a primarily self-taught artist, earned his BFA in Sculpture from the San Francisco Art Institute. He has held his arts practice for over 35 years and his multi-disciplinary practices include sculpture, ceramics, painting, woodworking and watercolor tattoo. Working primarily in sculpture, Graciano has spent the last 25 years working with wire and metal, and his work centers on themes of the human experience, the natural world and evolution. His unique style forgoes the use of tools creating hand-forged 3-dimensional works of art bent, twisted wrapped and pulled in a continuous unbroken line, thus extending the line connecting artist and viewer. Graciano lives and works in San Jose, California. For more about Francisco Graciano, visit our webpage here. Follow @francisco.graciano
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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 urban parks, recreation areas, historic sites, and schools located in historically underserved communities throughout Greater Los Angeles. For her contribution in supporting access to quality arts programming with DCA, she was awarded an Honorary Citation by the City of Los Angeles. She was formerly a fellow at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State University where she earned a master’s degree in Creativity Studies.
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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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