Welcome to “The Sights + Sounds Show with Jeneé Darden," where every week we tap into the Bay Area arts scene and bring you rich conversations with artists. On today’s show we visit the West Oakland studio of an artist who paints with knives, and she's creating pieces for the Valkyries. Then, a publisher celebrating 10 years of translating books by authors around the world. And, a woman who expresses her experience as a mom by drawing comics.
Today's show is about interpretations.
Taylor Smalls
In the Bay Area, many basketball fans are wearing the Golden State Valkyries' team color — violet. The Valkyries recently made history becoming the only first-year expansion team ever in the WNBA to reach the playoffs in their premier season.
Of course, "Sights + Sounds" had to bring art into the excitement. Taylor Smalls is a painter who uses knives to create large, beautiful, bold and colorful images of Black women. The Valkyries commissioned her to create a few pieces, including one for this past Juneteenth. Taylor is an alum of the University of San Francisco. Her work also hangs in spaces of major brands like the Oprah Winfrey Network, Pixar and Kaiser Permanente. Host Jeneé Darden spoke with Taylor at her art studio in West Oakland to learn more about the inspiration behind her work.
The Valkyries take on the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday, September 11 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Ashley Nelson Levy and Adam Levy
In college, host Jeneé Darden minored in Latin American literature. She enjoyed getting lost in beautiful, complex stories that were translated to English. There are so many stories around the world. However, according the University of Rochester, only 3% of books published here in the U.S. are translated.
That's not stopping Transit Books. This year the independent, nonprofit publisher based in Berkeley is celebrating 10 years of publishing authors from around the world. Some of their books have led to major awards, including a Nobel Prize. Adam Levy and Ashley Nelson Levy are Transit Books' founders.
Transit Books' 10 year anniversary party is happening on Friday, October 24 at the Cellarmaker Brewing Co. in Berkeley
Mary Catherine Starr
Many mothers say motherhood is a blessing, but it definitely comes with its challenges. It's complex.
Artist and graphic designer Mary Catherine Starr portrays the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood through comics on her popular Instagram page @momlife_comics. She also covers these issues in her new book "Mama Needs a Minute!: A Candid, Funny, All-Too-Relatable Comic Memoir about Surviving Motherhood."
Mary Catherine is published by Chronicle Books. She's having a book signing event at Mrs. Dalloway's Bookstore in Berkeley on Wednesday, September 17.
