Happy holidays, listeners! Welcome to our penultimate podcast episode of 2023. In our year-end round-up, NOT REAL ART Publisher Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with Editor in Chief Morgan Laurens to reflect on the past year and offer an exclusive sneak peek into our exciting 2024 programming.

From launching First Friday Exhibitions to hosting REMOTE, Badir McCleary’s video series on public art, available exclusively through NOT REAL ART, 2023 was jam-packed with fresh, innovative ways to support working artists. “[REMOTE] is part travel show,” says Scott, commenting on the series’ broad appeal. “[Badir takes] you to these fantastic works of public art and explores the city in the process.” The first five episodes of REMOTE, covering cities as diverse as Philadelphia and San Antonio, are available to watch here. 

Tuning in, listeners will hear about our favorite Q+Art interviews from the past year, the most memorable exhibitions from our First Friday series, and our ongoing collaboration with sister brand Artsville, which celebrates contemporary American arts and crafts. Scott and Morgan also discuss the expanded programming for 2024, including a fresh take on our podcast, the 2024 grant cycle, and novel ways to engage with and nurture our community of artists. “We’ve done a good job of amassing and coalescing and organizing thousands of artists who are now in our ecosystem and community,” says Scott, reflecting on NOT REAL ART’s new membership program (join here!). “We’re going to spend a lot of time in 2024 intentionally nurturing and engaging our community in a way we haven’t in the past.”

Above all, we want to thank our friends, partners, collaborators, and guests for another year of incredible artwork, interviews, exhibitions, kind notes, and all-around badassery. Your generosity, creativity, and boundless curiosity inspire us to the stars and back. Wishing you a happy holiday season and a sublime new year from your friends at NOT REAL ART. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• First Friday exhibitions from 2023 that stand out in Morgan’s memory.
• How Morgan works closely with artists to hone in on the story behind their work.
• Ways that she has fine-tuned her art writing process over the years.
• Some of Morgan’s favorite artist interviews from the Q + Art series.
• The ‘Remote’ video series with Badir McCleary, which explores the world of public art.
• Exciting ways that we will refresh the NOT REAL ART podcast schedule in 2024.
• Perks and benefits that will accompany our new membership portal.
• Acknowledgment and appreciation for all of our incredible pals and partners!
• A preview of what might be the world’s first hip-hop holiday song, ‘Christmas in L.A.’

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/holiday-special