Podcast appearances and mentions of Sydney G James

"Are you gonna paint that, or feel that?" Sydney G. James drops that kind of heat in this no-holds-barred Detroit is Different conversation. She brings the stories behind the Blackout Walls, the politics of public art, and the legacy of Black family in Detroit into vivid focus. “People don't understand—when I painted at MOCAD, folks walked in and said, ‘This feel like Grandma's house.' That's art!” Sydney shares her journey from drawing cartoons at three to setting visual standards with murals that honor, heal, and celebrate Detroit. “We need pamphlets with every house in Conant Gardens,” she says, lifting up the deep lineage of culture in neighborhoods dismissed as 'red zones.' From Cass Tech to CCS, from LA TV sets to East Side lots, this episode is a masterclass in keeping it real, bold, and Black in the city that raised her. “I didn't paint next to another Black woman until I hired her,” she reveals—making clear why Black women artists must not just be included but lead. Detroit is Different is a podcast hosted by Khary Frazier covering people adding to the culture of an American Classic city. Visit www.detroitisdifferent.com to hear, see and experience more of what makes Detroit different. Follow, like, share, and subscribe to the Podcast on iTunes, Google Play, and Sticher. Comment, suggest and connect with the podcast by emailing info@detroitisdifferent.com

Photo credit: Lamar Landers Sydney G. James (b. 1979, Detroit, MI) is a fine arts painter and muralist living and working in Detroit. James began her career as art director of an advertising agency after earning her BFA from Detroit's College of Creative Studies in 2001. In 2004, James moved to Los Angeles to work as a visual artist in the film and television industry and earned a master's degree in secondary education. Since returning to her native city in 2011, James has become known as the eminent muralist of the Detroit art scene, transforming the city's skyline and artistic legacy as well as completing murals across the country, including New Orleans, LA; Brooklyn, NY; Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; Worcester, MA; and Hawaii. James was awarded a 2017 Kresge Arts in Detroit Fellowship and served as a 2021 Kresge Artist Fellowship panelist in Visual Arts. Her work has been exhibited at Detroit's Museum of Contemporary Art and Design (MOCAD), the Charles H. Wright Museum, Inner State Gallery, PlayGround Detroit Gallery, Collective Detroit Gallery, Detroit Artist Market, Red Bull House of Art, Janice Charach Gallery, and was included in the Arts, Beats and Lyrics traveling exhibition. James' work has also been featured by major marketing brands including Vans shoes, PepsiCo, Ford Motor Company, Detroit Pistons, and Detroit Lions. James is a co-founder of the bi-annual BLKOUT Walls street mural festival which debuted in Detroit in 2021, created as a direct response to the lack of diversity and artist remuneration across the country's creative economies. In 2022, James participated in the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) Residency in Brooklyn, NY. Sydney G. James, Serving Tee Liberation, 2023. Acrylic, t-shirts, fabric, and gel medium on canvas, 14.5x8ft. Sydney G. James, Bereavement? (non-binary), 2023. Acrylic, fabric, gel medium, and satin trim on canvas, 96x120 inches. Sydney G. James, The Westside Johnsons, 2022. Acrylic, gel medium, and upholstery trim on raw canvas, 10x6ft.

In this episode, we ride into a conversation with Sydney James. Fine arts painter and muralist Sydney G. James is a girl proudly raised in Detroit. With a BFA from the College for Creative Studies and a background in commercial art, James is a figurative artist whose bold brush strokes have humanized Detroit's industrial skyline.  Not limited to one dimension, Sydney's artwork can be found in private collections, galleries, museums, or on a pair of shoes. Her visual narratives project the complex realities of Black women while interrogating the concepts of safe spaces and community care.  A 2017 Kresge Arts Fellow and a dedicated mentor, Sydney is also the co-founder of BLKOUT Walls, a biannual street mural festival that elevates Black artists and stimulates the city's creative economy.     In this episode, we talk about:  Black Love Girl with the D Earring BLKOUT Walls Street Mural Festival Empowerment Resources:  Sydney James https://www.sydneygjames.com/ https://www.blkoutwalls.com/ FB: Sydney James Art IG: sydneygjames   Detroit References Detroit Fine Arts Breakfast Club Conant Gardens Highland Park   People of Interest Linda Whitaker Jonni Page Halima Afi Cassells Jadakiss   ◉ Newsletter: https://blackherstories.substack.com/  ◉ IG: @blackherstories  ◉ Get in touch: hello@nourishevents.org 

Anastasia Hopkins Folpe of Rochester, Minn., first encountered the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona several years ago.“I would describe it as a hidden gem,” Folpe said. “It's on the river in Winona, kind of behind the downtown. You have to hunt for it a little bit.” She credited the museum's director Scott Pollock for investing in spaces devoted to younger visitors.  “It's just a very welcoming and mellow place. I just like to go there and hang out. I think people just don't know about it. So I hope everyone learns and goes there.”Peg Guilfoyle is a writer living in downtown St. Paul and a longtime arts enthusiast. She's also a fan of sea shanties.“There is something about coming off the street into a room filled with singing,” she explained. “I'm here to testify to the flat fun of the sea shanty sing-along held monthly at the Dubliner Pub on University Avenue in St. Paul, and also in Minneapolis at Merlin's Rest on Lake Street.”“No band, no sheet music or lyrics and all volunteer singers,” Guilfoyle enthused. “Who knew there were so many people who love sea shanties?”The next sea shanty sing-along will be July 10 at the Dubliner.Katrina Knutson of Minneapolis is a teaching artist and muralist. “You should definitely go check out the Chroma Zone Mural and Art Festival,” she said. The event will feature new murals painted by six artists.“I'm really excited to see work by Sydney James, who is an artist who's visiting from Detroit,” Knutson added, “and Leslie Barlow, one of my very favorite Minnesota painters, will also be painting a mural.”She pointed out additional pleasures of the festival, its location in St. Paul's Creative Enterprise Zone, between the two downtowns: “It's a great neighborhood to go around because there are dozens of murals within a few blocks of each other,” Knutson said, who takes friends and out of town visitors on a tour of the murals.Events related to the festival are scheduled through Sept. 16, including a talk by artist Sydney G. James at Urban Growler in St. Paul on July 14.

In this episode, I review the short film How They See Us by Sydney G. James. She is a visual artist from Detroit and tells her story about her journey and her work. Intro and outro @nikkos_ramone. Recorded and edited @mzoundz. Follow the show on ig @dreaspointofview fb@dreaspointofview Pinterest @dreaspointofview Clubhouse @dreaspointofview Twitter @dreapoint Leave a review or buy merch at www.theedreaspointofview.com Follow Sydney G James on ig@sydneygjames and sydneygjames.com. Also go to blkoutwalls.com to support. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/dreaspointofview/message

On your Daily Detroit: A new Robocall is spreading lies about mail-in voting to Detroiters. Several real estate developments are pressing ahead in Detroit. There’s a huge new mural to be installed on the side of a very visible building in Detroit. I talk with the artist, Sydney G. James, about the art and message that’s in store for Chroma. And, the Piet Oudolf Garden on Belle Isle will make some very visible progress this week. Appreciate what we do? Do we add value to your day? Consider becoming a member at http://www.patreon.com/dailydetroit  

One of the most high-profile police brutality cases in Detroit inspired a new piece of public art from painter Sydney G. James.