Viola remembers life growing up in Vis Valley in the 1930s. Interview & mix by Wendy Baker for KALW.

Hear Here: Meet Viola Rusca

Julie Herndon explains her early days using the internet and how that led to crossing a boundary into unlimited exploration. Recorded in May 2015 for Megapolis Audio Festival and Noodle Mania. 

How did you first use the Internet?

Corey Curtis is an artist who makes watercolor art at Hospitality House. I met him at an art opening where he told me about walking thousands of miles on foot. I returned to the studio to sit and ask him more about his journeys. Corey has walked all around California, up to Seattle and down to LA, with many adventures along the way. Recorded and mixed for Noodle Mania June 2018. Original music by Bark Leafgood. Artwork by Rebecca Au. www.noodlemania.org

How did you end up in San Francisco?

Cameron Kim is an artist living in the Tenderloin. For many years, he slept on the streets, oftentimes in dark alleys against buildings. One building he slept against was the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Years later, after an important encounter, he was inside that building, showing his work in a group art exhibit. In this story, he tells about that encounter and how it changed his life. Interviewed for Noodle Mania in June 2018. Original music by Bark Leafgood.

How is your life different now than you had imagined?

Angela Summers is an artist who uses paper and paint to make collage. She creates vibrant female forms. I met and interviewed her in the studio at the Hospitality House Community Arts Program. I asked her to describe the inspiration for her piece “Metamorphosis” that I saw during a group show at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. She also shared a story of a significant experience in her life that led to a change of heart. Produced in July 2018 for Noodle Mania. Original music by Bark Leafgood.

Can you describe a time when you had a change of heart?

Angela Summers is a community-based artist who creates artwork exploring color and vibrant female forms using paint and collage. Angela tells the story of an imagined life that inspired her piece "Metamorphosis," which was on Exhibit in Yuerba Buena Center for the Arts. Recorded and mixed for Noodle Mania June 2018. Original music by Matt Hairfield.

What inspired your art piece, "Metamorphosis?"

Alice Cooper is a horror-con artist. He does paintings and latchhook of horror icons. This story is about how growing up different was really hard and how he overcame the pain in his past to embrace and accept himself.

Do you have any fond summer memories?

Camilo Villa is a queer Colombian artist who utilizes his creative practice as a visibility platform. His love for craft and performance intersect in order to create symbolic narratives that encourage conversation about the role of art within social justice. In this story, he talks about the wonderful woman who made him. Recorded in Oakland in September 2018 for Noodle Mania. Music by Bark Leafgood. Artwork by Julie Crossman. www.noodlemania.org

What's your mother like?

Guta Galli is a Brazilian transmedia artist working with photography, video, installation and performance art. Her work examines the intersections between womanhood, power, race, sexuality and violence. In this story, Guta describes her experience with performance art during an exhibit at RootDivision. Recorded for Noodle Mania in August 2018. Original music by Bark Leafgood. Artwork by Todd Berman.

What have you learned by making art?

Daniel remembers something unusual that happened when he was working in a pharmacy. Recorded in Joshua Tree, May 2019 for Noodle Mania. Illustration by Bryce Pinkos. www.noodlemania.org

What is something you remember from your first job?

Edwin remembers how Popcorn the dog outsmarted the whole family during summer vacation. Recorded in March 2017 for Noodle Mania. www.noodlemania.org

Do you have a summer vacation memory?

Looking back at his life, Tom remembers how growing up in Ohio was hard. He struggled to fit in and understand himself. His story reveals how the small things that give us confidence matter the most. Recorded in a car in March 2017 for Noodle Mania.

Did you ever have a swimming pool?

I'm a Digital Arts Program Facilitator in an after-school program, working with talented young people in San Francisco. My work explores the role that personal narrative, storytelling, and digital media can play in education, community arts, and social change. I'm certified as a facilitator by the Center for Digital Storytelling in Berkeley, CA. In 2017, San Francisco Arts Commission funded my project, Noodle Mania, a collaborative zine-making audio experience. I combine digitally recorded audio interviews, sound bites, ambiance, and sound effects into real life drawing & doodling parties. I also produce public radio. My work has aired on NPR, KALW, KPFA, and BMIR.

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