To wrap us Season 2 I spoke with Jordan, a former student of mine. Jordan continues to follow his artist heart after earning his Bachelors of Fine Art from the Art Institute of San Francisco. He continues to paint, draw, and more recently work on ceramic pieces that test the boundaries of glazing. Jordan is one of those people that has a good, kind soul. It was great to catch up after years of simply liking his posts on Instagram. High School Daze will be on a short hiatus as I prepare to complete my masters degree and wrap up a school year that has been the most trying of my teaching career ..read more

Joanna joins the podcast as the first guest to have graduated from the school where I currently teach. She comes to talk about her journey in her work that uses adobe to combine sculptural and architectural elements. Her love for earth and plants from the southwest is evident in speaking with her. Joanna's work was also recently featured in the State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now show at the Momentary and Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. I feel that she will be a name that is synonymous with New Mexico and art in the likes of O'Keeffe.     ..read more

I have known Jazz in a variety of roles... the one that stands out to me most is as my boss during my time in an Americorps program, Public Allies - New Mexico. Before that however I was able to experience her voice as a slam poet while living and working in Las Cruces. We talk about our journey since we last saw one another and how dropping out of high school doesn't dictate what your life can be and what success can look like.  I credit Jazz with helping me find purpose and finding clarity in what I should be doing with my life. She was hugely instrumental in bringing me to Albuquerque ..read more

I was first introduced to Matt Gondek's work while binging podcasts. He is the host of Clean Break (cleanbreakpodcast.com) and after listening to an episode I had to check his work out. I was immediately drawn to his "deconstructive” pop art. I remember as a kid drawing my favorite heroes or cartoon characters missing limbs, or worse. His works and feelings about the art world made want to try and have him on the podcast. We talk about where art is headed, pizza Friday, Green Day, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a little something for everyone. So... here we go HSD with Matt Gondek ..read more

Nico Salazar is a fine artist, illustrator, designer and founder of Future Fantasy Delight. He joins the podcast to talk about his inspiration and life as a New Mexican. I have to admit that I am a fan of his work because of his creative combinations of characters with a mix of rave, cholo, and pop cultures. Nico also shares how sharing one's work could lead to opportunities...possibly even a sponsorship by your favorite marker company. You can follow him on Instagram @futurefantasydelight, futurefantasydelight.com, and soon a website he will launch for his fine art.  ..read more

Roni joins the podcast to talk about her life as an educator, designer, and mentor. I am so inspired by her take on education and how TAB (teaching for artistic behavior) helps young artists thrive. She has worked on projects for Disney, Hallmark, has received a Golden Apple in teaching and has served as the president for the New Mexico Art Education Association. She continues to help teachers, young and old, find their best practices. I totally agree with her philosophy that students are her "colleagues" and when treated as such, they can grow and flourish in the art classroom. You can r ..read more

Johnpaul Gutierrez joins the podcast to talk about his grind when it comes to making art. We jump into life as a father and artist, plus throwing in a 9-5 job to the mix. Johnpaul offers some good advice in terms of presence online, we talk about artistic process, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Please send any questions or comments to highschooldazepod@gmail.com, follow us on Instagram @highschooldazepod , plus rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform.  ..read more

Léon joins us from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Where he is an art professor at the Universidad Autonoma de Cd. Juarez . Juarez has always intrigued me. Along with the ideas around remix and visual culture which León has expertise. We talk about so much and I feel like we are only skimming the surface... (Photo credit: Monica Lozano ..read more

I have been looking forward to speaking with Deonne, who I met through my wife. Deonne's curiosity in the creative experience immediately makes me consider her an artist, even if she might not say so herself. Deonne is currently working on an awesome project called Stranded With You, which uses embroidery to create activism, awareness, and financial support for non-profits, such as Parley for the Oceans. You can also check out another project Deonne is currently working on called Loop, an app that is like "exercising" for your mental health at loop.co. Please rate and review High School Daze o ..read more

Deena Crawley, Chief of Staff and Director of Marketing at Dion's, joins us to give some insight into marketing. She also shares her story about how she began with the restaurant chain based out of New Mexico, plus some words of wisdom as she reflects on high school. As always you can send questions or comments to highschooldazepod@gmail.com, or rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.  ..read more