rafa esparza is a multidisciplinary artist based in Los Angeles, working across live performance, sculpture, installation, drawing, and painting. Known for his work with adobe brick, a skill he inherited from his father, Ramón Esparza, his process connects the artist to community and centers inclusivity within contexts of historical exclusion.rafa’s current work uses adobe as a platform to "probe a history of institutionalized racism in traditional art spaces".



Central to the work is collaboration, often involving other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and Queer artists. By bringing this process into historically exclusive institutions, he explains, the work is designed to "ground conversations that are about inclusivity".



In his 2025 installation, Casi Casa: De Borrado, at MACLA in San Jose, rafa is creating a large adobe slab meant to prompt visitors to imagine what it would mean to “pause” the relentless drive to build and instead imagine the Earth swallowing up life as we know it.



Follow rafa on Instagram at elrafaesparza [https://instagram.com/elrafaesparza]Follow MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana on Instagram at macla_sanjose [https://instagram.com/macla_sanjose] and on the web at maclaarte.org



Follow Montalvo Arts Center on Instagram at montalvoarts and on the web at montalvoarts.org [https://montalvoarts.org]



Follow the Lucas Artists Residency Program on Instagram at lucasartres [https://www.instagram.com/lucasartres/]

rafa esparza

Alfredo Muccino: Memories & Dreams



Alfredo Muccino: Memories & DreamsAlfredo Muccino was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and raised as an Italian. His father’s engineering career took the family across the world. His father was a painter, and Muccino would imitate his work. His artistry has been influenced by Picasso, Matisse, and Basquiat, as well as the art and architecture of Rome, where he grew up. As Muccino recalled, “A lot of it also comes from growing up in Rome as a kid, riding my bicycle around, drawing the statues of Bernini and the churches of Michelangelo.”In 2025, Muccino is returning to his roots with a solo exhibition, "MEMORIES & DREAMS," which showcases his meditations on life, mortality, and the death of dreams. At the heart of this series is the idea that dreams can change over time. He hopes to explore the disparity between memory and reality, turning his personal reflection into a shared experience.



Follow Alfredo on Instagram at alfredo.muccino [https://www.instagram.com/alfredo.muccino/] and on his website, solidbranding.com [http://solidbranding.com/] 

Check out the upcoming Morgann Trumbull Projects’ exhibitions at morganntrumbull.com [http://morganntrumbull.com/] 



#MEMORIESandDREAMS #AlfredoMuccino #ContemporaryArt #SanJoseArt #SoFADistrict #ArtExhibition #CreativeDirector #LiquidAgency #SolidBranding #ReturnToRoots #FineArt #LifeMortalityDreams #InstaArt #SupportArtists

Alfredo Muccino: Memories & Dreams 

Featured Artist: Paulina (Goff) Stovall

San Jose-based professional pumpkin carver Paulina (Goff) Stovall discovered her passion for carving pumpkins when she was commissioned to live carve them at a high-end party. She has since transformed this seasonal tradition into a highly technical art form that blends artistry, imagination, and precision.



While most of Paulina’s carvings are commissioned, she always ties in a piece of herself, inspired by mythical creatures and sci-fi horror films from the ’80s and ’90s. She notes, “when I have the opportunity to carve for myself, I bring in things that inspire me, which tend to have a lot of teeth and look more scary and movie-inspired.” To add texture and form, she often incorporates other vegetables like butternut, carrots, and zucchini to create standing 360-degree sculptures.



Paulina has dreams of expanding her practice to more permanent sculptures carved from stone. For her, the carving pumpkins is about creating joy and lasting memories, hoping to inspire others to make art and pursue what they love.



Follow Paulina on Instagram at carvedfx [https://www.instagram.com/carvedfx/] and explore her portfolio at crvdfx.com [https://www.crvdfx.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaeFuj8MO4Tp5aj4V1bml7PXLNtHYtx17hzgsUDHUYt-Shv5FfbN44kDjy5dHQ_aem_W_HJnCvWsnwL-wkKvfulwg].



#PumpkinCarving #ArtistryUnleashed #SanJoseArtist #HalloweenWars #FoodNetwork #LiveCarving #PumpkinArt #SeasonalArt #CreativeEntrepreneur #CarvedFX #SciFiArt #Techtoberfest

Paulina (Goff) Stovall | CarvedFX

Featured Artist: Sarah Bianco 



Artist Sarah Bianco’s work can be found at the intersection of fine and commercial art. Her current studio practice at the Tannery Arts Center is quite literally built from her commercial practice, where she uses old drop cloths from her painting business as the foundation for her fine art. Bianco’s process often results in airy dreamscapes that depict figures jumping and suspended in space. This motif represents her artistic approach, taking risks and leaping into the unknown—that liminal space between when you jump and when you land, which is also echoed in the gallery name, Apricity.



Sarah Bianco will be featured in the 2025 40th annual Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour and Content Magazine Issue 18.1, "Discover



Follow Bianco on Instagram at paintingbybianco [https://www.instagram.com/paintingbybianco/] & apricitygallery [https://www.instagram.com/apricitygallery/]

Explore her portfolio at sarahbianco.com [http://sarahbianco.com] 

Learn more about the Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour at openstudios.artscouncilsc.org [http://openstudios.artscouncilsc.org]



#SarahBianco #ArtistTalk #WomenArtists #CreativeProcess #ArtPodcast #SantaCruzArt #MixedMediaArtist #VisualArtConversations #OpenStudios2025 #ApricityGallery #FineArtJourney #ArtAndCreativity #BehindTheCanvas #ArtLifeStories #EmergingArtists

Featured: Sarah Bianco

Laamsha Young

Santa Cruz-based artist Laamsha Young has worked across three primary artistic disciplines: jewelry design, painting, and sculpture. While receiving her MFA in painting from San Jose State University, she discovered her latest passion for foam sculpture, which built upon her earlier practice in jewelry and painting.

For the past three years, this inexpensive, low-brow foam material has been the basis of her current practice: large-scale foam sculptures. These pieces often take on elaborate drippy and squishy Baroque forms that she shares, “make squeezy noises.” A philosophical interest in ornamentation connects Young’s practice in jewelry, painting, and foam sculpture. Drawing inspiration from formal design elements like "wallpaper and silverware," Young’s work examines: “Who gets to have ornament?”

Young will be featured along with over 340 Santa Cruz County artists in the 2025 40th annual Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour. She is concentrating on debuting a new collection of ornate foam candelabras, which serve as a material-based continuation of her inquiry into the role of ornament in contemporary sculpture.



Follow Laamsha on Instagram at younglaamsha [https://www.instagram.com/younglaamsha/?hl=en]

Explore her portfolio at laamshayoung.net [http://laamshayoung.net] 

Learn more about the Santa Cruz County Open Studios art tour at openstudios.artscouncilsc.org [https://openstudios.artscouncilsc.org/]



#FoamSculpture #ContemporaryArt #SculptureArt #ArtInstallation #MixedMediaArt #SantaCruzArt #JewelryDesign #BaroqueArt #WomenArtists #OpenStudios2025 #EmergingArtist #LaamshaYoung

Laamsha Young

Below the Surface – Sieglinde Van Damme



In a time of noise, uncertainty, and collective exhaustion, multi-disciplinary abstract artist Sieglinde Van Damme offers something rare: a visual sanctuary to breathe.



Sieglinde Van Damme’s path from economist to full-time artist may seem unconventional, but her work reveals a consistent focus: human behavior. Born in Belgium and now based in California, Van Damme brings a thoughtful, introspective lens to her art—one shaped by systems thinking and lived experience. Her guiding mantra, “Re-imagine what else is possible”™, " informs her process and message.



Working across painting, mixed media, and installation, Van Damme builds her pieces through a slow layering process. Each layer represents a life phase—some joyful, others painful—resulting in textured works reflecting the complexity of personal growth. A recurring element in her practice is the use of white, often applied as a final gesture. For Van Damme, white symbolizes a clean slate: a space to release the past and make room for what’s to come.



Explore more of her work at sieglindevandamme.com or follow on Instagram @sieglindevandamme [https://www.instagram.com/sieglindevandamme].

Featured Artist - Sieglinde Van Damme

Episode #142 - Ha Nguyen - LOLAH Entertainment 



This podcast is also available on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/60RwOw2BeBlOQt1LIsoEEl?si=b3b9d35e74a24f33], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-magazine/id332177962], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm6ouVuLWbp6yQ7T9VwRNw].



Born in a small town in Vietnam, Ha Nguyen was raised with a clear path laid out before her: academic achievement, a professional career, and a life of quiet respectability. For years, she followed that path—studying dentistry for six years at the insistence of her father. But even in the lecture halls and clinical labs, something louder was calling.

Music had always been in her bones. As a child, she played piano, fashioned guitars from broomsticks, and recorded her favorite songs from MTV on cassette. It wasn’t until her late teens that she picked up a guitar and started taking lessons. In her early twenties, she joined an all-female rock band in Saigon, and soon after, she never looked back.

In this conversation, Nguyen is reflective, grounded, and quietly fierce. She speaks of her Buddhist practice not as a performance of spirituality, but as a daily discipline—a reminder to stay present, to stay soft, to stay open. She’s also a mother now, a role that has softened some of her edges while sharpening her sense of purpose. Songs like “Best Thing” reflect this shift—less rebellion, more resolution.



Follow Ha on Instagram @lolahentertainment [https://www.instagram.com/lolahentertainment/] or visit her website at lolahentertainment.com [http://lolahentertainment.com] 



Ha was most recently featured in Issue 17.2, “Connect.” [https://bit.ly/172LOLAH]



Episode #142 - Ha Nguyen - LOLAH

Episode #141 Kris Jensen - Director of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles



This podcast is also available on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/60RwOw2BeBlOQt1LIsoEEl?si=b3b9d35e74a24f33], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/content-magazine/id332177962], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm6ouVuLWbp6yQ7T9VwRNw].



Join the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles [https://sj-mqt.org/] on Saturday, August 16, 2025, for a Curator Talk with Melissa Leventon that provides insight into their current exhibition, Kay Sekimachi: Ingenuity and Imagination [https://sj-mqt.org/on-view]. RSVP [https://sjquiltmuseum.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F22256].



Kris Jensen, Director of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, has woven together a range of experiences in taking the helm of one of the Bay Area’s most niche and quietly radical museums. He has decades of nonprofit leadership experience, including as director of development at Alameda County Community Food Bank, Executive Director of Collective Roots in East Palo Alto, and Executive Director of San Bruno Mountain Watch. The same sense of advocacy and inclusion he brought to those roles now shapes Jensen’s mission at the museum.



In this conversation, Kris reflects on his path from food justice to textile arts, the importance of redefining museums as interactive spaces, and how fiber art—often dismissed as craft—has long been a vehicle for social commentary.



Follow the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles on Instagram @sjmqt [https://www.instagram.com/sjmqt?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] and on the web at sj-mqt.org [http://sj-mqt.org/] 

Episode #141 - Kris Jensen - Museum Director, San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles

Episode #140 - Dan Fenstermacher - Photographer



For photographer and educator Dan Fenstermacher, photography is more than documentation—it is a philosophy of presence, humor, and human connection. From the busy streets of Tokyo to quiet corners of San Jose, Dan captures moments that are layered, unexpected, and deeply personal. His work sits at the intersection of activism, storytelling, and everyday life, always seeking to reveal something authentic, even quirky, in the seemingly ordinary.



Dan earned his MFA in Photography at San José State University and is now Chair of the Photography Department at West Valley College in Saratoga, where he continues to inspire students and document campus life through a lens of curiosity and care. His commitment to capturing the overlooked extends beyond teaching, with ongoing projects and zines; his current zine series is focused on everyday life at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Ultimately, he believes it is about finding meaning in ordinary places.



In this conversation, Dan describes the role of photography in his life as a spiritual and social practice, how teaching students keeps him inspired, and how even something as small as handing someone a Polaroid can foster real connection.



Follow Dan’s work on Instagram @danfenstermacher [https://www.instagram.com/danfenstermacher?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==] or visit his website at

danfenstermacher.net [http://danfenstermacher.net/].



Dan was most recently featured as a 2023 Content Emerging Artist in Issue 15.3, “perform” [https://www.content-magazine.com/articles/dan-fenstermacher-2/]

He was also featured in the Spring 2019 Issue 11.1, “Sight and Sound.” [https://www.content-magazine.com/articles/dan-fenstermacher/]

Episode #140 - Dan Fenstermacher - Photographer

Tasi Alabastro uncovered the definition of “flâneur,” a French word that describes a man of urban affluence who can wander and observe urban life, while working on a play called “Three Days of Rain.” In his own life, Tasi views being a flâneur as walking around his hometown of San Jose, being present, looking at murals, and occasionally running into people he knows. He uses walking as a way to process creative problems or gather thoughts. That ability to be an observer is reflected in his work as an actor, visual artist, writer, and director.

Tasi’s multifaceted career spans acting, directing, stage design, and photography. He was featured in “Yes, We’re Open,” a film on Prime Video where he worked with Perry Shen, an actor he had admired since his early blogging days. Another pivotal role was in a City Lights Theater Company production of “Three Days of Rain,” where he tackled the challenge of portraying two contrasting characters—a neurotic son and his reserved father. These roles were pivotal in helping Tasi grow as a performer and expand his understanding of his craft. Currently, Tasi is working toward creating a graphic novel that combines his interests in theater, illustration, and storytelling.

In this conversation, Tasi shares his unlikely transition from science to the stage, how his upbringing in American Samoa influenced his perspective on community, and his thoughts on fostering inclusion within the arts while embracing his identity as an occasional outsider.

Follow Tasi on his website, tasialabastro.com [http://tasialabastro.com/], and Instagram at tasialabastro [https://www.instagram.com/tasialabastro/]



Join Tasi Alabastro on July 26, 2025, at San Jose Stage for The Contemporary Asian Theater Scene’s (CATS) second annual Playwright Festival. ⁠Get Tickets⁠ [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2nd-annual-aapi-playwright-festival-tickets-1389708849579].

Episode #139 - Tasi Alabastro

Conversations with the South Bay's Creatives. editor@content-magazine.com Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/content-magazine/support