The Truth In This Art

Rob Lee
  • 4.8 (167)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Semiweekly

The Truth In This Art with Rob Lee is a Baltimore-based arts and culture podcast where independent journalist Rob Lee goes beyond the highlight reel to uncover the truth behind the work—the creative process, the choices, and the stories that shape the people who make it. This podcast features thoughtful conversations with emerging and established photographers, filmmakers, designers, musicians, chefs, writers, and other creative voices. Each episode explores how artists build sustainable practices, stay connected to their communities, and create work that reflects the world around them. More than interviews, these are stories about what it takes to build a creative life—the challenges, choices, and experiences that make art matter. For makers, culture lovers, and the creatively curious

  1. 1d ago ·  Bonus

    Artist David R. Ibata on Vignettes (Recorded at Vika Gallery)

    In this special bonus episode of The Truth In This Art, host Rob Lee welcomes David R. Ibata back to the podcast, this time to talk about his solo show, Vignettes, in front of an audience at Vika Gallery! About David R. Ibata: DC-area painter with Jamaican and Congolese roots, raised in Maryland and Washington DC, whose solo show Vignettes at Vika Gallery explores the influential moments, experiences, and cultural forces that shaped him as a person and as an artist. We recorded this one on October 3rd at Vika Gallery on 1700 Connecticut Avenue Northwest — a director's commentary of David's work, in front of a live audience. The work is a visual exploration of the people, places, images, sounds, and experiences that surrounded him growing up in a city in constant transition. We get into the 80s sci-fi that gave him a sense of comfort and identity — Star Trek, Star Wars, Highlander — at a time when outside felt dangerous. He's direct about his complicated relationship with hip hop growing up: "to me it represented the violence that was outside." That tension — between the culture surrounding him and the worlds he escaped into through film and television — is threaded throughout the work. We also talk about process: building up a body of work over the better part of a year, figuring out what stays and what goes, and the labor of constructing a painting that actually works — getting the face right, calculating the light, building it up from nothing. Be sure to follow David and follow Vika Gallery — links in the show notes. Photo courtesy of subject Be sure to follow David R. Ibata and Vika Gallery — links in the show notes. Photo courtesy of subject The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    Artist David R. Ibata on Vignettes (Recorded at Vika Gallery)

  2. 2d ago

    Sara Diani on Painting, Desire, and Being an Afghan American Artist

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I sit down with Afghan American painter Sara Diani at Eaton Hotel in Downtown DC! About Sara Diani: Afghan American artist based in Northern Virginia and working in Washington DC, who works in oil and soft pastel to explore intimacy, desire, and attachment — focusing on fragments of the body, lingerie, fabric, curves, and the spaces between forms. We start at the beginning — Sara's first creative memory is getting reprimanded in first grade for not waiting for the paint to dry during a portrait exercise. She connects that moment directly to who she is now: an oil painter who needs glow, patience, and time. We get into her path to painting — a BA in art history from George Mason University with a focus on Eastern art, a photography background that served as a bridge to creative freedom, and drawing people, something she says has always stayed with her. Sara also opens up about the tension at the center of her work: growing up Afghan American in a culture where modesty was expected and desire was not something you put on a canvas. She's clear that she can only speak from her own experience — while being direct that curiosity about the body, yearning, and intimacy is what pulls her to make work. As she puts it, she "alchemizes" those feelings onto canvas. She talks about where she and her work intersect — her answer is that they don't diverge. She exists in her creativity. And she talks about the music and television that gave her a sense of freedom growing up — Busta Rhymes, the visual wildness of 90s music videos — and how that shaped her sense of what art could look like. And she closes with advice for artists that is direct: focus on your work, focus on your voice, and don't water it down for anyone. Photo courtesy of subject The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    Sara Diani on Painting, Desire, and Being an Afghan American Artist

  3. 4d ago

    RUBY/DAKOTA'S Hannah Studnick on Art Being Fun, The TV Glow Sees Me at Ipso Facto in Hudson NY

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, I'm joined by poet, gallerist, and founder of RUBY/DAKOTA Hannah Studnick. About Hannah Studnick: Hannah Studnick is an impossibly young and beautiful poet, as well as the founder of RUBY/DAKOTA, a tiny but mighty nomadic gallery born out of New York City's East Village. She believes art should be fun, and that people should buy more of it. Hannah introduces herself and her work for listeners who may be meeting her for the first time — walking through 13 years in reality TV production, which she credits for building her instincts around communication, rejection, and efficiency. She talks about how that background eventually pointed her toward art dealing and how RUBY/DAKOTA grew from there into nearly 20 shows and one official fair. We get into the October show at Ipso Facto in Hudson, NY — The TV Glow Sees Me, inspired by the 2024 film — which digs into our relationship with technology. The show opens October 17th and features work by Caslon Bevington, Jackson Daughety, Mina DeVore, Jesse Morsberger, and Allyson Packer. Every Sunday the show is open, Ipso Facto runs their weekly party Slippery from 4–8pm — DJ, food, open to the public. On October 24th at 7pm, we're screening Bad Actor by Allyson Packer. Hannah also shares details on the Miami art fair Clandestina, December 3–5, where Ruby/Dakota will be showing in a hotel model format. We met at Spring/Break Art Fair, and this conversation picks up from there. Hannah also mentions her poetry collection Bad on Purpose, out on Sunflower Station Press. Be sure to follow RUBY/DAKOTA on Instagram Photo courtesy of subject The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    RUBY/DAKOTA'S Hannah Studnick on Art Being Fun, The TV Glow Sees Me at Ipso Facto in Hudson NY

  4. 6d ago

    Lauren Ashlee Messina on Dance, Community, and Creative Confidence

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, host Rob Lee welcomes back Lauren Ashlee Messina for a returning visit to the podcast! About Lauren Ashlee Messina: Award-winning choreographer and community builder based in New Orleans, founder of skool.com/dance — the original and largest multi-style dance community on the Skool platform — and a longtime connector of dancers to one another and to resources. Lauren returns to the podcast and reintroduces herself and her work for new listeners, catching Rob up on where life has taken her since they last sat down together in person — including nearly nine years now rooted in New Orleans after growing up in Springfield, Illinois. We get into her work as a choreographer, from acclaimed presentations at the New York Jazz Choreography Project and 92nd Street Y to performing arts residencies at the Contemporary Arts Center New Orleans and the New Orleans Museum of Art, and how she continues to make site-specific and outdoor work a central part of her practice. Messina also opens up about the origins of skool.com/dance — tracing the idea all the way back to a grad school vision of building an app to connect dancers in graduate programs — and how finding the Skool platform finally gave her the container she needed to make that community real. She reflects on how the group has evolved over the years and what it means to build a space where dancers of all levels can find connection, resources, and room to grow. She also speaks honestly about what it costs to be a dancer — financially, physically, and in terms of time and sacrifice — and shares her perspective on self-belief: not as something that arrives with certainty, but as something built by pushing through failure, again and again. Be sure to connect with Lauren Ashlee Messina on Instagram and YouTube at Lauren Ashlee Messina, and find her dance community at skool.com/dance. Photo courtesy of subject The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    Lauren Ashlee Messina on Dance, Community, and Creative Confidence

  5. Oct 7

    Rée the Interdisciplinarian on Impact Producing, Education, and Baltimore

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, the guest is Rée the Interdisciplinarian! About Rée the Interdisciplinarian: Originally from Los Angeles, she holds a BA in fine art and an MFA in filmmaking, with a teaching background spanning multiple countries. She now works as an impact producer and is based in Baltimore, where she lives at the intersection of education and media. Rée joins the podcast and introduces herself and her work for listeners who may be meeting her for the first time — walking through the path from fine art graduate to film school in Baltimore, to teaching English in South Korea for about eight years, and into impact producing, which she describes as building audiences and communities for filmmakers and media makers. We get into HOMEWORK, her MFA thesis web series, which she wrote to document her anger at systems that prioritize profit over morals. Raised by a single immigrant mother who outsourced her upbringing to public schools, Rée set out to indict those systems — episode by episode — covering the school-to-prison pipeline, the medical industry, food systems, and more. Rée also talks about Home Room, her podcast — nearly a hundred conversations in — which she describes as a human-centered design research project on what is and isn't working in education. She started it during the pandemic to reach people across the world, then moved back to Baltimore to focus on the city's stakeholders, and is now developing it into a documentary series. She also shares news of her first children's book — wordless and image-based — funded by a small grant and due out in November, designed so that the reader collaborates with the images to make the story their own. Be sure to follow Rée on Instagram at @theinterdisciplinarian and follow her Home Room podcast at @homeroomed on Instagram. Photo courtesy of subject The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    Rée the Interdisciplinarian on Impact Producing, Education, and Baltimore

  6. Oct 6

    Maryland Humanities Alexandra Cenatus on Public Humanities, Haitian Food, and Community

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, the guest is Alexandra Cenatus! About Alexandra Cenatus: PhD student in the language and literature program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, director of programs at Maryland Humanities, and commissioner at the MD250 Commission. Her work spans public humanities, food studies, and Haitian cultural history. Alexandra joins the podcast and introduces herself and her work for listeners who may be meeting her for the first time, walking through just how many roles she holds at once — and why each one connects to the others. We get into her doctoral dissertation on Haitian food ways, which examines the cultural, social, and historical dimensions of food within Haitian communities — exploring everything from pre-colonial food histories and the legacies of slavery and sugar cane production to the deeply communal meanings embedded in how Haitian people gather and eat together. Cenatus also opens up about her work at Maryland Humanities, including a new initiative she designed called the Civic Moonshine project — a youth engagement program with three components: field trip funding for middle schools, an essay contest for high schoolers to envision Maryland's next fifty years, and civic panels at community colleges. She also reflects on co-authoring the Haitian American Dream Timeline, a digital humanities project chronicling Haitian immigration to the U.S., and what that work taught her about archiving, the gaps she found in the historical record, and going outside of the archive to bring in the voices and experiences of Haitian immigrants. Be sure to connect with Alexandra Cenatus on LinkedIn and visit Maryland Humanities at mdhumanities.org to learn about their programs, grants, and how to get involved. Photo courtesy of subject Learn more about Alexandra's work with Maryland Humanities The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    Maryland Humanities Alexandra Cenatus on Public Humanities, Haitian Food, and Community

  7. Sep 26

    Actor, Author, and Artist Victoria Rowell on her MICA Exhibition 'A Woman Becomes...'

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, accomplished actress, artist, writer, director, and New York Times bestselling author Victoria Rowell is here! About Victoria Rowell: Victoria Rowell is a multi-disciplinary creator widely known for her television roles on Diagnosis Murder and The Young and the Restless. Driven by an innate love of movement and a childhood immersed in the arts by her foster mother, she has built a dynamic creative life spanning classical ballet, acting, and independent filmmaking. She is the artistic force behind "A Woman Becomes," a solo photography exhibition at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) exploring the timeline between girlhood and womanhood, as well as the invisible strengths of the female anatomy. In my conversation, Victoria revisits how her early years on a working farm in Maine and a pivotal ballet scholarship shaped her resilience in the face of the entertainment industry's hustle. She walks through her transition from classical ballet into television — and why maintaining a diverse "bouquet of friends" is exactly what is needed to navigate the highs and lows of a creative life. Victoria gets into the experience she is crafting with "A Woman Becomes..." — expanding beyond standard photography in favor of incorporating mixed media, found street objects, and inherited items like rosary beads that honor her foster mother, Agatha. She speaks to how a chance drive past MICA led to a partnership with the institution, giving her exhibition a home that matches the artistic vision she has been building toward. Be sure to follow Victoria Rowell on Instagram at @victoriarowell to stay up with her work. For everything regarding Victoria Rowell: A Woman Becomes…, running from September 25th through October 11th, visit the Maryland Institute College of Art website and check out the show notes for more details. The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

    Actor, Author, and Artist Victoria Rowell on her MICA Exhibition 'A Woman Becomes...'

  8. Sep 23

    Festival Producers Keith Dukes III and Tony Diallo on Pixal Fest 2026 DMV Short Film Festival

    In this episode of The Truth In This Art, Pixal Fest producers Keith Dukes III and Tony Diallo are back! About Keith Dukes III and Tony Diallo: Keith Dukes III is an aspiring filmmaker, storyteller, and founder of Pixal Fest Short Film Festival and Pixal Neon LLC, based in the DMV. Driven by a passion for connecting people through story, he has built Pixal Fest into a community-centered event that pushes well beyond industry standard — curating films from creators met through social media, the workforce, and personal collaboration. Tony Diallo is the marketing and operations force behind Pixal Neon and Pixal Fest, handling event promotion, graphics, and the overall experience leading up to show day. Together, they are three years into building something that is equal parts film festival, creative hub, and community movement. In our conversation, Keith and Tony revisit how Pixal Fest grew from a scrappy idea into an annual fixture in DC's creative scene, and what it means to build a space where filmmakers and appreciators alike genuinely feel welcome. Keith walks through how the festival's selection process is rooted in spotting raw genius over polished resources — and why getting to people before they go mainstream is exactly the point. Keith and Tony get into the experience they're crafting on show day — refusing the standard black-screen-between-films format in favor of something fully immersive and themed — and how a Pixal Fest magazine is keeping the community connected long after the festival ends. Tony speaks to how their relationship with the Miracle Theatre has given Pixal Fest a home that matches the vision he and Keith have been building toward. You may recall Keith and Tony's first conversation on The Truth In This Art — I encourage you to go back and check it out to witness their growth. Be sure to follow Keith Dukes III on Instagram at @500milesperhour.dukes and Tony Diallo at @Tony_Diallo_ to stay up with their work. For everything Pixal Fest, visit PixalNeonLLC.com and follow @PixalNeon across platforms. Pixal Fest returns to the Miracle Theatre on Saturday, September 26, 2026 from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM at 535 8th Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Whether you're a filmmaker, a film lover, or just curious — come pull up and be part of the community. The Truth In This Art is supported by William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, the Maryland State Arts Council's Creativity Grant and Mayor's Individual Artist Award - Creative Baltimore Fund (Baltimore).  Host: Rob LeeMusic: Original music by Daniel Alexis Music with additional music from Chipzard and TeTresSeis.Production: Produced by Rob Lee & Daniel AlexisEdited by Daniel AlexisShow Notes courtesy of Rob Lee and TransistorPhotos: Rob Lee photos by Vicente Martin for The Truth In This Art and Contrarian Aquarian Media.Guest photos courtesy of the guest, unless otherwise noted.Support the podcast The Truth In This Art Podcast Fractured Atlas (Fundraising): https://www.fracturedatlas.orgThe Truth In This Art Podcast Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thetruthinthisart.bsky.socialThe Truth In This Art Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truthinthisart/?hl=enThe Truth In This Art Podcast Website: https://www.thetruthinthisart.com/The Truth In This Art Podcast Shop: Merch from Redbubble ★ Support this podcast ★

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4.8
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About

The Truth In This Art with Rob Lee is a Baltimore-based arts and culture podcast where independent journalist Rob Lee goes beyond the highlight reel to uncover the truth behind the work—the creative process, the choices, and the stories that shape the people who make it. This podcast features thoughtful conversations with emerging and established photographers, filmmakers, designers, musicians, chefs, writers, and other creative voices. Each episode explores how artists build sustainable practices, stay connected to their communities, and create work that reflects the world around them. More than interviews, these are stories about what it takes to build a creative life—the challenges, choices, and experiences that make art matter. For makers, culture lovers, and the creatively curious

Information

  • Creator
    Rob Lee
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    967
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2019 - 2026 Copyright of this audio content is owned by Contrarian Aquarian
  • Show Website
    The Truth In This Art

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