For the latest episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Joe Scotland, director of Clapham-based arts organisation, Studio Voltaire. Born in Coventry in 1978, Joe initially trained as an artist, studying textiles at Goldsmiths, but he soon became less interested in making art, and more interested in making space for it. Joe joined Studio Voltaire in 2003 and became director in 2010. Since then, the organisation has become one of the most respected visual art non-profits in the country, with shows by legends like Phyllida Barlow and Anthea Hamilton to breakout names like Danielle Braithwaite-Shirley. Joe looks back on childhood, where art didn't play a big role, but an early drag experience saw him come into his own, being confronted by issues of class in his early career and overcoming intense shyness. Joe has seen Studio Voltaire through 22 years of immense change, from its 2021 overhaul and increasing fundraising challenges, to a milestone show by Beryl Cook and Tom of Finland, who Joe now dubs his "queer parents". In 2023, he was awarded an MBE for services to the arts, a surreal moment that he never imagined for himself. In lieu of advice, Joe offers a refreshingly frank take on the economic climate for artists now. "Not to be a Debbie Downer, but a lot of the stuff that I've benefited from or has enabled all this to happen either doesn't exist or is being reduced. If I was the same person from the same family background growing up now, I would not be where I am. It's so difficult now and it doesn't feel like it's being properly addressed. For artists and creatives wanting to get into the industry now, it's so fucked. " We promised honesty on this podcast, and Joe certainly came through.
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48:24
Naomi Rea
For the latest episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Naomi Rea, the London-based Editor-in-Chief of Artnet News. Naomi has spent the last decade untangling the knots of the global art world – from high-stakes auctions and blockbuster exhibitions to the stranger corners of contemporary culture. Naomi was born in Belfast in 1992 and grew up in Brussels. She studied english literature and philosophy before following her calling to arts journalism, an industry with increasingly few full-time and freelance opportunities. “There's a lot of art writing out there, there's not a lot of art journalism,” she says. The conversation offers a candid look into a world that thrives on opacity, the importance of holding power to account and how to balance professional relationships and journalistic integrity. Harriet picks Naomi’s brains on the mysteries of the market and the fine art of pitching ideas to publications. "If you didn't get a response to an idea, pitch another one. At some point, someone is going to like one of your ideas and take a chance on you. I think you really do have to inure yourself to rejection and to being ignored."
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59:06
Harland Miller
For the third episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Yorkshire-born artist and writer Harland Miller. Best known for his darkly comic reimaginings of vintage Penguin book covers, he blends sardonic humour with sharp social commentary. His debut novel Slow Down Arthur, Stick to Thirty, a poignant story about a boy travelling around the North of England with a David Bowie impersonator, laid the foundations for a lifelong interest in storytelling. White Cube gallery, who has represented Harland for over 20 years, describe him as a "raconteur", which we can certainly vouch for after spending three hours with him in the Plaster podcast studio. Harland takes Harriet on path of winding, witty anecdotes from childhood and his early career, to sticking it out as a painter when painting was not de rigueur. "People would ask, 'what do you do?' And I would say, well, I'm a painter. And they would look at you with a mixture of curiosity and pity."
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1:57:30
Bengi Ünsal
For the second episode of Give me a break, Harriet is joined by Bengi Ünsal, director of London’s ICA. Bengi grew up in Turkey, and began her career in music programming. Coming up, she was a self-proclaimed “shy person” with no degree or ‘ins’ in the arts, but eventually proved a knack for finding new talent as an early champion of acts like Muse, St Vincent and Nils Frahm. In 2016, she moved to London to become head of contemporary music at Southbank Centre before taking the top job at the ICA in 2022 (the first woman to do so in over half a century). There, against a backdrop of ever-shifting funding and political challenges, she has transformed the ICA into a hotbed of experimental art, music, film and cross-disciplinary happenings – a place where people want to be, and be seen. Bengi and Harriet discuss everything from begging for jobs and bad bosses to overcoming shyness, going bankrupt and starting over.
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45:41
Pam Evelyn
Getting work in the art industry can be a rough ride, filled with mystery, elitism and BS. Our new podcast, 'Give me a break' hears from those who've made it work their way, often against the odds. Hosted by Harriet Lloyd-Smith, managing editor at Plaster, Give Me A Break is not a career how-to guide; it's a series of honest stories about different paths to success (however that's defined). Spoiler alert: nothing was easy. For episode one, we’re joined by British painter Pam Evelyn. Since graduating from the RCA in 2022, Pam has exhibited internationally, joined Pace gallery, and become a standout of her generation. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing to get here. Pam and Harriet open up about failure and false starts, juggling hospitality jobs, losing confidence and regaining it. Pam Evelyn interviewed by Harriet Lloyd-Smith; Production: Dora DB; Editing and sound: Steven Llewellyn; Image: Pam photographed by Robert Glowacki, courtesy Pace Gallery
Getting work in the art industry can be a rough ride, filled with mystery, elitism and BS. 'Give me a break' hears from those who've made it work their way, often against the odds. Hosted by Harriet Lloyd-Smith, Plaster's managing editor, the podcast is not a career how-to guide; it's a series of honest stories about different paths to success (however that's defined). Spoiler alert: nothing was easy.
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