In this episode of the Ma's House podcast, host Jeremy Dennis speaks with Joshua Allen, the May 2025 resident artist at Ma's House, about their multifaceted career as an artist, community organizer, writer, and public speaker. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Joshua has been an active voice in the arts and activism scene since 2014, passionately advocating for LGBTQIA+ and people of color communities. The conversation explores Joshua's recent two-week residency at Ma's House, where they engaged in creative practices, including a public artist talk and a performance titled 'Waves and Meditation,' delving into themes of ancestral memory, queerness, diaspora, and healing. Joshua shares insights into their artistic process, the importance of rest, and how different environments impact their work. They also discuss the use of performance as a form of activism and the role of stillness and presence in their art. Future projects, including international performances and a year-long residency focused on a mentorship program, are also highlighted. The episode underscores Joshua's vision of a more just, equitable, and joyous world through art and community engagement.

In this episode, we're joined by two brilliant artists and Homebody Fellows: Chisato "Chisa" Hughes and Chris M Yee—both June residents here at Ma's House.

Chisa is a filmmaker whose work asks powerful questions about memory, belonging, and how we relate across time and place. Their debut film Many Moons explored the histories of Chinese expulsions in Humboldt County and the kinships formed between Chinese and Native peoples in the aftermath. Their next project, Behind the Horizon Line, is inspired by poet Etel Adnan and reflects on borders and their lingering shadows.

https://chisatohughes.com/

Chris M Yee is a multidisciplinary artist whose work beautifully deconstructs the human body—not just biologically, but politically and historically. Their sculptural and two-dimensional works explore memory, commodification, and what it means to carry the physical and emotional residue of this world in our skin, our posture, our presence.

https://www.christymyee.com/

Both of these artists are recipients of the Homebody Fellowship, a residency opportunity for QTBIPOC artists based in the Bay Area, supported by the Homebody Fund and the East Bay Community Foundation. We're honored to hold space with them this month at Ma's House.

We're excited to share a brand-new episode of the Ma's House podcast featuring May 2025 resident artist Jake Kimble (Chipewyan/Dënesųłıné), a multidisciplinary artist and curator whose work brings levity and layered meaning to the everyday.

🎧 In this clip, Kimble shares the story behind their unexpected use of paper towels as a print surface for landscape photographs of their homeland in Treaty 8 territory. What begins as a practical material choice unfolds into a poignant reflection on disposability, memory, and home.

This episode dives into Kimble's practice of self-repair, resistance through humor, and how Indigenous artists challenge dominant narratives with a wink, a twist, and sometimes a roll of Bounty.

🌀 Available now wherever you get your podcasts.

#IndigenousArt #MaasHousePodcast #JakeKimble #TwospiritArtist #ContemporaryIndigenousArt #PhotographyWithPurpose #ArtAsResistance #EastEndArts #HamptonsArtScene