Bad at Sports Episode 880: Cesar Lopez and Sam Hann

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It is an amazing another episode of your favorite contemporary art talk podcast.

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This week, Bad at Sports from Kansas City.

This week is part of an ongoing kind of residency we did at Charlotte Street Foundation.

It was...

This set of conversations was really curated and often co-chaired by Amy Klegman and Kimi Kitada.

And this week, we hit up Cesar Lopez and Sam Hahn.

The...

Part of the...

Board at Plug Projects and Plug Gallery in Kansas City and the brains behind Curious and Curiouser.

And we talk about their own individual practices and how artists hustle.

Are you ready for this, Brian?

Let's do it.

Y'all ready for this?

Welcome to Bad at Sports.

My name is Duncan McKenzie, and I almost said I'm trapped in Kansas City, but I'm not really trapped in Kansas City.

I came down here because I had a glorious invite from my friend Amy, and she is the ED at Charlotte Street.

And she said, hey, would you come down and talk to some art writers?

And I said, I will if you curate a set of conversations for me while I'm down there with great Kansas City-based artists who will give us a sense of the scope and range of practice.

And she said, hey, would you come down and talk to some art writers?

And I said, I will if you curate a set of conversations for me while I'm down there with great Kansas City-based artists who will give us a sense of the scope and range of practice.

That are going on in Kansas City.

And, yes, it can't be encyclopedic, but, like, we want to see the sides and see some of the players and get to know a little bit from afar, from our seat in Chicago.

What's going on down there?

And now she's in the room.

She refuses to be on mic.

I have asked her several times, so it's her own fault that she's denying you her brilliance, but that's how it goes.

And now...

I should mention it is a hot day in which we are cruising through hot studios and studio buildings in Kansas City, which has been beautiful.

Like this old industrial infrastructure in Kansas City that's been converted to artist spaces and studio spaces.

But it is a little hot, so you may actually be able to hear us sweat, friends.

But right now we are in the studio of Cesar Lopez and Sam Hahn.

Sam, welcome to the show.

Hi.

Cesar, welcome to the show.

What's up?

So you guys are my favorite type of artist because it feels like you're rocking an art life where everything is kind of everything and it's art all the time.

So whether you're in your studio, somebody else's studio, this or that gallery, pulling shows together.

And I totally admire it.

That's great.

I feel like you're doing absolutely the right thing.

That is living the dream.

Yeah, it is art all the time.

Like literally all the time.

Which, I mean, I could be a little relentless, I suppose.

But also sounds like delightful.

Most of the time it is delightful.

This week we had a lot of studio time and the week before was like intense install.

So not a lot of studio time.

So like I'm like, I feel good about having art all the time right now.

Yeah.

In the early days of our project, I would talk about it like being at the circus.

And if you're at the circus, why would you ever want to leave the circus?

But then the moment you step out of the circus, you're like, holy smokes, that was intense.

But while you're in it, it's just kind of awesome all the time.

Yeah.

It becomes like very inspiring or like fulfilling in a different way.

So as we, as we dig in to how you guys pursue all this stuff, do you guys want to start

with some of the projects that you're involved on with on the outside?

Or do you want to start from your practice and move out to those projects?

Yeah, I think we can start with the practice.

Really, it all started with the practice.

We graduated from the Art Institute in 2019 from painting and really at its core, it was

knowing that there was other individuals who were just as committed to their practice as

we were.

And really at the core, that's why we're like artists first.

We're very like people oriented.

Because really, we know there are other people sweating in their studios right now, you

know, in their bandsaw or painting away, like doing the exact same thing we are.

And because we know it and respect it and understand it, that's really why we are so

artist centric.

So I am stuck in your, you guys, the studio is sort of shared and it seems like it's on

it's on the horse or on the diagonal.

And on one side, there is a grid.

Of sculptural objects that are kind of accumulating into sculptures of geometric forms that kind

of break out.

And on the other side, there is a series of paintings that are look a little bit like

like pattern building or playing a game with a limited number of forms that sort of mask

over a a how do I say this?

A sort of painterly ground, right?

They that the sort of shifting painterliness.

The background and then this imposed sort of order happens on top of them and acts as

a screen to that more painterly base.

So whose whose work is whose?

I don't want to I don't want to make any assumptions.

And but I do think that it's interesting that both practices reflect this kind of like logic

of like a single unit accumulated into different forms and the way that the shapes can play

out.

And if the spaces they can generate.

Yeah, so I'm the painter, I make the paintings and Cesar makes all the sculptural work, but

he's also a painter.

So he gets credit in that sense.

He just says right now making sculptures.

So so tell me about the paintings and Sam.

So they're derived from an equation that I developed.

And so the as you were saying, like there's symbols.

And they kind of become a pattern there.

There's a probability of the order that occurs.

So it is like literally playing a game to produce the images.

Yeah.

And how do you describe the images that did I do an adequate job?

How did you?

Yeah.

Because it's it is just like flipping like the the V shape around to make the symbols and a diamond.

So yeah, it is really just and they they kind of have a feeling like they refer to kind of textile production.

And and the way you kind of.

accumulate those marks and the way that those patterns unfold yeah the origin of like the

structure of the patterns is from like a quilt or a um the grid that's made of triangles that

i can't think of right now but uh and so that's where like the symbols are derived from are from

quilt patterns and it's also from like a mathematical theory about communication too

so you know bridging those gaps

which makes i mean i don't know sorry i was jumping into that kind of craft space where

you're thinking about like the relationship between um mathematically derived aesthetic

experience and the kind of formulations that lie in the background and and that kind of

different ways that that work twists depending on its output yeah so caesar tell me about the

sculptures yeah so a lot of the

a lot of the research that sort of leads to this body of work has been centered around and let me

show you an image uh if you saw them on your way in some of these sort of larger globe-like

sculptures so i've been working on uh developing a way to describe a sphere as a placeholder for

a globe uh so much of the research is looking at a type of modularity that can lead to different

forms uh sometimes they're square sometimes they're spheres and so and

even when they're incomplete they sort of like give you a chunk of the a chunk of the globe so to

speak uh so much of that is is constructed with aluminum and you can see it here sometimes it's

painted also painted on the inside and allows for a lot of options even within the same regimented

uh sculpture work when they're really similar you can even just look at i'm looking at the

varieties and differences that you can get from a limited system and they're um they're kind of

like legos they're really fun

and and really at its core it's a lot of play like you kind of like build these industrial toys

and sort of play and and look at what shapes and forms you can derive and seeing like which

one is interesting and which one is allowing uh you know giving you more and more of a narrative

to to work with right now the way they're installed it's it's it feels they're i probably

like a little bit more space in between them but you know for storage reasons i'm also really

liking seeing them like this yeah it

thinking about the ones that that we saw on the way in they they describe a globe but the globe

is the negative space in the center right so they take uh they look like the framing of a landmine

really like or a sea mine like an underwater sea mine where you if your boat touches any of the

prongs it goes boom um but there is nothing in its center right so it's it's sort of describing

a negative there that's right um yeah yeah and so what i what i've been thinking about in developing

those and there's maybe about three versions of the globe that i've been thinking about and there's

of the of the same sculpture but it really is articulating a space with a little bit with as

few material as possible as a way of um of taking up space and creating that space without

necessarily using mass in my work i've been researching and looking into how to talk about

a type of loss and so like how can you describe something that's invisible like a different

homeland or a different globe in a sense and i say that with air quotes right but really how can

you describe a different homeland or a different place that is something that's invisible and

sometimes an interior space or derived from from my memory and so like it has to be kind of ghostly

or empty in a sense and and i what i like to describe is sort of the negative in finding the

space that's can be articulated without it being like said in form and i say that again with in

air quotes like how can you say without form and by enveloping the space i hope that it has some

of that energy yeah or a new potency is is described in that that negative yeah

so so coming out of you guys's studio how so what let's start with curious and curiouser

because it's a phrase i use all the time and i love it uh what is curious and curiouser

and how does it work yeah so it's a uh it's a space we started in 2018 so we graduated from

school in 2019 so we started a junior year in school and it really was just going and finding

a place where we could put on shows at that moment and we were able to do a lot of things

as we said in the beginning our peers were other students and we were showing their thesis projects

and you know whatever they were ready to show and simultaneously we were both working at different

parts of the the school to pretty much to develop those skills i worked at the h&r block art space

and same work in the painting department yeah i was the curatorial assistant and so

we like had all the knowledge of like the not fun parts of running a gallery space of like

let's call them the administrative yeah but also like how do you make a file to cut vinyl was

already known how do you make postcards was already known how do you do a pr thing how do

you do like all of that stuff we already knew how to do and so then it just became oh well we have

all these skills there's this weird office space and so and there's not really that many spaces for

students to show or recent grads to show because it was like a

lull in the kansas city art scene and we had the knowledge to be able to do it and so it was kind

of like let's do the thing that we know how to do um and yeah it really just started from there

and snowballed to now being two gallery spaces on sixth street in kansas city kansas and

we're still doing it and so what is curious and curious our show is it any it's a

the owls from wonderland right yeah uh currently it's well so we have a shipping container space

that's more of a project space uh it normally has more of an installation type aspect to it and then

we have a larger gallery space which is like a storefront pretty much and that's more of like

a traditional show space most of the time uh but who we show ranges a lot from like national

like people that are in academic positions to like local recent graduates so it really does

range and how do you how do you guys curate that program open call or invite or how does it work

most of the time it's open call there's we have a mural space on the back of the container and

that's normally invite because uh most of the time we don't get proposals for the mural space

oh who do we think fits that mural space the best rad it um is it and in

tell me about the last show you guys did or what's up right now

so the exhibition that's up right now is kelly bernhoff it's called tremors

uh kelly is in the middle of moving from the bay area she was teaching at stanford

to utah i don't remember what town to teach at a different school

and we have a ton of sand in the container with speakers underneath

that take the data of local seismic activity and change it into sound and so then you feel

the vibrations of the speakers under your feet when you walk on the sand literally recreating

the seismic activity yeah so that's currently what's in the container right now and then in

the larger gallery is also kelly's work with a bunch of burnishing drawings of trees and

flags of endangered species and a video piece so yeah that sounds rad it's really cool so

how i'm gonna this is this is a tragic dad moment i apologize but how did you guys then

plug into plug gallery i think there was a um so we were doing that show we were kind of

really no one actually like looked at me i think there was a um so we were doing that show we were

like no one in the room even balked at that pun like every founder and two members

yeah it's everybody was just like meh whatever yep plugged into plug i get it clever clever boy

really you just let it pass all right fine anyway back to plug yeah there was an open call but

really at that time things were a little slow because of uh things were beginning to open up

i don't remember it's probably late 2021 or something like that so things were really quiet

there wasn't that much activity and really with our plans we've got a pretty good hold of what

we're doing that we've we are just really like gluttons for punishment we just really were like

yeah we got this yeah we could do another space yeah another one yeah do it throw it on throw it

on my plate and really it's just like i think we do it so much like last year what year are we 23 22

and they were small and compact but really it's like after doing that like the beatles played in

was it in in germany before they came to the u.s like over and over again it was like that and

then it's like okay yeah we got it throw that on my plate i'll do this i'll do this and then so

yeah but but also plug does have other members so it's not just us doing the thing so that also

helps it's so tell me a little bit about plug for those of us outside of kansas city right now so

Like, pretend Amy's not here and just tell us the story of Plug.

Yeah, Amy should tell the story.

Who can say it better?

Amy, do you want to tell the story?

I can set you up to tell the story.

We very rarely do.

All right, Amy is going to radically approach the mic.

Oh, God.

Struggle is real, Fred.

There is a Bad at Sports podcast from I don't know when back in the day that talks about Plug.

Like, way back.

So, I mean, Plug started as a curatorial collaboration.

There were five of us.

Was it 12 years ago?

I don't even know.

I'm like, so long ago.

Yes.

Just a blink in the eye of a great art project.

Oh, my God.

Long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Plug Project started in the West Bottoms.

And it was five people then.

And two of them were me and my husband, Misha Kligman.

And then there was Corey Emig and Nicole Mouser.

And also Caleb Taylor.

And so the five of us started this space.

And it was about, like, being artists with wanting to work with other artists.

And that was really all it was.

And we made it a point to show other people's work.

And we were interested in the relationship between the Kansas City art scene and the national and regional art scene.

And, yeah, like, similar to what, like, Sam and Cesar have already said.

It was just kind of about, like, we like being around other artists all the time.

And we wanted to kind of do that.

And we wanted to do that in a way that showed their work and celebrated their work.

And there were programs.

It wasn't just exhibitions.

We had crit nights and film, like, a film series.

When Caitlin Horseman came along a year later, she started a film series with us.

And anyway, it was that then.

And it has evolved since.

I was involved for about four years.

And then moved on to Charlotte Street and really haven't been a part of it since.

So it's had a couple of different iterations of members.

The goal of it was.

That whoever came in had the artistic agency to shape what it becomes.

So it has its move spaces and people a lot since then.

So how do you guys update the story?

So Amy's there.

There's five people.

They're founding.

They're structuring it.

And more and more humans come in.

And the space moves.

When's the space move?

And what is it like now?

It moves in spring of 2020.

Like, right as lockdown happens, pretty much, it moves.

Or, like, right after lockdown stops, it moves.

Sam, don't defer to Amy.

I saw you look over to her for confirmation.

Well, I know she helped move stuff.

So that's why I was like, I just needed a nod.

Pretend she's not here.

So rent increased at the West Bottoms location.

And it was changing members at the time.

And then COVID also happened.

And so Plug had no space for about a year.

And did fundraising still.

And then got a new space east of downtown in Kansas City, Missouri.

And now has a gallery within a studio space art center building that's over there.

And it also became a non-for-profit during that time.

To also help with fundraising and grants.

And how many people run it now?

Is it still five?

A pentavarate?

As of right now, yeah.

Although there is no, from what I understand, there is no limit.

It's just like, it grows.

It grows and it becomes, you know, smaller at times.

Especially when there's a changeover.

So as of right now, our term will be over in November.

And you can re-up if you want.

And again, it's really, like Amy said earlier, you just kind of turn it into whatever you want, in a sense.

And sort of like, you kind of get a cohort.

And you look at it and be like, well, what are we all interested in?

Where are we all coming from?

And so it kind of develops into that.

Even before us, the previous group of people did a lot of solo shows.

Whereas one of the things that we decided to do was, let's just be more like local-centric and group-show-centric.

And especially, we were coming out of COVID.

And I mean, and I think that's a big part of it.

When I say coming out, again, just like, it's not over, maybe.

I do feel like we're still coming out, whatever that is.

But like, ultimately, we just want to be like, well, right now, maybe let's tend to that sort of need.

And just address the situation that we didn't see a lot of people for a minute.

And I think group shows can do that.

People get excited about participating.

And also like, yeah, just like get the party going, in a sense.

Or get the activity going in the city.

Just, you know, meeting people, studio visits.

Even we did a show, or we are going to do a show of all of the members, or all of the residents of the Agnes.

And, you know, and we've also curated a group exhibition at the top of this year.

And there was just like people in our building.

And it was kind of a fun game.

Like, what was it?

A curatorial telephone?

Yeah, so we played a curatorial telephone for our first exhibition of this year.

Where all of the members would select one person.

And so like, I would select you.

Right?

I know, I'm honored.

I'm honored to be selected.

Do I get to select?

These are, what if I select Amy?

Well, no.

So like, I would like pick your artwork, right?

Okay.

And I would get an image of the artwork that I want for this exhibition.

And then I would send it on to Amy as the next person in the telephone.

And from just that piece, Amy would select whatever piece that she would want to curate next from that piece.

And then Amy would only send her piece that she selected onto the next.

Yeah, you get this like mysterious text at night.

And it's just like an image of a piece of art.

And like, oh, it's time.

Game on.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So what did the show look like?

Did it feel like a coherent, kind of individually like coherent, well-described kind of idea?

Or did it feel like a game of telephone where like, it starts with like, the purple rose at midnight and ends with like, Ryan Reynolds is fucking hot.

I think it became a little bit more abstract.

As it went, but it definitely still was like, had a coherent energy to it.

I don't know what I would say the theme is.

Yeah, I think it had like a sort of like, maybe honestly, in resonance with some of our studio practice, a sort of like rhizomatic growth, sort of like visual and like conceptual thread across where there was these from landscapes to flower paintings to installations that were very like,

you know, kind of open and thread like, and even like a video piece, which is about like drawings of drawings of a plant growing, but you were looking at cross sections.

So it had a really interesting, interesting theme.

You know, again, if we do it again, I'd hope, I'd be curious to see what would happen.

But again, in our, in our sort of like authorship, we decided to turn it into a game to sort of like get activity going at the top of this year.

Did you guys install it?

So I'm kind of curious about the exhibition.

And I was like,

did you guys install it linearly?

So like, we could kind of play along with it.

And how, how apparent was the logic to the viewer?

Yes, we did install it so that it was like in order of the pieces being selected.

I think that it wasn't like, oh, someone sent me a flower painting.

So now I'm going to do a flower sculpture.

Like it wasn't that direct of like a telepathy.

It wasn't like a telephone.

Like it was more.

I suppose in a weird way, I'm asking because like most of the artists I know would immediately try and subvert it.

Oh, yeah.

Like somebody sent me a flower painting.

So I sent a monochromatic, like just purple to the next person.

And then the next person is like, this is just a color swatch, man.

And then they're like, I'm looking for a photo that has that color in it.

And then the next person is like, why did you send me a photo of an honor guard?

Like what's going on over here?

And yeah, I mean, like for an example, like Caesar selected a flag that was looked like a flower bouquet, like one that you would get at the grocery store.

Like it had like a plastic fabric on top.

And from there, I selected a like knotted textile piece, but it was all dyed with natural dyes.

So it's still like it was all dyed with flowers.

So I was doing more of like a material.

So you did.

Artists gonna art.

I like it.

All right.

Okay.

So what and what is Plug doing now?

Where did it get relocated?

And how are we?

How are we curating towards the future?

And you were counting on your fingers.

It's not a pentabrit or is it seven?

How many humans are?

I think it's six humans.

I don't even know.

I don't know.

It's five or six.

On any given day.

I mean, that's like, that's how we do the math about it.

Sports pretty loosely.

We're like, man, like seven of us now.

I think is that person still active?

And then you're like, is that person just a permanent guest?

I don't know.

Can be tricky.

But then don't you guys also do a series of itinerant collaborative project or like collaborative curatorial projects that aren't necessarily located in those two gallery spaces?

Like how?

How do you?

How do you guys keep all this stuff together?

Oh, so, well, there was the sites project that we did.

Right.

When.

I don't even.

It was like November 2021 was the first sites project, which was all of the local artists run galleries at the time or part of them got together in a park and put our outside for the afternoon with like a park permit.

And to have like a safe.

To look at art at the time.

And like really bring all the community together because it was.

Five galleries, six galleries all showing together.

That's awesome.

I think I think what we mostly did in Chicago during the pandemic was like sit alone at home and drink.

Yeah, it was.

Well, it was that definitely.

And then it became this really nice moment of like people being like, oh, we need.

Community.

We actually need each other.

And it wasn't just like talk, but we actually like met up and then made plans and then executed them.

Nice.

Which was wild.

So.

So I have a few questions about like, I guess, but the community, like, how do you guys economically support all these projects?

So plug gets grants.

So there isn't that much need for our personal economic support.

It's like very.

Very minimal.

And then curious or also gets grants.

We're partnered with a non for profit in that space that helps fund things.

And so it's actually really minimal cost effective wise for us personally.

And those two things.

Yeah, I think that like like you're saying, we we go to our way to like sort of let people know like we can do this, but like we need this.

I think.

Even with all that we're doing, it is the same exact thing.

We're like, OK, call it something.

Get five people in.

Like, do you have some work you'd like to show?

Is it appropriate for you to like bring it over here?

Like, is that an OK ask?

Right.

So like you're kind of working with people's limitations.

And that's really what becomes the opportunity.

I think that obviously, like larger institutions and commercial spaces have budgets and they do this thing, which is great.

Absolutely.

They do that.

But there is still a lot that we can do without it.

I mean, even like the.

How much?

The thing at the park.

Like it was like 50 bucks, maybe 90 bucks.

It was three hundred dollars for the permit.

And then like when you split that among all of the artists run galleries, it was like nothing for us.

Yeah, it was like 30 bucks.

I'm like, OK, can everyone pitch in 30 bucks?

Is that OK?

And they're like, yeah, here you go.

Right.

It's like Venmo.

One guy.

He's going to go do it.

And so like, you know, when you talk to people, I think that's how you can do it.

I think really what it's at its core, what we incur the most is our time.

But we've gotten really efficient.

That installing and we always know what we're going to need.

Right.

Even with being like studio studio artists here, we're constantly doing the same thing, rearranging our space or patching and painting or documenting.

It's all the same.

We just rinse and repeat.

It's the same thing.

And we just we just do it a lot.

Oh, yeah.

Again, one of the other things that's also that we're doing that is a sort of a movement work or sort of like rhizomatic approach at an exhibition.

And La Onda again is a is something that at least the people in the room, something that I do, but also with Kiki Serna, who what we do is we put together exhibitions that center around like Latinx artists.

And typically when when things are going well, what we're really doing is showing new work and cycling out of a larger pool of artists again with the same strategy.

We'll be like, hey, are you available?

Would you be interested?

Is it appropriate to ask you to bring these two things to this?

What we do is like, you know, we'll do the gallery guide and stuff like that.

We have had again in late 2021 and even as early as middle 2021, we were doing exhibitions going from art space, artists from space to artists from space.

We did a couple of like larger venues like nonprofits.

And, you know, we've been able to do when other people like I'm specifically thinking of someone last year who opened the door.

They were the resident at the Crossroads Hotel here.

OK, see, and Rudy invited us into the space.

Rudy was supposed to do and he did an exhibition of just his work.

But he decided that what we're doing is really important to to him and to to what the practice is about.

And so he's like, yeah, how about we just do it for everyone?

And so we did. Right.

We did the same strategy.

We ask everyone, like, are you OK with this?

Would you be interested in participating?

You know, like we'll bring our works and we'll put it up.

Right. And so right now, La Onda is just coming back.

From an opening in in Mexico City.

We did it at a place called in a noise.

It's a gallery and also like sound art space.

Very, very cool space.

We had a friend who lives down there who was part of a couple of our exhibitions.

And we just shipped him some work.

And he was like, yeah, I'll do it.

So Hugo Salada, shout out, Hugo, did us the solid down in Mexico.

So it sounds I mean, it sounds almost utopic.

You guys talk about like they they artists run community and like they the finding enough grant support that like it's not really a burden on artists or your individual economies to kind of do these things and be involved in creating this kind of community.

Is that is that true?

Is Kansas City this really this magic or is it are you guys just this magic?

I don't know.

I mean, there's a sort of grind to it.

For the record, they looked at each other and they were like.

We are kind of fucking magic.

I think you just got to.

I don't know.

I think at its core, it's like we we just do the same thing a lot.

Like it's the same thing.

Just rinse and repeat.

Not to like.

But with all these new artists, all these humans, all this like just being involved in a network that's big enough that can kind of support all those working humans.

The only thing that it costs is time.

Like.

Like every night time, like all the time, time.

So which is what you were talking about in the beginning.

Right.

What it is, it's the work like it's it's all the time.

And so I was I was going to be I was going to be like it's when opportunity and luck meet preparation.

It's like that Seneca thing like that's like, yeah, there's some magic to it.

But it's also like.

Yeah.

I think that that's.

And there's some like it's everyone's situations different of whether or not they can do that.

Yeah.

But I almost like I hear what you're saying with the word magic.

Like I'm here for it, although I'm very much behind like demystifying all this because I think I do want to say just about everyone could do it, but it costs you your time.

Like that's really it.

And the knowledge.

I guess we were.

in the program and we were working at those spaces that are you know institutional in a sense

and like we learned it but no one was like i'm gonna teach you this i just saw them do it and

i was like i'm gonna do it better or i'm gonna steal everything that i'm i'm watching y'all do

and i'm gonna do it but that's uh that's how we build our scenes right like that's that's taking

those things and thinking like i have enough of a surplus that this is what i want to do and i want

to make this thing happen right like that's that's kind of the magic yeah it's also like

finding a way to make things that do take up time to grow the surplus like like i was saying like

being in studio a lot this week i feel really full because my like sometimes people artists

talk about like oh i went to studio and i'm so exhausted or i don't have enough energy to go

to studio which i think is the opposite for us where we've really developed a relationship in

our studio that feeds us and we've really developed a relationship that feeds us and we've really

developed a relationship in our studio that feeds us and we've really developed a relationship in our

and then it's easier for me to go do the other things so it's like also developing a relationship

that's like adds a surplus like mentally energy wise for the time cost and i think that like as a

as a clear example when we got to do the the midway fair last fall when we were in chicago

that the amount of preparation that we had to do like we were we really got into this mindset of

like okay we're gonna do this we need to like we need like two drills we need like like surplus

over prepared sort of mentality we even had a guy in chicago i made a friend and i was like hey

just in case i need paint like i need a guy he's like i got you right so there's a like we're also

like really into it one of the ways in which i've come to describe this to other folks is uh kind of

like like people who like love sports like if you love f1 you're like you know everything about the

drivers and you know every you you know what they for breakfast like this morning right like you

know what kind of bolts are attaching to the car you're yeah like you can get into the minutiae of

the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the of the

of the scene or of the sport or whatever it is that you're really into like people that that

were here for the nfl draft like abit they know just about everything there is to know about all

those players and like where they're going to go and whatever right so like that's that's what it

is for us uh when it comes to this particular scene i just think we're like really into it

and we really like the idea of being like these types of performers

sorry i got uh i got a look i got a little misty eyed and a little nostalgic because

uh because there's so much like i mean for many many years bad at sports was uh yeah like all of our

whole lives and uh and then uh and then i had to watch that fucking draft because my 12 year old

super into football and is one of those kids who was watching the college ranks to try and figure

out who would go where and what the bears might do and i was just like i don't understand this at all

why do you what and yet it's just now it's that's that's part of my life so there was so much in

that that i had to like get like emotionally get around oh i don't i couldn't tell you who

we drafted and i didn't care sorry backs no idea no idea uh the uh it also reminded me that

yesterday when i was running my uh seminar at uh at charlotte street i was like

i've made a couple of patrick mahomes jokes and uh and then i made a joke about how this was like

the only room in kansas city that no one no one cared about patrick mahomes so

the um so so as you guys look forward what we have a few minutes left what's what's next for

all of these projects what's next for your own studios what's what do we see in the future

yeah well i think so so plug has a time base

constraint to it so at some point we'll roll off the board and a different group of folks will go

on and do do something with it which is wonderful i think that the curious project right now we're

probably going to make it much more compact but focus on even more quality i think kind of like

you being here we would like to push the project to be further and further into like a national

identity and when i say national i mean like to be active in in in artists run fairs and be part

of the dialogue i think ultimately we really love what we're doing here and we love supporting the

people here but i think we also like are thirsty to know that there are an entire ecosystem of

folks like for example in chicago right yeah like the midway like the things that that midway has

been doing for years and years i think that's i mean as far as the projects are concerned i think

that's that's we're hopeful you know and hopefully plug will have a different group of people and

they'll do what they're going to do and i think for our studios is going to be a lot more of a

we're just i feel like we're we're always joking like you're seven paintings away from really there

or the other time it's like you're like 10 paint you're like so oh you're like five paintings away

you're almost there or like oh what if you just like you you just gotta solve the joint on the

sculpture and like you'll really be there it's like always you're almost always there

yeah i think yeah i mean the there's a biannual in town of the flat file exhibition

so we have work in that that's open some like

two weeks and i just wrapped up a solo show in new orleans so it's kind of like new painting time

in my life um yeah well thank you both for joining me and i i can't wait to see you at

the next midway fair that's right yeah we'll see you then nice talking to you this week

bad at sports needs to thank brian andrews ryan peter miller jesse malmed

christopher hudgens the team at the visualist terry griffith paul krennic

and you dear listener we'd love to thank you thank you for listening to bad at sports for

this point over 18 years of uh incredible content uh that we've been sharing with you

available at bad at sports.com and occasionally on wlp and 105.5 fm and since he won't do it

let's thank duncan mckenzie thanks thanks ryan you know thanks for thinking of me bud uh this

set of episodes have been brought to you in conjunction with the charlotte street foundation

in kansas city missouri and thanks to amy klugman and kimmy kiriana thanks guys this was fantastic

it's it was good work thanks hi for the first time we're jeff jorgensen

welcome to that

at sports this is a jeff jorgensen joint jeff jorgensen bad at sports

this is jeff jorgensen coming live at you with jesse malmed brian andrews and duncan mckenzie

on bad at sports jeff jorgensen here from the sidelines talking to

jesse malmed brian andrews and duncan mckenzie it is a game for the ages there are

easily five people in the sound booth right now four of them aren't speaking jeff jorgensen the

only one talking the only one with a microphone in his hand what is he gonna do next folks we're

gonna find out just after these messages jeff jorgensen back from these messages

here i am with the mic in my hand one more time what's gonna happen folks

jeffy g yeah that's right

jorgensen spelled with a g soft g jorgensen that's what they used to call me back in the

locker rooms jeff g jorgensen look at that little soft g they'd say jorgensen's jorgensen soft g is

out what's he gonna do with his soft little g where can jorgensen jam that soft little g

how about the front of his last name he sure did folks

he jams it right in there and it fits it fits guys it's a jorgensen slam dunk

bad at sports