Skip to content
Artwork for Threads: The Art Exchange

Threads: The Art Exchange

Threads: The Art Exchange

Launched in 2023, Threads: The Art Exchange is an artist development firm + global vehicle elevating artists through strategy, story, and expansive reach.  

Over the course of two seasons + special episodes, the audio component of our platform features a wide range of discussed art-related topics and interviews with artists, curators, educators, art collectors, and art directors. We offer our listeners perspectives on collaboration, culture, and insight into the art sector through a multicultural lens. With a continuous commitment to steer innovative programming, artist engagement, and visual storytelling, Threads is dedicated to shaping the next generation of artists and creatives. 


Threads is hosted by the Creator + Director, Sydney Frakes. 

Play
  • 20 episodes
  • Avg 51 min
  • English
  • August 5 · 51 min

    Know the Rules Before You Break Them

    In this special episode, artist Paul Verdell talks about his path from a kid who continuously drew to becoming an artist who now works almost entirely in abstraction. He started off working in figuration, drawn to capturing people as they sat for him, something close to holding a moment still, like a photograph made by hand, and that same instinct carries into his larger work, which he builds spontaneously, led by shape and material rather than a fixed plan. We get into the foundation his formal training gave him, how he’s built on it in his own direction, the influences that keep pulling at him, from Beauford Delaney to Joe Bradley, and the confidence that came with fully claiming abstraction as his own. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • June 10 · 53 min

    Art as a Lifeline

    In this special episode, Detroit-based art collector and juvenile court referee Leslie Graves invites us into a collecting practice that began as refuge and grew into something far more intentional. For Graves, surrounding herself with art has never been purely aesthetic, it serves as an act of preservation, a record of selfhood, and a quiet form of advocacy for the artists and communities institutions have overlooked. We explore what collecting unlocks beyond the walls of a courtroom, how the relationship between collector and artist carries its own kind of responsibility, and what a life’s worth of acquired work says about the person who chose it. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • March 25 · 55 min

    The Loudest Quiet

    In this special episode, Detroit-based abstract artist Noble Liverpool invites us into a practice where collage becomes more than composition, it becomes a language. For Liverpool, arranging and rearranging fragments is how they sort what won’t stay still, express what words cannot carry, and find sovereignty in a world that has often asked them to be quieter than they are. We explore the emotional life of repurposed materials, what we carry and what we choose to make beautiful, and what it means to create from a place that is finally, fully your own. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • February 18 · 41 min

    Griot Genesis

    In the accompanying episode to the digital exhibition Griot Genesis, this intimate conversation offers a deeper look into Miriam Uhura’s evolving creative practice. Reflecting on her early itch to create and the moment art became not just something she did, but something she was becoming, Uhura speaks candidly about influence, autonomy, and the inner workings of her practice. Together, we explore the themes grounding the exhibition: family as living influence, vulnerability rendered through the intimate gaze, and Black legacy and freedom. From ritual, music as research, and to reclaiming archetypes through a modern griot lens, Uhura shares the stories she carries and the ones still unfolding. Experience the full digital exhibition Listen to the curated Spotify playlist Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • Sep 10, 2025 · 59 min

    The Scientist, The Philosopher, The Muse

    In this soulful episode, artist Madhurima Ganguly invites us into a world where painting becomes more than practice but also a ritual. For Ganguly, art is both a private journal and a divine encounter as a space of healing, surrender, and profound self-discovery. We explore how curiosity guides her, how identity shifts across continents, and how themes of body, ritual adornment, and beauty standards move through her work. Together, we question what it means to define art, how intimacy translates into public reception, and how her creative practice evolves alongside the chapters of life. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • Aug 13, 2025 · 59 min

    Geographies of Becoming

    In this special episode, we are joined by Paloma Núñez-Regueiro to discuss printmaking as both a political act and a personal archive. Born in Peru and raised in Mexico, Núñez-Regueiro reflects on a life shaped by migration, multiplicity, and belonging. Her work, grounded in a rigorous process of research, reading, and intimate interviews, positions printmaking not just as a medium, but as a mode of resistance, repetition, and collective remembrance. Weaving together political memory, diasporic identity, and visual storytelling, the Ann Arbor-based artist speaks on visibility, medium hierarchy, and how theory shapes image. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • Jun 25, 2025 · 53 min

    Syntax Before Grammar

    In this special episode, we are joined by Brazilian-born, New York–based collage artist Edgard Barbosa, whose art practice navigates the intersections of memory, media, and identity. Barbosa reflects on the role of visual language as both a form of personal reckoning and collective dialogue, revealing how his fragmented compositions serve as a response and reflection of his immediate surroundings. Through a nuanced conversation, he shares insights into his methodology, the intuitive construction of imagery, and the urgency of capturing the present moment through layered and textured form. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E12
    Jul 31, 2024 · 2 hr 3 min

    The Alchemy of Artist Mario Moore

    On our season 2 finale we interview Detroit-based artist Mario Moore. Examining social, political, and historical issues, Mario Moore explores black identity and black history through his paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Moore sits down with us to discuss the importance of capturing history through his research process, his artistic influences, and what he wants viewers to take away from his work. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E11
    Jul 10, 2024 · 56 min

    Visual Nuances & Vulnerability

    Working in the realm of lens-adjacent, interdisciplinary approaches, Rachel Elise Thomas' interests lies in older photography and images by critiquing the past and challenging people to think about changing their attitudes towards consumerism and colorism. Thomas sits down with us to discuss being vulnerable within her art practice and viewers walking away learning from her work and even feeling uncomfortable in order for growth. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E10
    Jun 26, 2024 · 57 min

    Mindscape & Mythography

    Working in both traditional and digital art, artist Mark Sarmel’s practice centers around diverse people and cultures. Sarmel sits down with us to discuss providing a voice for the underrepresented and laying the foundation for his own universe for viewers to see themselves through his heroic characters and storylines. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E9
    Jun 5, 2024 · 54 min

    Unraveling the Rules

    Julian Jamaal Jones is a multidisciplinary artist and educator from Indianapolis, Indiana who primarily works with textiles and works on paper. His abstract compositions reflect the black experience, black identity, music, and religion. Jones recently sat down with us to discuss how his upbringing influences his work and how he is redefining quilting through his abstract forms. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E8
    May 8, 2024 · 40 min

    Divine Artistic Expression

    On episode 8, we interview writer, educator, and fiber artist Fatema Haque who discusses the importance of documenting the Bangladeshi American community in Michigan through her hand embroidered portraits and the meditative healing practice of embroidery. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E7
    Apr 24, 2024 · 36 min

     In Art We Trust: When Art Meets Activism

    On this episode we discuss art that addresses injustice and how it has impacted BIPOC communities, culture, and the world at large. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E6
    Apr 3, 2024 · 45 min

    Art: The Healing Elements That Go Unspoken

    On episode 6, we interview artist Marwa Hachem who discusses her experience as an entrepreneur, the role art has played in her motherhood journey, art’s healing nature and her passion for depicting and sustaining a feminine presence in the art world. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E5
    Mar 6, 2024 · 41 min

    Familial Touchstones

    On episode 5, we interview fiber artist Meli Bandera who discusses expanding their family’s legacy through fiber art by blending their Mexican culture with contemporary practices. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E4
    Feb 21, 2024 · 38 min

    The Tale of BIPOC Animation

    You rarely hear about BIPOC artists contributions to the world of animation. On this episode, we discuss the history of animation, including BIPOC artists who helped create some of Disney’s and Pixar’s most beloved films. Additionally, we shed light on current initiatives that support aspiring animators. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E3
    Feb 7, 2024 · 39 min

    Old School Painter’s, Painter

    On episode 3, we sit down with artist Cydney Camp to discuss the power oil paint holds when depicting the black figure. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E2
    Jan 24, 2024 · 38 min

    Food in Your Face

    Do you think art can be used as activism? On this episode, we discuss the impact of global warming and if the recent rise in defacing art has been effective. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S2 · E1
    Jan 10, 2024 · 30 min

    So, What Are You Gonna Do About It?

    We open our second season with reflecting and honoring the lessons that have shed light on the reality of maintaining a platform that promotes unity, the essence of self, and the importance of introspection. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

  • S1 · E11
    May 31, 2023 · 46 min

    The Art Of Storytelling Through Textiles

    On our season one finale, we interview fiber artist, designer, and educator Taylor Childs. Her fiber work (or pieces) explores familial themes and narrates her lived experience as an African American. Discover more on our website and follow us on Instagram!

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes