MoAD’s physical building may be closed due to the mandatory shelter-in-place, but you can still get your fill of art and artists of the African Diaspora. Each Wednesday at 1:00 pm PST, join MoAD staff members as we visit some of our favorite artists in their studios to see what they’re currently working on and how their work is changing as a result of the quarantine. This is a rare opportunity to hear from artists directly from their studios. We will follow all talks with an audience Q&A.

‍Nate Watson currently lives and works in San Francisco as an artist, designer, and the Executive Director of the Bayview arts non-profit Public Glass. His work investigates a range of issues from equity and privilege to materiality and labor, but always with a focus on practical applications in addressing complex social issues. Before pursuing his graduate degree at the California College of Arts in 2004, Nate received a BA in history from Centre College and was awarded grants from the Rhode Island Foundation, and the Rhode Island Council For the Arts for his work concerning immigration and craft.

Nate has lectured and taught nationally as a visiting artist at the Massachusetts College of Art, Centre College in KY, UC Fullerton, San Francisco State University, and at conferences addressing issues surrounding arts education, youth programming and social justice. In 2012 Nate co-founded Light A Spark, a glass focused arts program that provides rare opportunities and resources for youth in the underserved communities of San Francisco.

His visual work, often formed by constructed architectural interventions and poetic imagery, has been the subject of exhibitions at the Noma Gallery and Refusalon in San Francisco, POST in Los Angeles and numerous surveys of contemporary artist using glass as an element in their practices.

Generous support for this series provided by the Westridge Foundation.

This series is supported by the Facebook Art Department, UNTITLED, Art Fairs and The Art Report.