While she was a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore-based artist and muralist Jaz Erenberg worked on her first community-centered art piece with the homeless population residing along Falls Way.

Then, around graduation, Jaz was part of artist Michael Owen’s HOME Artist Residency. This opportunity allowed her to continue to focus on public art while painting her first mural, a large, quote-filled piece in Highlandtown that centers on the theme of “What is home?”

Today, Jaz is an independent muralist with 25 brightly-colored works throughout Baltimore, including one on the exterior of her home in Upper Fell’s Point. (Photo credit: Amber Kissner)

In this episode, Jaz talks about:

• How she developed her style as an artist and the process behind five of her pieces and projects, including the Highlandtown mural and her work with the East Baltimore Midway neighborhood as a Designer in Residence with the Neighborhood Design Center;
• How she engages communities in her art, how this process has evolved over time, and how her background as a teacher has been an asset in her work;
• The time when she was contemplating leaving teaching to focus on her work as an independent muralist and how she reached this decision;
• What she wishes she knew when she started her business, her advice for other artists, and more.

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Mentioned in this Episode:

• Jaz Erenberg’s website, where you can see photos of her work and to learn about her services, including residential, commercial, and community murals.
• The Designer-in-Residence program at the Neighborhood Design Center

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or listen on my website, follow and get in touch on Instagram (where I am most active), like on Facebook, or email webuiltthislifepodcast@gmail.com (but getting in touch through IG DM is better!)!