First Things First

A tireless advocate for Black artists here in Toronto and abroad, Ken Montague runs the Wedge Collection and a related nonprofit called Wedge Curatorial Projects. We spoke about how his early life stoked his passion for art and culture, his belief in partnership and community building, focusing on expressions of Black joy, and working to change institutions from within.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our patrons. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

Cofounders Andrew Khedoori and Mark Gowing on their egalitarian ethos, emotional sustainability, and the value of curatorial vision in an algorithmic world.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our patrons. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

The multi-hyphenate artist on making music in clubs, seeking technologies that nourish creative endeavors, and bringing along the next generation.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our patrons. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

The founding director and chief curator of the Rivers Institute for Contemporary Art & Thought on a partner-centric model, what’s possible when you take your time and build with community, and Tina Girouard, an under-appreciated artist of the 1960s-era “Louisiana mafia” in New York who has deeply informed Rivers’s work.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our patrons. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

Engineering professor and author Deb Chachra discusses “care at scale,” our energy-abundant future, and her new book How Infrastructure Works: Inside the Systems That Shape Our World.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our patrons. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

Sari Azout, the founder of Sublime, discusses the challenges of today’s information environment, designing for emotions, building software as an “infinite game,” and aiming for resonance, not scale.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our paid supporters. If you enjoy this conversation, consider joining: Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

Writer Drew Austin, author of the newsletter Kneeling Bus, discusses how public spaces are increasingly shaped by digital platforms, how urban planners have struggled to keep up with the pace of change, and how giving people the power to follow through on their desires creates better cityscapes.Read a full episode transcript and access over 100 newsletters and podcast episodes in the Frontier Magazine archives. It’s all available free thanks to our paid supporters. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

Writer, editor, and COVID Tracking Project co-founder Erin Kissane discusses her career trajectory, designing equitable codes of conduct, creating work cultures that prioritize care, the emergence of new social-media platforms, and why “it’s an incredible moment to be working in online design.”Host: Brian SholisAudio production: Heather Ngo Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

First Things First is now The Frontier Magazine Podcast. Our first season of conversations with artists, writers, startup founders, and other creative people begins next week! We’ll be exploring the ideas and ideals that inform their work and the ways that design and creativity accelerate positive change.You’ll hear from Erin Kissane, Drew Austin, Deb Chachra, Sari Azout, Andrea Andersson, and more.Subscribe, tell your friends, and get ready for a season of inspiration. Get full access to Frontier Magazine at magazine.frontier.is/subscribe

Matthew Hickey is a young architect and a partner at the Indigenous architecture firm Two Row, which is located in the Six Nations of the Grand River. Two Row specializes in projects for community organizations and for clients in education and government. In recent years, the company has partnered with national and international firms on projects of increasing scale and civic, cultural, and social importance.In this conversation, Hickey discusses his idea of universal inclusivity, the embrace by settler cultures of Indigenous ways of knowing and being, favorite Two Row projects, and moving beyond star worship in architecture. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit magazine.frontier.is

Farida Abu-Bakare is a young architect with a startlingly wide range of experiences. She has helped design everything from airports and major cultural centers to hospitals and university science labs. She is currently Director of Global Practice at WXY. In this episode, Abu-Bakare discusses her upbringing, working in North America and Africa, progressing through some of the world’s most prominent architecture firms, finding purpose in mentorship, and the importance of joy to designing a better world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit magazine.frontier.is

For the past two decades, Bjarke Ingels, founder of the eponymous architecture firm, has designed forward-thinking and conversation-starting objects, buildings, and master plans across the globe. In this conversation, Ingels talks about the sources of his optimism, creating a “master plan” for the planet, and how important storytelling is to design.   This episode features an edited version of “My Earth” by The Sound Room. The original can be found athttps://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/my-earth-instrumental/TRA-MAS1969 This episode features an edited version of “Water Fragments” by Joel Loopez. The original can be found athttps://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/water-fragments/TRA-JOL0084 This episode features an edited version of “Island 1” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/island-1/TRA-MAS0411 This episode features an edited version of “Glowing Moods” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://stockmusic.net/roy

Barbara Groth has a striking ability to generate positive change. Her new company, The Nomadic School of Wonder, operates at the intersection of nature, art, and community and helps people to be deeply present in the moment, in their thoughts, in their bodies. In this conversation, Groth talks about her groundbreaking early explorations of multimedia design, including work for Disney, IBM, and Apple; the importance of play in our experience of the world; and how end-of-life palliative care led her back to celebrating the marvel of life itself.   This episode features an edited version of “Beautiful Beginnings” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/beautiful-beginnings/TRA-MAS1936 This episode features an edited version of “Dramatic Tension” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/dramatic-tension/TRA-MAS0943 This episode features an edited version of “Island 1” by The Sound Room. The original can

Bruce Mau is a designer who has shaped some of the largest companies in the world, and is now working on even bigger questions, like how to reinvent higher education, the future of Guatemala, and a thousand-year vision for the holy city of Mecca. In this conversation, Mau talks about the origins and themes of his latest book, MC24, and about how inspiration is key to changing the world for the better.   Host: Paddy Harrington Producer: Heather Ngo Editor: Brian Sholis   This episode features an edited version of “Island1” by Thorn1 from the album “The Leave of Leaves.” It was sourced from the Free Music Archive. The original can be found at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Thorn1/The_Leave_of_Leaves/02_-_Thorn1_-_Lorca This episode features an edited version of “Collide” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/collide-inst/TRA-MAS1541 This episode features an edited version of “Smooth Coffee” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://

Alex Honnold is a rock climber best known for his ropeless ascents of the world’s most forbidding rock walls. You might recognize him from the 2018 documentary Free Solo, which awed viewers with his forethought, tenacity, and focus. These qualities drove him to the top of his sport and now underpin the Honnold Foundation, his nonprofit devoted to promoting solar energy for a more equitable world. In this episode of First Things First, we talk about designing your life to achieve your goals, maximizing your impact, and the importance of “delicious” ideas to inspire change.   First Things First is produced as part of Frontier Media. Learn more at www.frontier.is Host: Paddy Harrington Producer and Editor: Max Cotter and Heather Ngo Frontier Media Director: Brian Sholis This episode features an edited version of “Go the Distance” by The Sound Room. The original can be found at https://stockmusic.net/royalty-free-music/track/go-distance/TRA-MAS1441 This episode features an edited version of “Dreaming Floating” b

Cey Adams is a soft-spoken legend. A New York City native, he emerged from the downtown graffiti scene before becoming the creative director of Def Jam Recordings, where he designed for Run DMC, The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z, among others. In this episode of First Things First, we talk about the relationship between art, music, and design, what makes a good client, and the importance of passion. First Things First is produced as part of Frontier Media. Learn more at www.frontier.is Host: Paddy Harrington Producer and Editor: Max Cotter Frontier’s sponsor music is an edited version of “sketch (rum-portrait)” by Jahzzar from the album “Sketches.” The original can be found at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Sketches/sketch_rum-portrait_1585 This episode features an edited version of “Coexistenz” by Loyalty Freak Music from the album “TO CHILL AND STAY AWAKE.” The original can be found at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/TO_CHILL_AND_STAY_AWAKE/Loyal

Jeremy Leslie loves magazines. He leads magCulture: a design studio, online resource, magazine shop, and events producer. He divides his time between designing, writing, and curating. His book The Modern Magazine was published in 2013 and the online magCulture Journal is a key source of editorial-design opinion and news. In this episode, we talk about magazines as recording devices and the evolution of ideas in the space where print and digital meet. First Things First is produced as part of Frontier Media. Learn more at www.frontier.is Host: Paddy Harrington Producer and Editor: Max Cotter Frontier’s sponsor music is an edited version of “sketch (rum-portrait)” by Jahzzar from the album “Sketches.” The original can be found at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/Sketches/sketch_rum-portrait_1585 This episode features an edited version of “One Cool Minute” by Loyalty Freak Music from the album “MINIMAL AMBIENT BOUNCE.” The original can be found at http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/

Graphic designer and filmmaker Marina Willer is a partner at global design firm Pentagram. Before joining Pentagram, she was head creative director at Wolff Olins in London, where she lead iconic work like the visual identity of Tate Modern. In this episode, we talk about her film, Red Trees, which tells the story of today’s refugee crisis through the lens of her own family. And we talk about the role of the designer in a world that is overrun by consumption. This interview was recorded in 2019 at the What Design Can Do conference in Mexico City. First Things First is produced as part of Frontier Media. Learn more at www.frontier.is Host: Paddy Harrington Producer and Editor: Max Cotter   This episode features an edited version of “Like Swimming” by Broke For Free from the album “Leaf.” The original can be found at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Leaf/Broke_For_Free_-_Leaf_-_02_Like_Swimming This episode features an edited version of “Outmoded Waltz” by Podington Bear from the album “Caref

Tina Roth Eisenberg has many preoccupations and passions, she started a Temporary Tattoo company called Tattly, a Global community meet up group called Creative Mornings, and a Digital task organizer called Teux Deux. After studying design in Switzerland and Germany, she moved to Brooklyn in 1999 and worked as a designer eventually starting the design blog swiss miss that became one of the world’s most visited design websites.  In this episode of First Things First, we talk about magic and the importance of listening to everything the universe has to tell you.   First Things First is produced as part of Frontier Media. Learn more at www.frontier.is Host: Paddy Harrington Producer and Editor: Max Cotter   This episode features an edited version of “Lorca” by Thorn1 from the album “The Leave of Leaves.” The original can be found at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Thorn1/The_Leave_of_Leaves/02_-_Thorn1_-_Lorca This episode features an edited version of “Bumble” by Podington Bear from the album “Daydream.” Th

Named one of Fast Company’s ‘Most Creative People in Business’, Robert Brunner is the designer of such iconic products as the Apple PowerBook and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. Former Director of Industrial Design for Apple, he laid the foundations for moving computers from the utilitarian to the desirable and helped define Apple as the most powerful brand and technology company in the world. In 2007, Robert founded San Francisco-based design studio Ammunition to communicate ideas through products, brands and their surrounding experiences.  In this episode of First Things First, we talk about the meaning that objects can hold, the shift from the world of corporate design to design consulting, and why sometimes a fridge, should just be a fridge. To learn more about Robert, visit ammunitiongroup.com First Things First is produced as part of Frontier Media. Learn more at www.frontier.is Host: Paddy Harrington Producer and Editor: Max Cotter This episode features an edited version of “Golden Hour” by Podington Bear