Iris FM

Building an Earth-first future with style: Interview with Mecca McDonald

Mecca McDonald [https://www.artbymecca.com/], founder of Mo.Na Gems [https://monasgem.com/], joined me, Iris Martinez [https://irisestacansado.com], in March to talk about her professional journey and balance, using imagination and creativity to make change, supporting the future and more. Additional Resources: Learn more about bachata: https://www.wlrn.org/arts-culture/2025-07-30/how-bachata-rose-from-dominican-republics-brothels-and-shantytowns-to-become-a-global-sensation [https://www.wlrn.org/arts-culture/2025-07-30/how-bachata-rose-from-dominican-republics-brothels-and-shantytowns-to-become-a-global-sensation] Learn more about mariachi (from 1979): https://collections.lib.utexas.edu/catalog/utblac:91462e78-cf60-4247-97ae-ad27825d38f9 [https://collections.lib.utexas.edu/catalog/utblac:91462e78-cf60-4247-97ae-ad27825d38f9] Podcast Guest Bio: Mecca McDonald is a scientist, creative director, and founder who refuses to choose between the two. Studying Psychology, Economics, and Visual Arts at Johns Hopkins, she always lived at the intersection of analysis and expression. In 2020, a TikTok rabbit hole of resin art sparked an unlikely revelation: beneath the trending craft was a wave of plastic waste. Armed with "I can do better," she set out to create a viable plastic alternative, and in 2024, Alexis Ohanian's 776 Climate Foundation awarded her $100,000 to help scale it. But Mecca's ambitions don't stop at the lab. She founded Pedestal Productions [https://www.bypedestal.com/home] in 2021, and has since produced over 200 photoshoots, music videos, and films for brands including Apple, Adobe, Partiful, and Coach Her debut short LIMINALITY — a $60K production she executive produced and directed — premiered at the 2024 Essence Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film. Mecca's practices are a manifestation of what happens when science and creativity, balance and play in harmony. Podcast Production Credits: This episode of Iris FM was hosted by Iris Martinez. Editing by Leo Martinez [https://leomartinezbass.wordpress.com/] with additional editing by Iris Martinez. Original improvisational music for the intro and outro by Leo Martinez.

Curating and Centering Art for Social Change: Interview with Jessica Hernandez

Jessica Hernandez [https://jessicahernandez.cargo.site/], an art curator and sound artist, joins me, Iris Martinez [https://www.irisestacansado.com/about/], to talk about art for social change, her work at Unbound Visual Arts [https://www.unboundvisualarts.org/] and Transporter [https://www.bostoncyberarts.org/transporter], and her artistic interests. Additional Resources: You can learn more about the Hyde Square Task Force/Boston's Latin Quarter on the HSTF website [https://www.hydesquare.org/bostons-latin-quarter/]. The art print Iris mentions hanging on his dorm room wall was Irezumi com padrão de cerámica, 1997, by Adriana Varejão. Podcast Guest Bio: Jessica Hernandez [https://jessicahernandez.cargo.site/] (she/her) is a DJ, sound artist and curator. In terms of visual art, her interests include sculpture, installation and textiles. She is also drawn to work that relates to archives, engages with text and explores the ontology of objects, Blackness and the Caribbean. As a musician and sound artist, her practice relies on the heavy processing of found samples and field recordings, often utilizing the sounds of industrial objects and materials for their sonic depth, brooding character, and conceptual resonances. In 2024, she and Aaron Michael Smith founded Transporter, an experimental music series located at the Boston Cyberarts Gallery. With Lori Martinez, she organizes WWL — a working group for queer and non-binary musicians. She runs Project One, a mix series mostly dedicated to techno. She graduated with a B.A. in Peace Conflict Studies in 2020 and an M.A. in History at the University of Virginia in 2022. She began working with Unbound Visual Arts in 2022 and became Managing Director in 2024. Podcast Production Credits: This episode of Iris FM was hosted by Iris Martinez. Editing by Leo Martinez and Iris Martinez. Original improvisational music for the intro and outro by Leo Martinez.

Contemporary Classical and New Music in Boston: Interview with Olivia Katz and Dylan Dukat

In this podcast, guests Olivia Katz and Dylan Dukat join me, Iris Martinez, to talk about contemporary classical and new music, especially in Boston. From their music interests to the music community, learn more about what makes Boston such a special place and where Boston is working to improve. This was recorded in April 2025 for the Storytelling with Technology course at Emerson College, and was re-edited for release here! Berklee College of Music-Boston race and ethnicity statistics for domestic students mentioned are on page 6 of: https://www.berklee.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/2024-2025%20Berklee%20Factbook.pdf [https://www.berklee.edu/sites/default/files/2025-02/2024-2025%20Berklee%20Factbook.pdf]. Read the transcript here [https://irisestacansado.com/2026/01/31/podcast-contemporary-classical-and-new-music-in-boston-interview-with-olivia-katz-and-dylan-dukat/]. Guest Bios: Olivia Katz is a cellist, improviser, teacher and composer in the Boston area specializing in contemporary classical music. They are part of contemporary classical string quartet Semiosis Quartet [https://semiosisquartet.com/] and multi-instrumentalist and free improvisational trio Moon Unit [https://www.instagram.com/moon.unit.trio/]. Olivia graduated from Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2024 with a master's degree in contemporary classical music performance. Learn more about Olivia on their website [https://oliviakatzcello.com/] and follow them on Instagram @olivia.katz.cello [https://www.instagram.com/olivia.katz.cello/]. Dylan Dukat is a composer, educator and performer in the Boston area interested in the ways performers interface with their instruments. They are an administrator for Vibrant Matter [https://www.vibrantmattercollective.com/], a new music collective in Boston, and a member of the Millennium Composers Initiative [https://www.mcicomposers.com/]. Selected works by Dylan can be found on Dulcamara Press [https://dulcamarapress.com/index.html]. Dylan graduated with a master's degree in composition from Boston Conservatory at Berklee in 2024. Learn more about Dylan on their website [https://www.dylandukat.com/] and follow them on Instagram @d.dukat [https://www.instagram.com/d.dukat/]. Credits: This episode of Iris FM was hosted and primarily edited by Iris Martinez. Additional editing by Leo Martinez. Original improvisational music for the intro and outro by Leo Martinez.