with Phoebe Rotter

Art Town is a podcast based in upstate New York, hosted by artist and educator Justin Baker. Each month, Baker engages in thoughtful conversations with regional artists and artisans, exploring their work, creative processes, and the lives they lead. In this episode, I talk with artist Phoebe Rotter about her creative evolution—from painting signs at Trader Joe’s to making politically charged work during her time with Bread and Puppet Theater, and finally arriving at a practice rooted in large-scale, body-driven wall drawings. We explore how Phoebe’s work has moved beyond messaging to become a physical act of resistance—where gesture, presence, and scale speak louder than slogans. Her bold mark-making challenges space, form, and power, transforming the act of drawing into something both vulnerable and revolutionary. Insightful, intelligent, and grounded in the art world’s evolving narrative, Art Town is where regional voices find resonance. To see more of Phoebe's work: www.phoeberotter.com Or follow her on Instagram: @phoebe_makes Theme music by Phantogram Interlude sound: Phoebe bird song End credits by The Art Town Players