Conrad Benner On Platforms for Social Change

Photo credits: left photo from the Street Dept instagram of artist Nicole doing a wheatpaste for the #SisterlyLove project, right photo on the of Conrad Benner from the streetsdept.com

 For this weeks podcast I got to digitally sit down with Conrad Benner of the Streets Dept. This was an amazing and full conversations and I got to learn about how Conrad started his blog and how it grew into a platform to promote local artists and a tool for social change. Conrad is Philly native who started his blog just as a passion project but soon found himself forming relationships with the Philadelphia's prominent streets artist. As the years went on his blog grew in popularity and eventually he was able to focus on it full time. Conrad was interested in finding ways that his platform could both be a part of the larger conversation about art in a public space and affect social change. He has worked on various projects like: #AmICutOut, a pop-up art installation created with Covenant House Pennsylvania to help raise awareness and money to end youth homelessness in Philadelphia, and Signs of Solidarity, an inauguration day public art protest in opposition to hate and in protest of any and all that embolden divisiveness. 

Conrad has also started his own podcast where he sits down with the creative minds shaping Philadelphia and beyond. He talks to everyone from street artist to local politicians and for the last season he was able to take the podcast on the road. I love his interview style and along with the local leaders he has interviewed.

We ended the episode with me in full amazement of what Conrad has achieved so far and excited for his next projects.