286 Frannie Hemmelgarn on Community Art Spaces, Papermaking, and Gentrification | DMST Atelier

In this episode, Javier Proenza speaks with Frannie Hemmelgarn, director and co-founder of DMST Atelier, an artist-run space in Los Angeles developed in collaboration with affordable housing providers. Hemmelgarn reflects on the space’s origins during the pandemic, its community feeds and public programming, and the responsibilities of artist-run initiatives within gentrifying neighborhoods.

The conversation also turns to Hemmelgarn’s studio practice, which centers on handmade papermaking using upcycled materials. She discusses how the work emerged from transitions between painting and cyanotype, and how incorporating her late father’s papers shaped a process focused on grief, repair, and reconstruction.