John T. Unger: 21st Century Artist - a podcast by Mark McGuinness

Today we kick off Season 5 of The 21st Century Creative, the podcast that helps you thrive as a creative professional amid the demands, distractions and opportunities of the 21st Century.



Our first guest is John T. Unger, an artist who makes art on a big scale, and who takes full advantage of the opportunities of 21st century to both make and market his work.







In the first part of today’s show I talk about the changes we have all experienced since Season 4, with the advent of Covid.



Although most of the interviews for Season 5 were recorded before the pandemic, I have rewritten the rest of the season extensively, to share my thinking on how we as creatives can respond to the disruption with creativity and resilience.



I also introduce The 21st Century Creative Membership Group, on Patreon, which I am starting this season to help you stay creative, productive and motivated in spite of everything.



Exclusive Member content will include Goal-setting and Accountability Videos, Members’ Q&A Sessions and other insights and tips not featured on the podcast.



In the light of the pandemic situation, Membership is currently on a pay-what-you-want basis.



Become a Patron!



As well as giving you access to the exclusive Members’ content, your Membership fee will also support the podcast and help to make it sustainable.







John T. Unger

From performing his poetry on stage at Lollapalooza in 1996, to bartering a mosaic to a bank as a down payment for a house and studio, to displaying an American flag created from over 20,000 Budweiser bottle caps at the 2015 Stagecoach Music Festival, John’s art practice has been as much about making good stories as making good art.



His work has been featured in The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Smithsonian Magazine and many other magazines, newspapers, books and TV shows.



He is best known for his sculptural firebowls, which he makes from scrap industrial steel, cutting by hand with a plasma torch at 45,000° Farenheit - which he says is 4.5 times as hot as the surface of the Sun or the Earth’s core.



Since 2005 he has sold more than 2,000 firebowls, shipping to all 50 US states and over 20 countries. Firebowl clients include Calvin Klein and many restaurants, hotels, churches and public spaces.



His current project, Anatomy Set In Stone, is his biggest and most ambitious yet.







Using marble, stone and precious gems he’s creating a series of 14 life-size mosaics that replicate a series of anatomical engravings by the 16th Century artist Bartolomeo Eustachi.



Each mosaic is seven feet high by four feet wide and presents the figures at life size— so that viewers can stand before them and see anatomy as though looking in a mirror.



The project requires John to cut over 3 miles of stone by hand, spending several years and tens of thousands of dollars to fashion it into 392 square feet of detailed mosaic.







When he finishes, John’s ambition is to turn the engravings into a touring exhibition for museums and galleries around the world.



Like most of the interviews this season, this one was recorded before Coronavirus took the world by storm, so we obviously don’t talk about it. But I think this is a great interview to kick off the new season as John’s energy and resilience are the kind of qualities we all need to display right now.



Original drawing on the left. John's mosaic on the right.



So if you’re curious about what happens when you approach your work and career in an boldly unorthodox manner, strap yourself in for this conversation with John T Unger.



You can learn more about John’s work at his website,

Further episodes of The 21st Century Creative

Further podcasts by Mark McGuinness

Website of Mark McGuinness