Social Media and the Subway

There aren’t many portrait artists who get recognized on the street, but it happens to Devon Rodriguez all the time. After quietly honing his skill for a decade, Devon started posting videos of his live drawings of New York City subway commuters to social media. The videos took off, earning him some 50 million followers and placing portraiture in front of a huge new audience.

In this episode of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery’s podcast, Portraits, Director Kim Sajet speaks with Devon about the mentors who had his back, and this new model for showing art— not in museums, but on screens.

See the portraits we discussed:

Kim Sajet, by Devon Rodriguez

John Ahearn, by Devon Rodriguez

“The Rodriguez Twins,” by John Ahearn

María Elena Estrada, by Devon Rodriguez

Devon Rodriguez draws Kim Sajet, Instagram