Art Works Podcast

Snehal Desai is the producing artistic director of East West Players (EWP). One of the longest running theaters of color, EWP is now the nation’s leading Asian American theater company. For half a century, EWP has been raising the visibility of Asian Americans and inspiring and advocating for a world free of racism and discrimination through transformative theater. In this podcast, Desai talks about programming with and for the diverse communities of Asian Americans, how EWP navigates the intersection of social justice and art, the importance of theater in combatting racist stereotypes, leading an Asian American theater company at this particular moment in time, and his own journey as an artist of color. And be sure to check out our issue of American Artscape, Showing Strength through Creativity: Equity and Access in the Arts for Asian American/Pacific Islander Communities.  Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

With her second novel The Taste of Sugar,  Marisel Vera has created an epic tale with an intimate heart. Her two protagonists Valentina and Vicente are small coffee farmers in late 19th century Puerto Rico whose lives had been shaped by Spanish colonialism. Then in 1898, Puerto Rico was invaded by the United States which assumed control of the island, devaluing the peso and levying property taxes. This was followed in 1899 by the devastating hurricane San Ciriaco which left thousands dead and a quarter of a million people without food and shelter.  Losing their farm to these “twin catastrophes,” Vicente and Valentina join 5,000 other Puerto Ricans on an arduous journey to Hawaii to work on the sugar plantations. Lured by the promise of good wages in exchange for hard work, they find themselves instead captive laborers in a strange land.  It is a powerful and moving story, deserving of all its considerable praise. But while this is a saga, it’s also a close look at family: we see this young couple grow and mature-- seizing whatever agency they can in the face of hardship. In this podcast, Vera talks about her need to write a book that explored the history of Puerto Rico—a history most people don’t know—her determination to get that history right, and the deep impact of colonization on the island. She also discusses her own struggle to find herself in books when she was growing up in Chicago, her sense that she was always living in two worlds, in two languages, and how writing helps her to bring these together and create something new. Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

Two-time Newbery Award winner and the 2014-15 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Kate DiCamillo writes stories that matter. From the fantastical like The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (which author Ann Patchett calls a “perfect novel”)  to the more realistic Raymie Nightingale series, DiCamillo always finds the balance between humor and heart. First and foremost a storyteller, her immensely popular books are beloved by kids, parents, teachers and critics. Kate DiCamillo’s most recent book is The Beatryce Prophecy. Published by Candlewick Press and beautifully illustrated by Sophie Blackall, The Beatryce Prophecy is a compelling tale that opens our eyes to the sheer power of reading and storytelling to crack open the world. In this podcast, DiCamillo talks about how storytelling and reading both factor into her life, her writing process, why animals figure so prominently in her work, and her time as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Funny and thoughtful, Kate DiCamillo is as delightful to speak with as she is to read.  Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

Folklorist Elena Martínez is a producer for the documentaries “From Mambo to Hip Hop: A Bronx Tale” and “We Like It Like That: The Story of Latin Boogaloo.” What makes these documentaries stand out is, of course, the fabulous music. But the perspective or point of view of both films is just as important.  The films examine the music through the lens of urban folklore—music created by and for the people in the neighborhood, a small stretch of the Bronx often known for urban blight and not much else.  Well, as the films demonstrate, there is a lot more-the sound of Mambo which adopted Cuban rhythms and Puerto Rican traditions, a Latin beat joined up with R&B and funk which gave birth to Boogaloo, the creation of the New York salsa sound, the rise of hip hop. And astoundingly, all this creative energy happening in the same small neighborhood in the Bronx. In this podcast, Elena Martínez talks about the making of “From Mambo to Hip Hop” and “We Like It Like That”  She takes us through the exuberant Latino musical traditions of the Bronx and its impact on the people who live there. Martínez is an enthusiastic guide to some fabulous urban music traditions. “From Mambo to Hip Hop” “We Like It Like That” City Lore Bronx Music Heritage Center Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

September 27 will be an historic night for opera lovers: the Metropolitan Opera, the largest performing arts company in the nation, will open its season after the long pandemic shut-down with “Fire Shut Up in My Bones.” Supported by the National Endowment for the Arts since its development period, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” is based on the memoir by Charles Blow. It’s composed by jazz great Terence Blanchard with a libretto by Kasi Lemmons, and it is the first opera by a Black composer to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera.   Angel Blue will be starring along with baritone Will Liverman. It’s the second time Angel Blue has opened the season for the Metropolitan Opera: in 2019, she was Bess in the Grammy-winning production of “Porgy and Bess”—a role in which she shone. But shining on stage is what Blue does as a singer and as an actress.  For the past decade and a half, Blue has performed to great acclaim in opera houses around the world and in a variety of roles.  Now, she has emerged as one of the most vibrant sopranos performing today. Her voice has been praised for its “shimmering beauty”  that is “always perfectly controlled and consistent throughout her expansive range.”  In this podcast, Angel Blue and I talk about opera and its joys, “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” her career in Europe, her first-time performing at the Met, and her thoughts about DEI and opera. Follow us on:  Apple Podcasts   Google Podcasts

Tap Dancer and 2021 National Heritage Fellow Reginald “Reggio the Hoofer” McLaughlin has been motivated by one thing his entire life: his love of tap-dancing. He walked away from a successful R&B career as a bassist to pursue his unlikely dream of making it as a dancer. Born and bred in Chicago, he turned to mentors like Jimmy Payne to teach him the foundations of tap dance which only affirmed his passion for dance. Unable to find a job as a tap dancer, he went down to Chicago’s subways and danced there—learning along the way how to connect to an audience. He was approached by Urban Gateways—a non-profit that brings the arts to underserved children-- and began performing in classrooms. But McLaughlin wasn’t only dancing, he was also teaching the students the history of tap and its social and cultural context. Given his talent, personality, and dedication, Reggio McLaughlin was a natural performer and teacher. He teamed up with the legendry tap-dancer Ernest “Brownie” Brown and the two of them performed together for almost two decades. About 27 years ago,  McLaughlin began teaching tap at the [oldtownschool.org]Old Town School of Folk Music where he remains an in-demand teacher.  And he’s traveled around the world participating in Old Town’s International Program demonstrating tap and collaborating with dancers from many cultures.  Reggio is a great story-teller, and in this podcast we talk about Chicago, his career as an R&B bassist, his love of tap as an American art form, choreographing his Christmas classic “The Nut Tapper,” and dancing-- in the subways, in the classrooms, around the world, and with Ernest Brown. His enthusiasm and easy laughter are contagious!

In Washington, DC, the evening of September 10 promises to be momentous: at 6 pm ET, Ford’s Theatre is presenting Come From Away: In Concert at the Lincoln Memorial. It’s hard to think of a more appropriate play than Come From Away to mark this occasion. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical was inspired by the aftermath of 9/11, when a small town in Canada welcomed some 7,000 people whose flights had been diverted when the U.S. airspace was closed.  Supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the free non-ticketed concert is the brainchild of Sue Frost of Junkyard Dog Productions, the lead producers of Come From Away, and Paul Tetreault, director of Ford's Theatre. In this music-filled podcast, Frost and Tetreault talk about the origins of the play Come From Away, its inspiring story and glorious music, their hopes for the concert, and the power of art to give voice to tragedy and to shine light on possibility. We also discuss the significance of the return of live performance for Ford’s Theatre, for Come From Away, and for theaters across the country.  

2020 NEA National Heritage Fellow, teacher, and Haudenosaunee Raised Beadworker, Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin) creates contemporary art that is deeply rooted in the past. Haudenosaunee  or Iroquois raised beadwork is unique to the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which includes the Oneida. Its hallmark is beads sewn in a such a way that they arch above the fabric creating stunning dimensionality. Hoffman has taken this art to new literal and figurative heights—creating large beaded urns for example. But while her work is deeply connected to the traditions and culture of the Haudenosaunee, her interest is in taking the form and “exploring, expanding and reimagining it against contemporary life.”  A three-time master-teacher in Wisconsin’s folk arts apprenticeship program, Hoffman is committed to keeping this traditional art vibrant for the next generations through her teaching. She is not just an extraordinarily talented artist, she’s also, as you’ll hear, a passionate advocate for the art form and a fabulous storyteller.  

Drummer, producer, educator and 2021 NEA Jazz Master Terri Lyne Carrington is not only a virtuoso musician, she’s also a strong advocate for social justice and gender equity on the bandstand and in the classroom.  Deeply committed to empowering the next generation of musicians, Carrington is the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.  Carrington has spent her life in jazz. Coming from a musical family, she had her first professional gig at the age of ten (with Clark Terry, no less!). By the time she 11, she was a part-time student of the Berklee College of Music. And her career took off from there. In the 1980s, she worked with jazz luminaries like Pharaoh Saunders and Frank West; in the 1990s, she toured with jazz greats like Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. She went on the lead her own groups, and in 2014, she became the first woman to win a Grammy Award as a leader for Best Jazz Instrumental Album with Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue. She brought together women instrumentalists and vocalists for The Mosaic Project tours and recordings. Her recent album Waiting Game with her group Social Science is the definition of artistic intersectionality in terms of race, gender, age, and style. In this podcast, we talk about her early mentors, her development as a drummer and as a bandleader, some of the great musicians she’s played with, and her advocacy for gender equity in jazz and society.

With the new school year upon us, this week we’re turning our attention to arts education. First, Ayanna Hudson, director of Arts Education at the National Endowment for the Arts (and currently acting deputy chairman of Programs and Partnerships), reminds us of the singular role the arts and arts education can play as students return to the classroom. Hudson emphasizes that involvement in the arts not only engages and empowers students, it can also support the social and emotional needs of students during this critical transition and provide a much-needed vehicle for self-expression. Then we explore an example of arts education and its ability to transform students with new media artist and educator Agnes Chavez. Chavez is the founder of STEMarts Lab, which uses the arts to develop science and math skills.  Based in Taos, New Mexico, the artists at STEMarts Lab design and create light and sound installations and then build curriculum tools around the art. STEMarts Lab also bring artists into the classroom to work with teachers and provide hands-on workshops both in person or virtually.  During the pandemic and virtual classrooms, Chavez responded “to the problem that I was hearing from teachers that the kids were not engaged, that shifting to this online format was just not working. And my question to myself and to my team was, 'How can we use our creativity, our digital tools to come up a more engaging way to reach them?'"  In answer, Chavez created a virtual international exchange program that connected a classroom in Taos, New Mexico, with a classroom in Portugal in which the students collaborated on an art installation that had real world and virtual applications. Space Messengers turned out to be a winning formula, engaging students and exciting teachers. As one teacher wrote, “The temptation of creating art and learning some fascinating science from experts around the world, while working with kids from another country, has proven magical for the COVID-battered students…” In this podcast, Chavez tells us about the program, how learning science through art impacts students’ ways of thinking, and the program’s continuing evolution. Additional Information National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Education Arts Education Partnership “Supporting Student Wellness Through the Arts” “How Artists Can Bridge the Digital Divide and Reimagine Humanity” by Agnes Chavez https://www.arts.gov/back-school-arts-education