In this episode, Symphony Swan, a C21 Story Fellow, interdisciplinary artist, and archivist, discusses loss, grief, creativity, memory, and communities of care. After the loss of her parents in 2019 and 2022, her grief became the catalyst for building something transformative: The CR8TV House, a space dedicated to radical imagination and sustained support for Black and Brown artists. As she reflects on returning to her childhood home, Swan shares how memory, dreams, and personal artifacts revealed the house as more than a physical structure but an archive, a site of remembrance, and ultimately the foundation for a new kind of arts institution. Her practice of slow care includes writing things down, making art without urgency, spending time with loved ones, and revisiting family photographs with intention.

This episode was recorded during a memory activation workshop at the CR8TV House in November 2025.

Upcoming event:

(W)rites of Spring with Symphony Swan on March 21, 12-2pm, at Havenwoods State Forest. Follow the link for details and registration: https://uwm.edu/c21/event/sc-writes-of-spring/