AC23 - Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge

Mike Esneault interviews poet, author, and president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, Ed Ruzicka today. They discuss the release of Ed's new book "The Invention of Dreaming" and the inspirations for writing this new collection of poetry. They also touch on various subjects as they relate to the creative process and the arts industry.

Mike Esneault converses with James Fogle, for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s AC23+ Artist Legacy Series podcast. James is the owner of Mid City Ballroom, Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Pop Shop Records. Through these ventures as well as his work as a musician/performer, James has greatly enriched the Baton Rouge arts community. They discussed this as well as other topics related to being an artist in the Greater Baton Rouge area for over the last 40+ years.

Mike Esneault talks and plays music with Louisiana Music Hall of Fame performer and song writer Chris LeBlanc. They discuss Chris' formative years growing up in a musical family in South Louisiana as well as being influenced by the blues and many other genres of music that he heard and played in his hometown of Baton Rouge. In addition, they play three of Chris' original songs.

Mike Esneault talks with radio personality, educator and musician, Rob Payer. They discuss Rob's history in radio, particularly as it relates to Baton Rouge Magnet High School and their long-standing radio educational program and his role as program director. In addition, they discuss many other topics including the rich musical heritage of South Louisiana, preserving that heritage through education, as well as Rob's work as a performing musician.

Mike Esneault converses with East Baton Rouge - Fine Arts Director, Dr. Sean Joffrion. They discuss the artistic environment and support of Joffrion's formative years and how this helped instill his deep love of the arts moving forward. They also converse on various topics including the importance of arts education as well as arts integration and the role it can play in a person's artistic and academic development.

Mike Esneault talks and performs with Baton Rouge music icon David Hinson. They discuss his extensive career as a performer and educator in the greater Baton Rouge area. They touch on his experiences working in a wide array of musical genres, including orchestral music, jazz and rock, etc. as well as his thoughts and techniques on educating music students of all ages, including students in his long-running Adult Music Club.

Mike Esneault converses with Callie Smith, Educator and Programs Manager, for the LSU Museum of Art. Callie has a PhD in English as well as degrees in Creative Writing and English Secondary Education . They discuss how her background has helped play a role in her work at LSU MOA, touching on museum education, artistic programming within the museum or with outside organizations partnering with LSU MOA as well as various other topics.

Mike Esneault talks with Southern University Professors Harry Anderson and Darrell Roberson about the launch of SU's Digital Media Arts Program. This new degree program features the following concentration tracks: Digital Screen Arts Production, Digital Performance Fusion, Visual Arts and Motion Graphics, Digital Sports Production and Recording Arts. They discuss the origins and the vision of this exciting new degree program!

Mike Esneault talks with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's Artist in Residence and Artist Liaison, Mike Weary. They discuss various aspects of being a professional freelance visual artist as well as Mike's experiences working as an arts administrator, educator and gallery curator.

Mike Esneault speaks with visual artist BJ Smith, and his mother Kim Smith. 20 years ago, BJ arrived at the hospital as the result of an ATV accident and given a 10% chance of survival because of a severe brain injury. They talk about the power of the arts as a healer and how creating visual art has had a profound impact on BJ's ongoing road to recovery.