ART IS CHANGE: Strategies & Skills for Activist Artists & Cultural Organizers

In this episode of Art Is Change, Bill Cleveland speaks with activist, educator, filmmaker, writer, and peacebuilding scholar Cynthia Cohen about a lifetime spent exploring the relationship between creativity, storytelling, conflict, and democratic life.

Drawing on experiences ranging from Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects in Boston to peacebuilding initiatives in Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, and beyond, Cynthia reflects on the role artists play in helping communities navigate violence, hold competing truths, and create the conditions for healing and transformation.

• Why listening may be the most important creative and civic skill of all — and how deep listening can help people move beyond fear, polarization, and inherited narratives.

• How artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding — by creating spaces where difficult stories can be shared, contradictions can be held, and communities can imagine alternatives to violence.

• Why arts and culture matter in the struggle against authoritarianism — and how creativity, empathy, and conflict transformation can strengthen democratic life during times of upheaval.

In this episode of Art Is Change, Bill Cleveland speaks with activist, educator, filmmaker, writer, and peacebuilding scholar Cynthia Cohen about a lifetime spent exploring the relationship between creativity, storytelling, conflict, and democratic life.

Drawing on experiences ranging from Jewish-Palestinian dialogue projects in Boston to peacebuilding initiatives in Peru, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Northern Ireland, and beyond, Cynthia reflects on the role artists play in helping communities navigate violence, hold competing truths, and create the conditions for healing and transformation.

• Why listening may be the most important creative and civic skill of all — and how deep listening can help people move beyond fear, polarization, and inherited narratives.
• How artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding — by creating spaces where difficult stories can be shared, contradictions can be held, and communities can imagine alternatives to violence.
• Why arts and culture matter in the struggle against authoritarianism — and how creativity, empathy, and conflict transformation can strengthen democratic life during times of upheaval.

Cynthia Cohen — Peacebuilding scholar, educator, writer, and cultural worker whose research and field-building efforts have helped establish the international field of arts, culture, and conflict transformation.

John O’Neal — Civil rights organizer, theater artist, and co-founder of the Free Southern Theater. O’Neal championed the role of arts and storytelling in advancing freedom, civic participation, and social justice.

Dijana Milošević — Serbian theater director, peacebuilder, and founder of DAH Theatre, internationally recognized for using performance to confront war, nationalism, and social division.

Roberta Levitow — Co-founder of Theatre Without Borders and a leading advocate for international theater collaboration, peacebuilding, and cultural exchange.

John Paul Lederach — Influential peacebuilding theorist whose concepts of conflict transformation and “elicitive” practice have shaped reconciliation work worldwide.

Jane Sapp — Musician, educator, and cultural worker whose community-based arts practice connects storytelling, history, civic engagement, and cultural memory.

Ana Correa — Actor, activist, and longtime member of Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani whose work has focused on memory, human rights, and community healing in Peru.

Ocean Vuong — Acclaimed poet and novelist whose work explores language, migration, identity, memory, and the dignity of lived experience.

The Charles F. Kettering Foundation — The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement, promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.

Democracy and the Arts — The Kettering Foundation’s focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and globally.

Theatre Without Borders — International network of theater artists and cultural workers committed to global collaboration, peacebuilding, and social change through performance.

Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani — Peru’s renowned theater collective whose work combines indigenous traditions, political theater, ritual practice, and human rights advocacy.

DAH Theatre — Belgrade-based theater company using artistic practice to confront violence, build dialogue, and foster civic engagement.

Palestinian House of Friendship — Community-based organization in Nablus supporting young people through arts, education, cultural programs, recreation, and civic engagement.

Free Southern Theater — Groundbreaking Civil Rights-era theater organization dedicated to bringing performance and cultural expression to underserved Black communities throughout the American South.

Acting Together on the World Stage — International research, documentation, and convening project exploring how artists and cultural workers contribute to peacebuilding, reconciliation, and conflict transformation.

A Passion for Life: Palestinian and Jewish Women in Boston — Cynthia Cohen’s oral history and cultural exchange project bringing Palestinian and Jewish women together through storytelling, folk traditions, family histories, and artistic practice.

Peru Truth and Reconciliation Commission — National truth commission established after Peru’s internal conflict. Grupo Cultural Yuyachkani collaborated alongside communities affected by violence and displacement.

Acting Together: Performance and the Creative Transformation of Conflict (Volume 1) — Landmark collection documenting artists, cultural workers, and peacebuilders using performance to address conflict and social division around the world.

Acting Together on the World Stage (Film) — Documentary film featuring artists working in regions affected by violence, oppression, and conflict, highlighting the role of performance in healing and transformation.

Someone Sang for Me — Documentary by filmmaker Julie Akeret chronicling Jane Sapp’s community-based cultural work and its impact on education, civic life, and social change.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous — Ocean Vuong’s celebrated novel exploring migration, family, memory, identity, and the transformative power of language.

Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.

Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.

Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

In this episode, I sit down with musician, songwriter, veteran, and outspoken truth-teller Sean Martin. Sean’s journey takes us from the redwood coast of Northern California to the battlefields of Iraq, through the struggles of PTSD, and ultimately into a creative practice rooted in honesty, healing, and a band named the Quarintened.

Along the way, Sean shares how music became more than an art form. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, and years of songwriting, he discovered that creative practice could become a way of confronting fear, questioning assumptions, and reclaiming agency over his life.

We also explore two of his songs, Skeleton Chair and Unspoken, conversations about war, trauma, truth-telling, James Baldwin, and the responsibilities artists have when they choose to speak about the difficult realities that many people would rather avoid.

You’ll discover:

• How music, cognitive behavioral therapy, and disciplined creative practice helped Sean navigate PTSD and reclaim a sense of agency after war.

• Why confronting “the unspoken”—personally, culturally, and politically—lies at the heart of both healing and artistic practice.

• How art can become a vehicle for critical thinking, helping people examine the invisible forces that shape their beliefs, fears, and relationships.

Music & Creative Practice

• The Quarantined (Spotify Artist Page) — Sean Martin’s grunge, punk, and metal project. Through The Quarantined, Martin explores trauma, war, resilience, addiction, politics, and recovery through deeply personal songwriting.
• “Skeleton Chair” — The Quarantined on Spotify — A song inspired by Martin’s experiences in Iraq and the emotional aftermath of combat. During the interview, Martin describes the song as emerging from therapy work focused on a specific combat experience and the psychological realities of war.
• “Unspoken” — The Quarantined on Spotify — A song exploring truth-telling, civic responsibility, and the consequences of silence. The recording incorporates the voice and ideas of James Baldwin and reflects on what happens when difficult truths remain unspoken.
• The Quarantined on Bandcamp — Direct support platform where listeners can purchase music and follow future releases.

Ideas & Practices Discussed

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — Martin describes CBT as a turning point in understanding the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses to trauma.
• Exposure Therapy — A therapeutic approach that helped Martin confront traumatic memories and transform them into creative material.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) — A central topic throughout the conversation, explored not only as a diagnosis but as a lived experience that shaped Martin’s understanding of fear, identity, and recovery.

• James Baldwin — Baldwin’s words and ideas provide both inspiration and a direct artistic influence on Martin’s song Unspoken. His reflections on truth, identity, and democracy remain highly relevant today.
• The Baldwin Estate
• Christopher Goldsmith — Mentioned by Martin as an example of veterans doing difficult work confronting extremism and defending democratic values.
• Task Force Butler
• Richard Ojeda — Cited as an example of a veteran leader bringing a direct, no-nonsense approach to public service and democratic engagement.
• Richard Ojeda Official Website

• National Center for PTSD (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) — Research, educational materials, and treatment resources related to PTSD and trauma recovery.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Overview (American Psychological Association) — Introduction to CBT and its use in treating trauma and anxiety disorders.
• Musicians Institute — Contemporary music school in Hollywood where Sean Martin studied after leaving military service.
• YUNGBLUD Official Website — Contemporary musician cited by Martin as an artist whose independence, honesty, and willingness to challenge expectations has been inspiring.

In this episode, I return to a lesson I learned more than forty years ago in one of the most unlikely classrooms imaginable: the California prison system during one of the most violent periods in its history. At the center of the story is Verne McKee, an incarcerated artist and leader whose practical wisdom about trust, power, responsibility, and human relationships became a blueprint for understanding how successful community arts partnerships are built—and why so many fail.

Drawing on Verne’s ten rules for survival and collaboration, I explore the hidden dynamics that determine whether partnerships become transformative long-term alliances or short-lived projects that leave communities worse off than before. Along the way, I unpack the difference between outreach and partnership, why artistic excellence remains essential to social change work, and what shared power actually looks like when artists, institutions, and communities work together.

You’ll discover:

• Why trust—not funding, programming, or good intentions—is the real currency of sustainable partnership.

• How Verne McKee’s ten rules reveal the conditions that help cross-sector collaborations thrive and the warning signs that often predict failure.

• Why communities deserve more than one-time projects, and what artists and institutions owe the people they invite into a creative process.

If you’ve ever wondered why some community partnerships flourish for decades while others collapse despite talent, resources, and enthusiasm, this episode offers hard-earned lessons from the front lines of creative community change.

Verne McKee — Former president of the Art and Musicians Guilds at California Medical Facility and a respected leader within California’s prison arts community. Over many years of conversations about how teaching artists could work effectively and responsibly inside correctional institutions, McKee shared insights drawn from lived experience that became the foundation for the “Verne’s Rules” framework discussed in this episode. His observations about respect, artistic excellence, humility, responsibility, self-care, and the central importance of relationships continue to inform approaches to community-based arts partnerships far beyond prison walls. McKee is featured in the documentary Art and the Prison Crisis and was released from prison before his death in 1990.

Art and the Prison Crisis (California Revealed)

• William James Association — A pioneering nonprofit organization that helped develop, expand, and sustain California’s Arts in Corrections programs for decades. Through partnerships with artists, correctional institutions, and community organizations, the Association played a central role in establishing prison arts as a nationally recognized model for rehabilitation, education, and personal transformation.
• California Arts in Corrections Program — One of the nation’s longest-running state-supported arts-in-prison initiatives, providing instruction in multiple artistic disciplines throughout California correctional institutions.
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) — The state agency responsible for California’s prison system and a long-term partner in the development of arts programming within correctional facilities.
• Center for the Study of Art & Community — Research, training, and consulting organization focused on art and social change, community cultural development, and cross-sector partnerships.
• Animating Democracy — A national resource center documenting and supporting arts-based civic engagement, social justice practice, and community cultural development.

• San Quentin Rehabilitation Center
• Folsom State Prison
• Correctional Training Facility
• California Medical Facility

The episode references a period during the late 1970s and early 1980s when California prisons were experiencing intense racial, political, and gang-related violence. Organizations mentioned include:

• Nuestra Familia
• Black Guerrilla Family
• Aryan Brotherhood
• California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA)

These references are included to provide historical context for the environment in which California’s prison arts programs were operating.

• Good Partners Are… — A collection of partnership-building tools and reflections developed by the Center for the Study of Art & Community, including The Hard Questions for Community Arts Partners and The Partnership Commandments. The publication explores trust, shared power, accountability, reciprocity, and the practical challenges of building effective long-term community partnerships.
• Art and the Prison Crisis (California Revealed) — Historic documentary featuring incarcerated artists, arts leaders, and correctional staff involved in California’s pioneering prison arts movement during the 1970s and 1980s, including Verne McKee.
• Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World’s Front Lines — William Cleveland’s examination of artists working in situations of conflict, social division, and community transformation around the world.
• National Endowment for the Arts – Arts & Well-Being Research — Research exploring the relationship between arts participation, individual well-being, and community health.

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In this episode of ART IS CHANGE, theater artist and educator Derek Goldman shares how performance can become a civic practice — not simply entertainment, but a way for people to reconnect with themselves, each other, and the deeper responsibilities of citizenship.

This episode is part of a special Art in Action series we're producing in partnership with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation’s Democracy and the Arts program. In these episodes we'll be speaking with artists, cultural organizers, and arts leaders who are navigating and challenging current efforts to limit free creative expression and free speech. Together, we'll explore what freedom of expression means in practice, not as an abstract right, but as a lived responsibility at the heart of democratic life.

Drawing on his In Your Shoes™ methodology, Goldman explores how storytelling and embodied listening can open surprising pathways for mitigating polarization, isolation, and fear.

At the center of the conversation is a deceptively simple process: Two people talk deeply with one another, transcribe the conversation, and then publicly perform each other’s words. The result is not debate, but encounter. From collaborations between conservative Christian and progressive theater students to work in prisons, hospitals, public health spaces, and global conflict zones, Goldman describes how theater can function as “relational fitness” — strengthening the neglected civic muscles of empathy, attention, and human recognition.

This episode explores three interconnected ideas:

• How the In Your Shoes™ process transforms strangers into collaborators through radical listening and embodied storytelling,
• Why Goldman believes democracy depends not only on freedom of speech, but on the freedom to speak vulnerably and be heard without fear, and
• How artists can work across sectors — from diplomacy to public health to incarceration settings — to rebuild trust, connection, and civic imagination in communities.

Notable Mentions

People

• Derek Goldman – Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics
• Theater director, educator, and co-founding director of Georgetown University’s Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics. Goldman is the creator of the In Your Shoes™ methodology and the co-leader of the Art of Care initiative discussed in this episode.
• James Thompson – University of Manchester / Care Aesthetics Research
• Applied theater scholar and author whose work on care aesthetics explores the artistic dimensions of caregiving, humanitarian performance, and social practice.
• Thornton Wilder – Author of Our Town
• Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright whose classic meditation on everyday life and human presence became an unexpected touchstone in Goldman’s work with incarcerated students.
• Studs Terkel – Oral Historian and Broadcaster
• Legendary oral historian and radio producer whose conversational storytelling approach echoes through Goldman’s ensemble-based methods of testimony and listening.
• Tony Kushner
• Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright referenced in relation to actor Tom Story’s reflections on drawing strength from performing the role of Prior Walter in Angels in America during his own medical recovery.

Organizations & Programs

• Center for the Study of Art & Community
• The home of ART IS CHANGE, dedicated to research, training, and storytelling at the intersection of arts, democracy, community development, and social change.
• The Charles F. Kettering Foundation
• Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement, promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.
• Democracy and the Arts
• The Kettering Foundation's focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and globally.
• Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics
• Georgetown University initiative co-founded by Derek Goldman that connects artists, diplomats, activists, scholars, and community leaders using performance as a tool for civic dialogue and global engagement.
• Georgetown University
• A Jesuit university in Washington, D.C. where Goldman teaches and where many of the projects discussed in this episode were developed.
• Mosaic Theater Company
• Washington, D.C. theater company that collaborated with Goldman on The Art of Care, an ensemble-based performance exploring personal and civic dimensions of caregiving.
• Belarus Free Theatre
• Internationally recognized theater company founded in Belarus in resistance to political repression and censorship. Goldman references their influence on his thinking about freedom of expression and artistic risk.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Public health institution partnering with Goldman’s team to integrate arts-based relational practices into healthcare and community wellbeing initiatives.

Projects & Initiatives

• In Your Shoes™ – Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics
• Derek Goldman’s signature relational storytelling methodology in which participants interview one another, transcribe conversations, and publicly perform each other’s words as a practice of empathy, listening, and civic connection.
• The Art of Care Initiative – Laboratory for Global Performance & Politics
• Cross-sector initiative exploring care as both an artistic and civic practice, connecting artists, healthcare workers, educators, and community leaders through workshops and performance.
• The Art of Care – An In Your Shoes™ Workshop Experience – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: An example of the expanding application of Goldman’s methods within healthcare and public health environments, focusing on storytelling, listening, and relational care practices.

Publications & Plays

• Our Town
• Wilder’s landmark play about everyday life, mortality, and human awareness became a powerful framework in Goldman’s theater work with incarcerated communities.
• Angels in America
• Seminal American play exploring illness, identity, politics, and care during the AIDS crisis; referenced in relation to actor Tom Story’s recovery narrative.

In this episode, we explore the the strange, funny, visionary, and unexpectedly influential story of Barbara Steveni and the Artist Placement Group — a loose coalition of British artists who, beginning in the late 1960s, attempted something radical: placing artists inside the machinery of everyday institutional life not to decorate systems… but to complicate them.

This show explores how artists embedded themselves inside mega-corporations and government agencies — often producing confusion, resistance, revelation, and occasionally profound organizational insight. And:

* Why artists may function best not at the edges of society, but deep inside the systems shaping public life.

How attention, metaphor, and observation can help institutions become more self aware and better run.

* Why imagination inside organizations is often disruptive, inconvenient, and deeply necessary.

• Barbara Steveni — British artist, organizer, and co-founder of the Artist Placement Group whose pioneering work embedded artists inside industrial, governmental, and civic systems as catalysts for institutional reflection and imagination.
• John Latham — Influential conceptual artist and APG collaborator whose work challenged conventional ideas about institutions, perception, time, and social systems.
• Ian Breakwell — British artist, filmmaker, and diarist associated with APG whose observational work explored institutional life, mental health systems, and everyday social rituals.
• Mierle Laderman Ukeles — Maintenance artist whose long collaboration with the New York City Department of Sanitation transformed public understanding of labor, infrastructure, and civic care.
• David Whyte — Poet and organizational thinker known for bringing metaphor, reflection, and human inquiry into corporate and institutional environments.

• Artist Placement Group (APG) — Radical British initiative founded in the late 1960s to place artists inside corporations, industries, and government agencies not to decorate systems, but to deepen and complicate them.
• Organisation and Imagination (O+I) — The later evolution of APG, continuing its investigation into the relationship between imagination, institutions, governance, and organizational culture.
• Intermedia Arts — Influential Minneapolis arts organization that helped pioneer artist/community development collaborations and embedded civic arts practice in the United States.
• The Hayward Gallery — London arts venue that hosted APG’s influential 1971 exhibition Art & Economics, bringing artists, industrialists, and public officials into direct dialogue.

• Art & Economics / INN70 — Landmark APG exhibition and public experiment exploring relationships between artists, economics, bureaucracy, and institutional life.
• Incidental Person — John Latham’s concept describing artists embedded within institutions as independent observers capable of perceiving what bureaucratic systems themselves no longer notice.
• John Latham and the Scottish Bing Projects — Exploration of Latham’s visionary proposal to reconceive Scottish industrial spoil heaps as cultural memory and environmental sculpture.
• The Institution — Ian Breakwell’s work emerging from placements inside psychiatric hospitals, examining institutional systems, observation, and human vulnerability.

• The Artist Placement Group and the Industry of Art — Major essay tracing APG’s philosophy, institutional placements, and long-term influence on socially engaged and cross-sector artistic practice.
• Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself — Steveni’s memoir and archival reflection on APG, institutional imagination, and artist-led systems intervention.
• Artist Placement Group Chronology — Historical timeline documenting APG placements, exhibitions, collaborations, and policy interventions.
• Artforum — “Rate of Return: The Artist Placement Group” — Contemporary reassessment of APG’s influence on institutional critique, social practice, and embedded artistic work.

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Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.

Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.

Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

We’re rebroadcasting this episode from 2022, in part, because the ground beneath it hasn’t settled—it’s shifted, cracked, and in some places, caught fire again. The headlines keep reminding us: conflict, repression, dislocation, the slow erosion—and sometimes the sudden collapse—of trust in our institutions and in each other.

And right there, in the middle of it, the same quiet, stubborn truth this episode points to: if you scratch the surface of upheaval, you will find artists. Not on the sidelines—on the frontlines. Bearing witness. Making meaning. Holding the line while other systems falose thier grip.

Three things to listen for as you step in:

First, the insistence that art is not ornamental in times of crisis—it’s operational. It does real work in real conditions.

Second, the pattern: loss, rupture, and then—again and again—creative acts that stitch something back together. Not perfectly. But enough to move forward.

And third, the wager at the heart of it all: that imagination isn’t an escape from reality—it’s a tool for reshaping it.

Some people still think you can’t beat the devil with a song.

Listen closely.

Then decide for yourself.

For this episode of Change the Story Change the World we are going to revisit some of those Art and Upheaval stories along with the song of the same name to make a point. Yea, some people think you can’t beat the devil with a song, but they don’t know!

Art & Upheaval (song) From the CD Songlines by Cleveland Plainsong:

Art & Upheaval: Artists at Work on the World’s Frontlines, New Village Press

Change the Story Change the World

South African Bill of Rights: The Bill of Rights is arguably the part of the Constitution that has had the greatest impact on life in this country. As the first words of this chapter say: "This Bill of Rights is a cornerstone of democracy in South Africa. It enshrines the rights of all people in our country and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom."

It has also been the source of the majority of the groundbreaking rulings the Constitutional Court has handed down. To read more about selected rights and the way the Constitutional Court has interpreted them, see children's rights, women's rights, gay and lesbian rights, workers' rights and access to information.

Art for Humanity: engages with multidisciplinary arts practice and a wide variety of creative practice within the context of the pressing need for the centering of social justice in our contemporary moment. Based primarily in Durban, the organization aims to support, host, document, create space for, catalyze, and help stimulate this intersection between the arts and questions of history, social transformation and social justice.

Bishop Desmond Tutu: was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology.

Khmer Rouge: The Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), otherwise known as the Khmer Rouge, took control of Cambodia on April 17, 1975. The CPK created the state of Democratic Kampuchea in 1976 and ruled the country until January 1979. The party’s existence was kept secret until 1977, and no one outside the CPK knew who its leaders were (the leaders called themselves “Angkar Padevat”).

While the Khmer Rouge was in power, they set up policies that disregarded human life and produced repression and massacres on a massive scale. They turned the country into a huge detention center, which later became a graveyard for nearly two million people, including their own members and even some senior leaders.

Reyum Institute of Arts and Culture: Reyum was a non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to Cambodian arts and culture. Reyum was founded by Ly Daravuth and Ingrid Muan (1964 - 2005) in December 1998 in order to provide a forum for research, preservation, and promotion of traditional and contemporary Cambodian arts and culture.

Watts Writers Workshop: was a creative writing group initiated by screenwriter Budd Schulberg in the wake of the devastating August 1965 Watts Riots in South Central Los Angeles (now South Los Angeles). Schulberg later said: "In a small way, I wanted to help.... The only thing I knew was writing, so I decided to start a writers' workshop."[1] The group, which functioned from 1965 to 1973, was composed primarily of young African Americans in Watts and the surrounding neighborhoods. Early on, the Workshop included a theatrical component and one of the founders was the actor Yaphet Kotto. The group expanded its facilities and activities over the next several years with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. Government files later revealed that the Workshop had been the target of covert operations by the FBI. Writers involved in the Workshop include Quincy Troupe, Samuel Harris Jr better known as Leumas Sirrah, Johnie Scott, Eric Priestley, Ojenke, Herbert Simmons, and Wanda Coleman, as well as the poetry group Watts Prophets.

Amde Hamilton: Father Amde is widely recognized for being one of the original poets in the world famous Watts Writers Workshop during the 1960’s, where he and two other poets formed the legendary rap group, the Watts Prophets. Amid racism, poverty, and police brutality that ultimately sparked the Watts Riots, the Watts Writers Workshop tapped into the young, Black voices of Los Angeles that needed to be heard.

Watts Prophets: The Watts Prophets are a group of musicians and poets from Watts, California, United States. Like their contemporaries The Last Poets, the group combined elements of jazz music and spoken-word performance, making the trio one that is often seen as a forerunner of contemporary hip-hop music. Formed in 1967, the group comprised Richard Dedeaux, Father Amde Hamilton (born Anthony Hamilton), and (See Also Art and Upheaval: Chapters 11, 12. 13)

DAH Teatar: (Research Center for Culture and Social Change) dah theatre is a professional theatre troupe and research center. Working at the crossroads between theatre, dance, and the visual arts, through dedicated team work, for 30 years dah creates daring artistic forms that inspire personal and social transformation.

Slobodan Milosevic: (born August 29, 1941, Požarevac, Yugoslavia [now in Serbia]—found dead March 11, 2006, The Hague, Netherlands), politician and administrator, who, as Serbia’s party leader and president (1989–97), pursued Serbian nationalist policies that contributed to the breakup of the socialist Yugoslav federation. He subsequently embroiled Serbia in a series of conflicts with the successor Balkan states. From 1997 to 2000 he served as president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

Bertold Brecht: known professionally as Bertolt Brecht,[a] was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a playwright in Munich and moved to Berlin in 1924, where he wrote The Threepenny Opera with Kurt Weill and began a lifelong collaboration with the composer Hanns Eisler. Immersed in Marxist thought during this period, he wrote didactic Lehrstücke and became a leading theoretician of epic theatre (which he later preferred to call "dialectical theatre") and the Verfremdungseffekt.

The Troubles: also called Northern Ireland conflict, violent sectarian conflict from about 1968 to 1998 in Northern Ireland between the overwhelmingly Protestant unionists (loyalists), who desired the province to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nationalists (republicans), who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the republic of Ireland. Marked by street fighting, sensational bombings, sniper attacks, roadblocks, and internment without trial, the confrontation had the characteristics of a civil war, notwithstanding its textbook categorization as a “low-intensity conflict.” Some 3,600 people were killed and more than 30,000 more were wounded before a peaceful solution, which involved the governments of both the United Kingdom and Ireland, was effectively reached in 1998, leading to a power-sharing arrangement in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont.

The Wedding Community Play: The Wedding Community Play Project is not a title which trips easily off the tongue, and those of us suspicious of any artform which privileges "process" over "product" might be forgiven for approaching with trepidation a play which wears its origins so openly. Co-written by Martin Lynch and Marie Jones, along with seven different community theatre groups from different areas of Belfast, The Wedding threatens, on the face of it, to be a horse designed by a committee, especially given the political delicacy of some of the issues it addresses in dramatising the effects of a mixed marriage.

Song Exploder: is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made. Each episode is produced and edited by host and creator Hrishikesh Hirway in Los Angeles. Using the isolated, individual tracks from a recording, Hrishikesh asks artists to delve into the specific decisions that went into creating their work. Hrishikesh edits the interviews, removing his side of the conversation and condensing the story to be tightly focused on how the artists brought their songs to life. Guests include Fleetwood Mac, Billie Eilish, U2, Metallica, Solange, Lorde, Yo-Yo Ma, The Roots, Bon Iver, and more.

*******

Change the Story / Change the World is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.

Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.

Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

In this episode, social practice artist Suzanne Firstenberg turns national tragedy into human encounter, asking a simple but destabilizing question: Can art make us see each other again? From a field of more than 600,000 white flags on the National Mall to immersive installations on addiction and psychological trauma,

Firstenberg's work doesn't explain. It reveals. Each project begins with a question beneath the surface: not how people fall apart, but why. Not how many died, but who they were.

Her process moves through research, deep listening, and public participation to transform private pain into shared space. Whether through handwritten memorials, recorded voices, or silent visual scale, she creates conditions where strangers become witnesses. What emerges is not consensus, but connection. In a culture fractured by disinformation, fear, and isolation, Firstenberg reframes the problem:

Extremism behaves like addiction because it is reinforced by dopamine and sustained by repetition.

Anger is often grief in disguise.

Community is not optional. It's the mechanism of healing. Her current work asks a quiet but radical question: "Can we be we again?". It’s an invitation, not a slogan.

This episode offers more than insight. It offers a practice that includes paying attention to what's unseen, asking better questions, and staying in the conversation, especially when it's hard. The work of art, at its most useful, is not to decorate the world, but to make us more capable of living in it.

People

• Suzanne Firstenberg: Social practice artist known for large-scale, public installations addressing grief and public memory
• Eleanor Roosevelt: Former First Lady and human rights advocate whose mentorship shaped early social policy work
• Dan Patrick: Texas Lieutenant Governor whose early pandemic comments influenced the conceptual framing of Firstenberg’s memorial work Pablo Picasso: An artist whose painting informs Firstenberg’s large-scale historical documentation work

Organizations

• Charles F. Kettering Foundation:The Charles F. Kettering Foundation, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, operating foundation with a mission to advance inclusive democracies worldwide by fostering citizen engagement,
• promoting government accountability, and countering authoritarianism.
• Democracy and the Arts: The Kettering Foundation's focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and globally
• National Park Service: Federal agency that partnered in hosting In America: Remember, Firstenberg’s National Mall Installation
• The Washington Post: Coverage of COVID death framing that helped catalyze In America: Remember
• WUSA9 (CBS Washington DC) — Produced documentary coverage of In America: Remember
• Rupert Landscape : Landscape contractor that helped install In America: Remember

Events & Places

• In America: Remember: Suzanne Firstenberg’s 2021 Washington D.C. installation honoring individuals who have died from COVID-19
• COVID19 Pandemic — CDC Overview: A CDC overview of the global health crisis that forms the central context for In America: Remember
• Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, WA: Artist residency site that sparked Firstenberg’s addiction-focused work

Publications and Paintings

• Denying to the Grave: A book by Sara and Jack Gorman that examines denial, belief systems, and resistance to scientific truth
• Guernica (1937): An iconic antiwar painting by Pablo Picasso referenced by Firstenberg as structural inspiration

From FreeSound.org

Throbbing bass pad.aiff by Raille -- https://freesound.org/s/342146/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0

coins.m4a by djfroyd -- https://freesound.org/s/529187/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.

Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.

Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

That’s exactly what Ann Cleveland, a Waldorf educator, dives into with us. In our conversation she takes a deep look at how arts-infused education transforms kids into engaged citizens.

Forget the boring lectures about democracy; here, kids are living it through music, movement, and storytelling. Ann shares how children practice collaboration and empathy every single day in the classroom, honing the skills they’ll need to navigate the complex social fabric of the world around them.

This isn’t just enrichment; it’s the core of their learning experience! Ann emphasizes how arts integrated education helps kids develop self-regulation and attention – essential tools for any democratic society. Anne paints a picture of the classroom as a vibrant community where every voice matters, and every action has purpose.

As we riff on the importance of rhythm and repetition, we discover that it’s not just about keeping kids entertained; it’s about grounding them in their bodies and helping them learn to connect with others. Ann’s insights on how the Waldorf approach fosters a sense of belonging and interdependence are not just fascinating; they’re vital in today’s world where the idea of community often feels fractured. So, grab your paintbrush or a musical instrument, and let’s explore how the arts are more than just a creative outlet—they’re a pathway to active, engaged citizenship!

• Anne Cleveland: Waldorf educator, musician, and movement teacher interviewed in this episode about arts-infused education, sensory integration, and democratic practice.
• Rudolf Steiner: Austrian thinker and founder of anthroposophy whose educational ideas led to Waldorf schooling.
• Elsa Gotkins: Waldorf educator and mentor cited by Anne Cleveland for her approach to teaching students to listen closely and make non-judgmental observations in music.
• Bill Cleveland: Host of Art Is Change and director of the Center for the Study of Art & Community.
• Judy Munsen: Composer and sound designer for Art Is Change.
• Andre Nnebe: Text editor for Art Is Change.

• Santa Cruz Waldorf School: California Waldorf school cited by Anne Cleveland as her current teaching community.
• Association of Waldorf Schools of North America: North American membership organization for independent Waldorf schools and institutes; a reliable overview source for Waldorf education in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
• Center for the Study of Art & Community: Producing organization behind Art Is Change.

• Waldorf Education: Arts-integrated educational approach referenced throughout the episode, emphasizing developmental stages, imagination, embodiment, and community life.
• May Faire / school festivals at Santa Cruz Waldorf School: School-based festivals and seasonal rituals, including the Maypole tradition Anne discusses as part of rhythm, anticipation, and shared community practice.
• Santa Cruz Waldorf School curriculum: Official school description of its class-teacher model and holistic developmental curriculum, closely aligned with what Anne describes in the interview.
• Waldorf Class Plays: Annual whole-class theater productions discussed in the interview as a recurring exercise in collaboration, responsibility, and shared purpose.
• Seed Song: Anne Cleveland’s improvised classroom music-and-movement exercise that helped a dysregulated group of children settle, imagine, and reconnect.

• Helping Children on Their Way: Educational Support for the Classroom — Elizabeth Auer, editor: Collection of classroom support essays on helping children with varied learning and developmental needs.
• Games Children Play: How Games and Sport Help Children Develop — Kim Brooking-Payne: Guide to age-appropriate games and movement activities for children; identified in the transcript as a practical resource Anne uses.
• Free, Equal and Mutual: Rebalancing Society for the Common Good — Martin Large and Steve Briault, editors: Anthology on Steiner’s threefold social ideas and their relevance to public life and the common good.
• A Practical Guide to Curative Education: The Ladder of the Seven Life Processes — Robyn M. Brown: Practical guide for educators working with children facing developmental and learning challenges.

Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.

Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.

Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

What happens when freedom of expression is under pressure? When speech narrows, fear rises, and the future feels smaller than it should?

In this episode, we explore how activist artists and cultural organizers have historically stepped into these moments—not as decoration or entertainment, but as essential agents of democratic life. Through vivid stories from different times and places, the episode reveals how cultural practice reshapes what people believe is possible.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How public murals in post-revolutionary Mexico helped people see themselves as part of history
• How a single performance of “Strange Fruit” forced audiences to confront racial violence they had learned to ignore
• How participatory theater in Brazil turned audiences into active agents of change
• How a one-minute protest by Pussy Riot disrupted authoritarian control and spread globally

These stories point to a deeper truth: resistance is not only political—it is cultural, emotional, and imaginative. The episode offers a powerful reminder that movements endure when people can see themselves, each other, and a different future more clearly.

Listen, reflect, and consider: what are the cultural practices—large or small—that help keep imagination, connection, and democracy alive in your own community?

• Diego Rivera — Mexican muralist whose large-scale public works helped define post-revolutionary national identity by centering workers, Indigenous history, and social struggle. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Diego-Rivera)
• José Clemente Orozco — Influential muralist known for his stark, often critical depictions of revolution, human suffering, and political power. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jose-Clemente-Orozco)
• David Alfaro Siqueiros — Politically engaged artist who advanced muralism as a tool for mass communication and revolutionary consciousness. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Alfaro-Siqueiros)
• Billie Holiday — Legendary vocalist whose performance of “Strange Fruit” transformed a protest poem into a defining moment of cultural resistance. (https://www.biography.com/musicians/billie-holiday)
• Abel Meeropol — Teacher and activist who wrote “Strange Fruit,” one of the most powerful anti-lynching works in American history. (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/abel-meeropol)
• Augusto Boal — Creator of Theatre of the Oppressed, a participatory approach that turns audiences into active agents in rehearsing social change. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augusto-Boal)
• Paulo Freire — Revolutionary educator whose ideas on critical pedagogy and liberation deeply influenced participatory arts and social change movements. (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paulo-Freire)

• Mexican Muralism — A government-supported movement that brought art into public spaces to tell a people-centered story of Mexican history and identity. (https://www.theartstory.org/movement/mexican-muralism/)
• Theatre of the Oppressed — A global practice using interactive performance to help people explore and rehearse responses to oppression. (https://organizingengagement.org/models/theatre-of-the-oppressed/)
• Pussy Riot — Artist collective known for provocative public performances challenging authoritarianism and restrictions on free expression. (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pussy-Riot)

• Café Society — The first racially integrated nightclub in New York City, where Billie Holiday debuted “Strange Fruit” in 1939. (https://www.nyhistory.org/blogs/cafe-society-and-strange-fruit)
• Cathedral of Christ the Savior — Site of Pussy Riot’s 2012 protest performance, symbolizing the intersection of religious authority and state power. (https://www.britannica.com/place/Cathedral-of-Christ-the-Savior)

• Strange Fruit — A haunting protest song written by Abel Meeropol and performed by Billie Holiday, confronting the reality of racial terror in the United States. (https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-640309/)
• Public Art as Civic Storytelling — The use of accessible, shared spaces to reshape public understanding of history, identity, and power.
• Cultural Resistance — Creative practices that challenge dominant narratives, sustain movements, and expand what people believe is possible.

Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.

Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.

Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.

From the Center for the Study of Art and Community? This is Art is Change, a chronicle of art and social change where activist artists and cultural organizers share the strategies and skills they need to thrive as creative community leaders. My name is Bill Cleveland

This episode is part of a special Art In Action series we're producing in partnership with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation Democracy and the Arts program. In these episodes, we'll be speaking with artists, cultural organizers and arts leaders who are navigating and challenging current efforts to to limit free creative expression and free speech.

Together, we'll explore what freedom of expression means in practice, not as an abstract right, but as a lived responsibility at the heart of democratic life.

This show features my conversation with painter, organizer, educator and “root waterer” Jordan Seaberry,about what happens when art moves beyond decoration and entertainment and becomes a powerful civic practice for listening, organizing and building people power. Jordan's work, which spans painting, policy, comics, teaching and movement building, is all grounded in the conviction that human creativity is not extra.

Along the way, we follow Jordan's journey from the south side of Chicago to the Rhode Island School of Design, otherwise known as RISD, to Oregon organizing around prisoners rights, studying at Roger Williams University School of Law, and helping lead the US Department of Art and Culture.

In it we will learn about:

* How Jordan's life as a painter and organizer came together from RISD disillusionment to grassroots organizing, law school teaching and cultural strategy.

* Why listening is central to both art art and organizing. Whether the canvas becomes an ear or an organizer helps someone rehear their own life with dignity

* How artists can generate real civic power by joining movements, helping build alternative systems, and challenging dominant institutions from both inside and the street.

People

Jordan Seaberry — Painter, organizer, educator, and co-director at the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, whose practice bridges painting, policy, comics, and movement work.

Adam Horowitz — Founding leader in the creation of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture’s people-powered national framework.

Arlene Goldbard — Writer, speaker, and longtime cultural activist who helped shape USDAC’s founding vision.

Gabriel Baez — Cultural organizer and early USDAC leader involved in its national development.

Jonathan Highfield — RISD faculty member and an important mentor in Jordan’s political and intellectual formation.

Carlton Turner — Artist, organizer, and co-founder of Sipp Culture, building rural cultural infrastructure in Mississippi.

Brandi Turner — Co-director of Sipp Culture and key partner in its community-rooted cultural work.

Dan Denvir — Host of The Dig, the podcast Jordan names as a useful guide in making sense of the current political moment.

Nadine Bloch — Activist, trainer, and creative strategist with Beautiful Trouble, mentioned in connection with artists against authoritarianism work.

Michelle Alexander — Civil rights advocate and author of The New Jim Crow, one of the books Jordan cites as deeply influential.

Richard Powers — Novelist and author of Bewilderment and The Overstory, both named in Jordan’s recommendations.

Jon Fogel — Author of Punishment-Free Parenting, which Jordan connects to broader questions of punishment and power.

Kathryn Bigelow — Director of A House of Dynamite, the film Jordan references in thinking about the state and the individual.

Organizations

U.S. Department of Arts and Culture — A people-powered, non-governmental “performance piece” that prefigures what a real federal department of arts and culture could do in support of cultural democracy.

Charles F. Kettering Foundation — Partner on the Art in Action series through its work connecting democracy, public life, and the arts.

Democracy and the Arts at the Kettering Foundation — Kettering’s focus area for integrating the power of the arts into democratic life locally, nationally, and internationally.

Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) — Jordan’s alma mater and now one of the places where he teaches.

Jordan Seaberry at RISD — RISD faculty profile outlining his work as a painter, organizer, and educator.

Roger Williams University School of Law — The law school where Jordan studied while deepening the connection between art, policy, and public life.

“Radical Imagination, Radical Listening” at RWU Law — Profile of Jordan’s path through Roger Williams and the role legal study played in his work.

Sipp Culture — Mississippi-based cultural organization founded by Carlton and Brandi Turner, named here as a powerful example of alternative system building through art, food, land, and community.

Beautiful Trouble — Creative strategy hub for activists and organizers, referenced in connection with USDAC collaborations.

The Nonviolence Institute — Providence-based organization where Jordan served as director of public policy.

Publications, media, and resources

The Dig — Socialist podcast Jordan cites as part of his effort to understand the current political landscape.

Bewilderment — Richard Powers novel exploring empathy, climate grief, and the human relationship to the living world.

The Overstory — Powers’s earlier novel, invoked here as part of the same moral and ecological terrain.

A House of Dynamite — Kathryn Bigelow’s Netflix political thriller, which Jordan reads as a study in how governments can reduce ordinary people to pieces on a strategic board.

The New Jim Crow — Michelle Alexander’s landmark book on mass incarceration and racialized punishment in the United States.

Punishment-Free Parenting — Jon Fogel’s book, which Jordan links to deeper questions about discipline, punishment, and retribution.

Related episode

Art Is Change, Episode 78 featuring Carlton Turner — Bill notes this earlier conversation in connection with Sipp Culture and Mississippi-rooted cultural organizing