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

In this episode of ART IS CHANGE, Bill Cleveland shares next chapter in the continuing Weather Report, (now called the Arts Freedom Weather Report) Rather than chasing single headlines or isolated outrages, this episode steps back to examine the cultural climate shaping 2026: how small policy shifts stack up, how institutions quietly recalibrate under authoritarian pressure, and how artists and cultural organizations are responding in real time.

In this show, we explore three critical dynamics shaping the arts and democracy right now:

1. How culture is being strategically targeted and weaponized — through funding shifts, legal pressure, and narrative control.
2. What’s actually happening on the ground at the NEA, in public media, museums, universities, and courts.
3. How artists and organizers are responding with preparation, creativity, and discipline, treating resistance as a learned practice rather than a spontaneous reaction.

Listen in as we establish a cultural baseline for 2026 — one we’ll return to again and again — and map the early warning signs, fault lines, and sources of strength shaping the struggle for artistic freedom and democratic life.

Bill Cleveland

Host of ART IS CHANGE and founder of the Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Renee Nicole Goode

Minneapolis poet, mother, and community member whose work and life are honored at the close of the episode. (Minnesota Public Radio)

Sonia De Los Santos

Singer-songwriter and educator who stepped away from a Kennedy Center performance, citing concerns that the space no longer felt welcoming.

Stephen Schwartz

Composer of Wicked who withdrew from a Kennedy Center gala in protest of politicization.

Béla Fleck

Banjo innovator who canceled Kennedy Center appearances rather than participate in a politicized cultural space.

Chuck Redd

Jazz vibraphonist and bandleader who canceled his long-running Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jam.

The Cookers

Jazz ensemble that canceled its New Year’s Eve engagement at the Kennedy Center.

Wayne Tucker

Trumpeter and composer who withdrew from Kennedy Center programming.

Doug Varone

Choreographer whose company stepped away from scheduled Kennedy Center performances.

Center for the Study of Art & Community

Producing organization for ART IS CHANGE.

National Endowment for the Arts

Federal arts agency examined throughout the episode for structural and policy shifts.

American Alliance of Museums

Reported widespread loss of federal funding and program contraction across U.S. museums.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Public media funder affected by the 2025 Rescissions Act.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Legal organization representing arts groups challenging unconstitutional funding restrictions.

Theater Communications Group

National advocacy organization involved in litigation defending artistic freedom.

National Queer Theater

Plaintiff in the successful lawsuit challenging NEA viewpoint discrimination.

Rhode Island Latino Arts

Arts organization involved in the NEA lawsuit.

The Theater Offensive

Boston-based theater organization and plaintiff in the NEA lawsuit.

Project 2025

Conservative blueprint for reshaping federal agencies and executive authority.

Executive Order 14168

Order challenged for restricting arts funding tied to “gender ideology.” (Federal Register)

Rescissions Act of 2025

Legislation cutting federal support for public media. (Congressional record)

Ohio Senate Bill 1

State legislation restricting DEI initiatives and chilling arts and humanities education.

National Artists Safety Survey

Anonymous survey developed by the Artists at Risk Connection documenting censorship, harassment, and threats against artists and arts organizations.

Beautiful Trouble

Global network training artists and organizers in creative, strategic resistance.

Center for Artistic Activism

Organization helping artists design interventions that apply pressure where power actually lives.

Free DC

DC-based movement integrating music, ritual, and performance into organizing, including Go-Go traditions.

No Kings

Movement centering culture, humor, and performance to assert democracy as a lived practice.

From FreeSound.org

03419 swirly swooshes.wav by Robinhood76 -- https://freesound.org/s/160611/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Ambient 19_Cello Song by PodcastAC -- https://freesound.org/s/720336/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Desolation Wilderness - Rain and Thunder - In Tent by PodcastAC -- https://freesound.org/s/822507/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Ambient 20_Float by PodcastAC -- https://freesound.org/s/720339/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Winterstorm I: A Cinematic and ambient soundscape by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/541062/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Darkest Thursday – A Haunting Electronic Masterpiece by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/558271/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

WonkTone_125bpm01_LoopCache_AbstractPercussion.wav by aikighost -- https://freesound.org/s/199050/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Ominous by ViraMiller -- https://freesound.org/s/742117/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Applause 1.mp3 by FunWithSound -- https://freesound.org/s/381355/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Creepy music by Victor_Natas -- https://freesound.org/s/551567/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Insirish by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/724797/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Stardust, Minimalist Piano Background Music That Evokes Emotion by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/546087/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

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.

In this episode, Bill Cleveland sits down with theater director Emily Hartford and composer–storyteller Ned Hardford to explore Metra: A Climate Revolution with Songs—a nine-episode musical audio drama that reimagines an ancient Greek myth as a near-future climate story.

What starts as a conversation about craft opens into deeper territory: imagination as resistance, music as pedagogy, and why genuinely new stories don’t come from algorithms—they come from people doing long, human work together.

In it, we explore three big questions at the heart of Metra and the moment we’re living in now:

1. How music, story, and the human voice reach places that facts, lectures, and policy arguments can’t
2. What it looks like to tell a climate story without fear-mongering or “disaster porn,”
3. How artists can build work that others can actually use,—turning art-making into cultural infrastructure rather than a one-off production.

Bill Cleveland

Host of Change the Story / Change the World and founder of the Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Emily Hartford

Theater director, writer, and producer; founding member of Flux Theater Ensemble and co-creator of Metra.

Ned Hartford

Composer, songwriter, audio engineer, and co-creator of Metra, focused on musical storytelling and audio drama.

Alan Lomax

Folklorist and field-recording pioneer whose work capturing the emotional power of the human voice is referenced in the episode.

Enoch Rutherford

Old-time banjo player recorded by Alan Lomax in Virginia; referenced through a story of lineage, listening, and musical transmission.

Bill McKibben

Climate activist and author referenced for framing distributed solar power as a metaphor for bottom-up social change.

adrienne maree brown

Writer and activist whose work on emergence and collective power informs Metra’s worldview.

Martin Buber

Philosopher referenced for his concept of relational connection (I–Thou), via the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

Flux Theater Ensemble

New York–based theater company where Metra was developed and premiered, known for ensemble-driven creation and an aesthetic of liberation.

Gideon Media

Audio production studio that supported the transition of Metra from stage work to musical audio drama.

Third Act

Climate and democracy organization referenced in connection with Ned Hartford’s activism.

New York Communities for Change

Grassroots organization cited as part of the movement ecosystem influencing the creators’ thinking.

Climate Defenders

Climate justice organization referenced as an example of movement-based learning and narrative change.

Metra: A Climate Revolution with Songs

Official project site for the nine-episode musical audio drama.

Metamorphoses by Ovid

Source text for the myth of Erysichthon and Metra.

Here Comes the Sun by Bill McKibben

Referenced for its account of decentralized solar power as a model for social transformation.

The Overton Window

Political concept discussed in relation to climate disinformation and long-term narrative shifts.

Antidote by Karen Russell

Novel recommended by Emily Hartford for its imaginative interrogation of manifest destiny and power.

The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Recent book recommendation connecting ecology, reciprocity, and community.

Wendell Berry

Writer recommended for his grounding reflections on land, ethics, and community.

Making art, Building communities, Driving change.

30 years in operation,

62 communities engaged,

47 awards won,

550 artists contributed,

9, 500 people participated,

2. 6 million audience members.

Can a skateboard ramp in the rainforest spark a global movement for justice, creativity, and environmental protection?

In Part Two of our BIGhART Series, we ride along with Scott Rankin and the BIGhART team as they blend skate culture, Indigenous wisdom, and creative process into a powerful force for social change.

Listen to Part One Here

Whether it’s fighting for the endangered Tarkine rainforest or giving marginalized youth a platform to be seen and heard, BIGhART shows how art, patience, and deep listening can radically transform the world around us. If you’re wondering what change-making really looks like, this story will challenge and inspire you.

1. Explore how skateboarding becomes both an art form and a mental health lifeline for young people at the edge of society.
2. Hear how BIGhART’s long game—projects that unfold over decades—challenges quick-fix activism by centering deep community invitation and legacy-building.
3. Learn why creativity rooted in respect, reciprocity, and humility is essential to confronting cultural wounds, environmental destruction, and systems of injustice.

Scott Rankin co-founded Big hART with friend John Bakes in 1992. As CEO and Creative Director, Scott leads the overarching vision for all Big hART projects – from pilot through to legacy. A leader and teacher in the field of social and cultural innovation, Scott provides daily mentorship and knowledge transfer to all Big hART staff so that they can in turn lead our projects with confidence.

An award winning writer and director in his own right, Scott’s works have been included many times in major arts festivals. His reputation is built on a quarter of a century of work, creating, funding and directing large-scale projects in diverse communities with high needs, in isolated settings.

Big hART is Scott’s passionate contribution to the arts and society.

BIGhART:

Ngapartji Ngapartji: Big hART designed the Ngapartji Ngapartji project to raise awareness of Indigenous language loss, and the lack of an national Indigenous languages policy.

Tasmania is an island state of Australia.[15] It is located 240 kilometres (150 miles) to the south of the Australian mainland, separated from it by the Bass Strait, with the archipelago containing the southernmost point of the country.

Vaslav Nijinsky was a Russian[4] ballet dancer and choreographer of Polish ancestry.[5] He is regarded as the greatest male dancer of the early 20th century.[3]

Albert Namatjira: 28 July 1902 – 8 August 1959) was an Arrernte painter from the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia, widely considered one of the most notable Australian artists.

Namatjira Project: Namatjira Project began as a collaboration with members of the Namatjira family and the Hermannsburg community in Central Australia in 2009.The long-term project has centered around an award-winning theatre performance, Namatjira, seen by 50,000 people, telling the story of Albert Namatjira, with his family on stage.

Skate of Mind is a grassroots, national touring collective of skaters, filmmakers, photographers, and artists. We run community engagement events, workshops, music, art, digital art, projection, and soundscape design in regional communities.

SKATE is a groundbreaking new work in development fusing the art of skateboarding with percussion and projection. A breathtaking sensory experience for all the family, SKATE sees a cast of talented male and female skateboarders perform jaw-dropping feats and create infectious rhythms with their skateboards.

Element Skateboards

Winnie the Pooh: Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard.

Ngangkari (a traditional aboriginal healer)

The Acoustic Life of Sheds: Acoustic Life of Sheds invites leading composers, musicians and artists to celebrate these architectural embodiments of rural, industrial or maritime culture as memory sound- shells by reimagining them for audiences in the landscape or on the foreshore.

Project O: Project O is a prevention initiative driving change for young women in rural, regional and high needs communities.

Music

Studio (Ernabella School Hall) recording of music from the stage show 'Ngapartji Ngapartji'. 1 Ngayunya Wantiriyalku I Shall Be Released

Performed by Makinti Minutjukur, Unurupa Kulyuru, Rhoda Tjitayi, Renita Stanley, Andrew MacGregor, Sara Luither, Beth Sometimes, Steve Fraser. Written by Bob Dylan - Translated by Lorna Wilson, Tom Holder, Dora (Amanyi) Haggie, Rhoda Tjitayi, Unurupa Kulyuru, Beth Sometimes. Recorded by Steve Fraser.

Dream-Shifting - by Steven F Allen

https://freesound.org/people/audiomirage/

https://soundclick.com/AuDioChosisStevenFAllenAuDioMiRage

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.

This isn’t a regular ART IS CHANGE episode. It’s a pause. A moment to mark the passing of Leni Sloan—artist, activist, catalytic troublemaker, and beloved friend.

In this special reflection, Bill Cleveland shares stories that trace Leni’s life across stages and communities—from a daring Bicentennial musical about minstrelsy, to decades of cultural work uncovering erased Black histories, to his role as a catalytic force inside institutions that needed shaking awake. This is a portrait not just of what Leni made, but how he moved through the world.

You’ll hear about a man who believed history lives in bodies, that culture breathes through people, and that the real work is connection—between past and present, pain and joy, the visible and the forgotten. It’s a meditation on art as lineage, memory, and moral practice, told with humor, tenderness, and deep respect.

Listen in as we honor Leni Sloan’s life, legacy, and enduring presence—and let his stories remind us why telling the whole truth, especially the hard parts, is how we stay human.

Multiple early and foundational episodes of this podcast include extended conversations with Leni on art, history, humility, and social change.

1. L. O. Sloan - Adventures of a Gunrunner for the Arts Part 1
2. L. o. Sloan - Adventures of a Gunrunner for the Arts Part 2
3. Building Blocks of Effective Art and Social Change Practice: W/ Leni Sloan, Barbara Shaffer Bacon, and Bill Cleveland

Bill Cleveland: Founder of the Center for the Study of Art & Community and host of Change the Story / Change the World. Longtime collaborator and close friend of Leni Sloan, offering this remembrance.

Leni Sloan (Lenwood O. Sloan): Playwright, director, cultural strategist, and community arts leader whose work bridged history, performance, policy, and community storytelling for more than four decades.

Laurie Meadof: Friend and colleague and internationally recognized artist organizer who shared the news of Leni Sloan’s passing with Bill Cleveland.

Barbara Schaffer Bacon: National leader in arts-based civic practice and longtime collaborator with Leni Sloan, referenced in connection with recent podcast conversations.

Bert Williams: Groundbreaking African American performer whose life and legacy anchor Sloan’s musical play The Wake.

Katherine Dunham: Pioneering dancer, choreographer, and anthropologist referenced as part of the lineage of artists Leni now metaphorically joins “on the other stage.”

The Wake (musical play): Leni Sloan’s U.S. Bicentennial-era musical exploring minstrelsy, race, and American identity through the imagined gathering of Bert Williams and fellow performers.

Vu Du Macbeth: The historic 1936 Federal Theatre Project production revived and transformed by Leni Sloan.

Center for the Study of Art & Community: Host organization for the podcast and long-term home of conversations about art, democracy, and community change.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Federal arts agency where Leni Sloan worked and influenced national cultural policy.

California Arts Council: State arts agency connected to Sloan’s public-sector cultural leadership.

San Francisco Arts Commission: Municipal arts agency where Sloan contributed to public arts strategy and cultural equity efforts.

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 if telling a story could rewrite history, heal generational trauma, and reclaim a community’s stolen legacy?

In a world where the voices of marginalized communities are often silenced or distorted, this episode explores how the arts—through projects like BIGhART and the Ngapartji Ngapartji and Namatjira initiatives—can become powerful instruments of cultural justice, truth-telling, and transformation. If you’ve ever wondered how creativity can confront systems of power and elevate unheard voices, this story offers living proof.

In this episode we:

1. Discover how a small arts organization in Australia sparked a global movement for Indigenous rights, language preservation, and youth empowerment.
2. Learn how performance, storytelling, and community-led creativity dismantled colonial narratives and reclaimed stolen intellectual property.
3. Be inspired by Scott Rankin’s vision of sacred, process-centered artistry that goes beyond performance to become a force for healing, justice, and deep social change.

Scott co-founded Big hART with friend John Bakes in 1992. As CEO and Creative Director, Scott leads the overarching vision for all Big hART projects – from pilot through to legacy. A leader and teacher in the field of social and cultural innovation, Scott provides daily mentorship and knowledge transfer to all Big hART staff so that they can in turn lead our projects with confidence.

An award winning writer and director in his own right, Scott’s works have been included many times in major arts festivals. His reputation is built on a quarter of a century of work, creating, funding and directing large-scale projects in diverse communities with high needs, in isolated settings.

Big hART is Scott’s passionate contribution to the arts and society.

BIGhART: Authentic, high-quality art made with communities.

Big hART brings virtuosic artists into communities to collaborate and create authentic stories which illuminate local injustice. We present these stories to mainstream audiences to help raise awareness. This builds public support for change and helps to protect vulnerable people.

Everyone, everywhere has the right to thrive.

Big hART works with communities experiencing high levels of need. Rather than focusing on the problem, our unique non-welfare projects build on community assets, strengthening vulnerable individuals, and creating long term attitudinal shifts. Our hope is for all communities to flourish.

Positive, generational change begins as a cultural shift.

Big hART designs and delivers transformative projects to address complex social issues. Our cultural approaches are evaluated and acknowledged as best practice. Decision makers seeking better solutions can use our award winning projects to help develop new and better policy. We aim to drive generational change.

Ngapartji Ngapartji: Big hART designed the Ngapartji Ngapartji project to raise awareness of Indigenous language loss, and the lack of an national Indigenous languages policy. In order to create visibility around these issues, we launched a language and culture teaching portal, offered audiences the chance to learn Pitjantjatjara through a small teaching show, created short teaching films, as well as music and CDs with a Pitjantjatjara choir. We made a high profile documentary, and finally, a large award winning touring show for national festivals. By creating this range of art products, we attracted exceptional media and gained high level political interest in the issue. This assisted in driving a new Indigenous language policy and increased funding to help prevent language loss.

Trevor Jamieson is a veteran of stage and screen with over 25 years of experience in the entertainment industry, and a long time creative partner with BIGhART. He is known as an Actor, Dancer, Musician and Storyteller and his portrait, taken by Brett Canet-Gibson, took out the People’s Choice award for the 2017 National Portrait gallery exhibition in Canberra.

Trevor is not only an accomplished actor but is also known for his ability on the guitar and didgeridoo. Trevor has also received acclaim for his dance performances across the globe.Trevor was announced as a Permanent Ambassador for the Revelation Perth International Film Festival in 2017.Some of Trevor’s screen work includes Storm Boy; Thalu: Dreamtime is Now; Boys in the Trees. His stage credits include the Australian tour of The Season; the Sydney Theatre Company’s The Secret River; and the performance of Namatjira at Southbank, London in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

Art and Upheaval: Artists on the World's Frontlines - Citizen artists successfully rebuild the social infrastructure in six communities devastated by war, repression and dislocation. Author William Cleveland tells remarkable stories from Northern Ireland, Cambodia, South Africa, United States (Watts, Los Angeles), aboriginal Australia, and Serbia, about artists who resolve conflict, heal unspeakable trauma, give voice to the forgotten and disappeared, and restitch the cultural fabric of their communities.

Pitjantjatjara: The Pitjantjatjara (/ˌpɪtʃəntʃəˈtʃɑːrə/;[1] Pitjantjatjara: [ˈpɪɟanɟaɟaɾa] or [ˈpɪɟanɟaɾa]) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are varieties of the Western Desert language).

They refer to themselves as aṉangu (people). The Pitjantjatjara live mostly in the northwest of South Australia, extending across the border into the Northern Territory to just south of Lake Amadeus, and west a short distance into Western Australia. The land is an inseparable and important part of their identity, and every part of it is rich with stories and meaning to aṉangu.[2]

They have, for the most part, given up their nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle but have retained their language and much of their culture in synergy with increasing influences from the broader Australian community.

Today there are still about 4,000 aṉangu living scattered in small communities and outstations across their traditional lands, forming one of the most successful joint land arrangements in Australia with Aboriginal traditional owners.

Melbourne International Arts Festival: Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festival held in Melbourne, Australia, from 1986 to 2019. It was to be superseded by a new festival called Rising from 2020 (which was subsequently derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia).

Spinifex Country: The Pila Nguru, often referred to in English as the Spinifex people, are an Aboriginal Australian people of Western Australia, whose lands extend to the border with South Australia and to the north of the Nullarbor Plain.[1][2] The centre of their homeland is in the Great Victoria Desert, at Tjuntjunjarra, some 700 kilometres (430 mi) east of Kalgoorlie,[3] perhaps the remotest community in Australia.[4] Their country is sometimes referred to as Spinifex country.[5] The Pila Nguru were the last Australian people to have dropped the complete trappings of their traditional lifestyle.[6]

Alex Kelly: Alex Kelly is an Australian freelance artist, filmmaker and producer based in regional Australia. Kelly was born in regional NSW and grew up in a farming community near Wodonga in regional Victoria,[1]

Kelly has worked with diverse communities in Australia and around the world including Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Amsterdam, Barcelona and the UK organising and lobbying for social change. She has been involved in community development, the arts, media (communication), environmental protection and social justice projects.

Palawa people of Tasmania: The Aboriginal Tasmanians (Palawa kani: Palawa or Pakana[4]) are[5] the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. For much of the 20th century, the Tasmanian Aboriginal people were widely, and erroneously, thought of as being an extinct cultural and ethnic group that had been intentionally exterminated by white settlers.[6] Contemporary figures (2016) for the number of people of Tasmanian Aboriginal descent vary according to the criteria used to determine this identity, ranging from 6,000 to over 23,000.[1][2]

Edward Said: (1 November 1935 – 24 September 2003) was a Palestinian American academic, literary critic and political activist.[1] A professor of literature at Columbia University, he was among the founders of postcolonial studies.[2] Born in Mandatory Palestine, he was a citizen of the United States by way of his father, a U.S. Army veteran.

David Mamet is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). He first gained critical acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway 1970s plays: The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo.[2] His plays Race and The Penitent, respectively, opened on Broadway in 2009 and previewed off-Broadway in 2017.

Why does sustainability matter in activist art? When funding cycles are short, residencies are brief, and institutions often treat creative work as temporary or expendable, what does it mean to commit to change that lasts?

In this episode of Art Is Change, the sixth in our series on the building blocks of effective community arts practice, Bill Cleveland sits down with two legendary cultural leaders — Leni Sloan and Barbara Schaefer Bacon — to explore sustainability not as longevity for its own sake, but as ethical responsibility. From invisible lineages of community practice to the quiet power of relationships that outlast grants, they examine what truly endures when art engages deeply with communities.

Drawing on decades of experience as practitioners, funders, and advocates, this conversation 

• challenges conventional ideas of growth, impact, and institutional survival.
• asks whether sustainability lies in organizations, practices, relationships, 
• or something more elusive — trust, memory, and the transmission of creative values across generations.

If you are an artist, cultural organizer, funder, or community partner grappling with how to build work that matters beyond the life of a project, this episode offers hard-earned wisdom, moral clarity, and a powerful reminder: some forms of change are too important to be temporary.

• Lenwood “Leni” Sloan – Activist artist, cultural organizer, impresario, and long-time leader in community-based arts practice; featured guest on Art Is Change.
• Barbara Schaffer Bacon
• – Former Co-Director of Animating Democracy, a national initiative advancing arts-based civic dialogue and democratic practice.
• Bill Cleveland
• – Host of Art Is Change and Director of the Center for the Study of Art and Community, with decades of experience in arts-based community development and cultural organizing.
• Liz Lerman
• – Choreographer, civic artist, and thought leader whose work has profoundly shaped community-based and socially engaged dance practice.
• John O’Neal
• – Playwright, performer, and cultural organizer; co-founder of the Free Southern Theater and founder of Junebug Productions, a cornerstone of African American community-based theater.
• M. C. Richards
• – Poet, potter, educator, and author whose writings on creativity, discipline, and teaching have deeply influenced generations of artists.

• Center for the Study of Art and Communit– A national resource supporting artists, organizations, and institutions working at the intersection of art, community, and social change.
• Animating Democracy– A program of Americans for the Arts dedicated to advancing arts-based civic engagement, dialogue, and democratic practice.
• Americans for the Arts– A leading U.S. nonprofit organization supporting arts advocacy, research, and policy nationwide.
• Junebug Productions– New Orleans–based theater and cultural organization dedicated to artistic excellence, community engagement, and African American cultural traditions.
• Sankofa African American Theatre Company
• – Harrisburg-based community theater rooted in African American history, storytelling, and civic engagement.

• Day With(out) Art– An annual global action initiated by Visual AIDS, aligning with World AIDS Day to highlight the impact of AIDS on artists and communities through exhibitions, programs, and public dialogue.
• Community Cultural Development– A field of practice placing culture at the center of community life, social justice, and civic engagement; overview provided by the UMass Arts Extension Service, a long-standing authority in the field.

• Works Progress Administration (WPA) Arts Programs
• – New Deal–era federal programs that employed artists and embedded creative work in public life during the Great Depression; documented by the Library of Congress.

From FreeSound.org

Hello User: Bright Cheery Intro Music by jjmarsan -- https://freesound.org/s/476070/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Bosch’s Garden – Mythical Game Music for Fantasy and AI Projects by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/647212/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Project Nine - Time is of the Essence: Minimalist Tune by kjartan_abel -- https://freesound.org/s/662378/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

240625_2767-6_FR_Children_singing by kevp888 -- https://freesound.org/s/745207/ -- License: Attribution 

4.0custom_lexi_brain_blast_pew_sine_sweep_sound_V2_FINAL_06232025 by Artninja -- https://freesound.org/s/813190/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

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.

This episode digs into one of the trickiest—and most revealing—corners of community-based arts work: the way humility and failure shape everything we do, from a 12-line role in Richard II to a city-wide public-art firestorm.

Leni Sloan, Barbara Shaffer Bacon and Bill Cleveland tumble into stories that peel back the glossy surface of “successful” arts practice:

• the actor with decades of experience learning cadence from an 18-year-old,
• the choreographer who turned military restrictions into creative fuel,
• the prison poet who left a Broadway star speechless.

And threaded through it all is this question: how do we stay porous enough—humble enough—to learn what the work is actually teaching us?

Together they talk about the kind of failure that doesn’t end a project but opens it—cracks the thing apart so the next, truer version can breathe. And they remind us that in this art-and-community dance, no one is ever done learning, not even the masters.

Listen in as we explore why humility is not soft, and failure is not fatal—they’re simply part of the craft.

And stick around: the next episode asks the big follow-up question—what responsibility do we carry for sustaining access to creative resources once communities have experienced their transformative power?

Use this Venmo account @Cheryl-Cotterill or send a check to:

Cheryl Cotterill

Attorney at Law

1770 Post Street #207

San Francisco, CA 94115

People

Leni Sloan

Actor, director, community-arts practitioner, and co-conversationalist in this episode, reflecting on humility, failure, and learning within community-engaged art. 

Barbara Schaffer Bacon

Co-director of Animating Democracy and long-time leader in arts-based community development; contributes insight into constraints, ethics, and readiness in community practice. 

Lori Woolery

Director formerly with Cornerstone Theater Company and a leader of community-based productions at The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. 

Liz Lerman

Choreographer, educator, and founder of the Dance Exchange, known for pioneering community-based performance projects including The Shipyard Project. 

Robert Frost

Poet quoted for the line “Freedom is riding easy in the harness,” used here to illuminate creative constraint. 

M.C. Richards

Potter, writer, and philosopher known for her disciplined practice of smashing imperfect pots—a metaphor for artistic rigor and humility. 

F. Murray Abraham

Award-winning actor involved in the Broadway production of Waiting for Godot, who visited San Quentin and sought insight from incarcerated actor Spoon Jackson. 

Spoon Jackson

Poet, educator, and long-incarcerated artist whose work in Arts-in-Corrections and performance in Waiting for Godot continues to inspire communities worldwide. Now eligible for review under California’s Racial Justice Act. 

Events & Projects

The Shipyard Project

A groundbreaking community dance and dialogue project led by Liz Lerman and the Dance Exchange in Portsmouth, NH, exploring the tensions around the naval shipyard’s potential closure. 

Sacramento “Indo Arch” Public Art Controversy (1980s)

A major debate around a celebrated new public artwork whose meaning shifted with geopolitical conflict, sparking weeks of city council deliberation. (General Sacramento public art reference: https://www.sacramento365.com/public-art/) 

San Quentin Production of Waiting for Godot

A culturally significant prison-based performance in which incarcerated actors, including Spoon Jackson, staged Beckett’s play for outside audiences and visiting artists like F. Murray Abraham. 

Creative Community Leadership Institute (CCLI) (archival)

A long-running community-arts training program in Minnesota whose curriculum underwent major revision after direct feedback from BIPOC participants. 

Organizations

Cornerstone Theater Company

A nationally recognized organization creating theater with and for communities across the U.S. 

The Public Theater

New York City’s home for Shakespeare in the Park and large-scale community productions involving hundreds of local participants. 

Dance Exchange

An interdisciplinary performance company exploring the intersection of art, community dialogue, and participatory practice. 

California Arts-in-Corrections Program

A statewide partnership providing arts education inside prisons, central to the development and visibility of artists like Spoon Jackson. 

California Racial Justice Act

Legislation allowing incarcerated individuals to seek relief when racial bias may have influenced their conviction or sentencing. 

Publications / Texts

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

The canonical absurdist play discussed in relation to San Quentin’s historic production. 

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.

Budgets frozen. Institutions wobbling. Political earthquakes everywhere. In the middle of all that, many artists and cultural workers are stepping straight into the messy moral world of community change.

This episode is the fourth in our special series where we're unpacking the building blocks of effective art and social change practice,

This episode we explore: 

• What happens when “good intentions” aren’t enough?
• What do we owe the communities we hope to serve?
• And how does an artist even begin to understand the ethical weight of their presence in places carrying trauma, tension, or long histories of power imbalance?

People

• Bill Cleveland – Host of Art Is Change and Director of the Center for the Study of Art & Community.
• Leni Sloan – Activist, performer, impresario, and cultural historian.
• Barbara Schaffer Bacon – Educator, author, and longtime arts-and-democracy leader.
• Confucius – Philosopher quoted on the cultural health of society.
• Carol Bebelle – Co-founder of Ashé Cultural Arts Center in New Orleans.
• Roberta Uno – Director and cultural organizer referenced via Project 2050.
• Judy Munson – Composer for the series' theme and soundscapes.
• Andre Neppe – Text editor for the series.

Organizations

• Center for the Study of Art & Community – Producer of Art Is Change.
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) – Federal arts funder.
• Mid Atlantic Arts – Regional arts funder.
• Kennedy Center – National cultural institution.
• Junebug Productions – Community-rooted arts organization.
• Ashé Cultural Arts Center – Cultural organization founded by Carol Bebelle.
• UMass Project 2050 – Intergenerational arts and social justice project.
• Freesound.org – Open-source audio effects platform.

Events

• Pennsylvania Arts Residency Shutdowns – State-level budget freeze causing all residencies to wind down.
• California Gerrymandering Ballot Vote – Referenced political event affecting democratic institutions.
• White House East Wing Renovation – Described as symbolic cultural destabilization.
• Northern Ireland Peace-Sector Encounters – Experiences working in sectarian communities.
• Prison Songwriting Class – A pivotal ethical moment demonstrating the power of creative work.

Publications / Texts

• Confucian Canon – Referenced philosophically regarding art and society.

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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.

The "inbetween" is often ignored. It is also the juicy territory that this week’s guest, comedian, chef, poet, educator, and activist Robert Farid Karimi has been investigating over the last couple of decades. like many of our guests Robert, who is also known as Mero Cocinero, Farid Mercury, the Peoples Chef, and even in some quarters, Betty Crocker's radical heir apparent, is not easily pegged. In the conversation that follows we explore some of the stories, ideas, and questions that animate his work. How can humor become a bridge in a conflict-ridden community? What is the role of the fool and gossip in the post truth era? What can community organizers learn from Mel Brooks and Cheech and Chong. Along the way we hear great stories and have a little fun.

Mero Cocinero, Farid Mercury, the Peoples Chef: Just three of Mr. Karimi's many alter egos.

Change the Story / Change the World: This podcast, a Chronicle of Art & Community Transformation

Afrika Bambaataa: Lance Taylor (born in April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (/ˌæfrɪkə bæmˈbɑːtə/),[2][3] is an American DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York.[4][3] He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture.[5] Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing.[1

Out North :Out North advances contemporary art in Anchorage supports underrepresented voices, and promotes cultural dialogue.

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday[WC1] . [WC1]House Made of Dawn is a 1968 novel by N. Scott Momaday, widely credited as leading the way for the breakthrough of Native American literature into the mainstream. It was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1969, and has also been noted for its significance in Native American anthropology.[2]

Galleria de la Raza: Founded in 1970, Galería de la Raza | Studio 24 is a non-profit dedicated to promoting Xicanx/Latinx art and culture. Our "creative place keeping" ethos is rooted in social inclusion and justice, where community arts are central to navigating the complex intersection of urban development, social inequality, affordable housing, and the historical-cultural legacies of communities of color.

Cornerstone.Theater: Cornerstone Theater Company collaborates with communities. Our work reflects complexity, disrupts assumptions, welcomes difference, and amplifies joy. We aim to advance a more compassionate, equitable, and just world.

"rasquache.": Rasquache is a term of Mesoamerican Nahuatl origin which initially had a negative connotation in Mexico as being an attitude that was lower class, impoverished and having bad taste. This definition was later redefined by Mexican and Chicano art movement, Rasquachismo, transforming social and economic instabilities into a style and a positive creative attitude.

Creative Capital:Creative Capital is a nonprofit organization that has awarded more than $50 million to artists for the creation of groundbreaking new work in the visual arts, performing arts, literature, film, technology, and multidisciplinary practices, including socially-engaged work in all forms. We also provide professional development programs, networking opportunities, and educational resources for arts communities around the world.

Diabetes of Democracy: Awarded the 2011 Arts and Humanities Seed Grant funded jointly by the Institute for Humanities Research  and the Herberger Institute Research Center in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts Diabetes for Democracy in South Phoenix examines the efficacy of the arts—specifically theatrical performance—in changing the dietary attitudes and behaviors of young people at higher risk for chronic diseases like diabetes.

Suzanne Lacy: Suzanne Lacy is renowned as a pioneer in socially engaged and public performance art. Her installations, videos, and performances deal with sexual violence, rural and urban poverty, incarceration, labor and aging. Lacy’s large-scale projects span the globe, including England, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Ireland and the U.S. 

Comic Relief[WC1] , [WC1]Comic Relief is a major charity based in the UK, with a vision of a just world, free from poverty.The organization's mission is to drive positive change through the power of entertainment.

Up in Smoke: Up in Smoke is a 1978 American buddy stoner comedy film directed by Lou Adler and starring Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong, Edie Adams, Strother Martin, Stacy Keach, and Tom Skerritt. It is Cheech & Chong's first feature-length film. While negatively received upon its release, Up in Smoke grossed over $104 million, is credited with establishing the stoner film genre, and is now considered a cult classic.

 Innovation Labs: Through keynotes, articles, workshops, seminars, and projects, we provide comprehensive insight into opportunities and challenges for companies and organizations in relation to new technologies, organizational development, innovation formats, and future business

Bridges Translations and Change: Art as Infrastructure in 21st Century America.: (1992) The essay was presented as a plea to America’s cultural community to get off the sidelines and join the fray. Atthattime,I(along with many others) asserted that what some were calling a “new world order” was in fact anew world condition--- that the recent spate of tumultuous events was not an unusual spike on the Richter scale of human affairs, but rather, a natural symptom of a globe that was in a perpetual state of accelerating change

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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 a world wired to exploit our fear, reclaiming our agency has never been more urgent—or more human. This episode dives deep into how fear hijacks our brains, and how imagination and creativity can reconnect us to each other and to our own capacity for action. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, this is the grounding message you need.

• Discover why making things—from pots to poems—can literally rewire your brain and restore hope.
• Learn how shared creativity offers an ancient antidote to the MAGA Fear Machine.
• Hear why artists and makers are uniquely positioned to help shift us from panic to possibility.

Join us as we explore how reclaiming your creative spark can tip the balance from fear to agency—one act of making at a time.

 Events / Concepts Fight–Flight–Freeze Response – The brain’s survival-based reaction to fear, narrowing our thinking and heightening stress responses.

• The Deep State – Used here as a metaphor for politically charged fear narratives in American culture.
• Zombie Apocalypse – A metaphor representing panic-driven narratives that fuel division and fear.
• Neuroplasticity – The brain’s ability to rewire itself in response to experiences like storytelling and making art.

2. Organizations

·     The Center for the Study of Art & Community – Producer of Art is Change, the center supports artists and cultural workers in community transformation.

• Art is Change (Podcast) – A series focused on how arts and imagination intersect with democracy, agency, and resistance.
• Freesound.org – A collaborative sound library providing many of the podcast’s creative sound effects.

3. Publications / Knowledge Resources

·     Neuroscience of Creativity & Agency – Explains how artistic practice stimulates brain function and fosters resilience.

• The Amygdala – The brain’s emotional alarm center, highlighted as central to how fear takes hold in the episode.
• The Prefrontal Cortex – The reasoning part of the brain that gets suppressed under fear-based conditions.
• Evolutionary Cooperation & Collective Creativity – Scientific support for the idea that group creativity and collaboration are essential to human survival.
• 
  

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.