Creative MKE

Our guest this week is artist Amanda Huff: electronic musician, film composer, lawful-evil sorcerer, and bug extraordinaire hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After a pop culture inspired intro, Amanda joins to talk about experiencing disorienting moments in art, vulnerability and emotion in creating, the role of the audience, the centering effect of the pandemic, and finding joy.

This week, we welcome Christine Yoon – Senior Program Officer, Arts at the Wallace Foundation - for a conversation covering Christine's musical idols, navigating culture shifts in the workplace, the philanthropic community's shifts over the last year, leadership development in nonprofits, managing uncertainty, and more.

This week on the pod, Mac and David revisit the glory days of being a podcast-producing duo as Lindsay is out of town. To start, cueing up Christine Yoon from Wallace Foundation who will now appear next week (you know, best laid plans). Then, an impromptu pre-recording lunch trip, and an exploration of Mac and David in person (as opposed to role/system) has them answering questions like "What is the best part of being you?"

This week, we welcome Pardeep Singh Kaleka and through the conversation create a sacred space to talk about appreciating the artistry in simply being your full self; having courage to forge a new path; responding to callings; holding on to humanity, forgiveness, and freedom in a disconnected world; and more. Pardeep is executive director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, founder of Serve2Unite, a published author of “The Gifts of Our Wounds” and a clinician specializing in utilizing a trauma-informed approach to treat survivors and perpetrators of assault, abuse and acts of violence.

Today’s guest is Steven Olikara, Founder and Senior Advisor of the Millennial Action Project (MAP), a national, nonpartisan nonprofit organization dedicated to renewing American politics through post-partisan, Millennial leadership. We talk about Steven's musical life - creating 15 bands in genres ranging from klezmer to punk - and how that has influenced his political work to bridge divides and build spaces where people can bring their full selves to the conversation.

Our guest this week is Arvind Gopalratnam, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at the Milwaukee Bucks and Executive Director of the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation. In his role, Gopalratnam will oversees the day-to-day operations of the Bucks Corporate Social Responsibility Department while furthering the philanthropic efforts statewide of the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation.

But first off, in the intro: the Imagine team is almost fully vaccine “marinated,” so they’re starting to get back out into the world. David went to a performance at the Milwaukee Rep, Mac went to his daughter’s vocal recital, and Lindsay’s rehearsing with Bel Canto. Plus, Mac has a pitch for Planet Fitness.

At 12:53, Arvind joins the pod. Mac can’t help but open with some Bulls/Bucks rivalry. Then: learning piano and becoming a diehard Phish fan (he’s been to over 50 shows) (15:40); Arvind's career start as an NBC Page, including work with NBC Sports and doing seating at SNL (25:20); how his view of Milwaukee’s arts and culture has been informed by his role on the board of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (32:30); how the Bucks embrace supporting Milwaukee’s arts community (36:00); how the Bucks lived into the responsibility of the moment last summer in support of Black Lives Matter and how it will impact their community engagement work moving forward (38:20); it’s Arvind's turn as Czar of Arts and Culture and he wants to bring back the holiday folk fair (50:30).

Plugs

https://www.nba.com/bucks/ (Milwaukee Bucks)

Twitter: @Bucks

Twitter and Instagram: @BucksCommunity

https://www.nba.com/bucks/foundation/foundation-week (Bucks Foundation Week) (5/3 - 5/7)

Ephemera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2Zgpsa5YI (What tackle football in a sauna *might* look like )

https://www.milwaukeerep.com/shows/show/ella-fitzgerald-first-lady-song/ (Ella Fitzgerald First Lady of Song)

https://www.milwaukeerep.com/etc/aapi/?utm_source=wordflyandutm_medium=emailandutm_campaign=FY21NewsletterApril26andutm_content=version_Aandfbclid=IwAR0WRyIfo_YbbKrUBVydxwrjxVuUq106bXb7FfVvaTlGFLGL9zB68nPeqZQ (Milwaukee Rep AAPI Month)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovBDDfB1s0w (Ralph Vaughan Williams “Dona Nobis Pacem)”

https://onmilwaukee.com/articles/phish-milwaukeehome-pabst (Trey Anastasio loves Milwaukee)

https://www.businessinsider.com/this-job-more-selective-than-navy-seals-2016-6 (Becoming an NBC Page is harder than getting into Harvard)

This week, we welcome Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO of the Marcus Performing Arts Center, one of the premiere performing arts centers in the state. Previously, she has held senior leadership positions with several major performing arts institutions including Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, Omaha Performing Arts, Shenandoah Performances at Shenandoah University, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and The Detroit Symphony.

Intro: we jump right into getting excited about the Oscars (though we recorded it pre-Oscars). We highlight Milwaukee ties to the Oscars over the years, including Mark Rylance, Orson Welles, John Ridley, Justin Hurwitz, and Willem Dafoe.

Kendra joins the pod at 11:44 and starts off by sharing about how her love of the arts was sparked by attending performances in her hometown of Scranton with her mom at a young age. Kendra shares about the beginning of her career in arts administration (19:26), perspective on Milwaukee’s experience of arts and culture in comparison to other cities (26:33), race and equity in the arts industry at large and Marcus Center’s focus (30:10), learnings from a year running a performing arts center during a pandemic (44:00), Kendra’s turn as the Czar of Arts and Culture includes building more public funding for the arts (51:45).

New segment easter egg: Mac and David explain Gen-X stuff to Lindsay (1:02:41)

LINKS

https://marcuscenter.org/ (Marcus Center for the Performing Arts)

Facebook: @MarcusCenter.org

Twitter: @MarcusCenter

Instagram: @Marcus.Center

Audio Transitions: https://open.spotify.com/album/3iYPzHqffEu948YaXFUDb6?highlight=spotify:track:4WXlZBxOzQaWTku7QDXxqk (“Caroline’s” by Amanda Huff)

EPHEMERA

https://stories.vassar.edu/2021/filmmaker-shaka-king-01s-acclaimed-story-of-a-black-panther-leader.html (Shaka King (for the Vassar lolz))

https://www.usmk12.org/list-detail?pk=101517 (Mark Rylance)

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/orson-welles-birthplace (Orson Welles)

https://www.milwaukeemag.com/director-john-ridley-parlayed-2012-oscar-win-no-studios/ (John Ridley)

https://www.fox6now.com/news/nicolet-high-school-alum-justin-hurwitz-wins-2-academy-awards-for-work-on-la-la-land (Justin Hurwitz)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/they-got-wrong-envelope-oral-history-oscars-epic-best-picture-fiasco-1087829 (How they Got the Wrong Envelope)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpwCDR1a6M0 (Willem Dafoe)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uejh-bHa4To (“Voices Carry” Til Tuesday)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxkJHX7ukKE (“No Myth” Michael Penn)

Show Description

Our guest this week is Maya Enista Smith, Executive Director of Born This Way Foundation, which was co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, to support the mental health of young people and work with them to create a kinder and braver world.

In the intro, we bring back the “interpret my dream segment” with a dream submission from Lindsay. Mac and David share about art and culture experiences from their youth that affirmed their identity. Mac shares about Milwaukee based-orgs doing similar work to Born This Way Foundation.

Maya joins at 19:09. She shares her arts and culture origin story and love of storytelling (22:15); finding moments for daydreaming and enchantment, and finding inspiration in watching talent, passion, and purpose at Lady Gaga’s level (25:10); what it’s like to have Lady Gaga invite you to be part of her team (26:40); creating fun partnerships with Starbucks, Deloitte, and young people (30:17); how to have a conversation around KPIs with things as unique and personal as kindness, love, and mental health (34:00); adjusting to meet the mental health challenge of the pandemic (38:10); and favorite examples of fostering inclusion through arts and culture (43:25).

Bonus to close us out: Mac’s interpret my dream (55:37).

Audio Transitions: “https://open.spotify.com/track/40R0ql4akCiU2kEmKTREVp?si=da6509a6a94843b1 (Lovely Child)” by VUCA (featuring Barbara Stephan and Dave Olson)

Plugs:

Maya Enista Smith / Twitter: @MEnista

https://bornthisway.foundation/ (Born this Way Foundation)

https://www.channelkindness.org/ (Channel Kindness)

https://www.facebook.com/bornthiswayfoundation (Facebook)

https://twitter.com/btwfoundation (Twitter)

https://www.instagram.com/btwfoundation/ (Instagram )

S222 Episode Ephemera:

https://independentsector.org/programs/ngen/ngenfellows/ (NGen Fellowship (where are the pre-2014 classes???!))

https://www.imaginemke.org/art-stories/414ward.php (414 (New) Day)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_music (British New Wave)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx5lkGS4w30 (Big Trouble in Little China)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNkq34rlDRS/ (Barbershop Real Talk)

http://pearlsforteengirls.com/ (PEARLS for Teen Girls)

https://jack.org/Home (Jack.org)

https://www.project150.org/ (Project 150 in Las Vegas)

https://www.exploringthearts.org/ (Exploring the Arts)

https://www.movethisworld.com/ (Move this World)

Our guest today is Julia Griffith, Program Director at Historic Milwaukee – back for the second time to follow up on her 2020 appearance, which was our most popular episode ever.

We get started by answering question #414 from Mac’s book of 1,001 conversation starters: If you could do something very daring without fear, what would you do? (Answers include swimming, jumping out of an airplane, hiking the Appalachian Trail.) Then, we talk about the pilot programs launching in San Francisco and St. Paul to provide a universal basic income to sets of artists for the next six to eighteen months.

Julia joins at 20:30. Historic significance of 414 as our area code, and how rotary phones work (22:20), 414 Day start in MKE in 2010 (25:00), how Historic Milwaukee has innovated during pandemic times (29:46), what lessons might Historic Milwaukee take with them moving forward (35:00), where is Julia looking forward to getting back into and how might Milwaukeeans relate to space moving forward (38:20), Julia's thoughts on how we’ll look back on this time (42:45), Julia answers question #414 from Mac’s book and we are surprised to find out that Julia loves sharks (48:10), where to find Historic Milwaukee, and about their new walking tours app (52:35), and who is the next John Gurda and is it Julia (55:00)?

Stick around for a totally whimsical, mainly space camp focused after-pod hang with Julia (and David comes back) starting at 59:41.

Historic Milwaukee:

https://historicmilwaukee.org/ (Website), https://www.facebook.com/historicmilwaukee (Facebook), https://www.instagram.com/historicmilwaukee/ (Instagram), https://twitter.com/HistoricMKE (Twitter)

For the app, search Historic Milwaukee Inc on Apple Store or Google Play

https://historicmilwaukee.org/event/414-day-sale/ (Historic Milwaukee 414 Day Sale)

E2 Ephemera

https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/2021/04/08/milwaukee-day-2021-drink-specials-virtual-live-music-and-ax-throwing/7090460002/ (414 Day Activities in Milwaukee)

https://imagine-this-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/imagine-our-abundance-mkes-rich-history (Imagine this Podcast, E.7 w/ Julia Griffith, the last time we had someone in the studio)

https://interestingengineering.com/what-are-rotary-dial-phones-and-how-do-they-work (What is a rotary phone?)

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article231162853.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIf...%20a%20shark,causes%20the%20shark%20to%20release.%E2%80%9D (A Life Saving Tip: Bop a shark on the nose)

https://www.visitspacecoast.com/blog-post/why-is-cape-canaveral-americas-launch-spot (Why do rockets launch from Florida?)

https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/save-space-camp-drive-prompted-virus-reaches-15m-72186479 (Correction: Space Camp was saved by private fundraising (look out class of 2022)!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_elevator (Space elevators)

Our guests today are Jenny Gropp and Laura Solomon, Executive Directors of Woodland Pattern Book Center - and perfect timing, as we start National Poetry Month!

We get started with a challenge for our listeners: let us know if you’d come to an in-person, outdoor podcast recording someday. Then, we talk about the American Rescue Plan Act money coming to Milwaukee and what we’re working on proposing for how it could support artists. And Mac shares how the Arts and Culture Advancing Public Health cohort is kicking off (which you can still https://imaginemke.org/our-work-groups/additional-cohorts.php (sign up for here)). Plus, Lindsay previews a new video that will be coming on 414 Day.

Jenny and Laura join us at 12:00. We start with a couple poetry readings to center us. Past cultural memories that were powerful opportunities for connection and healing (18:35); finding the balance between in person and virtual events moving forward (29:00); what’s can be the role of poetry for Milwaukee moving forward (32:35); news about a Milwaukee Youth Poet Laureate program starting (35:40); what Jenny and Laura hope we’re all talking about a year from now (38:16); how will we handle sharing space together moving forward (41:10); Jenny and Laura’s reigns as the Czar of Arts and Culture (44:15).

Woodland Pattern: https://www.instagram.com/woodlandpattern/ (Instagram) and https://www.woodlandpattern.org/ (Web)

Music Transitions: “All of Everything at Once” Ruth B8r Ginsburg at Woodland Pattern’s 39th Anniversary Gala

E220 Ephemera:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvZfEQ_pMdg (An American Tail)

https://www.imaginemke.org/our-work-groups/additional-cohorts.php (Arts and Health Cohort)

https://www.imaginemke.org/art-stories/featured-artists/ (Life in Motion)

https://poets.org/poem/manhattan-lenape-word (Natalie Diaz)

https://woodlandpatternbookcenter.com/products/4231 (Bruise Bullet Flower)