The Curiosity That Moves Us with Ann Carlson

At the heart of every great artistic work is the exploration of curiosity and a commitment to the process of creation. Today on Movers & Shapers, Ann Carlson joins us to discuss her illustrious career in interdisciplinary arts and shares the deep curiosity she possesses about movement, meaning, and the human experience, with work borrowing from the disciplines of dance and performance as well as visual, conceptual, and social art practices.

In this conversation, Ann reflects on how she first discovered her love of dance, how working with Meredith Monk and exploring performance art shaped her creativity, and the thriving performance scenes in NYC in the 90s that opened doors for experimentation. She shares the inspiration behind her work with animals, the reality of supporting herself financially as an artist, and how she navigated motherhood and her dance career. She also dives into the delicate marriage between process and product in creation before discussing her dance project, The Symphonic Body. Finally, Ann reveals what is piquing her interest today and shares a glimpse of what the future will hold for her in her career. Thanks for listening!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief overview of today's guest, Ann Carlson, and how she found her love of dance.
• How performance art and working with Meredith Monk inspired Ann's own creations.
• Cross-connecting dance with other performance scenes during her time in NYC.
• What inspired Ann's animal series and how she managed to support herself.
• How Ann's dance career pivoted when she started a family.
• The beautiful amalgamation of process and product in dance creation.
• What Ann learned about art from the poet Allen Ginsberg.
• Ann looks back on her career and some of the most meaningful projects she did.
• Ann tells us what she is curious about today and what her next project will be.

Ann is the recipient of numerous awards for her artistic work, including a Creative Capital Award, a Doris Duke Award for Performing Artists, a National Dance Project Award, two American Masters awards, a USA Artist Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, a Fellowship from the Foundation for Contemporary Art, and more!

For more on Ann and Show Notes & Links: The Moving Architects

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