Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie

In Episode 23, Act 1: "Queens of Empowerment", Courtney speaks to a panel of extraordinary women who use art to create community, to heal and as activism. This inspiring community of women, led by Shirlene Cooper and Esther McGowan, are artist members at Visual AIDS, a non-profit organization established in 1988, which is committed to using art in AIDS activism and support HIV+ artists. In their conversation, this passionate, driven group of women discuss Visual AIDS's programs like Love Positive Women, which aims to create hundreds of paper Valentine's Day cards, made by hand, to be mailed to women around the world living with HIV; and Women's Empowerment Art Therapy Workshops, which employs art-making "to reduce stigma, build community, and empower women living with HIV." They also share their personal stories, how they, as women who are themselves living with HIV or AIDS, have used art to not only change their outlook on the value of life, but also the intrinsic positive impact they've seen on other women who have taken part in their programs. Grab a box of tissues, folks. This one's a feel-good tearjerker.

National Arts Education Week may be over, however we continue the celebration with a brand new episode for you! In this episode, Courtney sits down for a chat with theater artist, author, and educator Mindy A. Early (Mindy A. Early, Writer). In their conversation, they discuss some intriguing philosophical questions around arts education including: What is it like to bring arts education to a classroom of kids? and How does teaching kids differ from teaching adults, specifically in a professional development setting? These questions lead to other interesting topics and questions such as approaches to trauma-informed teaching and What are safe boundaries for teaching artists and their audience when teaching people who have experienced trauma?

We're excited to announce that we've recently partnered with Blick Art Materials. To begin this episode, Teaching Artistry podsquad introduces local Outreach Manager representing the New York City Blick Art Materials sites, and three-dimensional multimedia artist, Pata Llano! Just how is Blick supporting, showcasing, empowering and making a positive impact on local artists? You'll have to listen to find out!

It's National Arts Education Week (September 8-14)! And to celebrate, we've got a brand new episode for you! Courtney sits down for a chat with theater artist, author, and educator Mindy A. Early. In their conversation, they discuss some intriguing philosophical questions around arts education including: What is it like to bring arts education to a classroom of kids? and How does teaching kids differ from teaching adults, specifically in a professional development setting? These questions lead to other interesting topics and questions such as approaches to trauma-informed teaching and What are safe boundaries for teaching artists and their audience when teaching people who have experienced trauma? This one is worth a listen, folx!

That's not all! We're excited to announce that we've recently partnered with the Association of Teaching Artists (ATA). At this year's ATA Awards Ceremony, the TA podsquad caught up with attendees, all of them NYC-based artists, arts practitioners and educators, to chat about their journey through Teaching Artistry! What sage advice did some of them have for aspiring or growing Teaching Artists? You'll have to listen to find out!

In Episode 21, Act 2: “What It Means About", Courtney continues to channel her passion for politics and art, engaging Oliver Butler, director of Broadway's acclaimed, production of Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me, in a conversation about the intersection of the performing arts and activism. It's clear: political complacency leads to political apathy, civic engagement is required to keep progress at the forefront of our democracy, art is activism. In this very politics-forward conversation, Courtney and Oliver discuss the importance of art as a mirror for our society, the overt and visible oppression built into our very patriarchal society and so much more. This poignant conversation digs into the roots of where our divided country stands and how our founding document is, at times, a hindrance to advancing our rights as ever-evolving human beings. Can we fully realize our humanity?

Hi, friends of Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie! We've got a brand new episode for you! "Episode 21: What It Means About, Act 1", which includes a brand new segment titled "Friends of the Podcast" featuring an entertaining conversation with AJ DUNK (spelled *all caps*), is a conversation with Oliver Butler, director of Broadway's acclaimed production of Heidi Schreck's What the Constitution Means to Me.

It's clear: political complacency leads to political apathy, civic engagement is required to keep progress at the forefront of our democracy, art is activism. In this very politics-forward conversation, Courtney and Oliver discuss the importance of art as a mirror for our society, the overt and visible oppression built into our very patriarchal society and so much more. This poignant conversation digs into the roots of where our divided country stands and how our founding document is, at times, a hindrance to advancing our rights as ever-evolving human beings. Courtney asks the questions: How can we truly define the word "feminarchy" as a good, forward-moving thing? How do we begin to change how we talk to each other? How can I strive to nurture others? How can arts be at the center of this? And perhaps we should all ask ourselves these same questions so that we can begin to move forward to fully realize our humanity.

We're back with a brand new episode of our podcast, which was recorded LIVE at the 2019 #LCEForum in front of an audience of dedicated artists and educators. In Episode 20, "Story Nurturer", following a delightful and enlightening introduction by LCE’s Alex Sarian, Courtney sits down with indigenous self-proclaimed “interdisciplinary shapeshifting” artist and storyteller, Ty Defoe, of the Ojibwe and Oneida Nations. In this woven tapestry of a conversation, Courtney and Ty navigate through a lot of incredibly fascinating topics including the presence of the arts in Ty’s childhood, indigeneity, colonialism, how we are all connected through and because of art. Courtney also poses the question to the audience, “Are Teaching Artists shapeshifters?” You don’t want to miss this one, folx!

In Episode 19, Act 1: "The Equity Up Rock", Courtney sits down for a fascinating phone chat with 2018 3Arts/RH Awardee, Leida “Lady Sol” Garcia. A Teaching Artist since 2003, Lady Sol decided to transition from the music and dance business nearly two decades ago to become a youth dance educator. In this thoughtful discussion, Courtney and Lady Sol discuss the importance of valuing artistry and those responsible for creating the art we consume, particularly as we live in a world in which reality television programming exploits artists’ talents and offers promises of unattainable, unsustainable dreams. Listen to this amazing chat, "The Equity Up Rock", now!!

In Episode 19, Act 1: "The Equity Up Rock", Courtney sits down for a fascinating phone chat with 2018 3Arts/RH Awardee, Leida “Lady Sol” Garcia. A Teaching Artist since 2003, Lady Sol decided to transition from the music and dance business nearly two decades ago to become a youth dance educator. In this thoughtful discussion, Courtney and Lady Sol discuss the importance of valuing artistry and those responsible for creating the art we consume, particularly as we live in a world in which reality television programming exploits artists’ talents and offers promises of unattainable, unsustainable dreams. Listen to this amazing chat, "The Equity Up Rock", now!!

In Act 2, Courtney continues her phone chat with illustrator/educator Elgin Bokari Smith. 3Arts/Denise & Gary Gardner Awardee (2018), Bokari Smith is the creator of Pocket Con, a free convention for Chicago youth that focuses on highlighting comics and illustration work by artists of color—particularly African American authors and artists—as well as comics with a primary character who is Black. Pocket Con also features work in the comic genre by other underrepresented groups, such as women, Latinx, LGBTQ artists, and artists with disabilities. In their conversation, Courtney and Elgin discuss how arts accessibility for young people of color and lack of opportunity for artists to create quality art and arts programming without proper funding. They also touch on the importance of representation of people of color in illustrated works like comic books.

Courtney sits down for a phone chat with illustrator/educator Elgin Bokari Smith. 3Arts/Denise & Gary Gardner Awardee (2018), Bokari Smith is the creator of Pocket Con, a free convention for Chicago youth that focuses on highlighting comics and illustration work by artists of color—particularly African American authors and artists—as well as comics with a primary character who is Black. Pocket Con also features work in the comic genre by other underrepresented groups, such as women, Latinx, LGBTQ artists, and artists with disabilities. In their conversation, Courtney and Elgin discuss how arts accessibility for young people of color and lack of opportunity for artists to create quality art and arts programming without proper funding. They also touch on the importance of representation of people of color in illustrated works like comic books.