Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Karla and Jeff discuss how artists are leading civic dialogues in their communities. Karla interviews Quenna Lené Barrett about her work as a theatre maker creating works about policy change. The episode concludes with a discussion about how change is necessary and why theatre-makers should be elected to public office.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Please the transcript and a list of list resources can be found here.

ABOUT QUENNA LENÈ BARRETT: A Chicago-based theater artist + practitioner, developing programs to amplify teen + community voice and hold space to rehearse, tell, and change the stories of their lives. She is a company member with ICAH’s For Youth Inquiry company, Associate Artist with Pivot Arts, and serves as the Associate Director of Education at the Goodman Theatre. Quenna received her BFA from NYU Tisch Drama,  MA in Applied Theatre from the University of Southern California, and is pursuing an educational doctorate in Educational Theatre at NYU Steinhardt. As a director, performer, facilitator, and writer, she has worked with a number of companies including NYU Steinhardt, Oklahoma State University, Ohio State University, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Sojourn, The Theatre School at DePaul, Free Street, Pegasus, Court, eta, and Theater Unspeakable. Continuing to build the world she wants to see/live in, her most recent project was Re-writing the Declaration.

WHERE TO FIND QUENNA:

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Ashraf and Jeff discuss the connections between childhood artistic experiences and their work today. Ashraf interviews Courtney J. Boddie about her work as a theatre maker, teaching artist, podcaster, and more. The episode concludes with their reflections about personal sustainability and the reactions of the arts and cultural education field in response to the civic action resulting from the crises of 2020.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Please download the transcript here.

ABOUT: Courtney J. Boddie is the Vice President, Education & School Engagement overseeing all programs related to school communities including the New Victory school partnership program, teacher professional development training in the performing arts and an innovative approach in the professional development of more than 50 New Victory Teaching Artists. A 2021 Crain's New York 'Notable Black Leader and Executive,' Ms. Boddie has expanded the theater’s scope of work in such programs as Victory Dance, which provides free dance and dance education to NYC summer schools; Create, a theater-based teacher professional development track for the city’s Pre-K expansion, the largest in the nation; and GIVE, a brand new initiative to address equitable student engagement in inclusion classrooms. 

Ms. Boddie is the Creator and Host of Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie, a monthly podcast featuring engaging and investigative interviews, roundtable conversations and panels with artists and arts education leaders. The podcast recently launched a video series called “We Can’t Go Back” with artivists, arts leaders and community activists discussing anti-racist and liberatory practices. She is an adjunct professor at New York University. Ms. Boddie is a Hermitage Artist Fellow and is a Women’s Center Media SheSource. She was on the Board of Directors of the Association of Teaching Artists (ATA) for 5 years (President, 2015 to 2017; Treasurer, 2018-19) and served on the Teaching Artist Committee of the NYC Arts in Education

Roundtable, and the editorial board for the Teaching Artist Journal. Prior to joining New Victory in 2003, Ms. Boddie was Program Associate for Empire State Partnerships (NYSCA) and a teaching artist for Roundabout Theatre Company. She received her Master’s degree from the Educational Theatre Graduate Program at New York University.

WHERE TO FIND COURTNEY:

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Ashraf and Jeff discuss inspiration, perseverance, and a return to normal. Ashraf shares the first part of a two-part interview with the band Distant Cousins, who wrote the theme song for this podcast. They talk about their music-making process and work with young people in schools. The episode concludes with the ideas of honesty and profundity and the impacts those concepts have on our work as musicians and educators.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

Please download the transcript here.

ABOUT DISTANT COUSINS

Distant Cousins is an Los Angeles-based indie-pop band which actively produces hit music featured in television, films, and commercials while also working with young people in schools. Formed in 2013, the band is composed of Dov Rosenblatt, Duvid Swirsky, and Ami Kozak.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND DISTANT COUSINS:

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Karla and Jeff discuss creative approaches to justice in their work. Jeff interviews Amir Whitaker - a.k.a. Dr. Knucklehead - about his work as an artist, activist, and attorney delivering on the promise of arts and cultural education to California’s young people while maintaining his practice as a musician. This episode examines different approaches for creative social justice projects led by intergenerational teams of youth and adults  balancing self-care and artistic practice as healing throughout the process.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Please download the transcript here.

ABOUT AMIR WHITAKER: Amir is an educator, author, civil rights lawyer, and musician. He is the founder and director of Project KnuckleHead, a nonprofit organization empowering youth through music, art, and educational programs since 2013.

Often referred to as “Dr. KnuckleHead,” Amir was introduced to the criminal justice system as a child when he visited both his mother and father in prison. At age 15, Amir himself was arrested and entered the juvenile justice system. Problems at school eventually led to him being expelled. Despite these hardships, Amir went on to complete five college degrees.

As a lawyer referred to as a “civil rights and education stalwart” by the Daytona Times, Amir has negotiated settlements and policy changes that have improved the lives of thousands of youth across the country. Amir is currently a policy attorney with the ACLU of Southern California and researcher with the UCLA Civil Rights Project. At the Southern Poverty Law Center, Amir worked on a class action lawsuit on behalf of incarcerated youth receiving inadequate education, mental health, and rehabilitation services. Within the Juvenile Division of the Miami-Dade County Public Defender’s Office, Amir represented incarcerated youth and developed training materials.  He has taught varying grade levels and in different educational settings for over a decade, and has held teaching certifications in Florida, California, and New Jersey. He has delivered keynote speeches to thousands, and written for leading publications across the country, including Washington Post and TIME Magazine. Amir's recently released autobiography has been featured on ABC News and in The New Yorker. He received his doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of Southern California, juris doctorate from the University of Miami, and his bachelors from Rutgers University.

Find Dr. Knucklehead on Instagram: @DrKnuckleHead_Esq

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode website and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Madeleine and Jeff discuss politics and how to increase civic engagement through the arts. Madeleine interviews Yazmany Arboleda, who is New York City’s artist in residence for civic engagement; they discuss practical strategies for co-creating imagination, joy, social action, and more.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Can you find the resources mentioned in this episode and the transcript here.

ABOUT YAZMANY ARBOLEDA: A Colombian American artist based in New York City. An architect by training, Yazmany’s practice focuses on creating “Living Sculptures,” people coming together to transform the world through co-creation. Over the past two decades he has created public art projects with communities in India, Japan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Africa, Afghanistan, Spain, Colombia and the United States.

He has collaborated with Carnegie Hall, the Yale School of Management, and BRIC among others. He is currently the artist in residence at IntegrateNYC and the associate director of communications for Artists Striving To End Poverty. He is a cofounder of limeSHIFT, the Future Historical Society, Remember 2019, and the Artist As Citizen Conference. He has lectured at UNC, MIT, and LPAC about the power of art in public space.

WHERE TO FIND YAZMANY:

Website http://www.yazmany.net/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yazmany/

Twitter https://twitter.com/yazmany?lang=en

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode’s webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

The Why Change? Podcast is coming to you live from the BOOST Conference! Jeff M. Poulin chats with DeLashea Strawder - the Executive and Artistic Director of Mosaic Youth Theatre and recent Recipient of the 2021 Lewis Prize For Music - about innovative arts-based youth work in the BOOST podcast lounge. He also chats with Dalouge Smith, CEO of The Lewis Prize for Music about new models of philanthropy in music for social change programs.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Please click here for a list of resources mention in this episode and the episode transcript. 

ABOUT DELASHEA STRAWDER- A champion of arts and culture and its inherent ability to motivate, empower and mobilize, DeLashea Strawder celebrates every opportunity to inspire individuals and communities to embrace the arts as vehicles for positive change. She is the Executive & Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit, a creative youth development organization that uses the arts to mentor, empower, and support youth to thrive. As an artist and arts administrator working at the intersection of education, arts & culture, and social justice Strawder knows firsthand how music and theater can foster engagement, transform communities, increase opportunity, and promote equity.

WHERE TO FIND DELASHEA-

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delashea-strawder-00686759

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/MosaicDetroit/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mosaicdetroit/?hl=en

ABOUT DALOUGE SMITH- Dalouge is a champion for bringing people together and strengthening communities through music. He joined The Lewis Prize for Music as its first CEO in August 2018. Prior to his role at The Lewis Prize, he led San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory for 13 years and transformed it into a community instigator for restoring and strengthening music education in schools. SDYS' partner, the Chula Vista Elementary School District (California’s largest K-6 district) restored music and arts education to all 30,000 of its students as a result. Dalouge grew up singing folk songs with family and performing in professional theatre productions. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA and studied Gandhi’s nonviolent movement for a year in India. Dalouge serves as Vice-Chair of El Sistema USA and is on the boards of California Arts Advocates and Californians for the Arts. He is married to Sue Ann and the father of Wright.

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit here and follow us on IG @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Rachael and Jeff discuss the levers of change which drive the sector of practice in their own contexts. Rachael speaks with teaching artist, actor, and author, Eric Booth about field building, starting initiatives, and the most pressing issues facing the field of community-based arts practice.

In this episode you’ll learn:

The transcript and list of resources mentioned in the episode can be found here on the blog!

ABOUT ERIC BOOTH: In 2015 Eric Booth was given the nation’s highest award in arts education, and was named one of the 25 most influential people in the arts in the U.S.  He began as a Broadway actor, and became a businessman (his company became the largest of its kind in the U.S. in 7 years), and author of seven books, the most recent are Playing for Their Lives and Tending the Perennials.  He was on the faculty of Juilliard (12 years where he founded their teaching artist and mentoring programs), Tanglewood (5 years), The Kennedy Center (20 years), and Lincoln Center Education (for 41 years, where he co-founded their Teaching Artist Development Labs). He has served as a consultant for many arts organizations (including seven of the ten largest U.S. orchestras), cities, states and businesses around the U.S., and worked with many overseas organizations and governments. A frequent keynote speaker, he gave the keynote address to UNESCO's first World Arts Education Conference, he founded the International Teaching Artist Conferences and Collaborative and the largest publications in the music-for-social-change field.

WHERE TO FIND ERIC: WWW.ERICBOOTH.NET

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Madeleine and Jeff discuss grounding their work in self-care and prioritizing humanity. Madeleine speaks with artist, educator, and activist Sangeeta Isvaran about her work throughout India and Asia, particularly her actions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, they discuss the importance of anchoring our work in love.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

Please download the transcript here.

ABOUT SANGEETA ISVARAN- Sangeeta has inherited a Bharatanatyam [classical dance/theatre form from Tamilnadu, India] practice from the pioneering maestra, Padmabhushan Kalanidhi Narayanan and Smt.Savithri Jagannatha Rao. She has researched into many performing and visual art traditions across the world, creating her unique Katradi technique of empathy based social transformation. For this she was honoured with the highest national award for young dancers, the Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar. She is an empanelled dancer of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations with a mandate for cultural diplomacy. She has also received several other national and international fellowships – Arts Network Asia, Asia Europe Foundation, Asian Scholarship Foundation, Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst [German Academic Exchange Programme] – and awards – Kala Rathna, Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival; Prix de la Creation, Centre Culturel d’Enghien-les-bains, France; Vasantalakshmi Young Dancer award, India. A highly skilled performer, she has performed in more than 40 countries over Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, where she has also collaborated with several governmental and non-governmental organisations to create spaces for people from different walks of life to access some form of art. She has studied various different dance forms from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and West Africa, creating her own unique style of choreography in many international collaborations.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND SANGEETA-

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the episode webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Jeff and Rachael discussing leading our way out of the pandemic with values at the fore, centering young people and anti-racist practices specifically. Jeff speaks with author, musician, and economist, Patrick Kabanda about his book The Creative Wealth of Nations and the role of arts and cultural education in sustainable development. Finally, these themes are applied to the ideas of “applied creativity” and how to be an “undercover artist” with values.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:

Please download the transcript here.

ABOUT PATRICK KABANDA:

Patrick Kabanda’s first book The Creative Wealth of Nations was published in May 2018 by Cambridge University Press, with foreword by the philosopher and Nobel economist Amartya Sen.  A Juilliard-trained organist and a Fletcher-trained international affairs professional, he received Juilliard’s William Schuman Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music in 2003, and from 2012 to 2013 he was a Charles Francis Adams Scholar at The Fletcher School.  Besides concertizing and lecturing worldwide, he has taught at Phillips Academy, consulted for the World Bank’s Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, and contributed to the World Development Report 2016 and to UNDP’s 2015 and 2019 Human Development Reports. He was awarded the 2013 Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service from Tufts University, Massachusetts.

WHERE TO FIND PATRICK:

-Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickkabanda

-Twitter: @Arts4Dev

-Instagram: @p_kabanda

-Website:  www.musikaba.net

This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the webpage and follow us on social media @Campaign4GenC

During this episode of Why Change? Co-hosts Jeff and Madeleine discuss the changes to their work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the interdisciplinary leadership of teaching artists and cultural practitioners over the last year. Madeleine chats with Fié Neo, an interdisciplinary artist based in Singapore, who has worked as a fashion designer, participatory artist, and has applied her knowledge learned through sustainable agriculture and business to advance the field of socially engaged art.

ABOUT FIÉ NEO(she/her)- An interdisciplinary artist based in Singapore who makes socially engaged works through participatory public interventions, wearable art and film. She has performed and exhibited her works at Royal Albert Hall, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London Design Festival, Gillman Barracks and others. Fié also hosts a podcast called Onions Talk. Connect with her on 'The Reconnection Playground', a series of participatory online wellness events that uses creative expression to hold space for authentic connection. 

Where you can find Fié:

Podcast: https://anchor.fm/fie-neo

Instagram: @feeyeh_neo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Sx3YtkLxpdmeeZllzoGh6MJVMrSqvDj

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This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. Produced and Edited by Daniel Stanley. For more information on this episode and Creative Generation please visit the webpage and follow us on IG @Campaign4GenC