Works in Progress

The music in the introduction and conclusion of this episode comes from the concert on April 30, 2024, at Harvard University, led by artist and composer Samora Pinderhughes and The Healing Project. It includes Dani Murcia, Nia Drummond, and Jebreal Jackson on vocals, Elliott Skinner on guitar and vocals, and Joshua Crumbly on bass. The performance features an introduction by Vijay Iyer, the Franklin D. and Florence Rosenblatt Professor of the Arts. 

This musical performance was commissioned by the Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA) and ArtLab. 

https://artlab.harvard.edu/samora-pinderhughes-the-healing-project/

 In this episode of Works in Progress, artist and composer Samora Pinderhughes joins ArtLab director Bree Edwards to discuss the reparative power of collaborative art. As a PhD student in Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry (CPCI) in the Harvard Department of Music, Samora is engaged in unearthing obscured cultural artifacts of collective experience. His work navigates entrenched layers of structural inequality to orchestrate widely resonant projects for healing and harmony.

Moved by a calling to utilize art in service to societal transformation, Samora invites us to think and feel more deeply about navigating our shared worlds. The Healing Project is a New York-based arts organization exploring creative alternatives to systemic violence and is part of Samora’s dissertation. In this concert, Samora and his collaborators intertwine the voices of incarcerated and non-incarcerated individuals, crafting a shared melodic plea for a better world. 

Join us for a vulnerable and inspiring conversation about Samora’s commitment to liberatory creative work for collective healing.

Samora’s ArtLab page: https://artlab.harvard.edu/samora-pinderhughes-the-healing-project/
Samora’s website: https://www.samorapinderhughes.com/
Samora’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/samorapinderhughes/

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in ArtLab’s Mead Production Lab, which is located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. Season 2 is hosted by Bree Edwards, produced by Kat Nakaji, researched by Sadie Trichler, designed by Sonia Sobrino Ralston, and edited by Luke Damrosch. The Healing Project concert was hosted in Paine Music Hall by the Harvard Department of Music and recorded by the Harvard Media Production Center. The theme music is by Kicktracks.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching @ArtLabHarvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Equitable Architectures: Joseph Zeal Henry on Sound, Space, and Power

In this episode, Joseph Zeal Henry—2024 Loeb/ArtLab Fellow—joins ArtLab Director Bree Edwards to discuss equity and politics in the built environment. During his year-long residency at Harvard, Joseph worked at the intersection of public service and art, pursuing what he calls “new cultural architectures.”

In collaboration with the Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA), he created the SUPA System, a public sound sculpture that uses sonic material as a way of shaping space and community.

Joseph reflects on the need to move from cultural consumption to cultural production through exploratory spatial practices in music. He emphasizes how integrating multiple scales and perspectives can generate more equitable, evolving structures for relation and creation—redistributing both agency and power in the process.

Join us for an inspiring conversation about how sound, space, and design can reimagine what architecture—and community—can be.

Joseph’s ArtLab page: https://artlab.harvard.edu/directory/joseph-zeal-henry/
Joseph’s personal website: https://josephzealhenry.com
Joseph’s instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/josephzealhenry/

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in ArtLab’s Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards, produced by Kat Nakaji, and edited by Luke Damrosch. Theme music by Kicktracks.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching @ArtLabHarvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Matt Saunders, Professor of Art, Film, and Visual Studies; Jennifer Roberts, Elizabeth Cary Agassiz Professor of the Humanities, and American and Contemporary Art and; Kristian Hardy & Erik Zou, Harvard Undergraduate Fellows, Summer Humanities and Arts Research Program (SHARP).

Diving into “artistic research,” we discuss what it means to Harvard professors and students. In today’s case study, we catch a glimpse into how artists and scholars engage with a specific set of images in the Alan Burroughs special collection at the Harvard Art Museums. To discuss its contents, we are joined in the studio by Harvard professors Matt Saunders and Jennifer Roberts who provide insights on how this collection inspired their scholarship and art making. We are also joined by Harvard college student, Erik Zou, an undergraduate Summer Humanities and Arts Research (SHARP) fellow. A Harvard graduate himself, Burroughs was interested in using X-rays to distinguish between original and repainted works of art. Join us in discovering what goes on within a painting and how technical analysis has radically altered our perception of art and artistic research.

Link to Alan Burroughs collection: https://harvardartmuseums.org/publications/special-collections/alan-burroughs-collection-of-x-radiographs?group=Alan+Burroughs+Collection+of+X-Radiographs 

Link to Matt’s biography: https://afvs.fas.harvard.edu/people/matt-saunders 

Link to Jennifer’s biography: https://haa.fas.harvard.edu/people/jennifer-roberts 

Link to Jennifer’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferrrrrroberts/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D 

Link to SHARP undergraduate research programs: https://uraf.harvard.edu/sharp-project-descriptions 

Link to Kristian Hardy’s biography: https://artlab.harvard.edu/people/kristian-hardy 

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in the Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards and Kristian Hardy, engineered by Kat Nakaji, edited by Jemma Byrne, and produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University with help from Thinkubator Media. Theme music by Kicktracks and Gvidon.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching ArtLab at Harvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Season 1, Episode 4 — Ayodele Casel and Torya Beard

Talking about tap—and so much more—we’re joined in the studio by Ayodele Casel, award-winning tap dancer, actor, and choreographer of the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, and her longtime collaborator and creative partner, Torya Beard, director and arts leader.

Ayodele and Torya first came to the ArtLab in 2019 as artists-in-residence and have since served as advisors to its continued growth and vision. They return to Harvard for the premiere of their latest work, Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic, presented at the American Repertory Theater.

Beyond the stage, both women are shaping the future of the arts through leadership and advocacy. Torya serves as Executive Director of A Broader Way, a youth leadership organization dedicated to amplifying the power of women and femmes through the arts.

Join ArtLab Director Bree Edwards and co-host Kristian Hardy, a Harvard College sophomore, as they uncover how tap dance has shaped Ayodele and Torya’s worlds—and how they use rhythm, artistry, and community to inspire change.

Link to Ayodele’s residency page on ArtLab website: https://artlab.harvard.edu/Ayodele-Casel 

New York Times Review of Ayodele Casel: Chasing Magic: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/09/arts/dance/review-ayodele-casel-chasing-magic.html 

Link to purchase tickets: https://www.joyce.org/ayodele-casel-chasing-magic 

Link to Torya’s biography: https://americanrepertorytheater.org/bio/torya-beard/ 

Link to A Broaderway Foundation: https://abroaderway.org/ 

Link to Kristian Hardy’s biography: https://artlab.harvard.edu/people/kristian-hardy 

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in the Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards and Kristian Hardy, engineered by Kat Nakaji, edited by Jemma Byrne, and produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University with help from Thinkubator Media. Theme music by Kicktracks and Gvidon.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching ArtLab at Harvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Season 1, Episode 3 — Claire Chase and Li Harris
Join us in the studio with MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and Harvard Music Professor Claire Chase, and her longtime collaborator Lisa (Li) E. Harris.

In this episode, ArtLab Director Bree Edwards and co-host Kristian Hardy, a Harvard College sophomore, explore how Chase and Harris are reshaping the landscape of music and performance through experimental composition and collaboration.

Professor Chase commissioned Harris to create A Black Woman Told Me, And I Believe Her: A Movement Still Moving, a musical work co-written and performed by Harvard first-year students in 2021 and 2022. The piece—performed live at ArtLab—embodies a powerful exploration of belief, movement, and artistic community.

Beyond her work as a composer and performer, Harris is the founder and Creative Director of Studio Enertia, an arts, education, and production studio based in Houston, Texas. Both artists are deeply committed to collaboration and education as core to their artistic and advocacy practices.

Tune in as we discuss how their partnership continues to push the boundaries of art, sound, and collective creation.

Link to Claire’s residency page on the ArtLab website:  https://artlab.harvard.edu/Claire-Chase 

Link to Lisa’s residency page on the ArtLab website: https://artlab.harvard.edu/lisa-e-harris 

Link to Studio Enertia: https://studioenertia.tumblr.com/ 

Link to Kristian Hardy’s biography: https://artlab.harvard.edu/people/kristian-hardy 

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in the Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards and Kristian Hardy, engineered by Kat Nakaji, edited by Jemma Byrne, and produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University with help from Thinkubator Media. Theme music by Kicktracks and Gvidon.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching ArtLab at Harvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Season 1, Episode 2 — Dr. Merritt Moore

One of the ArtLab’s inaugural Artists-in-Residence, Dr. Merritt Moore bridges two seemingly distant worlds—physics and ballet—into a singular, visionary career.

A Harvard graduate in physics with a PhD in Atomic and Laser Physics from the University of Oxford, Merritt has been recognized on Forbes “30 Under 30” and featured in Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls alongside pioneers like Ada Lovelace and Oprah Winfrey.

During her ArtLab residency, Merritt led an experiment in human–robot collaboration—designing, choreographing, and programming a duet between dancer and machine. Working with a multidisciplinary team that included collaborators from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, she explored how art and technology can move—and move us—together.

In this episode, Merritt joins ArtLab Director Bree Edwards, Lori Lennon (founder and CEO of Thinkubator Media, an organization dedicated to elevating women in STEMM), and co-host Kristian Hardy, a Harvard College sophomore, for a conversation about curiosity, courage, and creation across disciplines.

Tune in as we explore Merritt’s experiences as a woman in STEMM, her aspirations toward space exploration, and the inspiring intersections of science and performance.

Link to Merritt’s residency page on the ArtLab website: https://artlab.harvard.edu/Merritt-Moore  

Link to Merritt’s personal website: http://physicsonpointe.com/ 

Link to Merritt’s instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/physicsonpointe/ 

Link to Kristian Hardy’s biography: https://artlab.harvard.edu/people/kristian-hardy 

Link to Thinkubator Media: https://thinkubatormedia.com

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in the Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards and Kristian Hardy, engineered by Kat Nakaji, edited by Jemma Byrne, and produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University with help from Thinkubator Media. Theme music by Kicktracks and Gvidon.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching ArtLab at Harvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Season 1, Episode 1 — Jordan Weber with John Peterson

Artist Jordan Weber joins us in the ArtLab studio to discuss race, identity, and the intersections of design, environment, and art-making within historically white spaces.

Weber’s sculpture Perennial Philosophies, recently comissioend by ArtLab and the Harvard University Committee on the Arts has recently been  installed outside the ArtLab. This public sculpture combines slick black obsidian stone and chrome rims—materials that evoke what the artist calls a “dark sea we must wade,” a line drawn from poet Amanda Gorman’s The Hill We Climb. A passage from Gorman’s poem is inscribed in the work as a memorial to the social upheaval of the summer of 2021.

At the midpoint of his year-long Loeb/ArtLab Fellowship at Harvard, Weber reflects on how he uses utilitarian materials to construct sculptures and social spaces that confront the physical and psychological constraints imposed on racially oppressed communities.

In this episode, Weber speaks with John Peterson, Curator of the Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design; Bree Edwards, Director of the ArtLab; and co-host Kristian Hardy, Harvard College sophomore. Together, they explore how art can transform built environments into sites of reflection, resistance, and renewal.

Jordan’s residency page on the ArtLab website: https://artlab.harvard.edu/jordan-weber-0 

https://artlab.harvard.edu/event/new-sculpture-jordan-weber 

http://jordanjweber.com/ 

https://loebfellowship.gsd.harvard.edu/ 

Works in Progress is recorded and produced in the Mead Production Lab, located on the traditional territory of the Massachusetts people, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. The show is hosted by Bree Edwards and Kristian Hardy, engineered by Kat Nakaji, edited by Jemma Byrne, and produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University with help from Thinkubator Media. Theme music by Kicktracks and Gvidon.

For more information about the show, the ArtLab, and the artists featured, visit artlab.harvard.edu. You can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram by searching ArtLab at Harvard.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Art is a journey, but very rarely do we get to witness the creative evolution. Imagine the conversations that could be explored if we truly understood the artistic process and appreciated the research and experimentation that each artwork entailed?

Works in Progress, a production of the ArtLab at Harvard University, is taking on this challenge.

Start listening to Works in Progress in early 2022 wherever you listen to your podcasts. 

WORKS IN PROGRESS is a podcast produced by the ArtLab at Harvard University.
In this podcast, we speak with the contemporary visual and performing artists working at ArtLab.
The ArtLab is helping create the conditions for the Arts to flourish at Harvard, and this podcast brings these artists and their ideas to you.
 

Season 1: Spring, 2022

Hosted by Bree Edwards, ArtLab Director, with Kristian Hardy, a student at Harvard College

Ep 1: Jordan Weber, artist and John Peterson, Curator of Loeb Fellowship

Ep 2: Merritt Moore, ballerina, and physicist

Ep 3: Claire Chase, flutist, and Harvard professor, and Lisa E. Harris, opera singer, and composer

Ep 4: Ayodele Casel, Tap Dancer and Torya Beard, Director, and Educator

Ep 5: Matt Saunders, artist, and Harvard professor; Jennifer Roberts, Art Historian, and Harvard Professor and Eric Zou, a student at Harvard College 

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh 

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston