Sharpest Knives Podcast

Welcome to Episode 10 of Sharpest Knives Podcast! This episode is the finale of Season 1 of this project and represents the culmination of a year’s worth of work. Thank you for listening and I hope you’ve enjoyed this first season!Episode 10 is Maris’s conversation with ceramicist Hanako O’Leary. Hanako talks about how her institutional and real world arts education work together, her inspiration for her current izanami project including Hanako's additions to the story of the Shinto queen of the underworld Izanami, letting go and making space for new knowledge, and how her processes are rooted in gratitude and community.Hanako has a busy 2020 coming up with exhibitions at King Street Station and Method Gallery in September 2020. But you have a couple opportunities to see her work before then. First, the first half of Hanako's work from her Izanami project will be on display at Edmonds College in February, and there will be an opening reception on February 21 for that exhibition.Hanako will also have some of the masks from her 1200 Spirits collection on exhibit and available for purchase at Pottery Northwest for ClayFest Northwest which opens December 13th and runs until the 20th.Last, if you folks want to keep up with what Hanako is up to, make sure to follow her on instagram @HannyaGrrrl. She posts a lot of in process photos and video while she works.Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Welcome to Sharpest Knives podcast episode 9!This episode is with Baylee Engberg, and is the first episode of Sharpest Knives where the focus isn't art and arts organizations, but is culture - specifically coffee culture in Seattle and along the west coast. Baylee is the first female coffee roaster at Dillano's in Tacoma, she is the Director of Marketing and engagement at She's the Roaster, and she is a member of the Glitter Cat class of 2020.Baylee and Maris talk about getting her start in drive thru coffee stands, the value of building a culture around open conversation and mentorship, and her experiences working as a woman in an industry dominated by men.This weekend, November 15th and 16th is CoffeeFest PNW in Tacoma! If you are at CoffeeFest this weekend, don’t miss Sprudge's 10 year anniversary party November 15th from 7pm-10pm at Lift Bridge CoffeeThere will be coffee from Camber Coffee brewed by Tacoma’s finest at Lift Bridge Coffee; Raffles prizes from Coffee People Zine, She’s the Roaster, Dillanos, Oatly, Baratza, Acaia — just to name a few.Karaoke from the master of @deadstockcoffee. Nitro @oatly White Russians from @dillanos.Best of all, the raffle proceeds go to our friend, Lucia. She is a pioneer for womxn producers in Colombia whether it be educational support, advocating, or a shoulder for her peers. La Herencia is the name of Lucia’s dream— unfortunately, there’s no infrastructure on the property, nor water/electricity ran to the property. The prizes are almost as cool as the cause. If you can’t attend the party, you can support Lucia and Finca La Herencia through their GoFundMe page.Last, the new She's the Roaster shirts that Baylee mentions in our conversation are out! You can find She's the Roaster at shestheroaster.org, and @shestheroaster on instagram.Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Episode 8 is here!Andrés Arteaga, MFA, was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended Seattle University for both undergrad and graduate studies. He was a Jesuit from 2012-2015 where he taught art and social justice while studying philosophy, dance and Latino studies. Andrés is currently the Director of Equity Education and Inclusion, as well as the Middle School Religion teacher at Villa Academy (K-8).Andrés and Maris talk about the importance of demonstrating to young people what a Latino leader looks like, using the arts as a social justice tool, and what work/life balance looks like in diversity, equity, and inclusion work as a person of color.Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Curator Ellen McGivern is Maris’s guest on Episode 7 of Sharpest Knives!Ellen and Maris talk about rituals in art making processes, how connecting with other humans through art can remedy feeling bummed out, why you should show up for artists and go see more art, and Ellen’s latest curatorial endeavor, Assembly. Assembly is an artistic collaboration between dancer and choreographer, Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham, ceramicist, Hanako O’Leary, and curator, Ellen McGivern. Utilizing an empty South Seattle apartment, Assembly is part artist residency, part playhouse, where artists are encouraged to experiment, practice, and perform.Join choreographer and dancer, Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham on Sunday, September 22 as they close a two-week residency with performances of BAD TOUR NOW, in which a site-specific menagerie of dancers will guide audiences through a 'tour' of space and characters while exploring and embodying topics of imposter syndrome, hyper-performativity, and failure.This residency is a part of the curatorial partnership Assembly and the performance is hosted in an apartment complex in the Othello Neighborhood. More information on the performances' starting point will be posted on the Facebook event for BAD TOUR NOW closer to the event date.There are two performances in the evening of Sunday, September 22 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm. Given the work is being held in a residential space, we ask that you arrive as close as possible to the performance times. Each performance will run close to 45 minutes.More information and RSVP HERE: https://www.facebook.com/events/425568458076882/Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Episode 6: choreographer and durational performance artist, Alice Gosti. Alice has a solo-show coming up Nov 1-17th at ACT Theatre called Where is home - birds of passage. The show is a 3 hour come and go durational performance examining Alice’s personal experience as an Italian-American immigrant artist. From Alice, “Like all of my work, birds of passage connects my personal history to wider collective histories. In this work, I tackle the history of Italian-American immigration to the US as well as the ongoing struggle for justice and equitable treatment that current immigrants and refugees face today.”Tickets are on sale now! Click here for more info and tickets.Before that solo show, Alice and her company Malacarne are having a fundraiser Party in Seattle on October 24th. And her work Material Deviance in Contemporary American Culture, which premiered last year at On the Boards is touring nationally to Boston (MA) Sept 27-29 and Charlotte (NC) Oct 17-18.In this episode, Alice and I talk about her dual identity as an Italian-American immigrant, how she became interested in creating durational performances, and how she approaches making collaborative work. Enjoy!Alice Gosti is an Italian-American Immigrant choreographer, hybrid performance artist, curator and architect of experiences, working between Seattle and Europe since 2008. She holds a B. A. in Dance from the University of Washington with a focus in choreography and experimental film.Gosti’s work has been recognized with numerous awards, commissions and residencies including being a recipient of the 2012 Vilcek Creative Promise in Dance Award, the 2012 ImPulsTanz danceWEB scholarship, the 2015 inaugural Intiman Theatre’s Emerging Artist Program as a Director, the Bossak/Heilbron Award, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture Award, an Artist Trust GAP Grant and Fellowship, NEFA’s National Dance Project 2016 and of the inaugural Italian Council Grant from the Italian Minister of Culture (MiBACT). Gosti was also a two-time Cornish Artist Incubator Awardee, Velocity Dance Center’s 2015 Artist-in-Residence, is Seattle University 2016 Artist-in-Residency at the University of Washington.Gosti’s work has been commissioned and presented nationally, by On the Boards, Velocity Dance Center, Seattle Art Museum, Intiman Theatre, Vilcek Foundation at the Joyce (NY), ODC Theater (SF) as part of the SCUBA national touring network, Risk/Rewards Festival (PDX) and Performance Works Northwest (PDX).Find more info about Alice’s work including video of her work on her website: www.gostia.com. Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

In Episode 5, Maris hosts Art Activist and Seattle treasure, Sara Porkalob!Sara is a Seattle based Arts Activist who specializes in theater work. You may have seen the first two plays of her Dragon Cycle trilogy centering around telling the story of her family through the perspective of her mother and grandmother. And earlier this summer, you may have seen her play 7th and Jackson at Cafe Nordo here in Seattle. You have a few opportunities to see Sara’s work in the next year! First, Cafe Nordo will be producing the world premier of her new play, The Angel in the House, February 2020. It is, in Sara’s words, “A feminist, Victorian revenge thriller”. Next, Artswest is producing a world premier of her new play, Alex and Alix, in April 2020. Alex and Alix is a lovestory about two women and their journey with memory loss.And this winter, Sara will be performing in Baltimore Center Stage's production of Men on Boats, directed by Jenny Koons.And be sure to follow her on instagram @sporkalob, and check out her website! Sara and Maris’s conversation covers the intersection of public policy, social justice, and art making; how storytelling can be used to dismantle systemic racism; and Sara’s recommendations for Filipino food in Seattle. Sara Porkalob is an award winning arts activist based in Seattle. She’s featured in Seattle Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2018, City Arts’s 2017 Futures List, and served as Intiman Theatre’s 2017 Co-Curator. She is a co-founder of DeConstruct, and online journal of intersectional performance critique. Her first full length play Dragon Lady is the recipient of three 2018 Gregory Awards for: Outstanding Sound/Music Design, Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and Outstanding Musical Production, has garnered a Seattle Times Footlight Award, and a Broadway World Award for “Best New Play”. In 2019, American Repertory Theatre produced Dragon Lady and Dragon Mama, the first two plays in her family trilogy The Dragon Cycle and in July 2019, Nordo’s Culinarium produced her new play, 7th and Jackson, a historical fiction with music and immersive dining, inspired by Seattle’s International District. She is a proud 2nd generation Filipinx American and owes all of her success to her family.Believe survivors. Black Lives Matter. Queer Trans Lives Matter. Vote. Listen to Episode 5 on iTunes HEREListen on Spotify HEREFollow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Episode 4: Listen to Maris and Kaitlin McCarthy, Editor of SeattleDances, talk about the importance of talking about art, distinguishing between work you’re good at and work you actually like doing, and the joy of feeling uncomfortable. SeattleDances has a new and improved interactive Seattle-wide performance calendar! Kaitlin McCarthy is a dance artist operating in Seattle, WA since 2010. She grew up dancing in Ann Arbor, Michigan and continued dancing on the East coast, where she graduated summa cum laude from Mt Holyoke College. In Seattle she has danced with over a dozen local artists and has choreographed work for Velocity Dance Center, On the Boards, Evoke Productions, BOOST Dance Festival, SOIL Gallery, Washington Ensemble Theatre, and others.Her dance work blends surreal imagery, elements of theater, and athletic dancing to construct abstract narratives and perform human relationships. Weaving kinesthetic empathy and cultural mythology, her art often addresses an underlying forbiddenness finding its way to the surface. Improvisation and experimentation are driving forces in her work, guided by intuition, intellectualism, and a midwestern work ethic. Kaitlin is a member of the Seattle Contact Improvisation Lab, a teaching artist at Velocity Dance Center, and is the Editor for SeattleDances. As a freelance writer she has published over 100 articles for City Arts Magazine, Dance International Magazine, and SeattleDances. She regularly dances with Alice Gosti and collaborates with Jenny Peterson, among others. Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Episode 3 is Maris’s conversation with Colleen Borst, who is the Development Manager at Velocity Dance Center. At the time of the interview, Colleen was also the Interim Managing Director at Velocity, and since then, Velocity has hired Catherine Nueva Espana as their new Executive Director.Colleen is an experienced fundraising and development professional and print production artist with over 20 years of working in nonprofit organizations experience. She has worked at Seattle University and the PETA Foundation. Colleen is also a fundraising consultant, freelance print production artist, and Tarot card slinger. She can be found at ColleenBorstConsulting.com. She holds an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. Maris and Colleen talk about making space for art, how to talk to multiple groups of people at once, Colleen shares what to avoid when talking to people who might give your organization money, and why everybody should watch the Great British Baking Show. A note: This episode was recorded at Maris’s apartment, and Maris’s dog, Finn, makes a few appearances. There are a couple points where you can hear Finn panting or bumping the table. Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

In this episode of Sharpest Knives, Maris talks to Shannon Welles. Shannon is a fine art photographer, she has a collaborative organization called Hypha that deals with permaculture, urban building, herbalism, and Pacific Northwest Native plants. Shannon has worked at The Showbox Theatre in downtown Seattle for 17 years, and most recently is the founder of an organization called Friends of the Showbox in Seattle.In their conversation Shannon and Maris talk about The Showbox Theatre and Friends of the Showbox, the ecology of cities, the importance of historic places and building sustainable networks.Save the Showbox Portrait ProjectFollow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Episode 1 has arrived!In this episode, Maris Antolin sits down with Dustyn Addington, the Director of Programs at Humanities Washington. Dustyn leads the Think & Drink and Speakers Bureau programs, which aim to expand the humanities outside of the classroom and into the lives of all Washingtonians through provocative and enriching public conversations. Having received his Master’s in philosophy, he is now a PhD candidate at the University of Washington. Dustyn taught philosophy at the college level for eight years and also served as an instructor for the UW Center for Philosophy for Children.Dustyn is the co-host of local philosophy podcast, No Narrow Thing, with Whitney Johnson. Dustyn and Maris talk about asking children about philosophy, The Trolley Problem, how to run a panel of smart people held in a bar, implicit bias, and Seattle traffic.Follow along or become a supporter of Sharpest Knives at www.Patreon.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFind Sharpest Knives on Facebook.com/SharpestKnivesPodcastFollow @SharpestKnivesPodcast on InstagramEmail any suggestions or questions for future guests to SharpestKnivesPodcast@gmail.comSharpest Knives is partially supported by the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.Support the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)

Episode 0 is a brief intro to The Sharpest Knives podcast featuring snippets from Maris Antolin’s first three interviews, featuring Dustyin Addington (Humanities Washington), Shannon Welles (Friends of the Showbox), and Colleen Borst (Velocity Dance Center)First episodes coming March 2019!Subscribe on iTunes HEREFind us on social media! FacebookInstagramPatreonSupport the show (http://www.patreon.com/sharpestknivespodcast)