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  A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Hosts Miko Lee & Guest Host Mia Nakano celebrate Bayanihan in Ballhalla. Bayanihan is a core Filipino cultural value of community unity, and Balhalla is the home arena of the Golden State Valkyries. Apex Express was invited to join Filipino Heritage Night at the Valkyries game. We speak with the community behind this cultural celebration. That includes Al Perez, artists Venazir Martinez and Kristian Kabuay, and coach Carolyn Sideco about the history of Philippines and basketball. Links for more information: More information on our guests: Golden State Valkyries Al Perez, President of the Filipino American Arts Exposition Artist Venazir Martinez DJ P-LO Cultural Practitioner Kristian Kabuay Carolyn Sideco Coaching Kapwa Raquel Redondiez SOMA Pilpinas     Show Transcript: [00:00:00] Opening: Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express. [00:01:13] Miko Lee: Welcome to Apex Express. I'm your host, Miko Lee, and tonight is Bayanihan in Ballhalla. Bayanihan is a core Filipino cultural value of community unity, and Balhalla is the home arena of the Golden State Valkyries. Apex Express was invited to join Filipino Heritage Night at the Valkyries game. Tonight, please join me and my guest host, Mia Nakano, as we speak with the community behind this cultural celebration. That includes Al Perez, artists Venazir Martinez and Kristian Kabuay, and coach Carolyn Sideco about the history of Philippines and basketball. Join us. Today I have the honor of having my bestie with me who's gonna co-host Welcome to Apex, Mia Nakano.  [00:01:59] Mia Nakano: Hi, Miko. Thank you for having me.  [00:02:01] Miko Lee: I was invited to a Valkyries game, and I said, “Oh, my gosh, I need somebody with me that can speak basketball.” And so I thought of you.  [00:02:10] Mia Nakano: And here we are. And the Valkyries do put on a show. That's one of the things that makes them so great.  [00:02:15] Miko Lee: Yeah, it was super fun. It was Filipino Heritage Night, and so we got a chance to talk with the different artists that are there, what is the night about, what's the cultural celebration. What were some of the things that stood out to you?  [00:02:28] Mia Nakano: I think that it really got to the roots of, one, what a great sports city San Francisco and then just the broader Bay Area is, and two, the deep connections to the Filipino community that exists within the Bay Area. When you look at how historically the Warriors really came up and the fan shots from when they were at Oracle Arena, the huge fan base that was there initially was the Filipino community. To see that translate in a very different way as the Valkyries are coming up in the WNBA as this incredible team, second year, on their way to probably making the playoffs for the second year in a row, bringing that community back, particularly with all the connections of the artists, the activations, and even the food that they have in Chase Arena brings it full circle. [00:03:26] Miko Lee: Having Natalie Nakase as the coach there is so powerful and important representation for Asian Americans as well. The other thing that stood out to me was I did not know there was this history of basketball in the Philippines, and then to talk to the different guests on our show tonight about what that history represents, where it comes from, the connection to colonization, and then also how it's really developed into its own cultural phenomena in the Philippines. [00:03:55] Mia Nakano: I played basketball- All throughout junior high and high school and was very immersed in it in Southern California, but I had no idea that basketball was the national sport of the Philippines. After we came back from the game, I did a little a bit of a deep dive, and it was really wonderful to see that it actually started in the Philippines as a women's sport? And it was making sports more accessible to folks, and also very clearly connected to,, roots of colonization and religion. But to still have that anchor and connection there, and then this interesting juxtaposition where right now there has still never been a Filipina player in the WNBA. There are folks who people really thought were almost gonna make it. So there's still that one last phase that they need to break into this sport that is their national sport, but in the United States they're not quite there yet in terms of representation.  [00:04:55] Miko Lee: And talking with Coach Caroline, which people can hear later in the episode, about that history and how it was intended to be this women's sport in the Philippines because it was easier. They thought they'd give it to the women to play. But the men were watching going like, “Oh, this looks fun. This looks more fun than baseball. So it really just took off. I love that transition for that it went and across the country. A few of our guests talked about tenement basketball courts. It's just so wildly different from this country.  [00:05:25] Mia Nakano: I think that that is contextually just how sports are played in a lot of different countries in the world where they don't have access. When you think about people playing football, right, like soccer, in different areas where they are playing barefoot. They are playing in dirt or, like, fields that are not necessarily fields. I think that in the context of playing basketball differently in the Philippines versus the United States or even in European leagues, when the United States goes to play in the Olympics, even though you have the USA women's team, USA men's teams who are supposed to be the best of the best in the world, the way that the game is played at that particular level and arena is quite different. And so they all have to adjust to the physicality, to how calls are called just slightly differently. With smaller players in the WNBA what I find really incredible, and this is what Carolyn talks about a little bit, is like the layup packages? When you get close to the rim, you don't have a Filipino who just goes up and makes a regular layup. They do it with flair, right? There's a part of that maybe is a little bit of showmanship, but also it's a part of trying to sneak your way around bigger players so that you can get the basket. And anybody that you play against, even in a league that is familiar to you, you're gonna have to change your game up, and play to your strength, and also just know what you can't do in the game, and go to another person who has more of those strengths  [00:07:03] Miko Lee: One of the other things that stood out to me in talking with one of the artists, Christian, who was there in the outside, in the cultural area, and he was doing, pre-Filipino writing with folks, and we'll interview him later in the episode. He was saying how he does this activity at a lot of different games, but it was very different. That was the first time at the Valkyries, and he said the crowd was so different, that it felt like back in the day. It felt like community. There weren't tech bros. You feel like it, The audience was way more women, As someone that goes to Warriors' and Valkyries' games, do you notice a difference in the audience?    [00:07:41] Mia Nakano: The first Valkyries game that I had the opportunity to go to last year was their Pride Night, and that is the game that my wife and I always go to for the Warriors. It's a special feeling there. I noticed there was a whole parking lot area for strollers on different levels. There was such great energy, and people just talking about the game, people cheering or rooting for players on the other team. There was not a lot of negative energy going around. When Christian mentions, the tech bro energy, the people rolling around with Patagonia shirts, and sweatshirts, that is so true. You truly feel this family environment that's also very queer friendly. There's so many folks of color, and they're not just there because the team's winning, because last year we didn't know if the team was gonna win or not. They were just showing up. The Valkyries have really created such a strong culture that is team based. That's what you see with the Valkyries, but I also think that that's a testament to the coach, to the players, who really trust in one another, and to the community that we have in the Bay Area. I think even the players did not understand when they came here what they were stepping into, and they talk about talking to other players on opposing teams who are like, “Is it always like this? Is it every night?” They're like, “Every single night, this is how our fans are, and we love it.”  [00:09:14] Miko Lee: So it's in different WNBA hometowns it's not like that? [00:09:18] Mia Nakano: Absolutely not. The Valkyries have sold out every single game from day one. They are the first WNBA team, and I think the first women's professional sports team, to reach $100 billion in valuation. then you see other teams, like the Atlantic Dream, who are playing in arenas of 3,500, or the Dallas Wings, who are playing in much smaller arenas, even though they have all these franchise players like Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers and AZ Fudd. The Dallas Wings are actually moving to the same arena that the Mavericks are gonna play in next year. It's an interesting juxtaposition given where the context of our world is at, who's in office right now, the battles that we're having to fight to keep women's rights, queer rights, trans rights in the forefront and not have them stripped away. Yet on the other side of this, we have this huge, meteoric rise of women's sports, and it's not just basketball. It's baseball. It's hockey. It's all these different leagues that are starting to emerge and have huge fan bases where you can watch women's professional sports all year round. They're nationally televised games. [00:10:31] Miko Lee: Thank you for the history lesson and current events of women's sports. I love it. One of the other things that was really special for this Filipino heritage night was the halftime show where they had DJ P-Lo playing. And then they brought onto the court, the director of SOMA Pilipinas, Raquel Redondiez, and she runs San Francisco's Filipino Cultural Heritage District. She got her name on a Valkyries jersey, and was announced in the halftime moment as a big show. [00:11:05] Mia Nakano: I had a conversation with her said, ” the work that you are doing, particularly in this moment, bringing together the artists, the culture of Filipinos and Filipino history is so critical right now because so many of our communities, cultures, and stories are getting erased, that we are the culture bearers and culture keepers, and so thank you for doing that work.” [00:11:31] Miko Lee: SOMA Pilipinas, for those that don't know, was established as a Filipino cultural heritage district in 2016 and was one of the first in the state designated as an arts district by California Arts Council in 2017. So they do so much great work, they host great things from the, United States of Asian America Festival every year. Self-defense workshops for women. I've taken those in Kapwa Gardens that were amazing. They do mental health services for Filipino folks and provided groceries and COVID education and, Filipino language training, and then artists, as you were saying. They pulled together all these different folks, for this wonderful night to introduce a sense of heritage and a sense of pride that was really powerful. [00:12:19] Mia Nakano: , It's a really lovely connection back to the Filipinos banding together with Chinese American folks in Chinatown that really helped create the broader Asian American movement and what that word and power even means. [00:12:38] Miko Lee: From the I-Hotel to today [00:12:40] Mia Nakano: exactly, and all of that being really anchored and rooted in San Francisco, as well as everything that Larry Itliong did with union organizing that I think has just recently started to get recognized in the broader social justice movement.  [00:12:58] Miko Lee: I'll put links to past shows that we've done on the I-Hotel, on Larry Itliong, because folks, if they don't know about either of those movement le- leaders and huge moments in our Asian American history, they should. It's powerful part of our labor and housing rights history. Were there other things that stood out to you at this Valkyries game? [00:13:20] Mia Nakano: I know that this is probably not gonna be a surprise to you, but the fact that we honestly just got to go behind the scenes and see the inner workings of what the Valkyries, the tunnels and getting lost and trying to figure out where we're going. [00:13:34] Miko Lee: It was a maze down there, by the way. It was like, which direction? Go to this press room. No, this press room. This place. It was very much kind of, in theater-wise, it's like going backstage and seeing how the tech is done.  [00:13:46] Mia Nakano: The thing that was the most exciting about this unique experience was being able to see Natalie Nakase talk after the game, and the snippet in here is really incredible because it shed light into not just who she is as a coach and how she approached the game, but her investment in people, and the importance of seeing people for their full selves, and the importance of the whole WNBA as a league, as a business. They have a lot of money and power, so who are we gonna lift up? It's a always a very intentional choice of what is happening at Chase Arena, at the Valkyries nights, these heritage nights that really uplift so many wonderful communities that are doing incredible work.  [00:14:36] Miko Lee: We're gonna get a chance to do an interview with Coach Natalie in a different episode, so stay tuned for that. Is there anything else that you would like to share with our audience?  [00:14:45] Mia Nakano: Go see a Valkyries game. Go to Balhalla. It will change your life.  [00:14:50] Miko Lee: Experience Balhalla. Okay. Thank you for joining me, and hopefully you'll join me back when we do an interview with Coach Natalie too.  [00:14:59] Mia Nakano: Oh, absolutely.  [00:15:00] Miko Lee: To frame the conversation, we start with Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, the first Asian American woman to coach a WNBA team. Last year, she was named WNBA Coach of the Year, and at the post-game presser, a reporter asked her, “Tonight is Filipino National Heritage Night, so can you talk a little bit about what it means for fans to be seen around the league?” This is her response. [00:15:25] Natalie Nakase: Yeah. It's huge. I love the fact that we can celebrate and acknowledge different cultures. I'm really big on that. I think it gives people almost like a superpower or a confidence for, you know, the day to be recognized like that and to be celebrated for everything that their, their culture brings. it also, I think, educates people about different cultures. And so I love the fact that we're super intentional about that because I think we have to do that more than not. And, it's exciting. I think this world needs more celebration. I think this world needs more love, more care, especially when some people are not seen as much. [00:16:01] Miko Lee: In the very loud outdoor Chase Arena area, we spoke with several of the folks involved in Filipino Heritage Night at the Valkyries. Please note that the sound quality is due to the nature of being outside a really excited fan base at the game. First off, listen in as we hear from Al Perez, who helped to curate this community celebration. [00:16:23] Al Perez: Hello, my name is Al Perez. I am a community organizer. I'm serving as president of a nonprofit called the Filipino American Arts Exposition, and we partnered with the Valkyries to help curate their cultural activation for Filipino Heritage Night tonight. [00:16:41] Miko Lee: Since the Valkyries are named after women warriors, is there a Filipina version of a woman warrior? [00:16:48] Al Perez: Absolutely. We have one that's local. Her name is Victoria Manalo Draves. She was the first American woman to win two Olympic golds in the Olympics in nine- 1928. She happens to be Filipina-American. So yeah, she was born and raised here in, in San Francisco Bay Area, so we're very proud of her to be, to represent us and be the warrior and an inspiration for all of us.  [00:17:11] Miko Lee: Excellent. And since Valhalla or Valhalla is the space that we want to get to, what is the Filipino version of that place you want to see? [00:17:19] Al Perez: Wow. [00:17:20] Miko Lee: That perfect world you wanna get to. [00:17:21] Al Perez: I think for us, we have this tradition called bayanihan. That's when we help each other towards a common goal. Yes. No matter how Herculean that task is, it's just coming together to help each other. So it's not necessarily a destination. It's more like an attitude of, coming together as a community towards a common goal, towards a cultural pride and community empowerment. [00:17:46] Miko Lee: Great. And tell us what you're doing here today with all these groups. [00:17:47] Al Perez: So we have an outreach table here because we're part of the organizing committee to curate tonight's event. So we actually have an event next weekend called the Pistahan Parade and Festival. It's the largest Filipino cultural celebration in the country, happening August 8th and 9th at the Yerba Buena Gardens, so please come check us out. There's a big parade down Market Street on Saturday to kick off the festival weekend, and then the festival's at the Yerba Buena Gardens, 11 to 5. We're here to promote that event as well as all our other upcoming events in the fall. We're also curating the Filipino Heritage Night with the Golden State Warriors, with the Giants, San Jose Sharks, and San Jose Earthquakes. And then one more. October is Filipino American History Month in the country. So we also produce official celebration proclamation by the mayor at City Hall. So we have a reception, we have entertainment, and we light the City Hall building with Philippine flag colors.  [00:18:42] Miko Lee: And when folks are coming out to these Filipino nights, what should they expect? What's happening?  [00:18:47] Al Perez: Our goal is to be here to be in community, to help showcase our beautiful culture, our traditions. So when these events happen, we usually have, cultural performances, either a pre-game or a halftime. Tonight you're gonna see, P-Lo, a Filipino rapper and a hip hop singer. Here in the plaza we have some basketball hoops, because basketball is a big thing in the Philippines, our national sport. There's also, Sarap Shop is a concession inside. They have Filipino food there. Our goal is to get people a little taste of our Filipino culture, so hopefully they'll be inspired to, to learn more about our community and our culture. [00:19:29] Miko Lee: And what's your dream for the game tonight?  [00:19:31] Al Perez: Of course, to win, right? Number, yeah, number one, Valkyries to win. And also, I hope that people will come and learn about our culture, and to appreciate it more. Maybe it will inspire them to try some Filipino food, or even come to our Pistahan Festival next weekend. Also Señor Sisig is right here in the plaza. They also do fusion Filipino food. I'm hoping that, by being here, people can get to be a little bit more familiar and curious about Filipino culture and community. We have such a, vibrant and diverse culture, we love to be in community. Our food's delicious, and entertainment's fantastic. So come check us out wherever and whenever you can.  [00:20:14] Mia Nakano: I'm wondering if you could talk a little bit about the artists who are here and the community organizations that are here tonight.  [00:20:19] Al Perez: So there's several of us nonprofit organizations here. Our group's the Filipino American Arts Exposition, our mission is more about broadening awareness and deepening understanding of Filipino culture and traditions by doing these cultural events. There's another group here called Young Filipino Professionals Association, or YFPA. They're more about, , uplifting young entrepreneurs, young career-minded, individuals to help them on their path to being more successful. There's also SoMa Pilipinas Cultural District is here. That's a new, relatively new, neighborhood in San Francisco. You know, there's Chinatown, there's Japantown, there's North Beach, so now we also have a Filipino community. It's called SoMa Pilipinas, they're also celebrating their 10th anniversary this year as being, designated as a cultural district. There's also Venazir is a visual artist. She's doing live art mural here inspired by Filipino culture and the intersection of culture and basketball. So it's a great way for people to kind of learn about our fine arts, our visual arts, and our he- heritage. Kristian Cabuay is doing script writing of traditional pre-colonial Philippine script. You know, Chinese and Japanese have their own script writing. The Phi- Filipino community also did before we were colonized by Spain. It's kind of almost forgotten and almost wiped out, so there's a few people now that's trying to revive that, that old tradition of writing .. It's called Baybayin.    [00:21:42] Mia Nakano: Can you talk a little bit about the history or why basketball is the national sport of the Philippines?   [00:21:48] Al Perez: Yeah. It's interesting. Yeah, why is basketball the national sport? I'm not sure exactly, but I think it has to do when after the Philippines was colonized by Spain, and then it, the country became, a commonwealth of the United States, right? And during that time, a lot of Americans came to the Philippines, to establish educational institutions, and one of them is sports. It just got introduced to us, and somehow it clicked. Everybody loves basketball. No matter where you are in the Philippines, in every little barrio, every little town, there's always a game happening [00:22:21] Miko Lee: So are people playing in school, like they start in elementary school, or is it more community based?  [00:22:26] Al Perez: I think it's both. It's just kinda grow, ingrown when you're just a kid growing up in your community. There's always basketball around you, surrounded by basketball. And then of course in more, elementary, high school, it became more teams dynamic, and you got competitions , intramural games. Even between little neighborhoods and little towns, they also have competitions. It's really a big deal. In fact, they love NBA. All the American basketball players are so popular. Everybody knows who they are. [00:22:54] Miko Lee: Al mentioned artist Venazir Martinez, and we pulled her away from the beautiful mural she was creating to talk with us. Again, this is outside, so the sound is quite loud. Venazir is a muralist and a visual anthropreneur. She weaves a tapestry of narratives that explore the connections between human traditions and the ever-changing landscapes that shape them. Listen as she tells us about her work and how she utilizes a symbolic red thread [00:23:25] Venazir Martinez: I'm Venazir Martinez. I am a muralist and a visual entrepreneur, and I am invited to create a live painting for the Golden State Valkyries. [00:23:36] Miko Lee: What has inspired you to create this work of art? [00:23:39] Venazir Martinez: So first and foremost, of course, women empowerment, and we have a lot of very talented Filipino Americans who play basketball. In the Philippines, because I grew up in the Philippines, basketball is such a huge deal. Everywhere in the most promote areas in the Philippines, basketball is their way of enjoying themselves and just pretty much having a time of their life. Basketball tenements are everywhere in the most remote areas in the Philippines. There's this concept of Filipino resiliency that I wanted to incorporate in my work, there are basketball hoops that is made out of wood scraps and like discarded metals. I wanted to highlight that part of Philippine ingenuity. That's why I'm here is to just shed light on that beautiful concept of Filipino ingenuity that we have.  [00:24:40] Miko Lee: I love that. Thank you for sharing. Can you break down what a basketball tenement is?  [00:24:44] Venazir Martinez: Oh, basketball tenement. So tenement courts, these are,.. How do I say this? In America, there's basketball courts that is, like, roofed. Okay. With a roof, and-  [00:24:54] Miko Lee: Like in a gymnasium.  [00:24:56] Venazir Martinez: In a gymnasium, yes. But in the Philippines, anywhere can be a basketball tenement court. They'll just put up a basketball hoop in a pole, like an electricity pole, and they can already play basketball in that area. [00:25:12] Miko Lee: So their court's just made up anywhere. Yeah. Anywhere in the community.  [00:25:14] Venazir Martinez: Anywhere in the community, in the most remote areas in the Philippines, they do that all the time. I grew up in the Philippines, so, it's that really is an immersive experience of having to see basketball really change lives for young people in our community. [00:25:32] Miko Lee: So we're at a WNBA game, and I'm wondering if there was a woman basketball player that you looked up to when you were growing up.  [00:25:39] Venazir Martinez: Growing up, my dad plays basketball. That's the only experience I know that, remembering what basketball is like. ‘Cause I'm mostly in martial arts. But here I am trying to experience a different, like, more empowering way of sports. And it's when I came to America that I experienced this kind of really, it's kind of empowering.  [00:26:01] Miko Lee: And since the Valkyries are women warriors, is there a Filipina equivalent of the woman warrior? Is there a Filipina equivalent of a woman warrior? [00:26:01] Venazir Martinez: There's a lot. There's a lot of very empowering Filipina. First and foremost, it's the Filipina community leaders that I know of in the Bay Area. They are my women warriors. They helped me from the ground up. They created a home for me. They, you know, so they welcomed me. The filipina community in the Bay Area welcomed me. They're all women.  [00:26:31] Miko Lee: Who would you say are some of those folks, some of those women?  [00:26:34] Venazir Martinez: Sonia Villarin, she wears so many hats. She's president of Filipina Food Movement, founder of summer camp in the University of the Philippines Alumni Association in San Francisco. She was the, senior vice president for Bank of America Global Leasing, and she welcomed her home to me and, pretty much, helped me establish my life here as an artist. So those are my women warriors. [00:27:00] Miko Lee: And when people see your beautiful work, what do you want them to walk away with feeling? [00:27:05] Venazir Martinez: I want them to take a second look again in my work, because these, my work pretty much talks about Filipino immigrants, and immigration at large, and pretty much our contributions and the harvested hopes that we have contributed in this cultural landscape,  [00:27:28] Miko Lee: this show is a pop-up tonight, so where can folks find out more about your work or see your work in the community? [00:27:34] Venazir Martinez: I have a huge, huge mural, 2,500 square feet mural in 5th and Folsom in San Francisco, downtown San Francisco in SoMa. It's called Ani, meaning to harvest. There's one in downtown Santa Cruz. There is one in Yuba City. There are multiple murals in Michigan, in New York, mostly in Queens. It's pretty much everywhere, but if you follow the red thread, which is my signature, my artist signature, you'll know that it's my work.  [00:28:08] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. Thank you so very much. Appreciate you taking the time. Another artist presenting their work was Kristian Kabuay working on pre-Philippines calligraphy. His line was so long that we ended up interviewing him separately. Christian is an artist, entrepreneur, futurist who specializes in endangered writing systems and tattoos from the Philippines. Hello, and welcome to Apex Express. Can you tell me your name, your background and what you were doing at the Valkyries Filipino Heritage Night? [00:28:40] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. My name is Kristian Kabuay. I'm a cultural practitioner specializing in our old, uh, pre-colonial, I say pre-Philippine, writing system and tattooing traditions. I was at the Valkyries, Filipino Heritage Night to interact with the community. I've done a lot of work with the Warriors, you know, going back to Oracle for these cultural nights, the Giants, as well. So most of the teams in the Bay Area, but it was my first time with the Valkyries, and it was quite different. [00:29:16] Miko Lee: How was it different?  [00:29:17] Kristian Kabuay: The vibe was, um… I'm telling everybody that it was my first Valkyries game, too. So the vibe was different. It reminds me of the old Oracle, it wasn't full of, like, tech money that are, you know, Patagonia vests watching the game. It felt very homegrown and it just brought me back to those days in old Oakland A's and when the Warriors were in Oracle. [00:29:42] Miko Lee: What does that evoke for you? What is that feeling like?  [00:29:46] Kristian Kabuay: It gives me a stronger sense of community and the audience is different. The demographics is different. There isn't that toxic male energy. I don't have to worry about someone being drunk and going off and, it was very homey and welcoming. It brings back, as a kid, when I used to watch A's games in the bleachers, watching at Oracle, the community, and not everyone was there to be seen. They were really there for the team.  [00:30:15] Miko Lee: Oh, I love that. I actually do feel like it is, it's such a we're together community vibe. [00:30:20] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. They even had the wave. I know some snooty teams, they don't have the wave, so-  [00:30:26] Miko Lee: That wave went on for a long time, too.  [00:30:29] Kristian Kabuay: Exactly. I've been to a lot of games. They're, “Oh, I don't wanna look stupid,” or whatever? So that's a big part of my childhood.  [00:30:36] Miko Lee: So I was gonna try and talk with you at the game like I did the other artists, but you had a huge line waiting to see you and talk to you. Talk with me a little bit more about your art form and this pre-clo colonization form of writing.  [00:30:52] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. Most civilizations had a writing system. It was prior to the land alphabet when the Spanish came and colonized the Philippines in the 1500s. We have this writing. There's only one ethnolinguistic group left in the Philippines that writes it. I come from a background of calligraphy, graffiti and abstract art. When I started to practice it, I incorporated those things. Later I found that I had to become an educator. Then starting to do the cultural festivals. Then you make your parents proud. It wasn't until I started to interact with the community that, there was this responsibility. I didn't come from a highly academic background, but I was being invited to Stanford and Berkeley to give talks about this. So, you know, that imposter syndrome kicked in. Because of the efforts that I've started in, 2010s, the idea of education around this specific writing system, my service isn't really needed. It's out there. Wikipedia, even AI can do it now, and there's a lot of influencers on TikTok that are, building on the stuff that I did 10 years ago. It goes in line with my idea of putting myself out of business. ‘Cause if it's a cultural practice, then you shouldn't be this gatekeeper, this apex of this this knowledge or this practice. It needs to be spread  [00:32:15] Miko Lee: What is the writing system called?  [00:32:17] Kristian Kabuay: A couple names. One of the popular names is Baybayin, and that literally means to spell. It's an adverb, but then it became a noun. So there's many different names depending on the languages in the Philippines.  [00:32:30] Miko Lee: And you said that there's a village of folks that still utilize it. Have you been there?  [00:32:34] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, I was there in 2016 with a research trip. I stayed with them for a few days to learn, a bit about more about the culture and to donate some time and volunteer, 'cause there's the Mangyan Heritage Foundation. I did some technology work with them. But then also meet with the elders that were there. The village elder did an interview for a film project that I'm doing, but also met the heirs, the daughters in the family that ultimately inherited this practice. [00:33:02] Miko Lee: And so they know that you're teaching this cultural practice around the world, and what is their opinion of that? What do they think?  [00:33:09] Kristian Kabuay: They like it, because it's a different perspective, and a lot of questions. When I go home they go, “Oh, why are you interested in this?” It's a totally different perspective. ‘Cause out here, we have our identity, and the diaspora issues. But back home, because of circumstances, colonization, et cetera, then, the priority is to eat, to live, not to preserve these cultural practices. I've had some indigenous elders tell me that when People come over there, to do their dissertation and they need to figure out their paper to get their PhD. They ask them, “What are you doing to preserve this?” It's kind of extractive or, like, information gathering. Honestly, it really is you strip it down, it is, survival: food, clothing, and shelter.  [00:33:52] Miko Lee: When people were standing in line for you at the actual Valkyrie's game, what were they asking you to write? Were they asking you to write notes or their name, or what was the request?  [00:34:03] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. Yeah, the line… I was telling people I've never had a line that long when I've done the Warriors. So- … you know, it's kind of different.  [00:34:10] Miko Lee: That's interesting. Just saying [00:34:11] Kristian Kabuay: Yes. I was writing mainly people's names- Mm um, and some words. Maybe a, a good third were non-Filipino, some were there just curious and asking and cultural sharing. Someone knows a Filipino and they go, “Oh, can you write mahal kita?” Like, I love you. And so, we pick up things, just here in the Bay Area. I have conversations with people wanna hear a family name that I never heard about. I say, “Whoa, where's your family from?” Kids learn the stories on how they combine names and some of the origins. It's always interesting when I do this with folks. [00:34:44] Miko Lee: I love that. And you're also a tattoo artist. Do you use some of this writing in your tattoo artistry?  [00:34:51] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, I do. And that's where the separation between the art and the cultural practice is. Where the writing wasn't tattooed traditionally, but that's where I kind of balance the art. And I separate those two where art is my expression, my personal expression on paper or maybe even on a body, but a cultural practice is more about them and their lineage. So I have to be clear to make those two distinctions.  [00:35:20] Miko Lee: So a question I've asked all the different people that have been involved in this night is that the Valkyries are based on women warriors, and I wonder if there's a Filipina woman warrior that comes to mind to you? [00:35:32] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, there is. There's one that, part of the lore. Where my dad's from, in his area called Pangasinan, the land of the salt. There's a princess warrior named Princess Urduja that was thought of as a great warrior. This specific Princess Urduja has that Valkyrie's spirit. All the artwork that you see and Academics will say, “Oh, it's you're romanticizing,” and things like that. But you know what? We need a little romance in our lives, right? And romance leads to action.  [00:36:03] Miko Lee: Ah, we certainly do. I'm wondering, with all those people, the long line that stood waiting for you, and you're having these conversations, what would you like them to walk away with after interacting with you?  [00:36:14] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah. That's why there was a sign, and I took a picture of it. It doesn't say, Philippine writing. So it says pre-Philippine calligraphy. I made that term up in 2007 as a way to jolt someone's idea of what pre-Hispanic, pre-colonial is. ‘Cause those things kinda just fly overhead. But if I said pre-Philippines, people, they take a step back and they, “What's that mean?” Or they try to have a smart comeback, “Well, what were we before then?” And my question's always then, “Well, I don't know. Let's talk about it.” That gray area, that being uncomfortable, leads to more curiosity, and ultimately, that's what I want folks to go ahead and, you know… oh, I have this banana leaf. I ran out of index cards. I brought 100 of them. I had these banana leaves that I just meant to decorate the table. I said, “You know what? Let me write on these banana leaves like how our ancestors did.” People are asking, “Oh, what, we wrote on banana leaves?” I'm all, “Yeah, we wrote on, organic materials.” So this thing is probably gonna wilt away in a few weeks or a month or so, but that's how it is. So it's a metaphor for our physical selves, but then also, the message. Maybe they can go ahead and learn how to write it themselves or until we reconnect again. [00:37:31] Miko Lee: Hmm. That's beautiful. And how can our audience find out more about you and your work?  [00:37:36] Kristian Kabuay: Yeah, you can just search for me online. My last name's K-A-B-U-A-Y. First name's Kristian, both with a K. All over the internets and the socials, pretty easy to find.  [00:37:46] Miko Lee: Thank you. And we'll put links to your website in our show notes, so thank you so much for chatting with me today. [00:37:52] Kristian Kabuay: Thanks, Miko [00:37:54] Miko Lee: I honestly didn't know that basketball was such a revered sport in the Philippines. So wanting to find out more, I reached out to a bunch of community folks, and multiple people said, “Reach out to Coach Carolyn Sudeco. She's the one. She's in the know.” So talking to me from her vacation spot halfway around the world is Coaching Kapwa's Carolyn Sudeco. Welcome, Carolyn Sideco, to Apex Express. I'm so happy to have you here.  [00:38:19] Carolyn Sideco: Thank you for having me.  [00:38:21] Miko Lee: Can you first start by telling me who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you? [00:38:27] Carolyn Sideco: Oh my gosh, my people are, collectively, folks who identify as, Philippinics, Filipina, Filipino, and American, and, migratory, and those who claim blood relation and those who I'm still looking for. I live in San Francisco, California, Ohlone land, and also in the land of Choctaw Bulbancha, which is New Orleans, Louisiana. Those are the two places I reside.  [00:39:04] Miko Lee: Can you share about your work with Coaching Kapwa?  [00:39:08] Carolyn Sideco: Coaching Kapwa is what I love to do, and my background professionally is as a certified athletic administrator. I'm a physical educator at the high school level by profession, by certification, by training. But really what I love to do, and so what I do in my consultancy, is I explore and I examine and I think about and learn about everything related to sports cultures and how the culture of sports in all its various ways affect our societies. Specifically, I geek out over learning about my own Filipino American histories and other peoples. Learning that through the concept or the constructs of culture and how sports really is, for me, the funnest way to investigate who I am and who we are to each other. I call myself a sports relationship coach. I am a sports cultures consultant. I also like to identify as a sports liberator. [00:40:16] Miko Lee: Ooh, can you break down what a sports liberator is? [00:40:20] Carolyn Sideco: Miko, I took that from a friend of mine, Danya Cabello, also from the East Bay. Played at Cal, played professionally, and when I first met her years ago, she identified as such, and I said, “That is exactly the kind of person that I wanna be, like, in sports.” I wanted sports to be a way that I could share with people who we are to one another. I wanted to teach young people that they can express themselves in a way that helps make them feel free. With my background in sports administration, I was feeling like the sports industrial complex was really the antithesis of that. And what a lot of people in my profession were striving for was this success that was not defined in the same way that I was defining what my liberation was, and what I felt through sports. So I adopted that. I asked Dania, “Can I call myself a sports liberator too?” And she said, “Girl, you call yourself whatever you want.” So that's what I go by.  [00:41:37] Miko Lee: Ooh, thank you for sharing. That's so interesting in the midst of our kind of capitalization of sports, how corporate it has become. Interesting. Thanks. I also wanted to thank you for sharing with me, Rafe Bartholomew's Hoop Nation and Cassidy Hubbard's, Hoop's Paradise. So those, along with your YouTubes, really gave me a grounding in the connection to between basketball and the Philippines. I'll put a link to those in the show notes for other people that like to do deep dives like me. But can you just give our audience a sense of why basketball is so popular in the Philippines?  [00:42:10] Carolyn Sideco: I learned about the history of basketball and Filipino culture in the Philippines through various people, Rafe Bartholomew one of them, and his book Pacific Rims. A friend of mine here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kevin Santos, was doing his master's thesis on the history of basketball in the Philippines, and putting an ethnic studies frame on it, so he was the one who actually, practiced his thesis and presentation with me, and I learned a lot through him, and through other people as I was learning about this myself, and how basketball when it was initially, or as we, the modern game of basketball was invented, by Dr. Naismith in Massachusetts with the peach tree basket. Most of us are familiar with that history, but also that was around the time of the Philippine-American War, and US colonization was at its beginning. And so what did the United States export, was its culture, and a lot of that was through sports, mainly baseball, 'cause baseball was already the national pastime. Basketball was relatively new, and basketball was taught in the Philippines also, like in conjunction with the American education system by teachers, by the Thomasites, and by others who were using that form of colonization. They gave basketball to the women and the girls, because it was the lesser sport. It was the newer sport, so it was the lesser sport. They gave it to the women. The men were supposed to play baseball. The Philippines is a collective society- Baseball is a spread out sport, and people aren't close to one another. You're out on a field, it's hella hot, and it's boring. [00:44:17] Miko Lee: Agree. Totally agree …  [00:44:19] Carolyn Sideco: it's easy, to make this assumption that these people playing baseball were watching the girls and women play basketball, and it's faster. Close to one another. It's easy to make a space. So they started playing basketball.  [00:44:39] Miko Lee: Also, you don't need all the things. You need a ball. [00:44:41] Carolyn Sideco: Exactly. In the early days, you didn't even need shoes. Yeah. So it took off in that way because basketball already itself was an activity that Filipino people, kinda took hold of already, and they made it their own. Trained teams started forming and the Philippines had national teams that were already very successful in Asian context, so Asian tournaments they were dominating. In 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association became the first men's, basketball league in Asia, and the first after the NBA in America. So the Philippines has had a long history of relationship with the sport of basketball, but because it's been so long, the sport itself was formed in response to all the cultural aspects that were already existing, right? a lot of town squares had basketball courts 'cause it was so easy to put there. So the same plazas, meeting spaces where people would have their town gatherings, social places, were also courts  [00:45:56] Miko Lee: And why do you think or just surmise that basketball has taken off more than, football or American term soccer, which is developed so much in other countries, which is also a little bit more communal? [00:46:08] Carolyn Sideco: My opinion is that American colonization, in the United States dictated, much more the United States cannot dictate because football or soccer is a more global sport, and the US didn't have as much stake in guiding that as a colonization tool as they did basketball. [00:46:29] Miko Lee: Hmm. Interesting. Speaking of the colonization and politics, I'm wondering about the connection between basketball and politics. In, Cassidy's podcast, they were talking about a politician who released their own basketball shoe, which is wild to me. Yes. So I wonder if there's other connections between basketball or politics, and if that's generally somebody who's more on the colonizer's viewpoint or more conservative viewpoint. Hmm.  [00:46:58] Carolyn Sideco: Hmm. Interesting. I, hmm, I go back and forth with this a lot, Miko, the colonizing tool that is sports, especially the capitalistic sort of, extraction, of sports, right? Of its players, who I like to think of as workers. They're also workers, right? The professional, Philippine Basketball Association is not much different than even professional sports in America with the way they're set up, right? You have owning groups or companies, and so you have these ways that exploitation and that workers' rights are… how do I say it? Because it's at the professional level, these concepts are very much at play, excuse the pun. The Philippines also has a governmental arm related to sports. So sports in and of itself is recognized, right? It doesn't have as much of this sort of altruistic thing as, as we say in the United States, like the sports is like the good of mankind, like that sort of thing. Like, I think, you know-  [00:48:08] Miko Lee: The kind of Olympic idea of unity, it brings us all together. [00:48:11] Carolyn Sideco: Right, like that, those conceptual sorts of virtues.  [00:48:15] Miko Lee: Mm-hmm.  [00:48:15] Carolyn Sideco: Yeah. So in the Philippines, I think it's so much more practical because it's fun, and you could get in a game anywhere, and it's accessible. Mm-hmm. It's accessible to all strata, economic strata, right? You see basketball courts everywhere, in rural areas in cities. Everywhere you'll see basketball courts. The Philippines itself as a country- I think that relationship to sports is something different than the American relationship to professional sports, where dominance and, winning and, beating others and making as much money as possible in that is at the forefront. In the United States even with youth sports now. I do some consulting work, especially in youth sports spaces, and the privatization and the extraction of the youth sports space is, is… We could go on all day about that. I think, this is obviously from a Filipino American perspective. For sure. I've never lived in the Philippines. I was born in the Philippines, but my relationship to the Philippines is also, being mitigated by how I experience American sports, right? So when I think about how I've experienced basketball when I've gone to the Philippines, , and it's the same as any aspect of that culture, right? It's warm, it's welcoming, it's friendly, and those are the cultural aspects that kind of, , supersede the fact that basketball… Basketball has its place, but it's in service to the cultural needs, right? To the need to be social, to participate in a town gathering. It's so sociopolitical.- And because it is, it's still a colonizing tool, right? But it's still mitigated in a way that I think just like Filipino basketball players are so, like, quick. They're known for quickness, agility, and finesse, and, like, drama, right? I used to joke around, like, you can always tell where a Filipino basketball player is in the United States 'cause no Filipino who has Filipino blood in them can do a regular layup. Like they have to make it all fancy. I think that, those sorts of aspects that are not tangible, that bring to light, the way a culture of people affect the sport. it enables a culture to push out through the boundaries of that sport what was given to them. What was given to them is, “This is how you play. These are the rules,” and all that kinda stuff, and that's great, but Filipino history of basketball is always, like, how do you integrate all the really cool things about your culture? It's something that's very different, and it emerges as something that's not quite American. [00:51:36] Miko Lee: Thank you so much. I'm wondering how our audience can find out more about you and your work.  [00:51:43] Carolyn Sideco: They can, follow me on Instagram at coachingkapwa, K-A-P-W-A. Kapwa is the Filipino word for the concept of interrelationship, interconnectedness. And so everything I learned about being, being a person really is through being a good teammate, and sports is the funnest way, like I've said before to practice being a good teammate  [00:52:12] Miko Lee: Thank you so much, Coach, for sharing with me about Sports Liberation and your work, and I'll put links to all that in our show notes. And I thank you so much for joining us on Apex Express.  [00:52:23] Carolyn Sideco: Thank you, Miko [00:52:25] Miko Lee: Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/apexexpress to find out more about our show and our guests tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preti Mangala-Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me Miko Lee, and edited by Ayame Keane-Lee. Have a great night.    The post APEX Express – 8.13.26 – Bayanihan in Ballhalla appeared first on KPFA.

Today we released part two of our interview with Linda Sibio Simmons. She's a performance artist, painter, educator, and founder of Bezerk Productions, a nonprofit arts collective that promotes art and awareness of artists with mental challenges. Linda has identified as a “schizophrenic artist” since 1991. Her works have been shown in venues such as Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Franklin Furnace in New York City, and several organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation and California Arts Council have supported her work.Hear Linda's inspirational journey, and learn how she's built a community and helped numerous artists over the years. https://www.lindasibio.com/ and https://www.crazyforaday.com/

The Uncuffed My Mixtape is a selection of our producers' favorite songs. Uncuffed producer Rahim Bradshaw interviewed HabenMichael about an Eritrean song that reminds him of his family and culture. It's “Seyomay” by Tareke Tesfahiwet.This piece was created by student producers in the Uncuffed audio storytelling training program, in partnership with journalists at KALW Public Media. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, independent foundations, and donations from listeners like you. Content is approved by an information officer.Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program atwww.uncuffed.org

Today we released part one of our interview with Linda Sibio Simmons. She's a performance artist, painter, educator, and founder of Bezerk Productions, a nonprofit arts collective that promotes art and awareness of artists with mental challenges. Linda has identified as a “schizophrenic artist” since 1991. Her works have been shown in venues such as Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Franklin Furnace in New York City, and several organizations, including the Rockefeller Foundation and California Arts Council have supported her work.Hear Linda's inspirational journey, and learn how she's built a community and helped numerous artists over the years. https://www.lindasibio.com/ and https://www.crazyforaday.com/

The Uncuffed My Mixtape is a selection of our producers' favorite songs. Uncuffed producer Ryan Pagan interviewed Louis Sale about a song that reminds him of a complicated time in his life.This piece was created by student producers in the Uncuffed audio storytelling training program, in partnership with journalists at KALW Public Media. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, independent foundations, and donations from listeners like you. Content is approved by an information officer.Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram and Facebook Learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program atwww.uncuffed.org

We get an update on a ballot measure in Shasta County that could overhaul how their election system runs. Plus, how funding for the arts stacks up in the state and why artists are advocating for more. Finally, 10 books to check out this summer.

It's 1940 and Gaby's parents and sister succumb to Typhus after staying in France to care for Gaby and Sabine's dying grandmother. The war is in full swing and Gaby can't get home to Poughkeepsie, NY. Her aunt lives in Ireland, which stayed neutral during WWII, so she heads there. But the aunt has just died, and 18-year-old Gaby makes her way to the remote manor of her aunt's husband's relatives, where she's hired as a servant. In a different reality, 17-year-old Sabine is the sister who survived. She also finds her way to Ireland, but Germany has invaded, so she's in hiding. Then Sabine gets to the same remote manor where for one hour at dusk, a mystical time according to Irish legend, she and Gaby meet and talk. We Meet Apart (Regal House Publishing, 2026) is about family, resilience, and survival in the face of war, death, and the world of ghosts. Martha Conway grew up in northern Ohio and earned her B.A. in English and History from Vassar College. She received a master's in English: Creative Writing, from San Francisco State University. Her previous novels include The Underground River, which was a New York Times Book Editor's Choice, and Thieving Forest, which won the North American Book Award for Historical Fiction. Her short fiction has been published in The Iowa Review, Carolina Quarterly, Missouri Review, Folio, and other journals. She is a recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship, and she teaches creative writing for Stanford University's Writing Certificate program. When Martha is not writing or reading, she's playing at being a flaneuse—a city stroller—or traveling to Italy to see Roman ruins with her husband, a former archeologist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

It's 1940 and Gaby's parents and sister succumb to Typhus after staying in France to care for Gaby and Sabine's dying grandmother. The war is in full swing and Gaby can't get home to Poughkeepsie, NY. Her aunt lives in Ireland, which stayed neutral during WWII, so she heads there. But the aunt has just died, and 18-year-old Gaby makes her way to the remote manor of her aunt's husband's relatives, where she's hired as a servant. In a different reality, 17-year-old Sabine is the sister who survived. She also finds her way to Ireland, but Germany has invaded, so she's in hiding. Then Sabine gets to the same remote manor where for one hour at dusk, a mystical time according to Irish legend, she and Gaby meet and talk. We Meet Apart (Regal House Publishing, 2026) is about family, resilience, and survival in the face of war, death, and the world of ghosts. Martha Conway grew up in northern Ohio and earned her B.A. in English and History from Vassar College. She received a master's in English: Creative Writing, from San Francisco State University. Her previous novels include The Underground River, which was a New York Times Book Editor's Choice, and Thieving Forest, which won the North American Book Award for Historical Fiction. Her short fiction has been published in The Iowa Review, Carolina Quarterly, Missouri Review, Folio, and other journals. She is a recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship, and she teaches creative writing for Stanford University's Writing Certificate program. When Martha is not writing or reading, she's playing at being a flaneuse—a city stroller—or traveling to Italy to see Roman ruins with her husband, a former archeologist. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Let's take a (low)ride with Assemblymember Mark Gonzalez as he honors the rich Chicano and Latino heritage that has helped define California's culture. Gonzalez has written the Lowrider License Plate Program (AB 2541). This initiative not only recognizes a powerful cultural legacy but also invests back into our communities by supporting arts and cultural programs through the California Arts Council. Jump in and ride along with us as we talk to Assemblymember Gonzalez.

Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Danielle Brazell, Executive Director of the California Arts Council, about the state's cultural districts programme, California's first creative economy strategy, and why public investment in culture should be measured not only in economic impact, but also in imagination, innovation, and inspiration.Transcript: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffdc6706aed0b20d49b81e9/t/69fa2314583a216d3c7a1807/1778000660301/3bells_Transcript_S6E5.pdf   External links: California Arts CouncilCalifornia Arts Council's cultural districts programCalifornia's Creative Economy Strategic PlanArts for LAHighways Performance SpaceAbout our guest:Danielle Brazell, is Executive Director of the California Arts Council. An artist, teaching artist, presenter, and arts administrator, she has held leadership roles across advocacy, local government, and the cultural sector, including at Arts for LA and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. She now leads the state agency supporting arts and culture across California, including the California Cultural Districts programme and the state's new creative economy strategy. + 

Guest Host: John Gerardi The Fresno Arts Council outlined major governance and transparency reforms to retain its role as Fresno County’s official arts funding representative after a $1.8 million embezzlement scandal. Changes include hiring an independent accounting firm to oversee and process all financial transactions, removing prior paid leadership, and requiring daily board‑level monitoring of bank activity, with multiple approvals for every payment. After reviewing the reforms, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved keeping the council as the county’s “local partner” with the California Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest Host: John Gerardi The Fresno Arts Council outlined major governance and transparency reforms to retain its role as Fresno County’s official arts funding representative after a $1.8 million embezzlement scandal. Changes include hiring an independent accounting firm to oversee and process all financial transactions, removing prior paid leadership, and requiring daily board‑level monitoring of bank activity, with multiple approvals for every payment. After reviewing the reforms, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved keeping the council as the county’s “local partner” with the California Arts Council and National Endowment for the Arts. Please Like, Comment and Follow 'Philip Teresi on KMJ' on all platforms: --- Philip Teresi on KMJ is available on the KMJNOW app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever else you listen to podcasts. -- Philip Teresi on KMJ Weekdays 2-6 PM Pacific on News/Talk 580 AM & 105.9 FM KMJ | Website | Facebook | Instagram | X | Podcast | Amazon | - Everything KMJ KMJNOW App | Podcasts | Facebook | X | Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this latest Reflections, Stephanie Fortunato draws on her experience reviewing letters of support as part of California Arts Council's process to select new cultural districts for its state program, reflecting on what those letters reveal about community pride, local identity, and the futures people hope to build through cultural districting.About our ContributorStephanie Fortunato is Director of Special Projects of the Global Cultural Districts Network. Her expertise sits at the intersection of cultural planning and urban development, collaborating with local communities on creating policies and partnerships to strengthen neighbourhoods and transform public spaces. + 

Roxanne Messina Captor – A Driving Force for the Arts in California | The Brett Allan Show WANT MORE? www.brettallan.com Roxanne Messina Captor who is one of California's most influential cultural leaders. An Emmy-nominated writer, director, and producer—and a protégé of Francis Ford Coppola—she has shaped the creative landscape of film, television, and theatre for decades. Appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as Chairperson of the California Arts Council, Messina Captor plays a pivotal role in advancing arts policy and ensuring that creativity remains at the heart of California's identity and economy, including being part of the conversation for the tax Incentive for productions in the state. VISIT: https://roxannemessinacaptor.com to learn more about her current projects. In addition to her creative achievements, Messina Captor has been a tireless advocate for California's creative workforce. She has worked alongside the Governor to expand film tax incentives, serves on the Creative Economy Workforce committee, and is an appointed board member for the California State Summer School for the Arts at CalArts—mentoring and empowering the next generation of artists. Her work documenting Grammy-winner Stanley Clarke's three-year residency at BroadStage, as well as her acclaimed projects centered on veterans and women's stories, further highlight her commitment to using the arts as a platform for education, equity, and community.   From Broadway to Hollywood to global festivals, Messina Captor has elevated California's cultural presence on the world stage. Her leadership, vision, and passion continue to ensure that the arts thrive as both a powerful storytelling force and an essential driver of the state's creative economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a world that often confuses power with permanence, Roxanne Messina Captor reminds us that true influence is measured in impact, not applause. An Emmy-nominated writer, director, and producer—and a three-time breast cancer survivor—she has spent her life turning challenge into creation, and policy into possibility. From mentoring under Francis Ford Coppola to leading California's arts movement as Chair of the California Arts Council, Roxanne continues to prove that when creativity meets courage, culture changes.Featured in 'The Beautiful Edition' of AwareNow Magazine: www.awarenowmagazine.comGuest: Roxanne Messina CaptorHost: Allié McGuireMusic by: Dodo DanciuProduced by: AwareNow Media

Moderator, Perie Longo, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, 2007-2009, has published 4 books of poetry, the latest Baggage Claim (2014) and poems in numerous literary journals. This June will be her 40th year teaching poetry at the Santa Barbara Writers Conference. She's thrilled and awed to be still poeting and standing.Melinda Palacio, current Santa Barbara Poet Laureate, is an award-winning writer. From South Central LA, she holds 2 degrees in Comparative Literature. A 2007 PEN America Emerging Voices Fellow and a 2009 poetry alum of the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, she published Bird Forgiveness in 2018.David Starkey, Santa Barbara's 2009-2011 Poet Laureate, Founding Director of the Creative Writing Program at SBCC, and the Publisher/Co-editor of Gunpowder Press, published 11 full length collections of poetry and more than 500 poems in literary journals. His novel Poor Ghost was released in March 2024.Chryss Yost is a Santa Barbara Poet Laureate who served from 2013-2015. She was awarded the 2013 Patricia Dobler Poetry Prize and other honors, including Pushcart Prize nominations. She's co-editor of Gunpowder Press. Her collection Mouth & Fruit was published 2014, and her poems have been included in the most popular poetry textbooks in the country and widely anthologized elsewhere.Enid Osborn Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara 2017-2019, published When the Big Wind Comes, set in New Mexico. A Pushcart nominee, her work appears in regional California and Southwest journals. She has a series of themed chapbooks, and she co-edited A Bird Black as the Sun / California Poets on Crows & Ravens in 2011.Laure-Anne Bosselaar Santa Barbara's Poet Laureate 2019-2021, is author of 6 collections of poems and is the recipient of a Pushcart. She taught at Emerson, Sarah Lawrence, UCSB, and is part of the faculty at the Solstice Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing. Lately: New and Selected Poems was published January 2024.Emma Trelles Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2021-2023, received an Established Artist Fellowship from the California Arts Council. She was named a Poet Laureate Fellow by the Academy of American Poets. Daughter of Cuban immigrants, she's author of Tropicalia, winner of the Andrés Montoya Prize.Paul Willis, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2011-2013 is an emeritus professor of English at Westmont College. His poems, stories, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, and he's been featured on Verse Daily and The Writer's Almanac and nominated five times for a Pushcart Prize. His YA Elizabethan time-travel novel, All in a Garden Green, was released in 2020.

"Artists are entitled, just like every other worker, to a livable, predictable, sustainable wage." – Jennifer Laine, San Benito County Arts CouncilIn this powerful season finale, guests explore five urgent themes—economic power of the arts, youth-led civic engagement, cultural equity, legislative reform, and creative healing. From museum-building to policy change and correctional programs, they reveal how arts work fuels systemic solutions and community transformation across California.Show Guests:+Jackie Melendez-Assistant City Manager, City of Chino+Tracy Hudak-Director of Field Engagement,California for the Arts  +Josiah Bruny-CEO,Music Changing Lives  +Danielle Brazell-Executive Director,California Arts Council (CAC)  +Kristen Sakoda-Director, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture  +Jennifer Laine-Executive Director, San Benito County Arts Council & President of California Arts Advocates  +Shira Lane-Founding Executive Director, Atrium 916  +Dr. Meghna Bhat-Founder,Gula Stories+Ruben Reveles, Futuristic Chicanx Artist  +Alex Gallardo Valdeolivar-AIC Coordinator/ Instructor, Arts Council of Kern+ Eric Estrada, Co-Host, Assoc Producer, Voices of the Community+ Eduardo Robles: Summit Roaming Reporter, California for the Arts and Voices of the Community+ George Koster: Creator, Host, Producer, Voices of the CommunityYour voice matters! Support the arts now! They are vital for economic growth, community health, and empowering future leaders. Watch, listen, and share this crucial episode with your networks, local officials, and arts funders.

Now in its 31st year, the AfroSolo Arts Festival is thrilled to return to Commonwealth Club World Affairs with "We Come This Far by Music—Let Freedom Ring! Part 2," featuring African American artists and music. The AfroSolo Arts Festival, directed by Thomas R. Simpson, is showcasing a cast of classically trained artists. This program is led by Dr. Carl Blake, pianist and director, and features Bradley Kynard, baritone; Shawnette Sulker, soprano; William Underwood, flutist. It's a joyful, soul-stirring program of music based on African American experiences, as part of San Francisco's Juneteenth Celebration—a national celebration that commemorates the freeing of enslaved people in Texas two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.  AfroSolo Arts Festival is made possible through the support of the California Arts Council, Grants for the Arts, Dream Keeper Initiative, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, SF Arts Commission, and The Friends of AfroSolo. About the Performers Dr. Carl Blake, piano and program director. Carnegie Recital Wigmore Hall (London) and L'Hermitage St. Petersburg, Russia Toured in France, England, Central and South America, Caribbean as artistic ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. Currently, director of music, Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, San Francisco, and a board member, Noontime Concerts. Bradley Kynard, baritone. This season: The Emissary by Oh/Rourke and Prospero's Island by Shearer/Stevens, Zebul in Jeptha by Handel, Mer hahn en neue Oberkeet (BWV 212) by J.S. Bach, A Little Girl Dreams of Taking the Veil by Wold, Sophia's Forest by Beecher/Moscovitch, and Harriet's Spirit by Shelby/Olvera with Opera Parallèle, Moby Dick, Heggie/Scheer with San Francisco Opera. Brooke. In Little Women, by Adamo. Shawnette Sulker, soprano. Featured artist with San Francisco Opera; Die Königin der Nacht, Cleopatra, Porgy and Bess, Jake Heggie's Intelligence, Allen Shearer's Prospero's Island. Soloist, Carmina Burana, Messiah, and Mahler's symphonies concert performances at Teatro di San Carlo, Lincoln Center, and Leipzig's Gewandhaus. William Underwood III, flutist. Performs in traditional, avant-garde, social and sacred arenas as a solo, collaborative and recording flutist. A veteran of AfroSolo Festivals in San Francisco. Toured Japan extensively with Kyodo Tokyo Incorporated . An Arts Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. Organizer: Anne W Smith and Thomas R. Simpson  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adela Najarro's fifth poetry collection, Variations in Blue, was selected by the Letras Latinas/ Red Hen Collaborative for publication in March, 2025. The California Arts Council recognized her as an established artist for the Central California Region, appointing her as an Individual Artist Fellow. Her extended family left Nicaragua and arrived in San Francisco during the 1940s; after the fall of the Somoza regime, the last of the family settled in the Los Angeles area.Adela is the Board President for Círculo de poetas and Writers and works with the Latinx community nationwide, promoting the intersection of creative writing and social justice. Adelanajarro.comJoin the Hive Live! Tuesday, May 13, at Bookshop Santa Cruz, to hear Francisco Aragón and Adela Najarro.More about Letras Latinas here. 

What can we learn from artists who survived the chaos of 1980s prisons—and how can their lessons help us resist authoritarianism today?From the Center for the Study of Art & Community, this is Change the Story / Change the World: A chronicle of art and social change, where artivists share and learn the skills and strategies they need to thrive as creative community leaders. My name is Bill Cleveland. As censorship and threats escalate for activist artists and community leaders, navigating today's polarized world demands more than passion. This episode draws powerful insights from prison arts programs to help creatives and organizers thrive amid rising societal conflict and control.Discover 11 practical rules for building credibility, resilience, and respect in high-stakes, divided environments.Learn why sustained relationships and long-term commitment are the foundation for real, transformative change.Gain essential strategies for navigating us-versus-them traps, telling bold yet responsible stories, and protecting mental health in toxic climates.Listen now to unlock time-tested survival strategies that can empower your activism, deepen your community work, and sustain your creative mission.Notable Mentions1. PeopleBill Cleveland: Host of Change the Story, Change the World. Director of the Center for the Study of Art and Community, he draws on decades of experience working with artists in prisons and conflict zones.Jim Reeves: Author featured in previous episodes, discussed teaching and writing inside prisons.Noel Raymond: Theater director and cultural leader, spoke about operating arts organizations under political duress.Vern McKee: Incarcerated artist, president of Vacaville Prison's Art and Musicians Guilds, who developed the core “Verne's Rules” that guide arts engagement in high-stakes environments .2. EventsCalifornia's Arts-in-Corrections Program (1980-90's): A transformative initiative bringing arts education into state prisons during the 1980s, led by Bill Cleveland. A current program under the same name is being operated by the California Arts Council and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is carrying on the program The Troubles (Northern Ireland): A period of political and sectarian conflict (late 1960s–1998) cited for comparison with the U.S. authoritarian climate.Khmer Rouge Regime (Cambodia): Post-genocide rebuilding efforts included cultural recovery, referenced here as a parallel to U.S. challenges.Serbia under Slobodan Milošević: Cited as a reference...

Adela Najarro is a poet with a social consciousness who is working on a novel. She serves on the board of directors for Círculo de poetas and Writers and works with the Latine/x community nationwide, promoting the intersection of creative writing and social justice. Her extended family left Nicaragua and arrived in San Francisco during the 1940s; after the fall of the Somoza regime, the last of the family settled in the Los Angeles area. She is the author of four poetry collections: Split Geography, Twice Told Over, My Childrens, and Volcanic Interruptions, a chapbook that includes Janet Trenchard's artwork. The 2024 Int'l Latino Book Awards designated Volcanic Interruptions as an Honorable Mention in the Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Award category. The California Arts Council has recognized her as an established artist for the Central California Region and appointed her as an Individual Artist Fellow.The poems in Variations in Blue address the aftermath of domestic violence through the transformative power of language, leading to healing and empowerment via the author's journey into her Latine/x culture. They cycle through the traumatic residue of dysfunctional relationships, the complexities of Latinx representation through a series of ekphrastic poems, and reimagine Nicaragua as a homeland set in a volcanic landscape. Each section contains a series of poetic variations on a theme, and the poems reverberate and rotate through the indeterminacy of language. Najarro's Variations in Blue insists that the complexities of experience must be understood one version at a time, each distinctly unfolding its unique design.

We must disrupt and rebuild; our task is to shift how society thinks through art” - Ralph RemingtonPart one of this special episode, in collaboration with Arts for a Better Bay Area, delves into the discussions and insights from the 2023 State of the Arts and Culture Organization Summit. Host Eric Estrada and summit reporter Isa Nakazawa bring you the voices of key panelists and attendees who are shaping the future of the arts in the Bay Area. Guests:Maria Jenson, Creative and Executive Director, SOMARTS Cultural CenterRalph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs, San Francisco Arts CommissionJonathan Moscone, Executive Director, California Arts CouncilJenny Cohn, Client Success Manager of TRGJeff Jones, Co-founder, Queer Cultural CenterVallie Brown, Director of the City of San Francisco's Grants for the ArtsCary McClelland,Chief Operating Officer & Registered In-House Counsel - YBCADon't just listen – get involved! For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page.  Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide todayMake a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions. Newsletter: Sign up  to stay updated on future episodes and events  Delve deeper into Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible-Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small businesses and local government, City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy and our archives: You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!

Today's poem will leave you “knowing very well what it was all about.” Happy reading.Gary Soto was born in Fresno, California on April 12, 1952, to working-class Mexican American parents. As a teenager and college student, he worked in the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, chopping beets and cotton and picking grapes. He was not academically motivated as a child, but he became interested in poetry during his high school years. He attended Fresno City College and California State University–Fresno, and he earned an MFA from the University of California–Irvine in 1976.His first collection of poems, The Elements of San Joaquin (University of Pittsburgh Press), won the United States Award of the International Poetry Forum in 1976 and was published in 1977. Since then, Soto has published numerous books of poetry, including You Kiss by th' Book: New Poems from Shakespeare's Line (Chronicle Books, 2016), A Simple Plan (Chronicle Books, 2007), and New and Selected Poems (Chronicle Books, 1995), which was a finalist for the National Book Award.Soto cites his major literary influences as Edward Field, Pablo Neruda, W. S. Merwin, Gabriel García Márquez, Christopher Durang, and E. V. Lucas. Of his work, the writer Joyce Carol Oates has said, “Gary Soto's poems are fast, funny, heartening, and achingly believable, like Polaroid love letters, or snatches of music heard out of a passing car; patches of beauty like patches of sunlight; the very pulse of a life.”Soto has also written three novels, including Amnesia in a Republican County (University of New Mexico Press, 2003); a memoir, Living Up the Street (Strawberry Hill Press, 1985); and numerous young adult and children's books. For the Los Angeles Opera, he wrote the libretto to Nerdlandia, an opera.Soto has received the Andrew Carnegie Medal and fellowships from the California Arts Council, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Northern California.-bio via Academy of American Poets This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

"Artists must be at the center of decision-making, shaping policies and funding structures that directly impact their work and their communities” - Nataki GarrettShow GuestsTiara AmarTitle: Advocate for Art Workers' RightsKey Points:Advocates for fair pay and professional protections for musicians.Highlights the Fair Play Initiative for setting pay minimums.Showcases transformative impact through grassroots campaigns and fellowship programs.Nurit SmithTitle: Executive Director, Music Forward FoundationKey Points:Stresses the importance of aligning education with industry needs.Advocates for holistic creative economy education, including entrepreneurship and business skills.Explores solutions for workforce development and advocacy.Nataki GarrettTitle: Keynote Speaker and Arts Policy AdvocateKey Points:Discusses sustainable funding models for arts organizations.Emphasizes access and inclusivity in creative spaces.Highlights the transformative role of artists in policy and advocacy.Three Ways You Can Support the Work of our Guests:Advocate for fair pay and professional protections for artists by engaging with local policymakers and supporting initiatives like the Fair Play Campaign.Partner with organizations championing creative economy education to help bridge the gap between education and industry.Support place-keeping initiatives by investing in community-based projects and amplifying the voices of local artists.For more information, guest details, and resources from this episode, visit our episode web page. Dive deeper into these vital discussions and access the California Arts & Culture Summit Resource Guide todayMake a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions. Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events  Delve deeper into Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Making the Invisible-Visible, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small businesses and local government, City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy and our archives: You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!

Send us a textThe recent wildfires in Los Angeles have devastated communities, including many artists who have lost their homes, studios, and livelihoods. These creators need our support now more than ever.Here's how you can help:Donate to relief funds: Organizations like the California Arts Council, CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund), and local wildfire relief efforts are providing crucial aid to artists in need. https://cerfplus.org/ Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Grant Artists' Fellowship One-Time Emergency AidFoundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency GrantMutual Aid Resources For artists who need art supplies, and places to work here are some additional resourcesSuperchief Gallery is hosting an art supplies drive at their Chinatown gallery, contact  celina@thecelinarodriguez.com.for more infoThinkspace Projects is collecting supplies to donate to Red Cross LA and is also distributing N95 masks at their gallery spaceChinatown bookstore and gallery The Fulcrum Press is offering its space to those in need of internet, electricity to charge devices, filtered air, and space to store belongings. Reach out to them on Instagram to coordinate.Purchase their work: Many artists are selling their remaining pieces or creating new works to rebuild. Supporting them directly can make a significant impact.Share their stories: Spread the word about artists in need through social media to connect them with resources and buyers.Together, we can help these artists recover and continue to share their creative gifts with the world. Visit our website or social media for links to trusted resources.Let's come together to support our artistic community.Check out Skye's and Catherine's work at:Skye Becker-Yamakawa IG: https://www.instagram.com/skyesartshop/ Web: http://www.skyesart.com/ Catherine Moore IG: https://www.instagram.com/teaandcanvas/ Web: http://teaandcanvas.com/ Polka Dot Raven IG: https://www.instagram.com/polkadotraven/

"For the first time, we are centering artists in our work with an equity-centered, artist-centered cultural plan... with a big emphasis on affordable housing and live-workspace for artists” - Jonathon Glus, City of San DiegoIn this engaging episode of Voices of the Community, we spotlight transformative policy wins and the visions shaping the future of California's arts and culture sector. Recorded live at the second annual California Arts and Culture Summit in Sacramento, this episode features highlights from a dynamic PechaKucha-style panel discussion moderated by Jennifer Laine, Executive Director of the San Benito County Arts Council.Jennifer and fellow arts leaders explore local and statewide victories, including Measure P in Fresno, the California Creative Corps, and pioneering collaborations with California State Parks. These stories showcase how advocacy, cross-sector partnerships, and data-driven strategies can elevate the creative economy and inspire meaningful change.Join us as we discuss key insights from the summit and actionable steps for empowering artists and cultural organizations to tackle pressing issues like equity, climate resilience, and workforce development.Watch, Listen and Discover how you can support and shape the future of the creative economy!- Make a Donation: Support Voices of the Community, fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and enjoy tax deductions for your contributions. Stay Connected:- Participate: Join our next virtual and live in-person community dialogue event.- YouTube: Watch this episode on our YouTube channel- Newsletter: Sign up to stay updated on future episodes and events  Delve deeper into Voices of the Community Series on Arts & Culture, Covid-19's impact on nonprofits, small businesses and local government, City of Stockton's rise from the ashes of bankruptcy and our archives: You can explore episodes, speakers, organizations, and resources through each series web page. Watch and learn from all five series now!

Ellen Bass joins the Hive in anticipation of her appearance at UCSC for the Morton Marcus Memorial Poetry Reading on November 7. Full details about the event can be found here. Poems by Ellen which she reads in this episode: Laundry, Because, Black Coffee, Any Common Desolation, and Bringing Flowers to Salinas Valley State Prison About Our Guest: Ellen Bass is a Chancellor Emerita of the Academy of American Poets. Her most recent book, Indigo, was published by Copper Canyon Press in 2020. Other poetry collections include Like a Beggar (Copper Canyon Press, 2014)—which was a finalist for The Paterson Poetry Prize, The Publishers Triangle Award, The Milt Kessler Poetry Award, The Lambda Literary Award, and the Northern California Book Award—The Human Line (Copper Canyon Press, 2007), and Mules of Love (BOA Editions, 2002), which won The Lambda Literary Award. She co-edited (with Florence Howe) the first major anthology of women's poetry, No More Masks! (Doubleday, 1973). Her poems have frequently appeared in The New Yorker and The American Poetry Review, as well as in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, The American Poetry Review, The New Republic, The Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, The Sun and many other journals and anthologies. She was awarded Fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and The California Arts Council and received the Elliston Book Award for Poetry from the University of Cincinnati, Nimrod/Hardman's Pablo Neruda Prize, The Missouri Review'sLarry Levis Award, the Greensboro Poetry Prize, the New Letters Poetry Prize, the Chautauqua Poetry Prize, and four Pushcart Prizes. Her non-fiction books include Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth (HarperCollins, 1996), I Never Told Anyone: Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (HarperCollins, 1983), and The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse(Harper Collins, 1988, 2008), which has sold over a million copies and has been translated into twelve languages. Ellen founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and the Santa Cruz, CA jails. She currently teaches in the low residency MFA writing program at Pacific University. Maggie Paul is the author of Scrimshaw (Hummingbird Press 2020), Borrowed World, (Hummingbird Press 2011), and the chapbook, Stones from the Baskets of Others (Black Dirt Press 2000). Her poetry, reviews, and interviews have appeared in the Catamaran Literary Reader, Rattle, The Monterey Poetry Review, Porter Gulch Review, Red Wheelbarrow, and Phren-Z, SALT, and others. She is a poet and non-fiction writer in Santa Cruz, California. Maggie's print interview with Ellen Bass can be found here.

In this episode of *Art Heals All Wounds*, I sit down with Jimmy Ramirez, an artist and high school teacher from Oakley, California. We talk about Jimmy's film Above Ground, which delves into the ways that streams and creeks in Oakland have been ‘entombed' in culverts in Oakland, California. We also discuss re-imagining our relationship to water.**Key Topics Discussed:** 1. **Discovery of Hidden Waterways**:   - My personal experience of discovering the hidden Providence River during my college years in Providence, Rhode Island, drawing a parallel to the hidden creeks of Oakland. 2. **Jimmy's Film "Above Ground"**:   - The film explores how Oakland has buried many of its natural waterways under concrete, a practice known as "entombing." This impacts local ecosystems previously supporting species like salmon and trout. 3. **Personal Connection to Peralta Creek**:   - Jimmy discusses his family's history with Peralta Creek in Fruitvale, Oakland, emphasizing how urban development has drastically altered the waterway. 4. **Impact of Water Management Practices**:   - Water management practices designed to prevent flooding have dried out natural water bodies despite heavy rainfalls, disrupting ecological balance. 5. **Historical Decisions and Urban Planning**:   - The conversation addresses the historical decisions to bury natural waterways and how early urban planning overlooked long-term environmental impacts. 6. **Environmental and Mental Health Implications**:   - We discuss the concept of "slow violence" where the lack of natural elements in urban areas contributes to mental health issues and community stress. 7. **Neighborhood Disparities**:   - Disparities between wealthier neighborhoods with more greenery and lower-income areas in Oakland are highlighted, showing the uneven distribution of environmental resources. 8. **Community Initiatives and Successes**:   - Some residents have successfully removed culverts to restore natural water flow, though legal ambiguities persist. 9. **Government and Political Dynamics**:   - Oakland officials have shown interest in Jimmy's film to raise awareness about these environmental issues, and the conversation touches on the politicized nature of water management in California. 10. **Reimagining Water Use**:    - Jimmy advocates for a collectivist approach to water systems, inspired by indigenous wisdom, contrasting America's individualistic mindset. 11. **Challenges and Resistance**:    - Addressing restrictive regulations around rainwater collection and gray water reuse, and how contractors are now more conscious about concreting over backyards. 12. **Future Projects and Art's Role**:    - Jimmy discusses future projects and the significance of art in processing climate grief and inspiring change. He also expresses gratitude for support from the California Arts Council. **Closing Thoughts and Listener Engagement:**Don't forget to go to my website and leave me YOUR story of belonging to feature on a future episode!Buy Me a Coffee!Follow Jimmy! InstagramLinkedInFollow Me!●      My Instagram&

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter, Sal Cracchiolo, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. Tickets for the Youth Trumpet Scholars Trumpet Trilogy can be purchased here. About Sal Cracchiolo: Salvator William Cracchiolo II was born in Long Beach, California as the son of two talented music teachers.  His father, Sal Cracchiolo I, owned a music studio where he taught piano and played professional accordion.  His mother, Edith, was his first trumpet teacher and started Sal on trumpet at the age of 12.  He played in concert, marching and jazz band in high school.  By his Junior and Senior year of High School, he was attending Cerritos College playing in their jazz and concert bands. He started working as a professional musician at 15 in nightclubs with various R & B and Latin bands.   In 1975 he started a long musical friendship with Poncho Sanchez, which ultimately let to 18 albums.  Between working with Poncho, in the 1980s, he was a member of the Pasadena City College Big Band under the direction of saxophonist, Gary Foster.  While in this band, Sal played with such jazz greats as Warren Marsh, Lee Konitz, and Peter Erskine. In the late-80s, Poncho traveled internationally.  Since then, with Poncho and other acts, Sal has traveled to 45 countries globally.  With Poncho, he has played and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Cal Tjader, Chick Corea, Stanley Turentine, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Clare Fischer, Gary Foster, Arturo Sandoval, Eddie Harris, Joey DeFrancesco, Dianne Reeves, Justo Almario, Andy Martin, Celia Cruz and Pete Escovedo.  He performed for and with these artists at the Monterey, Playboy, Concord, and Nice Jazz Festivals plus many others throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America, Thailand and Japan. He has also done worldwide tours with such artists as Tom Jones, Vicki Carr, Harry Connick and Brian Setzer. He was with the Clayton/ Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and has played with them since 2003. The CHJO has been rated as the #1 Big Band in the USA by Downbeat Magazine from 2007 to 2010.  He also performing with his own sextet featuring his wife, Melanie Jackson, on vocals  In 2001 “Fly” was nominated for a Latin Grammy. He has performed on the latest albums of Michael Buble, Gladys Knight, Joss Stone, Jamiroquoi, and Dr. Dre and on various sountracks for HBO. In 2001,  their CD, “Fly”, was nominated for a Latin Grammy.  In 2002 they performed at the Du Maurier Vancouver International Jazz Festival.  In 2003 they will be performing for the warm-up for the Playboy Jazz Festival. In 2004 through 2006  Sal and Melanie's sextet was sponsored by the California Arts Council.

Welcome back to ARTMATTERS: The Podcast for Artists. On today's episode I get a whirlwind tour of the techniques, recipes and studio practices, of the spectacular Cianne Fragione. This conversation will be a two-parter, and will be concluded next episode. Today, in part one, we discuss making your own paints, why lead white is such a fantastic color, chaos vs organization, Cianne's warm-up books, adhesives, “the shake test”, prepping surfaces, rhythm, paper, and the joy of destruction. Cianne also speaks extensively on the making of her massive 24-part painting entitled Heaven and Earth are Dressed in Their Summer Wear, completed in 2012.Cianne Fragione was born in 1952 and currently lives and works in Washington D.C. She has developed her process-oriented work over five decades, crossing boundaries between abstract painting and sculpture, object, and image. She has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions at national and international venues and has been the recipient of many awards, fellowships, and residencies, including the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Fellowship and The Legacy Project sponsored by the Joan Mitchell Foundation to name just a few. Enjoy the episode!P.S. Cianne and I discuss multiple artworks in her studio which were included in the studio visit photo collection and can be found as a free post on my Patreon page. So feel free to click here and you can look while you listen:)About Cianne Fragione:Cianne Fragione b. 1952 (Hartford, CT)  Cianne Fragione, a Washington D.C., D.C.-based artist, has developed process-oriented work for five decades, crossing boundaries between abstract painting and sculpture, object, and image. She has exhibited extensively in solo and group exhibitions at national and international venues including, Isole: A Voyage Among My Dreams (2024-25) St. Mary's College Museum of Art, Moraga, CA; traveling exhibitions, Pocket Full of Promise: Cecelia Coker Bell Gallery, Coker College, Hartsville, SC, and Anne Wright Wilson Gallery, Georgetown College, KY; Wiregrass Museum Biennial 24, Dothan, AL.; Arts-In-Embassies, Geneva, Switzerland; Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery, New York, NY; American University Museum, Washington, D.C.; Regis College Fine art Center, Weston, MA; John D. Calandra Italian American Institute of Queens College, CUNY, New York, NY; Associazione di Museo D'Arte Contemporaneo Italiano, Catanzaro, Italy;  a ten-year retrospective at Harmony Hall Regional Center, Washington, MD;  the University of Scranton Art Museum, Scranton, PA; The Textile Museum, Washington, D.C.; Art in Embassies, Sofia, Bulgaria, and Vilnius, Lithuania; Elizabeth Foundation, New York, NY; Indianapolis Art Center, IN; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Gallery, CA; and Gallery Neptune & Brown, Washington, D.C. Her works are held in public collections, recent acquisitions; the Baltimore Museum of Art MD; and DC Commission Art Bank Collection (also in 2017), Art-In-Embassies Permanent Collection, Guadalajara, Mexico, US State Department; as well as St. Mary's College Museum of Art, CA; Italian American Museum, D.C; Department of Special Collections, Cecil H. Green Library, Stanford University, CA; and Comune di Monasterace, Calabria, IT; among others and private collections. Fragione has been the recipient of awards, fellowships, and residencies, Art Omi receiving the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Fellowship; The Legacy Project (Saving the Legacy) sponsored by Joan Mitchell Foundation; Studio dei Nipoti artist residency, Monasterace, Italy; Soaring Gardens, Laceyville, PA; Spoleto Study Aboard in Spoleto, Italy; and an Artist-in-Institution grants, project of the California Arts Council. Sacramento CA. She was nominated for the Joan Mitchell

Further Adventures of L. O. SloanIn this milestone 100th episode, Bill Cleveland engages in a deep, reflective, and often humorous conversation with his longtime friend and legendary activist, actor, dancer, playwright, impresario, and historian, Lenwood Sloan. The discussion spans many topics, including Sloan's incredible career in the arts, his reflections on social change, and the societal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode also touches on the roles of art and artists in activism and democracy, shining a spotlight on historical figures like Lydia Hamilton Smith and their untold contributions. The conversation serves as both a celebration of Sloan's legacy and a poignant commentary on current social issues.00:00 Introduction to the Episode00:33 A Rambling Conversation with Lenwood Sloan03:16 Reflections on Pain and Perseverance06:07 The Impact of COVID on Social Interactions08:06 The Power of Decision Making and Imagination18:43 Lydia Hamilton Smith: An Unsung Hero27:27 The Role of Art in Social Change31:52 Call to Action for Citizen ArtistsBIOFor the past 40 years, Lenwood Sloan has provided inspiration, leadership and technical assistance both in the public and private sector.On October 7, 2013, Mr. Sloan received the Distinguished Service Humanitarian award from Pennsylvania Humanities Council for his outstanding work in community organizing.He is currently an International Consultant collaborating with the U.S. Embassy in Brussels and the multi nation “Liberation Route” on a new international WWII heritage trail. He is creative consultant for the Cameron Museum of Wilmington, N. C. USCT project, collaborator on the innovative “Two Roads “ series for the Irish Cultural Center of New York, Throughout 2011 Sloan served as Pennsylvania's film commissioner and was certified by the Association of Film commissioners international (AFCI). In that capacity, he directed the 60 million dollar film tax credit office.From 2005 to 2011, Mr. Sloan served as director of Pennsylvania's Cultural and Heritage Tourism Program His portfolio included the Pa festival initiative, the Appalachian Regional Commission's 13 state geo- tourism initiative, the artisans' craft trails , the PA Civil War trails Lenwood Sloan has served as Director of the National Endowment for the Arts' Presenting and Commissioning program , Deputy Director of Services to the field for the California Arts Council , Director of New Orleans Arts and Tourism partnership . He is recipient of the Louisiana Travel and Tourism leadership award for business innovations, His artistic credits include creating “art in the market place” programs for the Rouse Corporation in New Orleans, St. Louis, Boston, and Baltimore. In addition, he participated on the artistic team for five national public television documentaries, Treme- Untold Story, Emmy award winning Ethnic Notions, Stephen Foster, the internationally acclaimed Re-imaging Ireland, and the Emmy award winning Dance Black America.For the past 40 years, Lenwood Sloan has provided inspiration, leadership and technical assistance both in the public and private sector. On October 7, 2013, Mr. Sloan received the Distinguished Service Humanitarian award from Pennsylvania Humanities Council for his outstanding work in community organizing. He is currently an International Consultant collaborating with the U.S. Embassy in Brussels and the multi nation “Liberation Route” on a new international WWII heritage trail. He is creative consultant for the Cameron Museum of Wilmington, N. C. USCT project, collaborator on the innovative “Two Roads “ series for the Irish Cultural Center of New York, Throughout 2011 Sloan served as Pennsylvania's film commissioner and was certified by the Association of Film commissioners international (AFCI). In that capacity, he...

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!What is natural hair? Why are we talking about it? Find out in this week's episode where Raquel and Jennifer dive into it with guest Lyzette Wanzer. Lyzette Wanzer's work appears in over thirty literary journals and books. Her book, TRAUMA, TRESSES & TRUTH: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narratives (Chicago Review Press) appears on Library Journal's 2022 Top 10 Best Social Sciences Books list and was a 2023 Black Women's Studies Association Selection. Lyzette is a contributor to Lyric Essay as Resistance: Truth from the Margins (Wayne State University Press 2023), Civil Liberties United: Diverse Voices from the San Francisco Bay Area (Pease Press 2019), and the multi-award-winning The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays (Wyatt-MacKenzie 2012). A National Writers' Union and Authors Guild member, Lyzette's work has been supported with funding from Center for Cultural Innovation, San Francisco Arts Commission, California Arts Council, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Black Artist Foundry, The Awesome Foundation, and California Humanities, a National Endowment for the Humanities partner.Where to find Lyzette Wanzer:Website: www.lyzettewanzermfa.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lyzettewanzer/Mentioned in this episode:2024 TRAUMA, TRESSES & TRUTH: A Virtual Conference Interrogating Black Women's Natural Hair - https://shuffle.do/projects/trauma-tresses-truth-a-natural-hair-conferenceMuses & Melanin Fellowship for BIPOC Creative Writers - https://forms.gle/eP5KHEVD3S4AQY7h9The CROWN Act - The Official CROWN Act (thecrownact.com)Dove's CROWN Act campaign - www.dove.com/us/en/stories/campaigns/the-crown-act.htmlEpisode Photo by Jessica Felicio on UnsplashEpisode Photo by Jessica Felicio on UnsplashSupport the Show.Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!Thanks!

Raza! Esta semana tuve una conversación increíble con Carisa Gutiérrez, una líder en el espacio del arte y la cultura en California. Carisa is the Director of Public Affairs para el California Arts Council, donde ayuda a conectar a los artistas con los recursos que necesitan y promueve el arte y la cultura en todo el estado. El trabajo de Carisa no solo representa nuestra cultura inmigrante y Latinx, she also works on connecting other culturas with resources, apoya artistas y promueve el arte. En este episodio, hablamos sobre su pasión por las palomas (sí, la bebida), la relación entre la economía y el arte, y la importancia de mantener vivas nuestras tradiciones y cultura. Disfruté mucho esta conversación y aprendí muchísimo. Fue un intercambio de ideas donde Carisa me educó sobre muchos temas importantes. I am super excited to share this episode with you. Recuerden darle like, suscribirse y calificarnos en donde sea que nos estén escuchando. ¡Ánimo pues, cuídense y nos escuchamos en el siguiente episodio! Chao. Tags: #Podcast #QuéTeTomas #CulturaLatina #ArteYCultura #Inmigrantes #TradicionesMexicanas #EconomíaYArte #Entrevista Music this week by: La Noche Oskura, Silvermansound.com and LESFM. Social Media Handles Watch on Youtube: www.youtube.com/@betorizo_ Beto Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betorizo_/ Carissa's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carissa______/ Disponible now on your favorite podcast platforms.

Dr. Giavanni Washington, creator of the Black Goddess Within Oracle card deck, joins me to discuss how her new deck is about liberation and remembrance, changing the narrative of Black bodies, Black women, and Black people through the images of Goddesses from all over Africa. Dr. G, as she is affectionately known, shares not only how we can use the deck, but why it is important to change the way the world sees the Black body. She also talks about how the images came into being – A deeply transformative experience for the women photographed representing the Goddesses. And her own personal experience and inspiration for creating this stunning deck. If you seek to support and uplift Black voices and perspectives, this deck is an empowering way to learn about these powerful Goddesses and their history. I hope you enjoy this episode and learn something new.  Thank you for listening and following my podcast. You can also follow me on Instagram at The Conscious Diva. More about Dr. G: Dr. Giavanni Washington, creator of the Black Goddess Within Oracle Deck, is an intuitive healer, mother, speaker and spiritual guide who holds a doctorate from UCLA's department of World Arts and Cultures and was recently selected for the California Creative Corps Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship by the California Arts Council.  Called to the medicine of ancestral restoration, Dr. Giavanni creates healing opportunities for other Black diasporans to reconnect with lost histories and ignite hidden ancestral wisdom. Dedicated to amplifying Black Beauty, reconnecting to the deep roots of Black Divinity and encouraging the full expression of Black Joy, her latest creative expression, the Black Goddess Within Oracle Deck, is a 44-card deck and guidebook featuring photographs of real Black Women embodying Goddesses from Africa. When she isn't talking to ancestors or helping Black women connect to their divinity within, Dr. Washington enjoys hiking with her husband, son and her pup called Pumpkin. WHERE TO FIND DR. G: https://www.drgiavanniwashington.com https://www.instagram.com/blackgoddesswithin/

Millicent Borges Accardi, a Portuguese-American writer, is the author of four poetry collections, including Only More So (Salmon Poetry, Ireland), and Quarantine Highway (FlowerSong Press). Among her awards are fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Fulbright, CantoMundo, Creative Capacity, the California Arts Council, Foundation for Contemporary Arts (Covid grant), Yaddo, Portuegese National Cultural Foundation, and the Barbara Deming Foundation, "Money for Women." She lives in Topanga canyon. From re-definition to re-calibration, the poems in Quarantine Highway are artifacts to the early and mid-days of the pandemic. Though not specifically labeled as "Covid poems," they strike to the heart of the universal yet individual struggles of solitude, confinement, justice, isolation and, ultimately, self-reckoning. The poems push and pull between the constantly knocking global news cycle to the stillness of a surreal inner world. Find more of Millicent's writings here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Millicent Borges Accardi, a Portuguese-American writer, is the author of four poetry collections, including Only More So (Salmon Poetry, Ireland), and Quarantine Highway (FlowerSong Press). Among her awards are fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Fulbright, CantoMundo, Creative Capacity, the California Arts Council, Foundation for Contemporary Arts (Covid grant), Yaddo, Portuegese National Cultural Foundation, and the Barbara Deming Foundation, "Money for Women." She lives in Topanga canyon. From re-definition to re-calibration, the poems in Quarantine Highway are artifacts to the early and mid-days of the pandemic. Though not specifically labeled as "Covid poems," they strike to the heart of the universal yet individual struggles of solitude, confinement, justice, isolation and, ultimately, self-reckoning. The poems push and pull between the constantly knocking global news cycle to the stillness of a surreal inner world. Find more of Millicent's writings here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Millicent Borges Accardi, a Portuguese-American writer, is the author of four poetry collections, including Only More So (Salmon Poetry, Ireland), and Quarantine Highway (FlowerSong Press). Among her awards are fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Fulbright, CantoMundo, Creative Capacity, the California Arts Council, Foundation for Contemporary Arts (Covid grant), Yaddo, Portuegese National Cultural Foundation, and the Barbara Deming Foundation, "Money for Women." She lives in Topanga canyon. From re-definition to re-calibration, the poems in Quarantine Highway are artifacts to the early and mid-days of the pandemic. Though not specifically labeled as "Covid poems," they strike to the heart of the universal yet individual struggles of solitude, confinement, justice, isolation and, ultimately, self-reckoning. The poems push and pull between the constantly knocking global news cycle to the stillness of a surreal inner world. Find more of Millicent's writings here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/poetry

In this episode, we've invited Elena Yu to share her experience with Kenneth Tam's The Founding of the World, which she experienced in summer 2023 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive. Elena is an interdisciplinary artist and community organizer from Los Angeles, where she received her BA in Art from UCLA. She moved to the Morongo Basin in 2016, where she founded two artist-run alternative art spaces, The Firehouse and Sun Spot. She also worked as Assistant Director of Programming for High Desert Test Sites and as Program Director for Arts Connection, the Arts Council of San Bernardino County. She recently relocated to Charlottesville, VA where she is an Incubator Artist at McGuffey Art Center. Elena co-curated our exhibition ‘Emergence,' featuring the Mojave Artists of Color Collective, with support from the California Arts Council. On view at Compound YV from September 9 through November 5, 2023, It was the first-ever public exhibition of works by MACC artists as a collective, aiming both to stabilize and uplift the group.

Join hosts Walid and Kavita for an exciting episode featuring the versatile artist, Donzell Lewis. Growing up in Virginia, Donzell honed his skills in martial arts, acting, and directing. His journey led him to meet Walid during their time in college at acting school, fostering a lasting friendship and professional collaboration from VA to LA.Catch Donzell in commercials for renowned brands like Hyundai and Warby Parker, as well as in the upcoming films "Divorce Bait" and "Dope Queens." His outstanding performance in the stage adaptation of "Dope Queens" earned him the BroadwayWorld Award for "Best Actor." In the acclaimed "The Book of Queer" series on Discovery+, Donzell portrays multiple iconic characters, including MLK and Glenn Burke. Notably, he is the winner of UCB's "Bad Drag Race" and also a 5th-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.Beyond acting, directing, and coaching, Donzell's passion lies in arts education. Delve into his insights on the challenges and rewards of juggling on-camera roles with his commitment to theater arts education. Discover Donzell's invaluable advice on authenticity in artistry, offering a glimpse into his thriving career both in front of and behind the camera.Tune in to this enlightening conversation with a true artiste, and uncover Donzell's wisdom on embracing authenticity and excelling in diverse roles within the entertainment industry.DONZELL LEWIS' BIO:Donzell Lewis is a distinguished actor, director and theater educator known for his unwavering commitment to the arts. Holding a BFA in Performance and an MFA in Theatre Pedagogy from Virginia Commonwealth University, his strong educational foundation complements his multifaceted skill set. His remarkable career has garnered acclaim from prestigious institutions such as The American Theater Wing, American Theatre Magazine, and The California Arts Council all highlighting his exceptional contributions to the theater education world.As an actor, his work can be seen on shows such as the television sketch show “The Book of Queer” (currently on HBO MAX), the Eric Andre Show, and Tosh.0, among many other tv, film, and voice-over credits. Additionally, he has appeared in commercials for esteemed brands such as Hyundai and Warby Parker while also maintaining a long-standing Los Angeles theater career as an actor and drag performer.With over 15 years of experience as an educator, Donzell consistently demonstrates his expertise in designing, delivering, and assessing outstanding arts education courses. WATCH THIS EPISODE:youtube.com/@LightsCameraConversationFOLLOW US AND LET'S CHAT:instagram.com/lightscameraconversationtiktok.com/@lightscameraconversationDISCLAIMER: The content in this podcast episode is provided for general informational purposes only. By listening to our episode, you understand that no information contained in this episode should be construed as advice from LIGHTS CAMERA CONVERSATION (LCC) or the individual author, hosts, or guests, nor is it intended to be a substitute for research on any subject matter. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by LCC. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. LCC expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or other damages arising out of any individual's use of, reference to, or inability to use this podcast or the information we presented in this podcast.

Creativity is hard AF, and sharing it with the world can be terrifying. That's just one reason why I'm so in awe of my guest this week, Dr. Giavanni Washington. She had the passion and persistence to develop a stunning oracle deck that honors African Goddesses with photography of amazing black women. She's here to talk about why she felt required to birth this project into the world, and how she sustained the belief in herself that was necessary to make it a reality.Mentioned: Dr. Giavanni Washington is the creator of the Black Goddess Within Oracle Deck, which is available to pre-order at https://www.drgiavanniwashington.com/deck. She is also an intuitive healer, mother, speaker, and spiritual guide. She holds a doctorate from UCLA's Department of World Arts and Cultures and was recently selected for the California Creative Creative Corps Artist and Culture Bearer Fellowship by the California Arts Council.The African Goddess Rising Oracle card deck by Abiola Abrams https://womanifesting.com/goddess-oracle-cards/ Make Magic:So much of cultivating the courage to create is about honoring yourself and your vision. Allowing yourself to feel the desire for things that mainstream culture tells you aren't appealing, and investing the time and energy that you and your creations truly deserve.

  "I spend a lot of my life, and even through my art, just looking for belonging." - Nicole Rademacher Join us as we delve into the world of art therapy and adoption with guest Nicole Rademacher. Discover how Nicole uses art to heal on her own journey as an adoptee, and explore her upcoming project, "We Are Not Our Cruxes," that aims to empower adoptees and former foster youth. In this episode, you will be able to: Discover the healing power of art therapy and how it can help adoptees do deeper work on their adoption trauma. Explore the complexities of transracial adoption and how it shapes an adoptee's identity through the lens of art Find out about "We Are Not Our Cruxes," Nicole's interactive, hybrid art project for the adoption constellation, starting on November 18, 2023 in Los Angeles and online. My special guest is Nicole Rademacher: Nicole Rademacher is an accomplished transcultural adoptee artist and art therapist based in Los Angeles. With a deep understanding of adoption trauma and personal experience as an adoptee, Nicole has dedicated her work to using art as a means of healing and self-exploration. Through her adventurous artistic creations and art therapy, she helps individuals tackle their nonverbal and often suppressed pain, offering them a safe space to express and process their emotions. Nicole's upcoming project, "We Are Not Our Cruxes," is a series of free, interactive, art-based healing events which is launching in November 2023 in the Los Angeles area and online. These events will provide participants with a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of adoption while engaging in a transformative art therapy process. With her extensive expertise and compassionate approach, Nicole joins host Beth Syverson on Unraveling Adoption to share her insights and shed light on the power of art therapy in the journey towards healing. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Join Nicole Rademacher's adoption-related events: Attend the "We Are Not Our Cruxes" series of free, hybrid, interactive, art-based healing events in Los Angeles starting on November 18, 2023. Participate in person or online from anywhere. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/we-are-not-our-cruxes-session-one-tickets-712649603147 Explore art therapy for adoption trauma: Consider using artistic modalities to heal from adoption trauma. Connect with Nicole Rademacher through her website, or sign up for a free 15-minute intro call: http://nicrrad.com Find Nicole's film project "Nesting" that we talked about in this episode: https://nicolerademacher.com/portfolio_page/nesting/ Explore Nic's other art projects on her artist website: https://nicolerademacher.com/ Find Nic on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nicrrad Explore the complexities and challenges of transracial adoption - Transracial adoption brings with it multifaceted challenges, as Nicole Rademacher, a biracial adoptee, elucidates. Adoptees often grapple with their racial identity and struggle to conform to expected societal norms and categorizations. Support from adoptive families in celebrating the adoptee's birth culture and maintaining a sense of identity is crucial, assuring adoptees that they're not confined by their racial backgrounds but can embrace all facets of their identity. Experience the healing and empowering effects of art therapy - Using art as therapy provides adoptees with an empowering platform to express their emotions and experiences. Nicole Rademacher's upcoming project "We Are Not Our Cruxes" incorporates art-based healing events for adoptees and former foster youth to aid in their healing process. By acknowledging their resilience and emphasizing that their identity and experiences aren't solely shaped by trauma, art helps participants foster a positive perception of self, resulting in a sense of empowerment. Timestamped summary of this episode: 00:01:29 - Early Childhood and Adoption Nicole shares her adoption story, explaining that she was born in 1978 and immediately placed in foster care. She was adopted into the Rademacher family in Milwaukee and grew up in North Carolina. Nicole reflects on her mixed-race identity and the challenges of fitting in visually with her white adoptive family. 00:05:04 - Transcultural Identity Beth asks Nicole about her identity as a transcultural adoptee. Nicole explains that she presents as white and often passes as such, but she also recognizes her biracial heritage. She discusses the complexities of racial identity and the challenges of fitting in with her adoptive family. 00:07:09 - Supportive Parenting Beth emphasizes the importance of adoptive parents supporting their child's cultural identity and interests. She encourages parents to listen to their adoptee's desires regarding exploring their birth culture and to be flexible and understanding. Nicole agrees and emphasizes the need for adoptive parents to be open-minded and supportive. 00:09:38 - Reunion and Family Dynamics Nicole shares that she reunited with her birth parents in 2004 and discovered that they had married each other, and she had two younger brothers. She reflects on the complex emotions that arose during reunion. 00:13:12 - The Complexity of Family Relationships The guest emphasizes that having a familial connection does not automatically guarantee a strong bond. She shares her personal experience of searching for belonging and finding it through her art and living abroad. 00:13:40 - Embracing Foreignness The guest talks about her experiences living in different countries as a foreigner and how it allowed her to explore her sense of belonging. She highlights the freedom that comes with not fitting into societal norms. 00:14:42 - Serendipitous Love Story The guest shares how she met her husband in Chile while doing research for her MFA. They were brought together by chance and their connection grew into a romantic relationship. 00:15:54 - From Architecture to Art The guest reveals her early aspirations of becoming an architect and her transition to art school. She explains how her interest in photography eventually led her to pursue a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree. 00:18:24 - Exploring Identity through Art The guest discusses her artistic process, which involves creating experimental videos and installations. She shares her journey of delving into the emotions surrounding her adoption and reunion through her art. 00:26:43 - The Embodiment of Singing Nicole and Beth discuss how singing is a unique form of artistic expression because the instrument is within the singer's body. Nic also mentions her collaboration with her birth father, a symphony percussionist. 00:27:53 - Growing Up in a Pragmatic Household Nicole reflects on her upbringing in a non-creative household and how she wishes she had grown up in a more artistic environment. She shares that her parents have always been supportive of her artistic pursuits. 00:28:57 - Overlapping Experiences of Belonging Nicole talks about the overlap between the experiences of adoptees and non-binary individuals in terms of not feeling a sense of belonging. She explains how she became involved in LGBTQ+ spaces through her connections in the art world. 00:29:42 - "We Are Not Our Cruxes" Project Nicole introduces her project, "We Are Not Our Cruxes," which aims to provide a space for adult adoptees and former foster care youth to share their struggles and create art as a form of healing. She explains the research component and invites people to participate. 00:35:27 - The Creative Corps Grant Nicole announces that the project will be offered for free thanks to her receipt of the Creative Corps Grant from the California Arts Council. She encourages people to attend the events, either in person or online, and shares the bit.ly link for more information.

YoloArts is the designated State-Local Partner with the California Arts Council. Confirmed each year by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, YoloArts serves as the central agency for the arts in Yolo County. Working to collaborate with and support strategic partners, both public and private, to provide the community with resources and access to the creation, exhibition, and preservation of the diverse arts and culture of Yolo County.

“This is a time when the art community's creative expertise and skills and talents are being relied upon. And finally, really seen as major contributors to the local economy.” – Maria JensenThis is our first episode from the co-production with Arts for a Better Bay Area of the re-launch of the State of the Arts Summit on June 28th, 2023 . This episode features the opening and keynote speakers made up of community leaders, poets, artists, administrators, government officials, and representatives from arts and culture organizations; who share their wonderful insights and recommendations on the rebuilding of our communities through the arts. With Arts for a Better Bay Area's State of the Arts Summit theme, "Rebuilding Our Communities," our opening and keynote speakers below explore collective ways the arts community can develop and bridge supportive connections as we emerge from the pandemic. To find out more information about our guests and their respective organization's programs, and services, how to volunteer and make a donation please visit our episode landing page with links to resources for the arts and culture sector. Show GuestsHoney Mahoney / Co-Founder Compton's Transgender Cultural DistrictLyzette Wanzer / Writer/AuthorMichael Warr & Chun Yu/ PoetsSusie McKinnon/ Executive Director/ ABBAMaria Jenson / Creative and Executive Director, SOMArts Cultural CenterRalph Remington / Director of Cultural Affairs, SFACJonathan Moscone, Executive Director, California Arts CouncilWe hope that you enjoyed episode two of our new six-part series highlighting the issues and solutions of our arts and culture organizations and their workforce as they innovate to come back from the pandemic along with addressing the systemic racism in our performing arts ecosystem.We welcome your participation in our next virtual and live in-person community dialogue event. Our next community dialogue will be streamed as well as you can tune into our usual radio show, podcast, and television show with our friends at BAVC Media. Sign Up for our Newsletter to participate in our next live showPlease consider donating to Voices of the Community - Voices of the Community is fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions. Please consider making a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one.

As kids many of us dreamt of building and playing in a tree house. For Donald Vaughn, also known as “fish”, that became his everyday reality… but it was far from a dream. Cold, hungry and all alone, Vaughn was kicked out of his house at 11 years old, and built a makeshift treehouse in order to survive. Anthony Ivy, an Uncuffed producer at Solano State prison, asked Vaughn to share his nightmare of being unloved, unkept and isolated. Thank you, Donald Vaughn, for sharing your story! This piece comes from our friends at Uncuffed. You can listen to KALW's Uncuffed, for more stories produced inside California state prisons, wherever you get your podcasts. Follow @WeAreUncuffed on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. To learn more, sign up for Uncuffed news, and support the program at www.weareuncuffed.org Produced by Anthony Ivy Sound design by Eric "Maserati-E" Abercrombie Edited by Andrew Stelzer and Sonia Paul Artwork by Teo Ducot Uncuffed's work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and donations from listeners. The producers fact-check content to the best of their ability. Content is approved by an information officer. Season 14 - Episode 25

“Human rights are held by all persons equally, universally and forever.Human rights are the basic standards without which people cannot live in dignity.These rights are inalienable. This means you cannot lose these rights just as you cannot cease to be a human.“                                                                                                                                          - The World As It Could Be In this episode, we learn from Sandy Sohcot and Ellen Sebastian Chang of The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program. We also learn about a collaboration between TWAICB and Talaterra that will help environmental professionals from diverse fields advance their work within a human rights framework.What circumstances led to the creation of The World As It Could Be?How do Sandy and Ellen introduce people to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?How have they strengthened the relationship between community members and law enforcement?How is The World As It Could Be and Talaterra collaborating to help environmental professionals view their environmental work through a human rights framework?These questions will be answered in this episode.We begin with Sandy explaining how The World As It Could Be, got its start.(A quick note to our regular listeners. This episode is a little longer than our usual episode.)LINKSThe World As It Could Be (TWAICB)TWAICB FacebookTWAICB Instagram (@TWAICB)TWAICB LinkedInJoin TWAICB Email ListAlameda County Deputy Sheriffs Activities League (DSAL)Rex FoundationRegister for Amplify Your Practice for People and the Planet (begins January 19, 2023). Join Sandy Sohcot and Ellen Sebastian Change of The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program to amplify the impact of your environmental education practice.In this workshop, you'll consider your educational objectives and the impact your programs have on people and the planet. You will engage in conversation about the fundamental purpose of environmental education and reflect on how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights connects with your practice and environmental education overall.Pre-enroll yourself (pre-enrollment ends January 1, 2023)Pre-enroll yourself and a colleague (pre-enrollment ends January 1, 2023)(Note: Regular Registration begins on January 2, 2023. Check back here for links on January 2.)___________________________________________ABOUT SANDY SOHCOTDirector and originator of The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program. Sandy holds a California Lifetime Teaching Credential. In July 2001, Sandy became Executive Director of the Rex Foundation and served as in that capacity through 2013, to help renew the Foundation in the absence of direct Grateful Dead concert funding. In 2006, as part of her work, Sandy developed The World As It Could Be initiative to raise awareness about the human rights framework. The initial work evolved to become a full program with curriculum that includes the creative arts as a vital part of teaching about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since January 2014, Sandy has been Director of TWAICB, now a program of the Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs' Activities League (DSAL). Sandy has been active in the small business and women's communities of San Francisco. She co-founded the Women's Leadership Alliance, and is past president of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. In July 1999, the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women honored Sandy with their Women Who Make a Difference Award. Sandy served as a Commissioner on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission 2004 – 2008.___________________________________________ABOUT ELLEN SEBASTIAN CHANG:Ellen Sebastian Chang (she/her), whose creative practice spans 45 years, is a storied figure in the performing arts, as a multi-disciplinary director (theater, opera, dance, and installation) arts educator, and lighting designer. "I create as a director, producer, writer, and teaching artist.  I began my theater practice as a lighting technician (Berkeley Stage Company) and designer. In 1981, I shifted to directing/writing/creating devised experimental performances with the premiere of Your Place is No Longer with Us which followed a ten-year-old biracial girl throughout a Victorian mansion in San Francisco.  In 1986, I was the co-founder/co-artistic director of LIFE ON THE WATER, a national and internationally known presenting and producing organization at San Francisco's Fort Mason Center. In the 21st century, with Deep Waters Dance Theater I have co-created 14 Episodes of "House/Full of Blackwomen," in 2020 episode 14 called New Chitlin Circuitry: a reparations vaudeville; “How to Fall in Love in A Brothel” interactive installation, performances and short film with Sunhui Chang and Maya Gurantz commissioned by Catherine Clark Gallery;  “A Hole In Space (Oakland Redux) created with Maya Gurantz connecting to Oakland neighborhoods via 24-hour video portal; Consulting Producer for “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley” HBO and interviewee; “Fabulation”  by Lynne Nottage Lorraine Hansberry Theater with Margo Hall and Daveed Diggs. Lost and Found Sound with The Kitchen Sisters. Since 2006 as the ongoing Creative Director and Teaching Artist for The World As It Could Be Human Rights Education Program (TWAICB) I co-created curriculum and a series of successful initiatives employing the creative arts to deepen learning about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its principles. My perspective is an ongoing desire to engage creatively and collaboratively, to make works that connect us across disciplines, cultures, class, and break through our fears by challenging our learned beliefs. I have collaborated with and directed the works of KITKA, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Eisa Davis, Youth Speaks, Holly Hughes, Word for Word, Center for Digital Story Telling, Fauxnique, Magic Theater, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, The Kitchen Sisters, Bill Talen, Anne Galjour, Felonious with One Ring Zero, Robert Karimi and George Coates Performance Works."Between 2013-2017, she was the co-owner and events planner for the award-winning West Oakland restaurant FuseBOX, with co-owner and Chef Sunhui Chang.She is currently serving as Resident Owner and Board Member for East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative/Advisor for Esther's Orbit Room Project/Artist Housing.She is a recipient of awards and grants from Creative Capital, MAP Fund, A Blade of Grass Fellowship in Social Engagement, Art Matters, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, NEA,  MAP Fund, Creative Work Fund, California Arts Council, Sam Mazza Foundation and Zellerbach Family Community Arts Fund.Diversity and Social/Human Justice Work through the Arts with Ellen Sebastian ChangFishing Lessons, a digital storytelling project in collaboration with StoryCenter MUSIC:So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Edmond Richardson is an audio producer for Uncuffed, a KALW podcast produced by people in prison. Recently, Edmond and his love, Avelina, got married inside San Quentin and Uncuffed produced this story. The Kitchen Sisters are great admirers of KALW's Uncuffed podcast and are proud to share this story. KALW, San Francisco, has led rehabilitative classes in audio production inside San Quentin State Prison since 2012, and Solano Prison since 2018. Their mission is to provide media training to people in the carceral system. Radio producers from KALW visit the prisons to teach classes in audio production, and to help edit the stories. Audio engineers at KALW do some final polishing before it goes out to the world. Special thanks to the Uncuffed crew at San Quentin Prison: Tommy Shakur Ross, Edmond Richardson, Thanh Tran, and me, Greg Eskridge. Thanks to the team at KALW Public Radio: Ninna Gaensler-Debs, Angela Johnston, Sonia Paul, James Rowlands, Andrew Stelzer, Ben Trefny, Eli Wirtschafter, and sound designer, Eric Maserati "E" Abercrombie. Theme music by David Jassy, the Swedish phenom. And thanks to the staff at San Quentin Prison who make this possible: Mr. Skylar Brown, Ms. Madeline Tenney, and Lieutenant Sam Robinson, who approved this episode. We fact checked everything to the best of our ability. And a special thanks to Avelina and Carla for being a part of this episode. And Edmond and Avelina, Uncuffed wishes you all the happiness in your marriage. Thanks for listening. Uncuffed gets support from the California Arts Council and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The Kitchen Sisters Present is produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. We are part of the Radiotopia podcast network from PRX. Special thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts and contributors to the non profit Kitchen Sisters Productions.

November 11, 2022 -- The Arts Council of Mendocino County will soon receive over 3 million dollars in grant funding from a statewide program called the California Creative Corps. The California Creative Corps is a pilot program aimed to help communities recover from the impacts of the pandemic. The grant program invites artists to identify areas of need in their community, and to then create projects to ameliorate these issues. The program is funded through the state's 2021, one time allocation of 60 million dollars to the California Arts Council. The Arts Council of Mendocino will partner with the Nevada Arts Council to help local artists identify areas of need in our unique neighborhoods, brainstorm projects, and apply for grants when the money becomes available in the spring of 2023.

In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Mimi Plumb talk about the experience of organizing and editing work from over 30 years ago into books that are meaningful and relevant today. They also discuss the political and autobiographical nature of Mimi's work and how that still motivates her to make work today. https://www.mimiplumb.com https://www.instagram.com/mimi_plumb/ Aperture PhotoBook Club with Wendy Red Star: https://aperture.org/events/aperture-photobook-club-wendy-red-star-delegation/ Mimi Plumb is part of a long tradition of socially engaged photographers concerned with California and the West. In the 1970s, Plumb explored subjects ranging from her suburban roots to the United Farm Workers movement in the fields as they organized for union elections. Her first book, Landfall, published by TBW Books in 2018, is a collection of her images from the 1980s, a dreamlike vision of an American dystopia encapsulating the anxieties of a world spinning out of balance. Landfall was shortlisted for the Paris Photo/Aperture Foundation First Photobook Award 2019, and the Lucie Photo Book Prize 2019. Her second book, The White Sky, a memoir of her childhood growing up in suburbia, was published by Stanley/Barker in September 2020. The Golden City, her third book, published by Stanley/Barker in March 2022, focuses on her many years living in San Francisco. Plumb is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow and a 2017 recipient of the John Gutmann Photography Fellowship. She has received grants and fellowships from the California Humanities, the California Arts Council, the James D. Phelan Art Award in Photography, and the Marin Arts Council. Her photographs are in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Art Collection Deutsche Börse in Germany, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pier 24, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery. Plumb received her MFA in Photography from SFAI in 1986, and her BFA in Photography from SFAI in 1976. Born in Berkeley, and raised in the suburbs of San Francisco, Mimi Plumb has served on the faculties of the San Francisco Art Institute, San Jose State University, Stanford University, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently lives in Berkeley, California. Find out more at https://photowork.pinecast.co

Nicole Mueller is a San Francisco, CA based visual artist. Her work includes large-scale paintings, murals, and installations that mimic the effects of stained glass. Driven by process, her abstract works are highly saturated, built with layers of collage-like shapes. Her work explores the complexity of color, states of flux, dichotomies within painting, the transitional nature of being, and the threshold between interior and exterior, the tangible and intangible. Mueller earned her BFA in Painting at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, MD in 2011. Her work has been exhibited in California, New York, and Maryland. She has been an artist-in-residence at ArtPoint (Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco), the Vermont Studio Center, and Proyecto 'ace in Argentina. She has completed public projects in collaboration with the City of Alameda, California Arts Council and Downtown Alameda Business Association, ArtSpan and the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco, as well as commercial businesses throughout San Francisco. In 2017 she was the recipient of the Mark M. Glickman and Lanette M. McClure Artist Award for emerging artists in California. Mueller is also co-host of Beyond the Studio, a podcast that interviews working contemporary artists about their career paths and aims to increase transparency in the art world by hosting candid conversations about their business practices, time management, financial planning, and how they're navigating the unique challenges of making a living, creatively. The podcast received an Alternative Exposure grant in 2017 from Southern Exposure in San Francisco, with support from Facebook's Artist-in-Residence Program and the Andy Warhol Foundation. Beyond the Studio is a cultural partner of Art World Conference, and a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media. In this episode, we discuss... How Nicole became an artist Methods she uses for pricing her different kinds of works How she gets projects booked with big budgets How to break down the costs that go into a big budget of a project All the steps that went into creating the biggest commissioned painting of her career And so much more! Social Media & Links: www.nicolemariemueller.com www.beyondthe.studio @nicolemariemueller (Instagram) @devonastimpson devonastimpson.com artbydevona.com