Podcast appearances and mentions of harrison center

Welcome to the Art, Life, Faith Podcast, and I’m your host, Roger Lowther. Let me take a moment to invite you to our upcoming conference, May 22-27, 2026, just one month away, here in downtown Tokyo with easy access to all the beautiful art and culture of our city. During our time together, we will offer many short presentations, talks, and performances to lead us in worship through the heart art languages of Japan, all around the theme of “The Beauty of Japan, The Beauty of Heaven.” Every session will include discussion times to get to know the people around you, to encourage networking, and to inspire and encourage one another. We will also have an art gallery with plenty of space to display and distribute materials. We will also host unique activities we are calling “Worship in the City,” enabling people to worship God outside the walls of our building and through the art and culture of Tokyo. This gathering has space for up to 200 people. This is not just a conference, it is an experience. You have to come to know what I'm talking about. I know it's going to change your life. God has already blessed tremendously through the preparations for this event, and we can’t wait to see what he already has in store. We are hosting this event specifically over Pentecost weekend to celebrate the things to come, when all the nations will be united across their different languages and different cultures and different arts in worshiping God together. Hear me on this. We will not be speaking one language or sharing one culture, but God delights in the diversity of the cultures and calling us to worship together. So, come spend Pentecost weekend with us here in Tokyo! We look forward to having you. Well, this episode I had the privilege of having a conversation with Alexandra Hudson, or Lexi, the author of “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.” A number of weeks ago, she was passing through Tokyo on vacation with her family when she was gracious enough to sit down with me and talk about the various themes in her book and then lead an Art Life Faith event right afterward. One of the things that came up during our conversation was about “porching.” Porch is not usually used as a verb, but Lexi talks about it in her book. She and I share a mutual friend, Joanna Taft, director of the Harrison Center for the Arts in Indianapolis, who invites people onto her porch every week to just share their lives with one another. And through this Art Life Faith event, we realized that that is exactly what these gatherings are. We gather around a table, have a meal together, and get to know each other. This time, three visitors came who I had never met before. And then they came again to gatherings we had in the weeks that followed. This porching was a wonderful opportunity to invite people into our community, and it was wonderful to have Lexi and her family spend that time with us as well. I’m glad I get to share this conversation with all of you. Roger Welcome to the Art Life Faith podcast, and I’m your host, Roger Lowther. Well, tonight we have the privilege of talking with Alexandra Hudson, who was passing through with her family on vacation, and so we got to arrange an Art Life Faith event happening right after our conversation. So I wanted to introduce her to all of you. So thank you, Alexandra, for being on the show. Lexi Thanks for your hospitality. Great to be with you and Abi tonight and excited for the conversation. Roger We just met, so I’m not quite sure how to introduce you. Can you introduce yourself? Lexi Yeah, I am passionate about ideas and storytelling and how they can make our lives richer and better. I love history and philosophy, and I wrote a book called “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves.” It’s about how to flourish across deep differences, which is the most urgent question of our day in our era of hyper-partisanship, of extremism, of despair, of loneliness. But it’s also a timeless fundamental human question: How do we peacefully coexist amidst competing visions of the good? That’s what I explore my book. Roger Well, it’s an interesting book title because civility, when I try to translate it into Japanese in my head, I’m not quite sure which word to use. Lexi Oh, interesting. What are the options? Roger Well, the one I want to use is politeness, but it’s not politeness, is it? Lexi No, it is not. It’s interesting that you said that. Roger How is it different? Lexi You’re setting me up really nicely. A core argument of my book is that there is an essential distinction between civility and politeness, and in English we have these two words. We have civility and politeness, but people often today use them interchangeably, whether or not they want more of it or less of it. And in America, in the West, we have two vocal groups right now. One group says, “Oh, we are so divided. We’re so broken. Democracy is in peril. We need more civility and politeness in order to save democracy.” So they use this one phrase, “civility and politeness.” And there’s another contingent as well that says, no, civility and politeness are part of the problem. They’re the tools of the powerful, the patriarchy. They oppress the powerless, and we need to burn it all down, throw the baby out with the bathwater. Less civility and politeness in order to achieve greater justice and equity in the world. But both these contingents use these phrases interchangeably, and I argue that they’re different. I love etymology. I love studying language, and I love the origin of language. I’ve loved learning about Japanese and Japanese characters and the stories. So the etymology of civility and politeness is illuminating, and it’s, it’s actually honoring the original etymology to separate these words. So the etymology of, well, let me tell you what the difference is first, then I’ll go. Roger I'm thinking like civilization… Lexi So politeness, I argue, is manners. It’s etiquette. It’s technique. I know there’s a lot of influence in Japan on Confucius philosophy, but so is this concept of li. I don’t know if that is a concept here at all, but it’s like ritual. It’s propriety. Roger Japan is certainly known for its politeness. Lexi That’s correct. What we do is what we say, whereas civility isn’t external, it’s internal. It’s an inner disposition of the heart. It’s a way of seeing others fundamentally as our moral equals, worthy of respect just by virtue of our shared dignity, our equal moral worth as human beings, by virtue of the imago dei, that we are, we are created with it. We have the divine imprint, and that means that every single one of us without exception bear an irreducible moral worth and are worthy of respect. We owe to others that bare minimum of respect by virtue of imago dei. Roger I think I read on the back of your book that it’s not just about your actions and words but about the attitude of your heart, right? Lexi Right. The disposition of the heart is what civility is, and that sometimes actually respecting someone, actually loving someone, requires being impolite. It requires telling a hard truth, having an uncomfortable conversation, even especially in a democracy, engaging in robust debate. I mean, think of a marriage, you know, sweeping differences under the rug is not sustainable for an authentic true relationship. It’s going to get messy. It’s going to get hard. You have to have uncomfortable conversations. But, and in fact, having difficult conversations can be a tool of strengthening a relationship. It’s not about whether you disagree, it’s how you do it and whether you are… Roger If you’re uncivil, does that mean that you are fighting these? What kind of interaction is uncivil? You guys are being uncivil. You know, something I may say to my boys something, right? Lexi Civility requires action sometimes, but it also takes certain action off the table. I’ll give you an example. In chapter 7 of my book, I talk about civil disobedience. And let me just go to the etymology to illuminate the distinction a little bit more. So politeness, our word in English, comes from the Latin polire, which means to smooth or polish. And that’s what politeness does—it papers over difference, it sweeps it under the rug, as opposed to giving us tools to grapple with difference head-on. The etymology of civility is civitas, which is our etymological root for citizen, citizenship, civilization, city. And that’s what civility is— it’s the, the duty, duties, the conduct, the mores, that the disposition, the habits befitting a citizen in a city, and especially in a democracy that requires truth-telling, that requires honest, robust debate that is the lifeblood of a democracy. Roger Okay, so, you know, living here in Japan, we’re often taught to be polite because that’s such a big part of society. And I have seen a lot of relationships broken when they don’t know how to be polite. They say, well, let’s just not talk to that person, and then I don’t have to be fake. I just won’t see that person. And there doesn’t seem to be a kind of a way through for building community. There’s a lot of brokenness in relationships in Japan. So what you’re talking about is a way through that. Lexi That’s so interesting. I’m not saying don’t be polite. I’m not condemning Japan as a polite society. I’m saying that’s not enough, that the form the words, the rituals, the actions, without the inner disposition that sees you as my fellow human being worthy of respect, that it’s not going to be enough. And in the West as well, we too often settle for politeness. We, we settle for just people doing and saying the perfectly correct thing, but we’re missing civility, that inner disposition of the heart that helps us actually know when to depart from politeness, when to have those uncomfortable conversations. Roger Okay, so let me ask you now, because this is the Art Life Faith Podcast, what is the role of beauty and art in creating this soul of civility? Lexi I did a kintsugi class while I was here in Japan, and I love that as a metaphor for life and the human condition, this ancient practice of taking broken pottery that some might cast away but taking it, piecing it back together, and making it more beautiful on the other side of this process, illuminating our brokenness. I think that’s really powerful. Roger So the brokenness of society is something that you as an artist of society are trying to speak into? Lexi I’ve been going back and forth about what I am because I’m not just a writer, I’m not just a speaker. In fact, like this season of my work, I’m a practitioner. Like I am both trying to live this and build initiatives and institutions in my community and helping dozens of other people across the country right now, including Congress, including state legislatures, including Ivy League universities, build initiatives around my work as well. So, civic architect is one idea. I don’t know. Listeners, write to me with your ideas for how to characterize what I’m doing. I wrote this book. It’s both descriptive and normative, but now I’m doing it, and so I don’t have there’s no category really for that that I know of. So if you know of one, if you can help me think of one, I welcome it. Roger Yeah, well, I’ll keep thinking about it. I mean, one reason I asked you to come and speak tonight for this event is we were connected by a mutual friend who runs the Harrison Center for the Arts. I looked at some of the pictures. I saw you were doing events there. You were connected to this art gallery. Can you tell us a little bit more about that connection? Lexi To really do justice to that story, let’s back up a little bit about why I wrote this book. I love history. I love philosophy. I love ideas. I was raised by two very curious human beings. My mom and dad are intellectually omnivorous, and our home life growing up was just very stimulating. And my parents taught me wonder was a way of life. I went to a combination of public, private, and charter schools growing up, but I loved all school because I had this really intellectually robust home life that promoted the life of the mind. Then I went to grad school at the London School of Economics, because I wanted to put ideas into practice. I feel like my education kind of stopped at the Italian Renaissance, and I wanted to know more about the world that I was about to live in. Then I got my first big break in DC. I served in federal government, and it felt like the honor of a lifetime. I couldn’t wait to serve my country, and I chose to serve at the United States Department of Education, the single largest institution in the history of mankind dedicated to student instruction. And I was devastated to discover they didn’t really care about education, at least not how I had been educated, about soul craft and ordering our passions and beauty and goodness and truth. And on top of that, it was so dehumanizing, my experience in Washington. My experience was kind of a microcosm of our dysfunction and division as a whole. I saw two extremes that are equally as dehumanizing. One was the hostile contingent in government, people who were willing to step on anyone to get ahead, overtly belligerent. And the other contingent were polished and poised and polite, but ruthless and cruel. Roger Yeah, I believe it. Lexi I saw people who would smile at me and others one moment and then stab us in the back the next. And that really disillusioned me. And I realized upon reflection that these two extremes they seem like polar opposites. And in fact, people often tack in one direction as an antidote to the other. People who are just exhausted by the hostility are trying to be uber polite to try and compensate, but they’re actually equally as dehumanizing. Both insufficiently appreciate the profound gift of being human in ourselves and in others. The hostile contingent sees others as pawns to be bludgeoned into submission, silenced. Roger That's certainly the image of government. Lexi And the polite contingent sees others as pawns to be manipulated and then discarded, but neither see human beings as they really are— beings with dignity, worthy of respect. So I fled Washington. I served one year. I remember the day very clearly. I came home from work one day. It was a very dispiriting day, and I said to my husband, I’m done with DC. I’m done with the swamp. I’m done with government. Let’s move to Indiana. And he said, okay, sounds good, we’ll move to Indiana. Roger So why Indiana? Lexi Because he’s from there originally. He’s from northern Indiana, and I wanted anywhere but Washington. I just wanted something different. I had in my mind like rolling pastures and farmland, like just peace and tranquility. So he smiled and said, okay, sounds good, we’ll move to Indiana. No takebacks. And a few months later, we were out there, and one of my first friends came up to me after church one day and she said, “Hi, I’m Joanna Taft. Would you like to porch with us sometime?” And I never heard the word porch used that way. Roger I’m not sure what that is. Lexi But I was curious, and again, we didn’t know many people in town. And so we went to her beautiful historic great big front veranda on her porch that Sunday afternoon, and I realized that she was staging a quiet revolution against our polarized, divided, isolated status quo from her front porch. She had curated people that day, much like what you’re doing here tonight, you know, not to have a structured dialog across difference, but just to say You know, what does it mean to engage one another as human beings first? And it was a beautiful oasis from the divisions that I had been just so immersed in in government, where, you know, the world wants us to assign value to our race, our wealth, our political persuasion, where we live, all these different identities. And it was an oasis from that. It was just a chance to be present with other human beings and I’ve been on book tour the last several years. I’ve been in like 145 cities and 5 countries. And I saw people like Joanna doing the same independently. People who said, this is the power in Joanna’s work and her life being an argument for this work. Lexi She was saying, I can’t control others. I can’t control who’s president. I can’t control what’s happening down at city hall. I can only control myself, and I’m going to choose to double down and make my community better and more beautiful. And I tell her story in my book, The Soul of Civility, because the porch is the metaphor that I use, one of the metaphors I used for this, this theory of social change, that we can’t change others. We can’t. It’s the world wants to disempower us and blame. Roger Yeah, I love it. Especially here in Japan, community is so much more important than ideas. And my sense is that America is getting more and more interested in, this is my idea, this is where I stand, are you with me or are you an enemy? Lexi Is there “porching” in Japan? Roger There’s a lot of cafes. People are always going out to izakaya, which is kind of Japanese bar restaurant type of thing. That is a meeting ground. Country Chicken is a fried chicken, izakaya-type place that’s just down there. We can see it out the living room window here. I do karate with my dojo, and we meet there like every couple months. It’s just a fun place to gather and talk. And I’m the only Christian in the group, I’m the only foreigner in the group, and they’ve invited me into their community through the sport of doing karate together. It feels like porching, I guess, because we’re always sharing various ideas. They sometimes ask me provocative questions about politics in the States, and I usually try to avoid those topics. But yeah, that could be porching, I guess. Lexi It absolutely is porching because it’s not even about the porch. You got that right away. It’s a way of engaging others in the world with civility, seeing them as a human being first. You know, you’re not American or Japanese first. You’re not a Republican or Democrat first. You’re my fellow human being and I want to know you. I want to see you. I want to know you and maybe even love you. That is what Joanna fostered on her porch that day that felt so powerful, to have people be seen and known and loved in the fullness of who they are. And that’s refreshing in a world that wants to essentialize us. Roger Yeah, that definitely is what we’re trying to create tonight. We open our home to people. It’s why we are where we are. It’s kind of easy to get to. You came from Tokyo Station. How far are we from there? Lexi Like 10 minutes. Roger Not too far, right? Lexi I know, it was wonderful. Roger Yeah, so we’re trying to be centrally located for that reason. And our church too isn’t far from here. We’re trying to create that kind of community. So going back to the art gallery, or just arts in general…For artists who are listening, what would you say to them about their role in this? How can they help be an architect of civility in their cities, in their communities? What does that look like? Lexi Well, Pope Francis has this great phrase. He called us all to be artisans of the common good. And I love that. I do a lot of work with civic leaders, with elected officials, with CEOs, with educators, people who might not consider themselves artists. I think we’re all artists. We are all creators because we are made in God’s image, and our God is the Creator. Roger Yes. Lexi And I think that we are closest to being who we really are and who God created us to be and most like him when we are creating. So that’s a core message I have for people in my community that might not think of themselves as creative. They’re not part of the creative economy. And it’s like, no, you are. And it’s about finding that still quiet voice that you have a calling to, and to innovate, to see a need, something that doesn’t exist, and to build something that meets that need. So this season of my work, I’m not just talking about the book. I call myself a co-creator with these dozens of local leaders. I call them Civic Renaissance Ambassadors. They’re congresspersons. They’re state representatives. They’re local mayors. They’re city councilors. They’re school teachers. They’re people from all walks of life who have read my book, found it useful, and said, “Okay, I’ve read it, I love it, but how do I live it?” And when I was getting that question all throughout book tour, I said, “I don’t know, I just wrote a book.” But now I’ve learned a lot and I’m co-creating. That’s what I call myself, a co-creator with these people who are doing this, who see loneliness, they see brokenness, they see life as it ought not be because people are cutting friends off, cutting family members off over politics. I don’t know if that’s a problem here. I’d be curious to know if it is, but that’s a big problem in the US where you’re ending friendships, lifelong friendships, family, no contact with parents. Over politics, your view on the vaccine, your view on Donald Trump. And that is like self-sabotage. That is disordered loves. We are making the most important things the not important. And so people see those needs and they want to be part of the solution. So, I’m calling them to co-create with me. Roger I think a lot of artists have this image that they make work and they hope somebody is going to buy their painting or hope that someone’s going to hire them to come in and play for this event but don’t know how it fits into the bigger picture. But you’re saying that everyone has a role to play in building the kind of community to build the kind of city that we want to see. It’s so easy for us to get practical. Like, this is what I have to do to make a living. And this is my narrow pathway here. But it’s a much bigger vision, how it all fits together. Is that right? Lexi Yes. And I think that the message I would share with my co-creators, these civic leaders that I work with is also a message for artists as well, is that no effort to create beauty is ever wasted. It can be really easy to feel like it if the piece doesn’t sell, or if, you know, no one notices— I feel that sometimes. I feel like I work so hard and I’m like, does anyone even care? Is this working? Is this doing anything? And then I have to remind myself, no, the process is the point. Just the act of creation, the act of bringing goodness and beauty and truth into the world, that is its own reward. Roger You were talking about keeping the conversation going by continuing to meet with these people working in government and other business leaders and people like that. I can see how the arts can play a role in that as well. There’s tremendous power in the arts to bring people together over certain topics from a third-party perspective. It’s a safe way to create a platform for people to engage one another, I think. So we’re almost out of time. People are going to start ringing the doorbell and coming in here. Is there anything you’d like to share before we end? Lexi The final chapter on my book argues—it’s on misplaced meaning and forgiveness—and it argues that we have made a religion out of politics, and that’s bad for democracy, bad for religion, bad for Christianity, bad for our souls. And I argue that we need to do things that give us life, that it’s not enough just to say love politics less. We have to do things to actively displace and replace a harmful affection. I’m getting this idea from Thomas Chalmers. He’s a Scottish theologian. He has an essay called “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” He says it’s not enough just to say, soul, love sin less. You have to cultivate love of God. That is what will permanently displace the love of the sin. Nature abhors a vacuum, he says. It’s not enough just to diagnose that we have an unhealthy attachment to politics and to toxicity that is poisoning our soul. What are some things we can proactively pursue that are more noble and life-giving? I talk about intellectual curiosity. I talk about friendship, especially friendship across difference. I talk about beauty and the sublime. Beauty is something that delights us. The sublime fills us with awe. It’s like, you know, a thunderstorm, waves crashing on the shore. It’s like staring up space at night and being humbled by this concept of infinity and giving us a sense of smallness. That is good for our souls. I’m on holiday here in Japan with my 3 children, and it’s hard to travel with 3 kids under 6, and it’s tiring. But I want them to know that the world is big and vast, and how we live every day is not the way that most of the world lives. That is humbling. It’s so beautiful. And I’m just so grateful to be here with you. Roger Yeah, that’s great. Well, how can people learn more about you? Lexi I host a newsletter intellectual community called Civic Renaissance. It’s about beauty, goodness, and truth, and reviving the wisdom of the past to help us lead better lives in the present. Please do consider joining me over at Civic Renaissance. It’s about taking ideas out of the ether and living them, like putting this work into practice now, and how can we live richer, more fulfilled lives and relationships now. And, of course, read my book, “The Soul of Civility.” I hope it’s an encouragement. If you are in Japan, and whether you’re Japanese or American or from the West, I want to hear your observations about how this distinction between civility and politeness applies here. I came here with a kind of working hypothesis. I’ve been all over the world talking about this distinction. I was like, what’s it going to be like going to the most polite society in the world? I hope that this does meet a need in some way here, because we need human dignity first. Just manners alone are not enough. Roger Well, thank you. I’m really looking forward to tonight and seeing the kind of discussions that we’re going to have. So thank you so much for sharing your time with us. Lexi My pleasure. Thanks for having us. Roger You’ve been listening to the Art, Life, Faith Podcast. Don't forget to pick up your own copy of The Soul of Civility, wherever you buy your books. As we say in Japan, “Ja, mata ne!” We’ll see you next time.

On this episode of On The Aisle, Tom Alvarez sits down with Indianapolis artist Kyle Ragsdale for a conversation about creativity, community, and building a lasting career in the Midwest. Known for his large-scale, story-driven paintings—including billboard-sized works near the —Ragsdale reflects on more than two decades of making imaginative, theatrical art that invites viewers to dream rather than debate.A former theater kid, Ragsdale's roots in performance continue to shape his work. He has designed sets for and , blending visual art with storytelling. His paintings—sometimes seen in homes, businesses, and even on HGTV's —are known for their whimsical motifs, mysterious scenes, and evolving themes.Ragsdale credits Indianapolis and the Harrison Center community for giving him space to grow, experiment, and sustain a full-time artistic career. He encourages young collectors to buy what they love and support local artists, emphasizing that art should feel welcoming, personal, and accessible. For Ragsdale, success isn't about chasing bigger markets—it's about building meaningful connections through art right at home.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Allison Ford is a studio artist and educator whose work lives in the in-between — between jewelry and sculpture, storytelling and adornment, play and meaning. Based in Indianapolis, she has been part of the Harrison Center community since 2009, building a creative life shaped by curiosity, community, and a deep commitment to handmade work.In this episode, Allison shares her winding path back to making and how her practice has evolved alongside raising her family and later earning her MFA. We talk about the importance of creative community, the role teaching now plays in her life, and why staying playful and curious continues to guide her work.Our conversation also explores the stories behind some of her most recognizable bodies of work, including her Indiana bug series and the folklore-inspired figure Baba Pascha and her bronze spider companion, and how art can serve as a vehicle for empathy and connection.This episode is a thoughtful reflection on building a handmade life over time — one rooted in intention, experimentation, and the freedom to create beyond defined lines.Follow Along:Allison on Instagram: ⁠@studioamfAllison's Website: studioamfdesign.comLove the Podcast?Consider supporting an episode! Learn more at here.Without your support I couldn't continue the Slowmade Podcast. Thank you so much!Follow Christine and Slowmade...Instagram: ⁠@christinemighion⁠Jewelry Website: ⁠christinemighion.com⁠Slowmade: ⁠slowmadepodcast.com

Season 6 | Episode 10This is a mini-episode — recorded LIVE during an event and shared completely unedited.Joanna Taft is the badass visionary behind PreEnactIndy - an anti-gentrification project that uses the power of arts, community, and courage to reimagine what's possible. We sat down with her LIVE during the latest PreEnactIndy and talked about turning fear into fuel, using creativity to connect with your neighbors, and how you can “preenact” the life you want. Joanna Taft serves as the Executive Director of the Harrison Center in Indianapolis, where she leads initiatives that combine arts, community building, and storytelling to inspire lasting change.https://www.harrisoncenter.org/ #BadasseryLife #PodcastDrop #Preenactment #IndyArts #HarrisonCenter

In this episode of Everyday Leaders, we sit down with Greg Enas, a visionary leader whose journey is marked by a deep commitment to human dignity, community impact, and redemptive enterprise. Greg served as the Senior Director at Eli Lilly and Co, and currently serves Vice Chair at Chorus Inc, and a Venture Catalyst at Innovatov. His leadership influence extends through his roles as the former President of Trinity Fellows Academy, Founding Board Chair at The Oaks Academy, and involvement with the Harrison Center for the Arts. Greg's heart for empowering the poor and oppressed is evident as he shares his passion for restoring human dignity through purpose-driven enterprise. In our conversation, we explore Greg's story, which is a testament to the transformative power of leadership rooted in faith, purpose, and a heart for the oppressed. Whether you're looking to lead with greater empathy or create impact through redemptive enterprise, this episode will inspire you to take meaningful action.Connect with Greg through:Citizen 7 Praxis Guild Indianapolis Cohatch Polk Stables Books Greg is Reading Heaven, Hell and Paradise LostGateway to Statesmanship: Selections from Xenophon to Churchill Culture and Anarchy After 1177 BC: The Survival of Civilizations

There are words written down, and then there are words spoken out loud and arranged into an order that allows someone listening to learn a few things about what's happening in geographical area in which they are interested. For those reading these words now, this is a complicated way of saying this is Charlottesville Community Engagement that has been produced for June 22, 2024. I'm Sean Tubbs, and I can report that there's madness to this method. In this installment: * Charlottesville City Council reaffirms water protection ordinance / stormwater utility fee after two public hearings that were not labeled as such in the agenda (learn more)* Charlottesville Deputy City Manager Marshall briefs Council on her approach to social equity goals (learn more)* The Charlottesville and Albemarle economic development authorities meet to learn more about the regional strategies put together by another level of government (learn more)* The University of Virginia Buildings and Grounds Committee learns how planning and budgeting works for capital projects (learn more)* The Harrison Center of Translational Research at the University of Virginia is preparing to learn more about neurodegenerative diseases (learn more)First shout-out: Friends of JMRL In the first subscriber supported shout-out since the summer solstice: Let's learn a little about a nonprofit group that plays a major role to keep the Jefferson Madison Regional Library going strong. Friends of JMRL plays an important role in the slightly Byzantine structure of library budgets. Proceeds from the popular book sale go to pay for children's, teen and adult programs. The five jurisdictions that make up JMRL pay for facilities, salaries, and operational costs. State aid funds the collection acquisitions for all materials, physical, and digital. The federal e-rate program pays for equipment purchases. And Friends of JMRL raise funds for all sorts of activities. That includes the Library endowment in conjunction with the Charlottesville Albemarle Community Foundation awards money to special efforts such as the NAACP scholarship as well grants to out-of-area patrons to cover the $30 fee for residents of non-member localities. Friends of JMRL also  manages the Books Behind Bars program. Volunteers find and ship books to Virginia inmates at no cost to the inmates. Expenses are paid through private benefactors and Red Light Management.Visit jmrlfriends.org to learn more and find out how you can get involved. Second-shout out: Cvillepedia Cvillepedia is a wiki dedicated to sharing and building community knowledge and history about the people, places, and events in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. This site is built with the same software as Wikipedia and is a free, public, collaborative encyclopedia that anyone can edit and improve. Cvillepedia is a volunteer run project. Click HERE to become a volunteer and add to the stories we tell about the past!Thoughts at the end of #693AAnd with publication of this newsletter, one week ends and another begins. I have two more stories to post to Information Charlottesville, but one may end up being more appropriate in tomorrow's edition of the newsletter. For now, I need to turn my attention to putting together the Week Ahead. By my count, there were 17 stories in the newsletter this week, and about half of them became audio versions. I've sort of figured out how to balance all of this in a way that the print newsletter gets out quicker and those who listen get to hear the stories the way they're meant to be experienced.People learn things in different ways, and I'm always looking to learn new methods of getting information to people. In four years, there have been hundreds of stories, and I hope to be able to continue this for some time to come.Many of you subscribe and as its a Sunday and my time is partially covered by the sponsor of the Week Ahead, I'm going to spare you the sales pitch. I will ask you consider sharing this newsletter with someone else who may not know about it. Listeners and readers wanted! Share with people you think may want to be informed about things! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

Stuart Snoddy was born inHonduras and lives and works in Indianapolis, IN. He holds an MFA from Northern Illinois University and a BFA from the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis. Stuart has had shown his work at Massey Klein, Edington Gallery, Future Fair, Tyger Tyger Gallery, Cat Head Press, Farmer Family Gallery at Ohio State, Trestle Gallery and many others. He has received a Harrison Center for the Arts Award, an Atlantic Center Master Artist-In-Residence Award, an Oxbow Fellowship and others. His work has been covered in Juxtapoz, Artmaze, New American Paintings, Blissmag and others.

This week we close out James past trip to Indianapolis with a long overdue episode featuring Rebecca Robinson. Hyped up off mid-tier coffee James visits Rebecca's studio at the Harrison Center in the Circle City. Sourcing and handpainting leather bags, mixing up cement for an exhibition at Newfields Museum, and even producing a documentary on Black Men in medicine. We were all over the map on this one. If you enjoy the music or interviews, feel free tip the host. paypal.me/jamesgearlds cash.me/jamesgearlds This week's guest Rebecca Robinson Follow her on Insta: instagram.com/psnob Podcast Merch: https://teespring.com/id/stores/art-and-bs-podcast Follow me on social media. Twitter: twitter.com/kindafresh IG: instagram.com/jamesgearlds instagram.com/artandbspodcast

Today I am not in my gallery, I am in the studio of accomplished Indianapolis artist and really good friend of mine Johnny McKee. Johnny's roots in Indy go all the way back to his training at the Herron School of Art in the early 90s. Since then he has touched so many different corners of our art scene, from his early studio at the Ferris Building to the Indianapolis Art Center to running the Ashland gallery for 10 years in Broad Ripple and now Johnny has been at the Harrison Center for 8 years. Johnny has a major exhibition opening next month and to dive into what this show is all about.Johnny's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnnymckee/?hl=enhttps://www.harrisoncenter.org/Check out https://www.ViningGallery.com to see images of Johnny's studio and artwork mentioned in this episode.

Community Connection Thursday June 2nd 2022 Indianapolis Recorder Sport's Writer Danny Bridges CPR & First Aid Training "Emergencies leave us feeling helpless, but they don’t have to. Take two minutes to learn Hands-Only CPR™ now. 70 percent of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in homes. When a person has a cardiac arrest, immediate CPR can double or triple their chance of survival. Prepare to save a life, find a CPR course near you today." Find a class near you: https://cpr.heart.org/en/course-catalog-search Now through June 7th, the American Heart Association is recognizing National CPR and AED Awareness week. Phone Guest: Tim Harms - Senior Director Of Communications American Heart Association Bruce Richardson - CPR Survivor Find Your Family, Know Your Roots - Free Genealogy Assistance and discussion about the importance of oral history in Black family genealogy with the Harrison Center This Saturday, June 4th 1:00pm - 4:00pm About: "Bring family photos and join author/historian Eunice Trotter, genealogy expert Charles Barker, and photographer/historian William Rasdell for a workshop presentation followed by professional genealogical assistance from the Indiana African American Genealogy Group to help you start your family tree." Event information: https://attend.indypl.org/event/6688695 Phone Guest: Joanna Taft - Executive Director at the Harrison Center for the Arts Eunice Trotter - Journalist, Author, Community ActivistSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode three features mixed media artist, Kate Oberreich. Kate is an Indianapolis based painter employing multiple mediums including water media, cyanotype, embroidery, and collage. Kate's work often explores themes and narratives associated with the concept of finding home and community, both literally and figuratively. During the month of March, Kate's most recent showing "Other People's Oceans" was the featured display in the Harrison Gallery at the Harrison Center for the Arts. Find out more about "Other People's Oceans" on the Harrison Center's website. Follow Kate on Instagram to see more of her work as well as check out her website, kateoberreich.com.

Joanna Taft of the Harrison Center joins us. The Harrison Center is a community-based, nonprofit arts organization that seeks to be a catalyst for renewal in the city of Indianapolis. Founded in 2001, the organization's work is two-fold. The Harrison Center for the Arts is home to 36 artist studios and five galleries with programming that is designed to foster the creation of new art, build community among artists and emerging art patrons, create new partnerships, and provide a forum for public conversations between artists and the community. The Harrison Center for the City seeks to connect people to culture, community, and place to strengthen Indianapolis's core urban neighborhoods. Visit their website here - https://www.harrisoncenter.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ryan talks with actress Maddie Weinstein about how COVID will change theatre/film, The Bachelor, and our own political narratives, then discuss interviews with Harrison Center for the Arts founder Joanna Taft, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, and Anne Surak from Exhibit Columbus. You can check out Maddie's work in "Beach Rats" on Hulu and "Alex Strangelove" on Netflix. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/50-states-of-mind/message

Sit on the porch with The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking and three guests from Indianapolis, collaborators who are engaging community theater, neighbors, and small business owners to imagine a better future. The guests are Moriah Miller of the Harrison Center, Keesha Dixon of Asante Children's Theatre, and Shirley Webster, a longtime resident and community organizer. The three were instructors at the 2019 Midwest Creative Placemaking Leadership Summit in Cincinnati in October. They taught a session on engaging theater to address neighborhood change and cultural gentrification. Themes include gentrification, community theater, improvisation, honoring and integrating elderly residents, cultural festivals to encourage dialogue around difficult topics and more. The event is called PreEnact Indy. Learn more by watching this video: https://vimeo.com/387485504  Subscribe to our newsletter for updates. Like our podcasts? You'll love our webinars. Register now!

Gentrification, cultural shifts, crime, unsafe streets, poverty and disconnection. They all sound pretty bleak especially when considered together. But my guest, Joanna Taft, has been experimenting along with her neighbors in the Herron Morton neighborhood in Indianapolis and have found some remarkably sensitive and effective ways to begin to reverse these trends. She has discovered the healing and effective power of art, empathy, personal connection and refraining from making sweeping judgements about the people around her. If anything, it could be said that Joanna takes a deliberate and meditative approach to living in her place keeping her posture open towards connection instead of disconnection. Joanna Taft is the Executive Director of the Harrison Center for the Arts and co-founder of Herron Highschool in Indianapolis. Find Joanna online: Twitter, Instagram More about PreEnact Indy and a TedX talk given by Joanna

Joanna taps into the importance of connecting people to ideas, opportunities, place, and culture.

Harrison Center 48 Hour Song Project; Warner Swopes: He's Got the Beat; Nothing Coy about this Poem; Sound Expeditions: White River; Axum Ethiopian; Climate Change Camp; Feeding a Crowd; Graffiti Guru Ezi. Originally posted August 2, 2018.

Harrison Center 48 Hour Song Project; Warner Swopes: He's Got the Beat; Nothing Coy about this Poem; Sound Expeditions: White River; Axum Ethiopian; Climate Change Camp; Feeding a Crowd; Graffiti Guru Ezi. Originally posted August 2, 2018.

Come porching with us as Joanna Taft from the Harrison Center shares her story over a Gin Rickey. Joanna grew up in Washington D.C. knowing that she wanted to solve problems in the Federal Government. That was until she met her husband and they moved to Cambridge City, Indiana where she worked as a program coordinator for Huddleson House. In that role, she learned how to embrace and build communities, which is now the core of her projects. Joanna, her husband, Bill, and young daughter moved to the Herron-Morton neighborhood in 1991. Although it is now the home of some of Indy's most coveted properties, it was not then. Its evolution over the last 30 years is partially contributed to Joanna and Bill's efforts in achieving their family mission: “The healing of the city." Together, they helped start a church, The Oaks Academy, the Harrison Center, and Herron High School in the Herron-Morton neighborhood. You can now find Joanna hosting Porch Parties every Sunday to build community with her neighbors, working on PreEnact Indy, and sharing the stories of the Greatriarchs in Indianapolis. Tune in to learn about the different forms of gentrification, how to embrace the history of your neighborhood, and about Joanna's newest projects. Drink deep of the culture that surrounds you with Joanna Taft from the Harrison Center. Learn about the Harrison Center! Review the episode on iTunes, Twitter, and Facebook! Join our community on Patreon! What we tasted from Hotel TangoGolf Gin Bourbon Whiskey Check out our sponsors for this episode: Naptown Fitness - To start your health journey today, visit naptownfitness.com http://naptownfitness.com/ https://www.instagram.com/naptownfitness/ https://www.facebook.com/NapTownFitness FullStack PEO - Turnkey HR for Emerging Companies. https://www.fullstackpeo.com/drnkcltr https://www.linkedin.com/company/27092746/ https://twitter.com/fullstackpeo https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Consulting-Agency/FullStack-PEO-1107694849373703/ Sahm’s Coffee Cake - The official dessert of Indy Holidays. Available at all Sahm’s locations, Big Lug Canteen, Liter House, and Goose the Market. Don't forget to tell them we sent you! https://www.sahms.com Drink Culture Website: https://www.drnkcltr.com Drink Culture Newsletter: https://www.drnkcltr.com/newsletter/ Drink Culture Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drnkcltr Drink Culture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinkculturepodcast/ Drink Culture Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drinkculturepodcast Drink Culture YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvrw7Fqfw4ZORgZMPJKio-A

If you've spent any time on the Circle this summer, you've probably seen Justin Vining painting the Soldiers & Sailors Monument or the surrounding buildings or even the downtown streets and people. It's part of an effort the attorney-turned-artist is making to raise his profile as he prepares to move out of the popular Harrison Center for the Arts and into his own studio and gallery space in a building he and his brother, an attorney, have purchased. The marketing tactic has worked. People stop, take Vining's card, shoot photos they post on social media and even buy paintings on the spot. Vining then adds data about the painting or the sale to what he calls the "hot sheet," a record of his paintings, their sizes, prices and how long they take to sell—even details about who's buying them. It's part of his data-driven effort to boost his art business. Vining talks to podcast host Mason King about his process—both in creating art and running his business. For more, read Sam Stall's profile of Vining for IBJ.    

Harrison Center 48 Hour Song Project; Warner Swopes: He's Got the Beat; Nothing Coy about this Poem; Sound Expeditions: White River; Axum Ethiopian; Climate Change Camp; Feeding a Crowd; Graffiti Guru Ezi. Originally posted August 2, 2018.

Harrison Center 48 Hour Song Project; Warner Swopes: He's Got the Beat; Nothing Coy about this Poem; Sound Expeditions: White River; Axum Ethiopian; Climate Change Camp; Feeding a Crowd; Graffiti Guru Ezi. Originally posted August 2, 2018.

Up next, we have Indianapolis's Sarah Grain & the Billions of Stars playing live from the 2018 Independent Music and Arts Festival at the Harrison Center in Indy, offering her blend of folk infused with jazz and bossa-nova that definitely rocks. Produced by Chase Carter.

Joanna Taft is the Executive Director of The Harrison Center, an organization that seeks to be a catalyst for renewal in the city of Indianapolis by fostering awareness, appreciation, and community for arts and culture. Joanna has been a resident of downtown Indianapolis since before it was cool. In our conversation we discuss The Harrison Center, her role in starting Herron High School, and much more. Listen to Know Indy and meet the good people who are doing their best right here in Indianapolis. Guests range from business leaders and community activists, to musicians and artists. On each episode one guest joins host Steven Tyler for an in-depth conversation about their life, career, passions, and what drives them. Know Indy is your introduction to the talented and interesting people you need to know. Website: https://www.knowindy.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/knowindyshow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowindyshow/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knowindyshow

Joanna Taft is the Executive Director of The Harrison Center, an organization that seeks to be a catalyst for renewal in the city of Indianapolis by fostering awareness, appreciation, and community for arts and culture. Joanna has been a resident of downtown Indianapolis since before it was cool. In our conversation we discuss The Harrison Center, her role in starting Herron High School, and much more. Listen to Know Indy and meet the good people who are doing their best right here in Indianapolis. Guests range from business leaders and community activists, to musicians and artists. On each episode one guest joins host Steven Tyler for an in-depth conversation about their life, career, passions, and what drives them. Know Indy is your introduction to the talented and interesting people you need to know. Website: https://www.knowindy.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/knowindyshow Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knowindyshow/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knowindyshow

Joanna Taft of the Harrison Center discusses the role of the arts, place, and story to humanize, connect, and empower a neighborhood. We talk about how a neighborhood can change and improve in inclusive and equitable ways, and how important it is for people to feel known and loved in their community and their homes. Central to it all is being a neighbor to your neighbors. This is a jam-packed discussion you can't afford to miss! 2:15 – Brief recap of our Cultivating Strong Towns workshop in Shreveport 9:30 – Introducing Joanna Taft & the Harrison Center 14:15 – Beginning of interview: Joanna's role as a neighbor, helping her neighborhood grow stronger through the arts, education, entrepreneurship, youth development and more 15:00 – What "community building" means to Joanna, and how her thinking on the matter has evolved over the years 18:00 – Harrison Center's neighborhood partnerships, and how residents' concerns about being left out of their neighborhood's story and evolution led her organization to try a new approach to storytelling 22:45 – "Preenactment," or reimagining a neighborhood the way it ought to be 28:00 – How Joanna's team collected stories and concerns from the neighborhood 32:00 – Changing behaviors and attitudes, not just the physical makeup of a neighborhood, and how Joanna uses the concept of preenactment in her personal life 38:00 – Preenactment as a response to the question: "How do we revitalize in an inclusive way?" 39:05 – The centrality of art and place in building vibrant, equitable, and human neighborhoods 43:05 – Cultivating a generation of arts patrons at Herron High School 48:10 – Partnerships with the City of Indianapolis 50:15 – Some of the challenges (and unique opportunities) that come from working directly with a city government 52:50 – The role of relationships and how other cities could set themselves up to be welcoming to grassroots community building 54:00 – The Harrison Center's City Gallery: "Could the arts actually help with the abandoned housing issue?" 57:45 – Porching! How the simple act of inviting neighbors onto your front porch can begin to change your neighborhood 1:00:25 – How to start a grassroots community building movement in a neighborhood without much current involvement (We had some audio quality issues on this episode. Sorry about that! Hoping to have those fixed for the next one.) Links: The Harrison Center PreEnact Indy City Gallery Music in this episode is from Custodian of Records and Tours

Broad Ripple artist Lauren Ditchley talks about the Harrison Center for the Arts and race car driver Kristian Aleixo talks about overcoming being homeless, a type 1 diabetic, and serving 2 tours in Iraq to pursue his passion of racing Indy Cars.   

It's a mouthful, but we're joined by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources - Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology to discuss their upcoming "Women at Work" Conference and then we'll welcome Scribfolio, a product to help foster creativity and exploration in Indy kids. All that and more, today on the EDGE! --  Jeanie Reagan-Dinius, the Director of Special Initiatives at Indiana DNR, joins Erin and Brittany to talk about their upcoming Women at Work Conference. This is the third year for the event and the event will be held at the Harrison Center for the Arts. This year's conference will focus on the history of Indiana women in the arts and their keynote speaker for this year will be Abbey Chambers. If you are interested in attending this year's conference, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hoosier-women-at-work-2018-tickets-39052707700 -- Have you heard about the data breach at Facebook? Well, Fitbit has released their own stats of their user's sleep habits. Plus, would you want a robot of your dead relatives? Find out these stories and more, this week on the Paul Poteet on the EDGE! Company wants to build an AI robot version of your dead relatives - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5428169/Scientists-want-build-robot-replicas-dead-relatives.html FitBit studied 6 billion nights of sleep - https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/fitbit-analyzed-data-on-6-billion-nights-of-sleep-with-fascinating-results-66742aa49450 What new for weddings this year? - https://www.theknot.com/content/2018-wedding-trends -- If you are looking to pull your kids away from spending all the time in front of the screen, then be sure to check out Scribfolio! Maggie Held is the founder of Scribfolio and she joins Erin and Brittany to talk about how she turned her career from a professional singer/dancer/actor into a small business owner. To learn more about Scribfolio, please visit their website: https://www.scribfolio.com/

This week, a golf course designer who's also a photographer - or maybe the other way around - a poet who literally traced her ancestors' footsteps, a woman who wants to change the world for women and girls, the Harrison Center's new mission, and Butler University's MFA outreach programs.

Are neighborhoods and gathering spots different today than they used to be? Today on No Limits we'll talk about placemaking efforts, specifically a statewide program designed to provide matching grant funds for projects that bring people into connection with one another. From beautification projects to community kitchens and everything in between, ideas are unlimited. Our guests are Carmen Lethig, Placemaking Manager, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA); Veronica Watson, Director of Indiana Operations, Patronicity; and Joanna Taft, Executive Director, Harrison Center.

You may have heard of a RE-enactment, but what about a PRE-enactment? This weekend a live theater event called PreEnactIndy will take place over three city blocks on the Indianapolis near Northside. The collaborative production will envision what the performance area along 16th Street could be like one day. Today on No Limits, our guests are Joanna Taft, executive director of the Harrison Center for the Arts & producer of PreEnactIndy; Bonnie Mill, artistic director at the The Sapphire Theatre Co. & director of PreEnactIndy; and Ron Lovett, a neighbor in the Monon 16 neighborhood.

"Experiencing arts and culture helps us to connect to each other and ideas in ways that are impossible otherwise." In this episode, hear Joanna Taft share ways that the Harrison Center for the Arts is creating opportunities for students and members of the community to experience "spectacles of wonder" and imagine a better world to start living out that new reality.

Okara Imani and Sammie Brown were interns this summer for the Harrison Center for the Arts. Their job? To create a Hamilton style musical that could be used by tour groups visiting historic Indianapolis locations. The Indianapolis Foundation is celebrating a century of investment in the central Indiana community, and Sharon Gamble invited Vice President for Development and Philanthropic Services Rob MacPherson in to share the highlights of their plans. Flight of Fancy is a group show featuring artists who explore subconscious thoughts, dreamlike scenes, and surreal visions at Indiana Landmarks Center's Rapp Family Gallery which opens in October. Travis DiNicola couldn't wait to find out about it and invited artists Brinton Farrand and Wazeil in to learn more.

Bookmark show at the Harrison Center for the Arts, IBJ arts columnist Lou Harry and play write Rita Kohn