Podcast appearances and mentions of John W Love

In 2016, Charlotte art mavens Jen Sudul Edwards, Hillary Burt and Neely Verano came together to form The Sphere Series, a collection of panel discussions centered around contemporary art and how we view our own society through art's lens. This Wednesday (February 26), The Sphere Series returns with Angels to Anathema: What Do We Do When Beloved Artists Behave Badly? Hosted at the Mint Museum Uptown at 6:00 p.m., The Sphere Series discussion looks at how the body of work of creatives like Pablo Picasso, Kevin Spacey, Rosanne Barr and more takes on new meaning when news of their less-desirable traits makes headlines. Also included in the discussion will be artists Emily Nussbaum and John W. Love, Jr. Find out more by visiting sphereseries.com.

The role of creatives in our community goes far beyond painting murals, constructing sculptures and singing songs. Our artists are telling stories and shaping our community’s identity.  In this episode of the Culture For All podcast, we talk to local artists and creatives about what creativity means to themselves and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, the impact of funding and what a more stable and equitable cultural community would look like to them. We’ll also sit in on a free community jazz workshop conducted by A Sign of the Times. You’ll hear how public funding is making the arts more accessible to musicians of all ages and skill levels.  Host John W. Love Jr., a Mecklenburg County resident and artist, leads you through our community of creatives. If you’ve just found this podcast and are unfamiliar with the tax, please listen to the first episode (Culture For All) in this series first. That episode will provide an overview of the tax and give you all the information you need to know right now. Remember to share your voice with the Arts & Science Council on this important topic. Call or text us at 704.286.6288 and leave a :30 message. Your responses may be used in a future episode of this podcast. You can also email us at asc@artsandscience.org, or contact us via social media. This podcast was produced by the Arts & Science Council and GohJo Studios. Original Music by Harvey Cummings. Contact the Arts & Science Council on: Facebook Instagram Twitter asc@artsandscience.org 704.286.6288   Subscribe, rate and review Culture For All on: Spotify Apple Podcasts Stitcher TuneIn SoundCloud   Arts & Science Council Website Podcast Page on ASC Website

John W. Love Jr. is a surreal apparition of a being who creates multi-sensory experiences that invite participants into a world of Yes. He is an interdisciplinary literary and performance artist. His work is as "deliciously complex, circuitous, textual, and contextual as his own nappy hair." He tells stories that are earthen and fantastical. His installations delight and confound. He smears boundaries because "definitions all fit like a fat man in a toddler's big girl dress."  John is a poet, an actor, a dancer, a sculptor, a director and a teller of tales. In his stories characters burn blue. He is a recipient of the Arts & Sciences McColl Award in recognition of artistic excellence and a Rasmuson Foundation Individual Artist residency.  He is a North Carolina Artist Council Artist Fellow and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow. His work has brought him to Sweden, Germany, France and points beyond. His insights are flavors in the mind. This episode is perfect for anyone interested in the life-affirming funkiness of a daring interdisciplinary mind and the intentions and expressions of a love warrior mystical being. IN THIS EPISODE John shares the beautifully absurd and wonderfully ridiculous nature of defining himself and his objection to lines of demarcation. He discusses the elements that make up his art and the influence of his meditative practice on his performances and installations. He explains what he means by 'rescuing narrative.' He describes one of his signature performance and installation works and the role salt as a spice played in it and the return of all things to the Source. John talks about several of his characters from Neequa or She Who Would Be King to Roscoe 'The Eggplant' Takimoto to The Perpetually Pregnant Man. He explains the world of Yes, the correct posture for living, and when 'no' is appropriate. He responds to the idea that he and his characters are intertwined and that how he presents himself could very well be a character he has written. He shares whether the responses of others to his work matters to him. John talks about how much of his art is flirtation, how much is consummation, and the sensuality of his work. He reflects on the rewards and constraints of fellowships and recognitions, the yumminess of his applications, and what he refuses to do as an artist seeking support. He reacts to what makes anything art and the power he sees in his own work. John shares what Meryl Streep, Bill T. Jones and Bjork have in common. He describes himself as a young person and what his younger self would recognize and be surprised by his current self. John reads a poem of his called 'Early Morning Ritual.' He responds to rapid-fire questions that he composed that reveals the temperature of his mind, what makes him cry, and the sexiest tool in his arsenal. After the conversation, host Mark Peres adds a personal word that begins this way, "When I hear David talk about cities and memory and song, I'm reminded of the poem Chicago by Carl Sandburg..." To learn more about this podcast, visit On Life and Meaning.