The Department of Homeland Inspiration

Art Ranger shares a conversation that took place in the Art Gallery at California State University, Monterey Bay as part of an exhibit reflecting on the affects of COVID 19 and the role of music as healing. Participants include artist educator, Angelica Muro, musicians, Jeffrey Jones and Lanier Sammons. Other artists referred to in this podcast: Delia Salvidar of Radio Bilingue, Salinas and Amalia Mesa Bains.

All background sounds and musical interludes in this podcast are provided by the participants.

Art Ranger continues to perform a long poem inspired by a prompt from California Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick. Bits of life story are spliced with observations of place.

Art Ranger chews on the question "My California" posed by California Poet Laureate, Lee Herrick. "What is your California?" How do you define your relationship to a state through writing about it? Before tackling the gargantuan topic, a personal narrative ensues which describes the way she first touched the Pacific edge of the continent.

Art Ranger sits down with poet, Daniel B. Summerhill, host of an open mic series in Seaside, California. As Monterey County Poet Laureate, Summerhill's leadership includes orchestrating a group poem involving everyone present in the room, whether they've shared at the mic, or not. The results are inspiring to witness, compositions only made possible by the particular people in the room connecting one evening and responding to each other. We thought it would be great to record Daniel reading a few of these poems, as a way to document and share them while celebrating the open mic series @the.hem.nutrition. It is so important for artists to be able to practice, and/or stretch their wings, in an inclusive and open setting. This poet and community have created an ongoing event that encourages such expression, experimentation, and replenishment and we're grateful for the orgainizers and participants who always rise to the occasion.

Art Ranger continues her series of podcasts that celebrate books. "Notes from the Field" are reflections from National Poetry Month as April melted into May, relishing the use of Notes and Voice Memo "apps" as creative tools. Also, If you enjoy literature, learning, and the meeting of minds, here are two excellent podcasts The Art Ranger has tuned in to during the past few years, especially on walks or drives: Commonplace with Rachel Zucker, and Poetry Unbound with Padraig Ó Tuama.

Art Ranger, along with her colleague Michael Sheridan, review "War is a Racket" by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler. This highly decorated war hero becomes dogged activist and tours the country giving speeches about how he was in effect, a bully for the corporations, then quit.  Art Ranger and Sheridan share excerpts of the text as well as a piece of their minds. Sonic textures provided by our back up band, The Dirty Pens.  Check out Tea With Michael to learn more.

Art Ranger shares a rant-with-reflection from those blurring Pandemic months, while paying more granular attention to the contents of her neighborhood, namely the several Little Free Libraries that reside within a mile radius of her corral.  Some riffs provided by our 2023 virtual band, Dirty Pens.

Art Ranger reads a passage from her great grandfather's book, "Across the Plains" An 1862 journey from Omaha to Oregon by William Smedley. The original palm-sized leather journal currently resides in a Colorado Historical Museum. This emblematic "Go west young man" story quest, contains raw struggles, dicey encounters with "Indians", descriptions of beautiful landscapes, and especially treacherous river crossings, that have never ceased to inspire members of the extended Smedley family.  For the 160th anniversary of his journey, some of his great great grand children arranged a contemporary re-enactment of the crossing - Across the Plains 2022, traversing the very same landscape while contemplating ways that this narrative continues to feel relevant and to shape our family identity.  In the highlighted river crossing, William invokes Greek mythology: "in avoiding 'Charybdis' we encountered 'Scylla'" referring to set of sea monsters living under rocks/ harrowing whirlpools that signify finding the least worst pathway through a tough situation, which he managed to do. 

Adapted from a 2019 performance called, Mad 2 Go, and part of an art show named after the book, "Good and Mad". Now called, Madder 2 Go, the artist grapples with more recent slow-mo gutpunch, and flabbergasted anger and disgust over the churn of events concerning the assault on women's rights. Podcast vocal track is provided by the band, DIRTY PENS, a virtual anonymous set of noise making enthusiasts.  

For this episode, Art Ranger performs a written work by the recently departed Claes Oldenburg. What Beat Poets were doing for the word and the freeing of spirits, Oldenburg and his visual artist contemporaries were embracing a shift toward everyday encounters, away from rarefied and toward a plug or a clothespin. "I am for an art ..." conveys this unmuseum (art is everywhere) enthusiasm that the Art Ranger relishes and interprets for the listener.

A conversation and soundscape featuring documentarist, artist and creator of Community Supported Film, Michael Sheridan.  This audio portrait contains parts of our conversation in a matrix of soundtrack clips from the collection. The collaborative works discussed and sampled herein have been created in Afghanistan, Haiti, and among new immigrant and refugee communities in the greater Boston area with Michael serving as teacher/ facilitator/ producer. An inspiring version of nurturing the art within others.  

Art Ranger delivers two spoken word pieces that came about due to a collaborative art show called Courage Within Women Without Shelter. Critical Ground is a collective of four women artists in Monterey, California who tackle the subject of "homelessness" using art workshops as a way to connect with the women, learn more about their circumstances, and to raise awareness and funds. If you wish to see the art show virtually and meet all the artists involved, here is a video produced by Monterey Museum of Art. This being "women's history" month feels fitting for the episode. 

Unearthed from a drawer, Art Ranger reads from - And Being, but an Ear, a 29 year old essay based on one Emily Dickinson poem, a poem that seems morbid but goes transcendental. She also reads selections from her copy of The Gorgeous Nothings (2013), a generous art book displaying images of Emily's envelope poems, in her own hand upon slightly torn, butter-colored paper fragments of actual size.  See, Art Ranger's love has always been fed by books, such as Susan Howe's My Emily Dickinson, which likely inspired the essay, and of course, The Archives. 

In celebrating cool people you've probably never heard of, Art Ranger catches up with poet and entrepreneur Gerda Govine.  She's now completing her sixth book of poetry and you can find out more about the artist here. Gerda was born in St Thomas, raised in New York, and currently lives in Jamul, California. This episode is an audio portrait woven of Gerda's poems and our dialog, and she knows how to make "Poetry Within Reach"!

The title of a poem from the book "Starting from San Francisco" by the late Lawrence Ferlinghetti interpreted by the Art Ranger. Welcome to season 2 of this podcast:  Homeland Inspiration is about discovering things that might have been there all along, stumbling upon them and taking note.  Due to a book falling off the shelf (and seeming oh so relevant) during Season 1, we read Tentative Description of a Dinner to Promote the Impeachment of President Eisenhower and Big Fat Hairy Vision of Evil by Mr. Ferlinghetti.  

Art Ranger weaves conversation with multi-multi-media artist, Doris Bittar into an audio portrait. Here at the Department of Homeland Inspiration, we believe one of the perks of being an artist is the other creatives you meet along the route. Doris has been the recipient of numerous grants, awards and commendables; she exhibits her work nationally and internationally, always in process. Plus, you can learn an easy and delicious recipe with Doris, called Mishi Malfouf/ Deconstructed Cabbage on vimeo.

This Tea for Two is the first of a series of conversations, where art is in the intersection. Herein,  Art Ranger interviews artist Terese Garcia, who also writes poems.  While living in Big Sur, Terese's creative method took root, developing into an intricately textured, non-representational art practice. Several years ago, she also began exercising her voice as a writer; we're delighted to present three of her recent poems.  And for those of you who don't often take in poetry, come along with us; we think you'll be carried away by this intriguing word delivery experience.

Amongst the sonic infield bits are some Tibetan bowls played with our art friend from the ancient neighborhood, Maggie Stewart.

Art Ranger shares a recipe by creative director and friend, John Crane.  We all have a lot to get through, don't we? - If you're perhaps fishing for "something to take the edge off" or to stoke reverie, here's where mixology meets riffing while sipping.  Guitar vibe segments provided by offspring, Noah Lindenthal.  And we do recommend checking out John Crane's work.

Art Ranger wonders over "sheltering" while introducing a collaborative art adventure. Four artists known as Critical Ground working with Fund for Homeless Women and project partners: Women in Transition, I-help, The Gathering for Women.  We created art workshops with women without shelter and now explore our own art expressions about this topic to be exhibited at the Monterey Museum of Art (date TBD). Learn more about the artists: Dora Lisa Rosenbaum, Amanda Salm, Denese Sanders, and (Me)lissa Smedley.

Art Ranger shares an excerpt of her ever morphing essay about her love of drawing.  She also asks two other artists for their thoughts about the practice of drawing and how it intersects with their general practice: we'll hear from Jean Vengua and Nanette Yannuzzi Macias.