The Art of It: Conversations on Creativity and Leadership from the Roanoke Arts Commission

Harvest Blaque joins Samantha Meyer for a conversation on the upcoming Roanoke Youth Poet Laureate effort headed by this founder of Soul Sessions. The Roanoke Youth Poet Laureate will be part of the National Youth Poet Laureate program.

Learn more at Roanokeart.org/YOTA

Alma Ensemble is a musician collective dedicated to championing women in music, education, and creating connection through music.

Listen to the full episode wherever you stream your podcasts or at www.roanokearts.org. 

The Big Lick Mini Ball will take place from 2 PM to 9 PM on October 23.  Limited tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/big-lick-mini-ball-tickets-168652230361?fbclid=IwAR21Ul1YAxbBPxcZZuLqzmuLB5hrRMdavW-YwRzm--xGWhHJnA-uTvJfh98  
 

"It's important as a community that we know how to come together and work together," says Garland Gravely, a founder of Fashionista Roanoke.  The Roanoke native says it's all about multiculturalism as the organization develops creative collaborations to benefit nonprofit partners.  Established in 2008, Fashionista Roanoke is expanding into other communities, but with deep roots in Roanoke, the team continues to build new partnerships.  Learn more by listening to the episode here.

As a realist, artist Heather Marshall observes the world around her through her painting. She also teaches studio practice to high school students. In doing so, she shares the Eight Studio Practices of Mind, concepts elucidated in Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education by Hetland et al.

"You'll often hear art in schools supported by saying the work is related to other subjects," says Marshall. "But for students and learners, the art making in itself has benefits," says Marshall. Marshal works with students, on observation, persistence, reflection, and other skills that they can carry through life beyond the studio.

Heather Marshall received a MFA University of Notre Dame and a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

See images of Heather's work
Learn more about the Eight Studio Practices of Mind from Studio Thinking 2.

Learn more about the Roanoke Cultural Endowment
Learn more about the Roanoke Arts Commission

Amanda Nelson leads Virginia Tech's certificate and MFA programs in Arts Leadership and teaches in the theatre department. Much of her work directly and thoughtfully engages students in the world around them. This lively conversation centers on next-level community engagement through the arts, learning from history, and taking collective steps together. 

"To me, leadership is a confluence of characteristics and practices rooted in communication, collaboration, innovation, and inspiration," says Nelson. "A lot of people are doing leadership without knowing that they're doing leadership. Maybe that's the magic of the creative arts..."  

Listen here, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Learn more about the Roanoke Arts Commission at www.roanokearts.org.

The arts capture the human experience, spark leadership, and produce measurable outcomes, and there's still a lot of power to be harnessed. The Virginia Commission for the Arts has a draft strategic plan on the streets, and in this episode, we hear from VCA Executive Director Janet Starke on what the plan could mean for equity, investment, and transformative community change.

Starke reflects on the pandemic, the past year's advocacy gains, and economy-building power of the arts. "The arts," she says, "stand ready to be a partner in rebuilding."

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at www.roanokearts.org.

Southwest Virginia Ballet Artistic Director Pedro Szalay and Executive Director Carol Jessee take us behind the scenes with the development of a Nutcracker for the pandemic, a version filmed for showing on and streaming through Blue Ridge PBS. "We've had the support of many organizations and businesses," says Jessee.  Still it feels like starting from scratch. "If we keep learning together," says Szalay, "we can accomplish a lot." It's the hallmark of a resilient community. Hear the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Join Jeanne Fishwick for a behind-the-scenes look at the City of Roanoke's robust funding process for arts and cultural organizations. "We have some phenomenal leadership and talent in our arts organizations in Roanoke," says Fishwick. Fishwick has served on the Roanoke Arts Commission for nine years, with three on the Agency Funding Advisory Committee. As she enters her final year on the Commission she reflects on the City's support for our cultural ecosystem, innovative programs the Commission has funded, and the leadership of local organizations. 

Mill Mountain Theatre is going digital for their summer community outreach performances. Instead of parks, neighborhood centers, and community spaces, the program will be available from Broadway on Demand from September 15 through October 9. 

In this episode we talk with Director and Choreographer Christopher Castanho, and cast members of Polkadots: The Cool Kids Musical --
Alexia Buckner (Lily), Achilles Mulkey (Sky) and Madeline Walker (Ms. Square). What's it like for the young professionals undertaking the creative work amidst COVID-19? What do they look to for inspiration? Find out in this episode of the podcast.

Polkadots is based on the story of the Little Rock Nine and fictionalizes important lessons from our past as the nation struggled to break through policies of segregation. The performance film will be available for viewing from September 15 through October 9. While the musical was written for elementary-age students, it will appeal to the whole family.

Register to view Polkadots here.
Learn more about the Roanoke Arts Commission.

The Science Museum of Western Virginia makes an art of engaging us in the world around us. Executive Director Rachel Hopkins describes the process of using artists to help interpret concepts. "Science is everything," says Hopkins, "as is art."  Hopkins brings a background in creative placemaking, nonprofit management, scientific editing, and curiosity to her work building a first-rate team addressing the challenges ahead while staying on mission. Hear the interview wherever you get your podcasts.

Get more information on the Roanoke Arts Commission.

Listen to the conversation and then explore Roanoke’s Parks and Recreation offerings at playroanoke.com.

Get more information on the Roanoke Arts Commission at www.artinroanoke.org.