All tagged artist

Cynthia Madansky - Always Avant Garde | S5 E09

Cynthia Madansky - Always Avant Garde | S5 E09

Katharine Heller

Cynthia Madansky, 58, describes herself as a Jewish, queer filmmaker and artist. For TOB, she embodies what it means to live a creative life. The recognition she has received – a Fulbright, a Guggenheim, the Rome Prize and so much more – has not altered her commitment to a minimalist life where her art always comes first. She follows her curiosity, her politics, her aesthetic voice and her instincts to create award-winning films that are impossible to categorize. They are not documentaries, they are not narratives: they are deeply beautiful, reflective and political. Her bold and creative genius extends to her own life, with frequent re-locations and explorations while living in Turkey, Palestine, Russia, and Italy, and a commitment to always returning to New York City. We caught up with her soon after she came back from living in St. Petersburg Russia, working on her last film entitled ESFIR. She is now in pre-production, planning and fundraising for her next great opus: a film that will portray the nuclear landscape in all 50 states and US territories.

Check out Cynthia’s paintings, films and travels at: http://madansky.com

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Julie Cajune – The Sum of Her Stories | S5 E05

Julie Cajune – The Sum of Her Stories | S5 E05

Katharine Heller

"Stories are the way that we make meaning. And so they’re the primary vehicle for all human beings to make meaning of their life and to find their place and relationship with others. All of that is informed through story."

Julie Cajune is an educator, cultural historian, artist and activist who believes that the challenges we face today “demand that which story nurtures: imagination, compassion, creativity and connection.” A member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe, she was born and lives today on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana where, straight out of college, she developed and taught their first bilingual education program. Julie went on to run the Department of Education on the reservation, train hundreds of teachers in Montana and lead two major educational projects documenting tribal histories and stories in Montana and across the country. Her passion for storytelling is not limited to the classroom. Julie also created and produced Heart of the Bitterroot, an album of Salish and Pend d’Oreille women’s stories that she collected and enlisted poet Jennifer Green to write. This past September, Julie appeared in the New York premiere of her one-woman show, Belief, based on her own life experiences and the true stories of generations of women in her family. You may have missed the show, but luckily you can catch our brilliant conversation with her now.

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Hrag Vartanian - Serious, Playful and Radical | S4 E09

Hrag Vartanian - Serious, Playful and Radical | S4 E09

Katharine Heller

“I didn't want to brag but I did want to impress on you that I'm probably the biggest bitch you've ever encountered!”

Who else but Hrag Vartanian could help us to break through another boundary? Our guest for this episode of TOB is our first self-identified, ‘biggest bitch’ you’ve ever encountered’ man. We spent nearly two thought-provoking, hilarity-inducing and adoration-filled hours with Hrag. His identities are multitudinous, ranging from writer, curator, critic, artist, culture vulture, Syrian-Armenian-Canadian and – highly treasured – New Yorker. His accomplishments are also numerous, as the co-creator (with his husband) and editor –in-chief of Hyperallergic, the heralded on-line forum for arts, culture and politics that now reaches more than a million readers. Hrag’s insights into conquering FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), friendship (with TOB guest and artist Sharon Louden), intersectional feminism and art’s discontents kept us riveted. And his reflection that “we all become our own mentors eventually” left us comforted. So have a listen, laugh along and become a Hyperallergic subscriber (https://hyperallergic.com). You’ll be so glad you did!

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Sharon Louden - Radical Generosity | S4 E07

Sharon Louden - Radical Generosity | S4 E07

Katharine Heller

“The only thing I could do in high school was make art,” Sharon Louden shares with us early in our conversation. She remembers that, in her secretarial shorthand classes, she simply could not stay within the lines. As an artist, educator, advocate and editor who “injects creative culture into the cracks of society,” Sharon continues to challenge the lines that constrain generosity and inclusion. She is the first woman Artistic Director of Visual Arts at Chautauqua Institution and an accomplished artist, with her work featured in major collections and museums across the country. (Click on the links below to be delighted by a sampling of her paintings, installations and animations.) She is also the lead editor of the series “Living and Sustaining a Creative Life” (Intellect). The upcoming third book in the series, Last Artist Standing, focuses on artists over 50, mostly women. Listen as Sharon shares how she overcame the familiar dictums of being both “too much” and “not enough” to become powerfully and exuberantly herself.

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