Talking Art

Listen to the conversation here with Jackie Dempsey, co-Artistic Director of Squonk, about the “community of the imagination” they hope to inspire, the joy she feels watching people experience their shows for their first time, and the thirty-year journey Squonk has taken from their origins in Pittsburgh to performing for audiences around the world.

Listen to the conversation here with Director Ray Terronez, Jr. and student performer Yanel Alaniz-Macias about how dance and costuming uniquely vary from one region to the next, the personal lessons learned from participating in a rigorous dance program such as this, and the importance of maintaining our traditional art forms.

Listen to the conversation here with Director Gaye Shannon-Burnett about her lifelong love of theatre, the impact this play has had as the first Broadway production written by a Black woman, and the ongoing resonance that the Harlem Renaissance continues to have in our culture today.

Listen to the conversation here with Pat Beréskin about the excitement she feels about her future, the legacy she has created as a long-time champion of the arts, and the unique position that the Quad Cities finds itself in with these new creative partnerships.

Listen to the conversation here with artist and educator Latoya M. Hobbs about her belief that Black women are preservers of their families and communities, the importance of accurate representation in art, and her prestigious mixed-media practice which includes printmaking and woodcutting.

Listen to the conversation here with Shelley Cooper, Director of The Threepenny Opera and Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Augustana College, about the underlying themes of this production, the playwright Bertolt Brecht’s conception of epic theatre, and the important lessons that students learn from immersing themselves in musical theatre.

Listen to the conversation here with Little Women Director and St. Ambrose Theatre Professor Dr. Corinne Johnson about the intentional choice of this production prior to her upcoming retirement this summer, the valuable lessons that students learn from a communal experience like theatre, and the many leaders working here in the Quad Cities – both inside and beyond arts organizations – that have em...

Listen to the conversation here with creative Aaron Dworkin about the integration of literary content with music which he has coined “musetry,” the complexity of the life of George Washington which he evokes in this work, and some unexpected parallels between his own personal life and that of the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Listen to the conversation here with Guillermo Galindo about the sacred objects from the Border he has worked with and his belief in the spiritual essence of an object’s past; the unique structure of his soundtrack which was built around the numerical makeup of the Mesoamerican Venus calendar; and his joy in observing visitors – particular the younger generations – experience the show.

Listen to the conversation with Lily Arbisser and Thomas Sauer about the inspiration for this literary and musical event, the community collaboration that this represents, and the unique privilege they feel being citizen artists.

Listen to the conversation here with artist Philip Laber about his delight in discovering unexpected interconnectedness with ancient cultures and their art, the process by which he created this collection of paintings, and his decision to use acrylic as an artistic medium. Prior to his retirement in 2016, he was a Professor Emeritus of Art at Northwest Missouri State University, where his primary...

Listen to the conversation here with Barron Ryan about the feeling of awe he hopes people experience when listening to music, the new opportunities for personal growth that often arise following rejection, and the importance of daring to reach beyond our own perceived limitations.

Listen to the conversation here with Dr. Jacob Bancks, composer and Associate Professor of Music at Augustana College, about the numerous and deeply meaningful conversations he had with cancer survivors and their families that inspired him to create this work, the challenge inherent in writing a libretto in addition to the musical composition, and why opera is an accessible art form that everyone...

Listen to the conversation here with co-directors Karen Roebuck and Joseph Obleton about the ongoing impact Black Nativity has had on their lives after initially seeing it decades ago, why this play continues to resonate in our current era, and the importance of oral storytelling traditions.

Listen to our conversation here about how his experience working in Guatemala as a Peace Corps volunteer affected his poetry and world view; his concern for the environment and the love of nature that his subsequent career as an agronomist instilled; and the writing community he has discovered in the Quad Cities within the Midwest Writing Center.

Listen to the conversation here with Bassel Almadani about the deeply meaningful contributions that immigrants make within their adoptive countries; how he creatively connects a difficult and often dark subject matter with music that is inherently light and upbeat; and the empathy and understanding that he hopes to inspire through his music.

Listen to the conversation here with Ariel Arbisser about the joys of songwriting, the unique training that a cappella groups provided her both collegiately and professionally, and her work as a performance coach in Ithaca, NY.

The pianist Byron (B.K.) Davis is the first Black Steinway International Artist from Iowa, and Polyrhythms’ Third Sunday Jazz series is welcoming him to the stage this Sunday, October 17, 2021 at the Redstone Room.

Listen to our conversation here about her introduction to gospel music through her church in the Quad Cities, the necessary musical skills she learned while subsequently living in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina with her family, and the sense of freedom and limitless expression she has experienced with the act of re-naming herself.

Listen to the conversation here with educator Dan Christian about some of the unique structural elements of the Divine Comedy, how Dante’s use of the vernacular language helped set the stage for higher levels of future literacy, and why it has remained relevant for readers throughout the centuries.

Listen to our conversation here about the duality between his professional and musical careers, the innate ability of music and dance to facilitate communication, and the evolution of Latin Jazz from both African and Cuban rhythms and percussion instruments.

Listen to the conversation here with Elizabeth Moen about her emergence within the musical scene while completing her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa, the transition to writing her own songs and lyrics, and how intimate and locally owned music venues are essential to newly developing artists.

Listen to the conversation here with guitarist, composer, and educator Steve Grismore about his 50-year career in music, his role as an educator at the University of Iowa as well as numerous other academic institutions (including both Augustana College and Black Hawk College in the Quad Cities), and his hopes for the Iowa City Jazz Festival which he co-founded in the early 1990’s.

Listen to the conversation here with contemporary art collector Jordan D. Schnitzer about the importance of stewardship in the arts, the philosophy behind his extensive exhibition and lending program, and the impact he feels art has on the quality of people’s lives.

Listen to the conversation here with activist Moselle Singh about the impetus behind the formation of the Solidarity Collaboration, her belief that all people should be able to listen to music safely, and how as a community we can strive to make our entertainment spaces safer.