State of the Arts

This week storyteller, comedienne, actress, author and natural redhead Michele Carlo joins me in this enchanting podcast episode. A native New Yorker, she began her career in the entertainment industry on the eclectic stages of the city. She has appeared across the country in many shows including NRP with Latino U.S.A. as she is an artist of Puerto Rican descent. The Clearwater Music and Arts Fest...

Caroline Reddy is a poet, an author, a librarian, a teacher, a Reiki Master and a student of martial arts. Her work was accepted or published by many different sources including The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, The Journal of Expressive Writing, The International Human Rights Festival and The Opiate. In 2021 her poem "A Sacred Dance" was nominated for The Best of The Net Prize by Active Muse. Ext...

This week my husband, music composer Joe Grado Jr. joins me once again to discuss the current indie projects we are working on together. We specifically take a deep dive into our most active project at the moment which is evolving quite swiftly into a full-scale production. This project has truly allowed us to stretch our creative muscles. Fully in his element, Joe works as a composer and musician...

State of the Arts Episode 115: The Valentine's Day Special just released. To celebrate the most romantic holiday of the year, naturally my podcast guest is my amazingly talented music composer husband Joe Grado Jr. After attaining a degree in music from The City University of New York- CSI, he has propelled into a diverse career in music. Having played in various bands, studied under accomplished...

State of the Arts Episode 114, The Black History Month Special just released! In honor of this special month this podcast episode is a memorial for late poet laureate Gwendolyn Brooks. This brilliant poet, author, and teacher created works that often dealt with the personal celebrations or struggles in the community. She was the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. After going to a...

State of the Arts Episode 113 just published! Shirley Jaffe was an abstract painter whose revolutionary geometric shapes and patterns set her apart from the rest of the world of artists. After completing her studies at Cooper Union in New York in 1945, she continued her art education in Washington D.C. at the Phillips Arts School. When she had the opportunity to move to Paris with her husband, she...

State of the Arts Episode 112: The Lunar New Year Special just released! Art Start has teamed up with DODO The Fortune Baby Popup in SOHO to form a space of creativity. The Fortune Baby DODO is the continuation of the time-honored Chinese New Year tradition of celebrating the Choy Sun or Caisen (statue of good fortune). DODO is inviting New Yorkers to reinterpret the ancient Chinese tradition with...

State of the Arts Episode 111 just released! Pop International Art Gallery was founded by artist, curator and entrepreneur Jeff Jaffe. Originally from South Africa, he made waves in his native land as he courageously stood up against the grotesque injustice of the Apartheid. Eventually ending up in art school in the United States, he married here, started a family and began his journey in the muse...

State of the Arts Episode 110 just published. David Lawson is a writer, comic, performing artist, director, actor and teacher who has gifted my podcast with his delightful presence this week. An artist with multiple talents, he was an actor in the Comedy Central sketch "Rage Restaurant," teaches storytelling classes with Queens Theatre and has performed his one-man shows all over New York City (as...

State of the Arts Episode 109: The New Year Special just published! My guest this week is a fellow dancer and podcaster. Also an actress, storyteller, writer and comedienne, Jenice Matias has proven herself to be a Renaissance woman. As a Jason Chin Scholarship recipient, she studied acting extensively in Great Britain. With a double bachelor's degree from Montclair State University, she has becom...

My holiday cohost Anthony Bonilla joins me in my eccentric analysis of the legendary Santa Claus, his multicultural counterparts, his odd little assistants and his regal predecessors. Together we dissect the origins of an eclectic mix of yule tide characters. For instance, in certain parts of Italy a witch on a broomstick brings children their toys and cleans their home afterwards. In some Germani...

I’m joined by professional writer, salsa dancer, world traveler and patron of the arts Ken Valenti. A former journalist for The Journal News, he is currently working in the public relations industry. This Fordham University graduate also enjoys writing for leisure. As a participant of National Writing Month November, he has partaken in the lofty challenge of writing a novel of at least 53,000 word...

Stems Gallery and Arsenal Contemporary Art NY have joined forces across the Atlantic to present an exciting group exhibition that includes twelve artists working across various materials and techniques including painting, photography and sculpture. The exhibition brings the worlds of art, fashion and sports under the microscope to explore the connections between them while offering an understandin...

Stems Gallery and Arsenal Contemporary Art NY have joined forces across the Atlantic to present an exciting group exhibition that includes twelve artists working across various materials and techniques including painting, photography and sculpture. The exhibition brings the worlds of art, fashion and sports under the microscope to explore the connections between them while offering an understandin...

Nere Basora is a singer of many different genres. This beautiful performer is also a daring thrill seeker, a music connoisseur, a world traveler and a dance hobbyist. A stylish adventuress who has a wonderful motto, she always takes pride in the philosophy of "Live, Laugh, Love."  A pharmaceutical representative by day and a night club singer by night, Nere is the epitome of glamour, exciteme...

State of the Arts Episode 104, The Thanksgiving Special just released! Arturo Herrera began his career in his college years when he took an interest in automotive technology. He chose to study for an associates degree in this profession and eventually followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a mechanic. Ford Motor Company awarded him with multiple Genuine Parts and Service certificates of ac...

State of the Arts Episode 103 just released! A majestic historical building that was once the Alexander Hamilton Customs House is now home to the National Museum of the American Indian which is a part of the Smithsonian Institution. Permanent and temporary exhibits in this breathtaking museum explore the diversity of the Native people of the Americas. A true commemoration of their cultures from th...

State of the Arts Episode 102 just released! In 1968 poet and visual artist John Giorno created "Dial-A-Poem" which is a telephone service that communicates poetry to callers. The service began at the Architectural League of  New York. "Dial-A-Poem" ended up being an art display in many prominent museums. A table with a few telephones were set up at each of these museums for patrons to listen...

This week State of the Arts pays a warm tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and to her contribution to the arts in the United Kingdom and abroad. I'm joined by Regina Elizabeth King who is a leading expert and historian on Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The distinguished monarch oversaw decades of the British National Theatre's growth and productions. Not only a patron of the Royal Shakespeare Com...

State of the Arts Episode 100; The Halloween Special just published! To commemorate this very special milestone I welcome my husband, music composer Joe Grado Jr., to my podcast this week. Over a year ago he began rescoring the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu, which was an assignment given to him by his teacher, Hollywood composer Joel Diamond. This German expressionist horror movie, which was b...

State of the Arts host Derek Upright welcomes stand-up comedian, comedy show host, writer and co-producer of the Prohibition Comedy Show Kevin McGloin. He has traveled far and wide for comedy with no topic being taboo. From his bi-racial background to risqué political jokes, he brazenly takes on various subject matters when he ascends the stage. This graduate of Franklin & Marshall College was...

State of the Arts Episode 98: The second half of the Mental Health Awareness Week Special just published! Decorator, Stylist, Lip Sync Performer and Dancer Albert Crocus Pena returns to my podcast with his inspiring life's story of overcoming both physical and mental illnesses to become a thriving artist, an encouraging community activist and a much loved social butterfly. Like a phoenix rising fr...

State of the Arts Episode 97: The Star Trek Special just released! Four enthusiastic trekkies converge over Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi juggernaut on State of the Arts! Derek Upright hosts this out-of-this-world episode along with myself, classic entertainment connoisseur Anthony Bonilla and my music composer husband Joe Grado Jr.! Together we boldly go where no SOTA episode has gone before as we di...

State of the Arts Episode 96, the Mental Illness Awareness Week Special just released! Poet, short story writer, flutist and one of my besties Sheri Upright joins me for an in-person interview, along with her loving husband who is also my dedicated podcast co-host Derek Upright. In this inspirational new episode I take a dive into Sheri's universe of creativity. A universe she immersed herself in,...

State of the Arts Episode 95 just released! I had the great fortune of interviewing decorator, stylist, dancer, fashionisto and lip sync entertainer Albert Crocus Pena for the Hispanic Heritage Month Special. This former DJ began his lip sync performance journey at an event held at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance. Tyra Dominique Jackson and Tym Moss are only two of the many performers he has t...