Thinking Like A Region

Ep. 23: Jamal Ahmad (Revisited!) Pittsfield Public Schools In this much-anticipated follow-up episode, hosts Dr. Lisa Donovan and Leslie Appleget have the opportunity to speak with educator, artist, and school administrator, Jamal Ahamad. Returning to the podcast, Jamal kindly shares even more wisdom and insight about the connections between the arts and contemporary public education. This episode...

Ep. 22: Jamal Ahmad, Pittsfield Public Schools In this episode, host Erick Ramos-Jacobo sits down with educator, artist, and former Pine Cobble School administrator, Jamal Ahamad (now at Pittsfield High School). From sketching Spider-Man as a kid to teaching dance, facilitating workshops, and leading as an administrator, Jamal shares how the arts have always been a source of comfort, connection, a...

Ep. 21: Dr. Barbara Malkas, North Adams Public Schools In this episode of Thinking Like a Region , Drury High School student Miguel Pabon sits down with Superintendent Dr. Malkas to discuss her background as a dancer, the arts scenes in both New York City and the Berkshires, and the powerful creative capacities of observation, questioning, and telling the larger story of our society. Throughout th...

Ep. 20 - Dr. Tim Callahan, North Adams Public Schools In this episode of Thinking Like a Region , Drury High School student Miguel Pabon sits down with North Adams Public Schools' Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tim Callahan to discuss his path from drawing trucks and comics in elementary school to becoming a teacher and educational leader.  Along the way the two discuss the impact that infusing...

Episode 19: Erick Ramos-Jacobo Episode host Zurie Adams a recent graduate from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), engages in a dynamic conversation with Erick: an MCLA alumni, curator, educator, and writer. In this episode, the pair discuss Erick's history with writing, image making, and photography, and how his artistic process has evolved. Eric also discusses how his work as a waiter...

Episode 18: Zurie Adams Episode host Erick Ramos-Jacobo, a recent graduate from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), engages in a dynamic conversation with Zurie Adams: an MCLA alumna, theatre- and filmmaker. In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, they delve into Zurie’s journey in the performing arts, her creative inspirations, and her aspirations for a future that intertwines variou...

Episode 17: Lisa Chamberlain - The Chamberlain Group By Zurie Adams In 1999, Lisa Chamberlain co-founded the Chamberlain Group, which serves an international clientele of medical device manufacturers, teaching institutions, and hospitals, providing anatomy for the development and training of surgical and interventional procedures. Prior to that, Lisa graduated from Princeton and attended the Yale...

Episode 16: Lisa Dent - MASS MoCA by Erick Ramos-Jacobo  Episode host Erick Ramos-Jacobo is a senior at MCLA. In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Erick interviews Lisa Dent, Director of Public Programs at MASS MoCA. The two discuss Dent's multidisciplinary career and the influence her career as a curator, designer, art critic, and more has had in supporting her new leadership position. ...

Episode 15: Andy Wrba - Mill Town Foundation By Zurie Adams Andy Wrba is a Berkshire musician and educator who, in 2012, founded the Berkshire Jazz Collective , which supports the county by creating music that features local artists. For nine years (2014-2023) he served as the Music Director at the Darrow School in Lebanon, NY. Currently, he is the program manager of Mill Town Foundation where he...

Episode 14: Beryl Jolly - The Trustees of Reservations by Johan Serrano MCLA student Johan Serrano returns to host the final episode of the season! In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Serrano interviews Beryl Jolly, arts manager, community engagement professional, former executive director, fundraiser, and currently working as the Vice President of Cultural Properties at The Trustees of Res...

Episode 13: Leslie Appleget - C4 Initiative by Skylah Zayas This episode was recorded in the spring of 2022. Some information may be dated. Episode host Skylah Zayas is a sophomore at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Zayas interviews Leslie Appleget, District Arts Integration Specialist for North Adams Public Schools, the former project coordin...

Episode 12: Emily Schiavoni - North Adams Public Schools by Mackenzie Liddle & Michael Brassard NOTE: This episode was recorded in Spring 2021, so some information may be dated. Today’s episode is hosted by Mackenzie Liddle, a senior and arts management major at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts , and Michael Brassard, a senior at BART Charter . In this episode of Thinking Like a Regio...

Episode 10: Talya Kingston - WAM Theatre by Wendy Lyons Episode host Wendy Lyons is a student at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Lyons interviews Talya Kingston, dramaturg, playwright, and educator currently working as the Associate Artistic Director at WAM Theatre. WAM, an abbreviation of Where Arts and Activism Meet, is a professional theatre...

Episode 9: Quray Clarke - MCLA Student by Jolyne Allegro Episode host Jolyne Allegro is a senior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Allegro interviews Quray Clarke, a visual artist and photographer from Queens, New York with a specialty in creative portraiture. Clarke is also a student at MCLA, providing listeners with an inside look into how...

Episode 9: Erica Barreto - MCLA Institute for Arts and Humanities by Alana O’Connor Today’s episode is hosted by Alana O’Connor, a senior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, O’Connor interviews Erica Barreto, a 2018 graduate of MCLA now working as the MCLA Institute for the Arts and Humanities (MCLA-IAH) Coordinator. O’Connor and Barreto discus...

Episode 7: Pamela Tatge - Jacob’s Pillow by Emi Bailey Today’s episode is hosted by Emi Bailey, a freshman at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Bailey interviews Pamela Tatge, Executive & Artistic Director of Jacob’s Pillow, an international dance festival, professional school, and dance archive in Becket, MA. Tatge and Bailey discuss the Pi...

Episode 7: Craig Langlois - Berkshire Museum by Johan Serrano Episode host Johan Serrano at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts returns to host another episode of Thinking Like a Region. Serrano interviews Craig Langlois, the Chief Experience Officer at Berkshire Museum . The two discuss Langlois’ formal art training, his work in ceramics, and his philosophy around making art and accessing i...

Episode 6: Tom Bernard - Berkshire United Way Today’s episode is hosted by Leslie Appleget, District Arts Integration Specialist at North Adams Public Schools and former C4 Coordinator at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Appleget interviews Tom Bernard, President and CEO of Berkshire United Way , and the former mayor of North Adams, MA. The two...

Episode 5: Ben Lamb - 1Berkshire by Lisa Donovan Today’s episode is hosted by Lisa Donovan, Ph. D., a professor in the Fine & Performing Arts Department at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Donovan interviews Ben Lamb, Director of Economic Development at 1Berkshire . Donovan and Lamb discuss the role of the arts in economic development, Lamb...

Hosted by Johan Serrano, a senior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts , this episode of Thinking Like a Region spotlights Leslie Wu Foley, Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Foley speaks on the journey she took as a musician, from picking up musical instruments at a young age to her current placement with the renowned orchestra, along with the...

Episode 3: Julianne Boyd - Barrington Stage Company by Alison Blakeslee & Eve McDougall NOTE: This episode was recorded in Spring 2021. Some information may be dated. Today’s episode is hosted by Alison Blakeslee, a freshman at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts , and Eve McDougall, a junior at Monument Mountain Regional High School . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Blakeslee...

Episode 2: Jennifer Trainer Thompson - Hancock Shaker Village by Alex King & Kyle Gwilt Today’s episode is hosted by Alex King, a senior and arts management major at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts , and Kyle Gwilt, a senior at BART Charter . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, King and Gwilt interview Jennifer Trainer Thompson, cultural administrator, author, and journalist....

Episode 1: Tessa Kelly - The Mastheads Episode by Sam Bonney Episode host Sam Bonney is a senior at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts . In this episode of Thinking Like a Region, Sam interviews Tessa Kelly, co-founder and design director of The Mastheads , an experimental writers’ residency and public humanities project based in Pittsfield, MA. Kelly highlights her journey in setting up Th...

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