Arts Interview With Nancy Kranzberg

Poet and Kranzberg Resident, Lizzy Petersen, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her life and poetry. ------  Lizzy Petersen is a poet from St. Louis, MO, where she works in public media and directs a student-run, after-school literary magazine, OutsideLitMag.com, through a partnership with St. Louis Public Schools. Her poetry has recently appeared in or is forthcoming in December, Image, Ninth Letter, Pinch, and Southern Humanities Review, among others.  She has been recognized for her writing by the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission’s Artist Support Grant, the Mid-America Arts Alliance’s Interchange Fellowship, the River Pretty Poetry Scholarship, and the Dairy Hollow Writers Residency, and she was a 2019-20 Community Arts Training fellow at St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. She currently serves as a contributing editor for $: Poetry is Currency and has previously served as the Managing Editor of River Styx and Co-Poetry Editor for Sycamore Review at Purdue University, where she received her MFA in Poe

Dana Turkovic, Curator at Laumeier Sculpture Park, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the new exhibition, "Forest Through The Trees," which opens August 27th and runs through December 11, 2022.  About "Forest Through The Trees": In art and in poetry, the beauty and power of trees is an alluring subject matter with infinite possibilities. The exhibition Forest Through the Trees pulls together a group of artists whose observations range from representation through landscape to conceptual experimentation where the tree is treated as both subject and object. The exhibition also incorporates works from Laumeier’s permanent collection that utilize trees, expanding the theme to our outdoor galleries. ------ As a sculpture park focused on the conversation between art and nature, the works on view operate in harmony with and in reference to the natural landscape, both organic and manicured. Rather than viewed as a backdrop, the tree as a symbol of nature is respected and revered. Each of the artists in the exhibitio

Chris Hansen, Executive Director of the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, stopped by to talk about the upcoming Music at the Intersection, which happens September 10th and 11th in the Grand Center Arts District. -----  Music at the Intersection is a civic-led effort presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. First held in 2021, the festival tells the story of St. Louis’ musical, cultural and artistic heritage. It celebrates the city’s imprint on the American songbook, the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River sister cities, and the musical genres that have been birthed and fostered locally. Music at the Intersection gives a spotlight to national acts as well as St. Louis-based musicians across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, & rock and roll.————

Matthew Kerns, President & Artistic Director of St Lou Fringe, stopped by to talk about this year's festival, which runs August 15 through 21 at venues throughout the Grand Center Arts District. ------  Matthew is a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts award-winning educator, critically acclaim theatre performance artist featured in American Theatre Magazine, and a 2020 St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leaders Award recipient. ———   Matthew has been an Executive Producer, Director, and Artistic Director for Off-Loop Theatre [Chicago], Off-Broadway Theatre [New York], Reparatory Theatre [California], Regional Theatre [Iowa, Missouri, Colorado] and Educational Theatre [Chicago, California, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri]. ——   Matthew’s artistic portfolio includes original performances [Xmas Carol, Chicken, Life in the Fastlane], Immersive events [Gay Fantasia, Home], and standard plays and musicals [Noises Off, For Colored Girls…, Frost/ Nixon] ———   Students that have trained with Matthew h

Hana Sharif, the Augustin Family Artistic Director for The Rep, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her career and the upcoming season. HANA SHARIF (Augustin Family Artistic Director) has enjoyed a multi-faceted theatre career, including roles as an artistic leader, director, playwright and producer with a specialty in strategic and cross-functional leadership. She served for five years as Associate Artistic Director at Baltimore Center Stage, where she oversaw the day-to-day execution of all of the mainstage and studio productions, and was the architect of the innovative CS Digital program: a platform that pushes the boundaries of traditional theatre and looks at the nexus point between art and technology. Her other achievements at Baltimore Center Stage include prototyping the Mobile Unit, strengthening community engagement, producing multiple world and regional premieres and helping to guide the theatre through a multi-million dollar building renovation and rebranding effort. In 2012, Hana served as the i

Sheila Suderwalla, Executive Director of Artists First, stopped by to discuss the good works of the organization, including the In View Mural Project. ----  Artists First's In View Mural Project provides the community (businesses, residences, and public spaces) with high quality, hand-painted, custom murals. The project provides artists with disabilities, veterans, and at risk youth with confidence-building opportunities, work experience, inclusion, and visibility. -----  Artists First is an inclusive, non-profit art studio empowering artists of all abilities. We believe in bringing art to the community as a means of integration, healing, support, and finding common ground. ----  As Executive Director of Artists First since 2013, Sheila has 20 years experience working with children, youth, and families in need. Her successes as a social worker have been featured in local and national publications such as the New York Times, the St. Louis Post Dispatch and Time Magazine. In 2017 Sheila was recognized as one of

Meredith Malone, Curator at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, stopped by to talk with Nancy about the happenings at the museum. -----  As Curator at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Meredith Malone conducts research on the Museum’s permanent collection, propose new acquisitions, and conceptualize scholarly exhibitions of modern and contemporary art that enrich learning and research for the Washington University community and beyond. She is particularly interested in diversifying the Museum’s collections to include greater parity (race, ethnicity, gender, geographic location) and examining critical histories and theories of race, class, and gender in relation to the production, reception, and interpretation of art. Currently, she is working on exhibitions of artwork by two US-based contemporary artists who critically address issues of race and representation in their work: Nicole Miller, who explores the transformative capabilities of the moving image to recalibrate interpretations of self and culture; an

Independent Artist, Monika Weiss, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her exhibition monument|antimonument Nirbhaya. Born in Warsaw, Poland, Monika Weiss arrived to NYC in 2001 as a long-term artist in residence at the Experimental Intermedia Foundation. Since 2011, she divides her time between her studio in New York and her appointment as associate professor at Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, Washington University in St. Louis. ------  She has been awarded numerous grants and residency fellowships, including BRIC, Harvestworks, US Embassy in Poland, New York Foundation for the Arts and YADDO. Recent publications about the artist’s work include a chapter in Guy Brett’s The Crossing of Innumerable Paths: Essays on Art (London: Ridinghouse, 2019) and a forthcoming bi-lingual monograph Monika Weiss – Nirbhaya published by the Centre for Polish Sculpture in Orońsko / National Institution of Culture, with texts by Griselda Pollock (Leeds University) and Mark McDonald (The Metropolitan Museum of Art),

Nezka Pfeifer, Museum Curator at The Missouri Botanical Garden, Stopped by to speak with Nancy about the new exhibition at the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  ------ On view through March 2023, the Botanical Resonance: Plants and Sounds in the Garden exhibition at the Stephen and Peter Sachs Museum at the Missouri Botanical Garden explores how plants create and cause sounds in our natural environment and cultural arenas. The exhibition features different plants used to create musical instruments in cultures around the world, as well as how different plants make unique sounds throughout their lifecycles in nature and in the Garden. For the species used to make instruments, many often become jeopardized and threatened in their native environments due to the increasing production and demand for the desirable plant material. Botanical Resonance includes three contemporary artists who were commissioned to create artwork installations that interpret sound in several different ways:

Karen Lucas, Curator of the High Noon Series at the Hi Low Literary Arts Cafe, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the series. -----  Blueprint Coffee at High Low is open from 8 am-3 pm Monday – Sunday, every day. With online and walk-up ordering options, and both indoor and outdoor seating available, order from Blueprint Coffee’s made-to-order drink program featuring coffee, tea, and specialty drinks, as well as a small assortment of fresh baked goods. ——— The High Low Gallery is open to the public during cafe hours (8am-3pm, everyday Monday – Sunday), no appointment necessary. To accommodate those who still would like a private appointment, they have 1/2 hr appointments available via Eventbrite. ——— Nestled in the heart of High Low is a 600-square-foot gallery space equipped with modern gallery lighting and professional hanging systems. Displays may extend beyond the gallery to the Listening Room, adjacent to the gallery when available. Artists and organizations exhibiting at High Low have the opportunity

Vincent Stemmler is an interdisciplinary artist from St. Louis, Missouri whose work is often a contemplation on the interplay between identity, place, and loss. Vincent received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  Vincent is currently an adjunct professor at Florissant Valley Community College and University of Missouri, St. Louis, teaching ceramics, sculpture and drawing classes. Vincent’s most notable recent exhibitions include two solo shows :  “Sticks In the Mud” and “The Garden of the Void”  and a nationally juried group exhibition at Miami University as a finalist in the 2019 Young Sculptors Competition.

Stephanie Weissberg, a curator at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the Pulitzer and the current exhibition, Assembly Required. Assembly Required features eight artists whose work invites your active participation. You may build, shape, and use these artworks, collaboratively or on your own. The artists were selected based on a shared belief that public action is vital for transforming society. Created between the 1950s and the present, the artworks respond to distinct social and political moments, from unrest in the United States during the Vietnam War to Peru’s military dictatorship. The artists offer unique perspectives on social change, addressing the need for optimism and hope in the face of global tensions. Throughout this immersive exhibition, members of the public will interact with the artworks and each other while sharing new experiences. Ultimately, Assembly Required poses questions about how art allows us to imagine new ways of being in the world. Assembly Requir

Cynthia Prost, President and CEO of the Arts and Education Council, stopped by to talk about the organization and their upcoming gala at the Chase on May 23rd. -----  The Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis is a unique asset in our community. The Arts and Education Council is our region's only united arts fund supported by private contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations and institutions committed to the value and benefit of the arts to our community. -------  The Arts and Education Council serves as the base - the root, if you will - through which funding, training and collaboration happens for nearly 100 arts organizations that enrich the cultural landscape of St. Louis each year. ------  Arts and Education Council grantees not only produce and present great art, they also maintain viable, impactful arts education and outreach programming for K-12 students throughout the bi-state area. Research continues to show that children who participate in the arts enjoy greater academic su

Dr. Judy Mann, Senior Curator or European Art to 1800 for the St. Louis Art Museum, stopped by to talk to Nancy about the exhibition, Paintings on Stone: Science and the Sacred 1530–1800. About the Exhibition: In 2000 the Saint Louis Art Museum purchased Cavaliere d’Arpino’s Perseus Rescuing Andromeda, an exceptional painting on lapis lazuli. The acquisition of the small, stunning work of art spurred extensive research that culminates in Paintings on Stone: Science and the Sacred 1530–1800, the first systematic examination of the pan-European practice of this unusual and little-studied artistic tradition. ——— By 1530 Italian artists had begun to paint portraits and sacred images on stone. At first artists used slate and marble. By the last decades of the 16th century, the repertoire expanded, eventually including alabaster, lapis lazuli, onyx, jasper, agate, and amethyst. In addition to demonstrating the beauty of these works, Paintings on Stone explains why artists began using stone supports and the role t

Jessica Hentoff, Artistic Executive Director of Circus Harmony, stopped by to talk about the mission and works of the organization. ------ Circus Harmony is a non-profit social circus organization that uses circus arts to motivate social change. By inspiring individuals and connecting communities with our circus education and entertainment programs, we have a positive impact on the St. Louis area and beyond. ——— Our programs teach valuable life skills like perseverance, focus, and teamwork. Learning circus with others teaches trust, responsibility and cooperation. Perhaps the most important experience we give our participants is the opportunity to meet and interact with children from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds than their own. ——— We believe the path to peace is a path of cooperation and communication. Teaching children from different neighborhoods how to stand on each other’s shoulders may seem like a strange way to take this path. But it’s the technique we use! Circus Harmony promotes

Grant Benoit, Director of Education for Craft Alliance, stopped by to discuss his new role at the Alliance. ----  An engaging Artist and Education professional with an abundance of experience working in educational arts, Grant Benoit comes to Craft Alliance following a tenure as the museum educator at the Louisiana State University (LSU) Museum of Art where he coordinated, developed and taught K-12, adult and university programs. Benoit received his MFA in Printmaking from Southern Illinois University and exhibits both nationally and internationally.---- With experience in art education, leadership, management, program planning, and non-profits, Benoit brings broad expertise and new ideas to a position that drives the comprehensive educational resources Craft Alliance provides to its community partners and thousands of students regardless of need.----

Kim Eberlein, Co-Chair of The Visionary Awards, and Hassie Davis, Teacher and Educator in the Theater Arts, as well as being a performer, and a recipient this year of a Visionary Award, stopped by to talk about this years award event. About the Visionary Awards: In 2015, the Saint Louis Visionary Awards were relaunched by an independent committee of women to celebrate the numerous contributions and achievements of women who work in or support the arts inSt. Louis. From established working arts professionals and arts educators to emerging artists and community impact artists, each year's honorees are truly "visionary".  The 2022 recipients are... HASSIE DAVIS, ANDREA HUGHES, DIANNE ISBELL, MEE JEY, EMILY RAUH PULITZER, PAM TRAPP Hassie Davis, this year's recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Artist is a locally and nationally known performing and teaching artist based in the St. Louis Metro area. As a performer, she has worked with various theater companies around the country, most notably with TheaterWorks/US

Lauren Ross, Executive Director of Laumier Sculpture Park, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the park and the current and upcoming exhibits, including Salutary Sculpture, which runs through May 15th, 2022. -------  Founded in 1976, Laumeier is one of the first and largest dedicated sculpture parks in the country. In 1968, Mrs. Matilda Laumeier bequeathed the first 72 acres of the future Laumeier Sculpture Park to St. Louis County in memory of her husband, Henry Laumeier. In 1976, local artist Ernest Trova gifted 40 artworks, with an estimated market value of approximately one million dollars, to St. Louis County for the formation of a sculpture park and gallery. Laumeier Sculpture Park opened as part of the St. Louis County Department of Parks and Recreation system on July 7, 1976. One year later, Laumeier Sculpture Park was officially incorporated. Today, Laumeier Sculpture Park is an internationally recognized, nonprofit arts organization that is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and operate

Alonzo Townsend, Founder of The Townsend and Three Agency, stopped by to talk with Nancy about his career and his agency's new collaboration with the Dark Room at the Grandel. ------ The Townsend and Three Agency has taken over booking for the the Dark Room at the Grandel concert series. The artist, entertainment, and booking agency is owned by Alonzo Townsend of St. Louis. ——— Alonzo Townsend is the son of the Grammy-winning St. Louis blues musician Henry Townsend, who died in 2006, and his mother was also a musician of note, blues singer Vernell Townsend. He started working for his father, on the business side, at the age of nine, and his career progressed from there. ——— His spoken word recording, “A Letter To My City,” was featured as a part of the 18 N 18 St. Louis Blues Society Compilation Album. Townsend is a speaker and writer and board member for the St. Louis Blues Society, Blues Education programs including “Hip-Hop to The Blues,” and a presenter/youth educator for Blues in The Schools Programs. —

Jessica Adkins is a multi-instrumentalist, instructional designer, philosopher, and filmmaker. Originally from Milwaukee, she moved to St. Louis in 2014 to pursue a PhD in Philosophy with a minor in Women and Gender Studies at SLU. Her dissertation focused on the public exhibition of anatomical bodies. She can most often be found around town playing accordion in The Opera Bell Band, Ryan Koenig and the Goldenrods, and The So Grand Polka Band. The pandemic allowed her the free time to concentrate on composing original polka scores, and she hopes to help keep polka music alive in St. Louis. In her free time, she creates stop motion videos out of paper and has placed 2nd in the City Garden Film Competition and has been screened at the St. Louis International Film Festival.