Creative Minds Out Loud

Performing arts education pioneers Berklee College of Music and The Boston Conservatory are merging, creating a comprehensive training ground for music, dance, theater, and related professions. Richard Ortner, president of The Boston Conservatory, and Roger Brown, president of Berklee College of Music, discuss what it means to create an institutional platform for collaboration, to get … Continue reading "Episode 12: Creating Pathways for the Contemporary Performing Artist"

What is the nature of inspiration and how do we as humans interpret and translate our inspiration? These are just a few questions at the heart of Sally Taylor’s Consenses project. She argues that using metaphor as a way to see the world gives us an opportunity not only to see the variations of perspective … Continue reading "Episode 11: An Artistic Game of Telephone"

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is serious about audience development. A.R.T. Executive Director Diane Quinn says everything they do is with an eye to what audiences will see once they pass the theater doors. She discusses their mandate to expand the boundaries of theater – both physically and through the content itself. Diane Quinn is … Continue reading "Episode 10: The ART Leads the Audience"

Modern city parks need to be fun, sustainable, green, and engaging. It’s a tall order. Laura Jasinski, Director of Programs and Planning at the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a mile-and-a-half of contemporary parks running through the heart of Boston, speaks to the evolution and cultivation of their public spaces, public programs, and community engagement. Laura Jasinski is … Continue reading "Episode 9: A Modern Park, A Journey End to End"

Last year Jane Chu, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), visited parts of Boston where the arts are core to community revitalization efforts. She shared NEA plans for its 50th anniversary and offered a glimpse into how the agency is preparing for the next 50 years. Jane Chu is the eleventh chairman … Continue reading "Episode 8: Mapping an Infrastructure that Helps the Arts Thrive"

Artists For Humanity (AFH) was founded 25 years ago by Susan Rodgerson with a seemingly simple idea: Engaging urban young people in collaborative art making gives them a voice in the arts – and business – community. Rodgerson describes the evolution of AFH’s creative jobs program, which now employs 300 kids annually and earned just … Continue reading "Episode 7: Pioneering Youth Entrepreneurship & Sustainability"

At Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) music is a catalyst to create social change. BCC Artistic Director Dr. Anthony Trecek-King recounts how kids from over 120 different zip codes come to the Chorus to learn about music, and are also given time to discuss and learn about their differences and how they can work together to … Continue reading "Episode 6: Creating Great Human Beings, One Song at a Time"

Through Americans for the Arts (AFTA) every citizen in our country is represented by an arts entity that’s working on their behalf to put arts in their lives, their children’s lives, and their community’s life. Bob Lynch, AFTA’s President and CEO, discusses their national advocacy leadership strategies and how they connect with advocacy efforts at the … Continue reading "Episode 5: National Arts Advocacy Leadership Strategies & Observations"

Whether or not someone has a home, they still deserve access to the creativity, dignity, and passion of live classical music. So believes Julie Leven, Founder of Shelter Music Boston, a social service organization that puts professional musicians to work in environments of need. Leven shares the power of bringing monthly classical concerts to shelter … Continue reading "Episode 4: Bringing Classical Music Concerts to Homeless Shelters"

How do you make the most of a BIG birthday? Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM)’s Executive Director Chris McCarthy reflects on P-Town’s rich legacy as artists’ muse, and shares strategies for capitalizing on a centennial. Christine McCarthy has been the Executive Director of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum since 2001. She is responsible for … Continue reading "Episode 3: Celebrating A Century of Inspiration"

What can happen when “departments of one” come together? Betsy Loring, Director of Exhibits at EcoTarium, shares the benefits of multi-layered peer-to-peer professional development (across state lines, no less!), including staff retention, more engaging exhibits, and strengthened in-house expertise. Betsy Loring is the Director of Exhibits at the EcoTarium, a museum of science and nature … Continue reading "Episode 2: Peer Networking – Therapy + Professional Development"

Is there a new economic model where the business and arts sector better recognize one another? The city-making market has realized the arts are a catalyst for place. Mark Davy founder of Futurecity, describes how the public sector can do a better job of telling its story to the private sector in order to “flip … Continue reading "Episode 1: A New Economic Model for Creative Placemaking"