For the past year, a tragic and powerful muse has fed the energy and work of St. Louis-area artists.
The shooting death of Michael Brown and the unpeeling of issues that followed have inspired a bounty of work with a social-justice mission. As we near the Aug. 9 anniversary of Brown鈥檚 death, we talked with a number of arts professionals about their work in the wake of the turmoil:
album 鈥淧reach.鈥� sticky notes. words of healing and provocation. stories of fear and policing. Freida Wheaton鈥檚 and her own piece, called "Mourning in America."
We had conversations with these arts professionals for a story looking back on a year of post-Ferguson art, to be posted next Wednesday. But they had so much to say that we鈥檙e 鈥淐utting and Pasting鈥� in a different way this time, scooping up off the cutting-room floor unexpected words, ideas and emotions that emerged from these interviews, including sorrow, frustration 鈥� and hope.
Here are some bits and pieces of the podcast:
- St. Louis Poet Laureate Michael Castro, from his poem, 鈥淲e Need to Talk鈥�: 鈥淚 am more than your idea. I am tangible, touchable, a human being like you.鈥�
- Artist Damon Davis on being in the public eye: "A lot of us are very self-centered and I'm probably no different in certain settings. But I also think we've got an obligation to speak for the people."
- Playwright Lee Patton Chiles, on the responsibility of artists: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 their job to touch and change the world.鈥�
Look for new every few weeks on our website. You can also view all previous podcasts, which focus on a diverse collection of visual and performing artists, and subscribe to 鈥淐ut & Paste鈥�
Follow Willis Ryder Arnold on Twitter:
Follow Nancy Fowler on Twitter:
Please help 漏 2024 外网天堂 find artists to feature on "Cut & Paste."
