Can Art Save Us?

Professor Erica Verba, is the director of Latin American Studies at California State University. She's an author and a musician, recently reviewed as a rising star by the Los Angeles magazine voyage LA. She is notably the author of the first English language biography of Violeta Parra out now entitled Thanks to Life. The title translates Parra's iconic song, Gracias a la Vida, famously covered by Joan Baez and many more. Violeta Parra is one of Chile's most important women artists and Erica's study of her life and work spans five decades. Her deep expertise translates into the reviews, describing it as a "stunning achievement" and "deeply moving." She both navigates and honors the life of a complex woman, an artist who shattered gender, racial and class barriers. Violeta Parra collected and preserved Chilean folk music as a personal mission, now of huge national significance and made an important contribution to Chile's protest music movement. New Song. Thanks to life, underscores the power of art as a force for change. Parra represented voices that were otherwise unheard in her songs, notably women workers and indigenous peoples. She broke extraordinary barriers as a recording and visual artist working across paintings, ceramics and tapestries. In 1964 she became the first self taught Latin American visual artist to hold a solo exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts, housed in the Louvre, Paris, tragically in 1967 and this biography documents her travels throughout Latin America and Europe at the height of the Cold War. It's intertwined with her conflicting identities and the meaning of authenticity. This biography is a legacy work of passion and compassion. Discover Ericka Verba https://erickaverba.com/ Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: https://canartsaveus.com/ THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Tere Chad is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Chile, currently based in London. She is fast rising as an international artist and to date she has held seven solo exhibitions, completed seven residencies participated in more than 50 collective exhibitions and has curated over 20 shows on four different continents. Her practice includes sculpture, painting, poetry, performance, textiles, installation and silversmithing. Promoting Latin American art and culture is core to her work and the Global South informs her response to the climate crisis, migration, sustainability and humanity. In 2020, she was granted a global talent visa for exceptional promise to continue her practice here in the UK. She graduated with a Masters of Art in sculpture from the Royal College of Art and in 2021, she was accepted as a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Tere observes modern life and the impact of fast-changing technologies, media sensationalism and digital distortion on human connections. She elevates what ancient civilisations and indigenous knowledge can teach us. A significant and current project that began in 2017 is Neo-Norte or New North, an artistic research initiative that turns the world map upside down to challenge dominant geopolitical narratives and the displacement of power. Neo-Norte has showcased internationally with more than 565,000 visitors fostering cross-cultural dialogues for an interconnected world. Tere Chad, is as a deeply thoughtful, international artist with a global identity and strong Chilean roots. Images are subject to copyright, courtesy of Tere Chad, please see credit list below. Discover Tere Chad https://www.terechad.com/ Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: https://canartsaveus.com/ IMAGE CREDITS COLUMN ONE Woven Hug 2.0, Tere Chad, Cordelia Rizzo (Documentation: Kavod Films); Flowerfield Arts Centre, Linen Biennale, Portstewart, Northern Ireland (2023). Abrazo Entramado 1.0 (Woven Hug 1.0), Tere Chad, Cordelia Rizzo (CC BY NC-SA CONARTE); LABNL Lab Cultural Ciudadano, Monterrey, México (2022). COLUMN TWO 6 Neo Norte 5.0, Act of Relational Art, Collaborators: Tere Chad, Tere Chad, Asia Artom, Concepción García Sánchez, Cindy Lilen, Anastasia Marcelja, Giada Marchese, Lidia Maugeri, Debra Pollarino, Ines Rocques, Alessandro Rebesani (Documentation: Movies Move Us); Spazio Zelda, Venice, Italy (2024). COLUMN 3 Zurciendo Vacíos (Mending Voids), Tere Chad, Cordelia Rizzo, UDEM CRGS, Centro Cultural Plaza Fátima (Documentation: CC BY SA LABNL); LABNL, Monterrey, México (2023). Zurciendo Vacíos (Mending Voids), Tere Chad, Cordelia Rizzo, UDEM CRGS, LABNL (Documentation: Grecia Evangelina); Centro Cultural Plaza Fátima, San Pedro Garza García, México (2023). THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Nicola Avramovich is not only considered one of Serbia's finest classical pianists, but one of the best of his generation. He is a sought after performer giving numerous recitals and chamber music concerts worldwide, including prestigious festivals and leading concert halls here in the UK, Nicola Avramovich is the recipient of numerous prestigious scholarships and awards, including the Benjamin Britten Piano Fellowship at the Royal College of Music in London. This fellowship is only awarded every two years to an outstanding pianist preparing for a career as an international soloist. He is an exciting, incredibly disciplined talent. Nicola is recognized as an exceptional talent, and he also has a deep appreciation of folklore. He interpreted Serbian folk music that he grew up with from a very early age on the piano. As an accomplished classical pianist, he has also celebrated these musical roots in his forthcoming release, Origins, which brings together music by composers from Serbia, Hungary, Romania and other Eastern European countries. Nicola has composed and improvised folk melodies in this unique classical recording, which he has performed in several countries, including China, to a wonderful response and a European tour is to follow. His repertoire is described as “superb and authentic.” There is a beautiful message in his work that music has no boundaries. It is both transcending and unifying a common humanity that can be shared. In this episode you will also hear a performance extract, Nikola's own, stunning transcription of the Serbian folk dance, Vranje. Discover Nikola Avramovich on Instagram @n_avramovic_ Nikola Avramovich performs Vranje https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQfrDQB8oTA Genuin Record Label https://www.genuinclassics.com/_new/artist_1.php?k=848 Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: https://canartsaveus.com/ THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Gabriela Elizabeth Edouani Fernandez, known as Ina Leah, is a transdisciplinary artist and her work is rooted in the practices of the indigenous Lamaholot people of East Nusa Tengara, home of her cultural heritage. The Lamaholot people are indigenous to the southernmost province of Indonesia and the small islands around it. It's an area of natural beauty. Gabriela weaves together art and wellbeing practices, including improvisational music, expressive painting, collective dance, traditional crafts, and moving image. There's a deep level of integration between the different disciplines she works with, building a holistic knowledge and respect for cultural heritage. She's deeply inspired by cultural traditions and collective participation that understands the interconnectedness of humans and the natural world. As a contemporary artist, you can also find Gabriela Fernandez on Spotify, along with well over 16,000 listeners. For a celebration of musical heritage, oral tradition and sound art. Ina is deeply sensitive to noise. She talks openly about her ADHD and autism and as a neuro-divergent creator she understands the need for calm in our lives. Gabriela is committed to the healing powers of art on our physical and mental wellbeing, and the name she has given herself as an artist reflects healing. Leah is an anagram of the word heal, and Ina means mother in the Lamaholic language. We talk about her mission in holistic health, grounded in cultural identity. Discover Ina Leah https://www.artwithinaleah.com/ The Embodiment of Care https://www.artwithinaleah.com/embodimentofcare-improvisation Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: https://canartsaveus.com/ THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Jane Wright is a ceramicist, violinist and champion of community arts. A West Yorkshire born musician and artist, Jane is now based in the iconic seaside town of Margate in Kent, famous for its art history. Margate was home to the renowned water colourist Turner, considered to be the best loved English Romantic artist, and it's currently home to Tracey Emin, famously known for her confessional art. Between world class artists and the Turner Contemporary Gallery. Margate has a thriving community art scene, and Jayne is the project founder of Tiles of Joy, a community arts, Happiness Project. Over 1000 hand crafted tiles have already been made in workshops and at least 4000 people have bought one of Jane's tiles. This trail of happiness is bringing people together from all walks of life, promoting creativity and community spirit. As a ceramicist, Jane is also known for her body positive, Mermaid Army, a collection of tiles and stoneware sculptures of people who wild swim. They represent stories of nostalgia and empowerment. One sculpture represents Gill Castle, who became the first person ever to swim the channel with a stoma, raising awareness of childbirth injuries. Currently, the mermaid sculptures are touring with the message words matter, part of the campaign This Ends Now, raising awareness of male violence against women and girls. Her work consistently shows solidarity and support for the causes she cares about, including the sewing resistance, a global textile project. Her current exhibition, Long, explores the cultural significance of long hair in relation to femininity, identity and power. Jane's art is about awareness, advocacy, activism, and championing joy. Discover Jayne Wright at the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, Margate. https://shop.turnercontemporary.org/collections/jayne-wright Current Exhibition, Long, at the Liminal Gallery, Margate. https://liminal-gallery.com/collections/jayne-wright-long Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: https://canartsaveus.com/ THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

David Emmanuel Noel, is a visual and interdisciplinary artist who often splits his time between New York and London. He collaborates with musicians and performers to explore race, identity and culture with an emphasis on public engagement. He's interested in promoting a fairer, kinder and inclusive society and he's worked with socially conscious organisations including New York's Groundswell Community Mural Project, the Powerhouse, a UK charity supporting women with learning difficulties, the National Network for Art and Health and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. He's also worked with the Royal Institute of British Architects and David has a very clear interest in the social and therapeutic benefits of art in public spaces. He clearly states every artist should see their art form as a therapeutic tool above or beyond anything else. David is also a political science graduate and holds an MA in European Studies. How the arts can influence socio-economic and political trends is clearly on his radar. His broad interests across the creative industries have also culminated in David co-founding Occhi Arts and Entertainment, which includes consultancy and an online magazine to showcase artists and to promote arts advocacy. David's artwork has been featured at highly prestigious venues such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Kennedy Centre, Washington DC, along with galleries in London and festivals. His career is undoubtedly like a rich tapestry of work, a cloak for good. His paintings are full of movement and colour, sensory in intent and heightened in collaborations with musicians such as Grammy Award-nominated US band Cloud9 and Daryl Yokely's Sound Reformation. Everything speaks out. The Art of PR is the first exhibition to collectively present the work of established and emerging artists from the UK public relations sector, including David Emmanuel Noel and Tonye Ekine, also in Season 7. Visit the Coningsby Gallery: info@coningsbygallery.com / 07884 314361 18 November 2024–23 November 2024 www.coningsbygallery.com/exhibition/the-art-of-pr-november-2024 Discover David Emmanuel Noel: www.davidemmanuelnoelart.net/ Occhi Magazine (Part of Occhi Arts & Entertainment): www.occhimagazine.com/ Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: www.canartsaveus.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Sometimes it seems people are just born gifted and Zoom Rockman started his working artistic life from the age of eight, when he was self-publishing his own monthly comic, The Zoom, now considered a collector's item. Today Zoom is an award-winning political cartoonist, illustrator, puppet animator, and now the Director of his first animated one hour film, Survivor. This is the true story of Ivor Perl, who survived the Holocaust, age 12 with his brother. In stark contrast to Ivor’s life, at age 12, Zoom had become the youngest cartoonist for the world's longest running comic The Beano. At age 16, he became a regular contributor at Private Eye, the UK's number one best selling News and Current Affairs magazine. Zoom's humor and observation was already mature enough for this audience, but six years later, he quit after receiving an anti-Semitic death threat for one of his cartoons and lack of response he felt he had from the magazine. Many more accomplishments have since continued. One being in 2023, Zoom Rockman's, Jewish Hall of Fame, was billed as the ‘must see summer exhibition,’ where he created interactive life size automata of Jewish icons, including Lord sugar, Amy Winehouse and Sacha Baron Cohen. Suffice to say, the London Evening Standard newspaper has previously named Zoom as one of the most influential Londoners under 25, and he was included on Instagram's first ever 21 under 21 list within the art category. Zoom's gift of visual storytelling is ever more pronounced with his new film Survivor. This is a huge act of compassion, archival accuracy and artistic skill, telling the true story of Ivor Perl's survival. To do this, he has created an astonishing 150, hand animated paper puppets representing real people. The intricate detail of his sets accurately replicate locations, and the film is accompanied with music by the award-winning composer Erran Baron Cohen and vocals by Pini Brown, whose voice grips the emotional magnitude of this story. The film is based on Ivor Perl's book and testimony, Chicken Soup Under the Tree. We also talk about the importance of visual literacy, authenticity and telling the truth versus dis-information and failing education. Links are below to follow the film and for screening information. Images courtesy of Zoom Rockman. Survivor images are reproduced with the permission of Lemon Soul. Discover More: FILM www.survivorfilm.com IVOR PERL’S BOOK www.lemonsoul.com/products/chicken-soup-under-the-tree?srsltid=AfmBOopCsd-yBvpDEkXZaTjx_emAbzBBlZFiZnu5eC0nchFKyFTc0fQ5 MARCH OF THE LIVING www.marchoftheliving.org.uk/ HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY 2025 www.hmd.org.uk/what-is-holocaust-memorial-day/this-years-theme/ VOCALS BY PINNY BROWN www.linktr.ee/piniontheroof COMPOSER ERRAN BARON COHEN www.erranbaroncohen.com Podcast Host - Paula Moore Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host are available here: www.canartsaveus.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Sunaura Taylor is an artist, writer, activist, academic and mother. Sunaura is the Assistant Professor in the Division of Society and Environment and the director of the Disabled Ecologies Lab at the University of California, Berkely. A skilled artist, her artworks have been exhibited at venues such as the CUE Art Foundation, a contemporary art space in New York City, the Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum, education, and research complex and they are a part of the Berkeley Art Museum collection. Sunaura is also the author of Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation, which received the American Book Award. Her current book is, Disabled Ecologies: Lessons from a Wounded Desert and whilst it’s not a memoir, it is personal and political. She documents how residents organized one of the earliest and most successful environmental justice movements in the USA. Sunaura is a game changer, a global thinker, she brings together what environmental and disability movements can learn from one another. Her books reveal how disability and ableism shape our understanding of nature and environmental crisis. She uncovers networks of disability, both human and wild, that are created when ecosystems are corrupted and profoundly altered. Sunaura raises an important question we should all be asking in the name of shared justice, “What happened to us?” Not, what happened to you? This is someone with an incredible eye for detail, for whom painting is a love of seeing and whose political statements are also drawn from sharp observation, analysis and lived experience. Sunaura also has a critical understanding of curiosity cultivated in her alternative childhood education of being 'unschooled.' Sunaura Taylor Aquifer Losing Reach, Speculative Aquifers Series Pen and Watercolor on Paper, apx 11 x 8’’, 2017-2020 Sunaura Taylor Animals With Arthrogryposis Oil on Canvas, 6’ x 9’ (72“ x 108”), 2009 Author Photo © Julius Schlosberg Discover Sunaura Taylor: www.sunaurataylor.net/ Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: www.canartsaveus.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

Tonye Ekine is one of the top 40 British Rising Stars recognized by the Royal Society of British Artists. He is also recently back from the world renowned, Venice Biennale, where he was selected for a highly prestigious fellowship with the British Council. In its 60th anniversary year, the Venice Biennale attracted half a million visitors to celebrate ground breaking artists from around the world. Tonye has set himself apart from other contemporary African artists with his distinct use of the iconic, Ife Bronze masks in his paintings. Ife is the religious and royal center of the Yoruba people in Nigeria and the masks are exceptional works of art, dating back to the 12th century. Born in Nigeria, Tonye is now based in London and by foregrounding his Yoruba heritage in his contemporary art, he raises questions of identity, the legacy of colonialism, the social masks we wear in everyday life and he isn’t shy of uncomfortable paradox. Tonye’s role as an artist is set to move through the world in different ways taking his identity and roots with him. He says: “There is freedom in expression – and that’s where you find identity.” He’s interested in being part of design, fashion, marketing, brands in communication and education, his openness is refreshing. He prioritises knowledge as currency not economic status. We talk about identity and authenticity, connection as the most important form of validation and optimism. Discover Tonye Ekine: www.wherestonye.com/ The Art of PR is the first exhibition to collectively present the work of established and emerging artists from the UK public relations sector, including Tonye Ekine. Visit the Coningsby Gallery: info@coningsbygallery.com / 07884 314361 18 November 2024–23 November 2024 www.coningsbygallery.com/exhibition/the-art-of-pr-november-2024 Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: www.canartsaveus.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. PLEASE SHARE THIS FREE TO LISTEN SERIES AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

What's it like to be the least likely artists to have two hit, number one albums on Decca Records, one of the world's most iconic labels? Decca Classics, discovered and pursued singing nuns, the Poor Clares of Arundel in West Sussex, to record with them. The debut album, 'Light for the World,' sold out of cds within 24 hours, had 60 million streams, topped the Amazon and Apple music charts internationally and topped the UK specialist chart for 19 weeks. The second album, 'My Peace I Give You,' is out now, led by popular demand. Sister Gabriel shares their experience; doubts, resistance, concerns, negotiating terms and how this all became a beautiful experience with world wide impact. The Poor Clares have recorded an infusion of Latin hymns and medieval texts which have had a powerful, healing impact across the world, touching the lives of people, whether they are religious or not. A common response has been, “I don't believe in God, but there is something about your music that takes me somewhere that I had never experienced before.” From the debut album, they were inundated with letters of thanks, often speaking of healing and calm, religious or not. The Poor Clares live a contemplative, cloistered life and rarely go out but the convent and their guest house are regularly populated with visitors from all walks of life. Their multiple responsibilities revolve around a disciplined structure of praying, seven times a day and staying in touch with World News. We dispel myths of a contemplative life being simply passive. We talk about courage, personal choices, recording albums, being of service but not self-serving and balancing novelty with health curiosity. “The scariest thing to do is to submit yourself to something other than oneself.” Sister Gabriel. Before choosing a consecrated life, Sister Gabriel, had completed a degree in auto and mechanical engineering and worked in Czechoslovakia for a year helping to improve British safety standards in machinery. Art had been a significant part of her family life in the North East, including her admiration for Tisch, a significant social documentary photographer from Newcastle, and the Pittman painters northern miners that painted a unique historical record of their lives and mined literally through class barriers to do so. As the sisters say themselves, "You don't have to be religious to enjoy their music." Published on September 21st, 2024, International Day of Peace, the episode includes the title track, "My Peace I Give You." The music is courtesy of Decca Classics. Photos © Chris O'Donovan Discover The Poor Clares: www.poorclaresarundel.org Discover Decca Classics: www.deccaclassics.com/en Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: www.canartsaveus.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. THIS IS A FREE TO LISTEN SERIES. PLEASE SHARE, AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

A first for the series, a mother and daughter, discussing parallels between their work. They have both successfully bypassed conventional and formal routes into painting and publishing winning awards and five star reviews. Following her teaching career, Yeside Linney, is a mostly self-taught artist who has quickly accrued multiple awards, including two national awards in The Women in Art Prize. Yeside was born in Nigeria but sent to Britain to be educated at a very young age, where she has lived since the age of 4. Her paintings, be it landscapes or portraits are free of convention and layered with textures, history, emotion and courage. She found she could only paint her autobiography and investigated her Nigerian heritage, particularly the cultural riches of the Yoruba tribe. She, herself is often painted too and her portrait by artist, Peter James Field, has also recently been hung in the National Portrait Gallery. Her daughter Claire Linney, author of children’s books, brings to life historical people of black and mixed heritage. Claire is writing black history back into Britain’s historical narrative that has been mostly excluded from the school curriculum. Our new Labour government is now conducting a review of the national curriculum with important questions about equality, diversity and inclusion still to be answered. Claire’s first book, The Time Tub Travellers and the Silk Thief, has 5 star reviews from both the buyers and young readers. It’s a fast paced adventure that returns to Tudor England and best friends Zula and Milo, encounter Reasonable Blackman, a significant, historical figure. He was one of the earliest people of African heritage working as an independent business owner in London at that time, a black silk weaver with rare and sought after skills enjoyed only by aristocracy. It’s an adventure in healthy curiosity, openness, exploration and learning. We talk about historical representation and the impact on identity today, the dominant beauty narrative versus diverse, cultural expressions. We look at how history is what is and isn't painted on a canvas, or is and isn't written on a page. This is a celebration of healthy curiosity and courage from a mother that is "insatiably curious" and a daughter who is "constantly curious." It's an inspirational journey of their courage, bypassing gatekeepers, rules and barriers, to paint and publish with their own permission. Images from the Scarification series © Yeside Linney Images of the Time Tub Travellers, book cover illustration by Onyinye Iwu, with kind permission of Claire Linney. Discover Yeside Linney: www.yeside.com Discover Claire Linney: www.clairelinney.com/ Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all audio interviews in this series. Read only, text transcripts of every interview, news, reviews and your host, Paula Moore, are available here: www.canartsaveus.com THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. THIS IS A FREE TO LISTEN SERIES. PLEASE SHARE AND HELP MAKE THE ARTS ALL OF OURS.

This episode is about "Joyful madness" and a brilliant collaboration between Science and the Arts. Dr. Weliton Menário Costa, also known as Weli both as a scientist and as a recording artist, is the global winner of the "Dance Your PhD" competition. Complex academic research is communicated through dance to reach new audiences. It’s a tough but inspired challenge and a joy to see science celebrated through the Arts. The visibility of this relationship is especially important when a divisive political approach between the Arts and Sciences has dominated here in the UK; but it’s not a natural division. What is and isn’t natural is also a critical finding in Weli’s scientific work. His three year study of wild kangaroos has evidenced the natural diversity of kangaroo personalities and without conflict. He was able to conclude, “Kangaroos are different, just like us. Differences happen in all species, it’s just natural.” And this is what you see in Weli’s video, a group dance that includes a Drag Queen with Brazilian funk, classical Indian and ballet dancers all performing to his own song, Kangaroo Time. We draw on parallels between his scientific study of wild kangaroos and human behaviour. Weli shares powerful, personal stories of his own challenges with identity and mental health. As a young gay man growing up in a conservative rural area of Brazil, being different alerted him to how the social environment can also shape our behaviour. He talks about his personal fears and anxieties and how his life changed dramatically in Australia where he now lives. We talk about his meditation practice and the importance of acceptance and letting go whilst understanding these aren't passive states. His practice has been core to his cultivation of courage and to developing responsiveness rather than reactiveness. There are clear acts of courageousness in Weli's journey, including his decision to become a full time recording artist and his current EP, "Yours Academically," chronicles that transition. Watch the video, dance along and find your inner roo! Photographs courtesy of Nic Vevers, The Australian National University. Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Kangaroo Time Club Mix, video - www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoSYO3fApEc Discover @WeliMusic on Instagram, check his bio for links, including Spotify or head to Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCBpUI9oMUYmIl0wcTsD1Lkw

What happens when the judicial system we're taught to trust is in fact part of a complex web of systemic failure and structural discrimination on vast scales? My guests today have raised one of the most important spotlights on systemic failure in Australia's prison system. Indigenous Australians are one of the most incarcerated people in the world. Alex Siddons is the director of the groundbreaking feature documentary, The Art of Incarceration, which is currently available on Netflix. He won unprecedented access to film at the Indigenous Unit of Victoria's Fulham Correctional Center. Christopher Austin is a lead participant in the documentary and he was incarcerated from the age of 11. And by the time he was 46, the longest time he had spent in society at any one time was nine months. There's nothing sketchy about this documentary and crime isn't excused. But the repeat cycle of crime and over representation of Indigenous Australians is explored in order to find solutions. Through the personal stories of in-mates the documentary explores the relevance and legacy of colonial history of Stolen Generations, displacement and disadvantage that feed into the prison system today. Alex spotlights how hope and positive change is literally painted through the Torch art program. The program connects indigenous inmates to their culture and strengthens cultural identity through the practice of art. It recognizes that people who are disenfranchised from their dominant culture become too disconnected to rehabilitate successfully. Christopher Austin and Alex Siddons take part in this episode. Christopher shares his personal experience of being displaced and incarcerated from the age of 11. He is a unique survivor of the prison system and today both an artist and pioneer for change. He is now The Torch’s, Indigenous Program Mentor, in itself a huge landmark for change in which he leads. Alex Siddons, is a dedicated filmmaker and his documentary not only raised a vital spotlight on this human rights issue but a brotherhood too. The consent and collaboration of prisoners is further testimony to the Torch Arts Programme, successfully cultivating connection, cultural respect, real change and a future outside of the traps both in and outside of prison. Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover The Art of Incarceration on Netflix and the Director Alex Siddons: www.alexsiddons.com Support and Discover The Torch Art Programme: www.thetorch.org.au Buy art by First Nations people, vouchers and gifts: www.thetorch.org.au/shop-2/

Julie Hesmondhalgh is one of Britain’s most loved actresses, she plays roles for stage and screen that tackle important issues and reach out to the hearts and minds of audiences everywhere. Her roles in drama have included sexual violence, the calamity of hate crimes, the representation of transgender people, exploring the right to die and more recently, exposing one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in British history, The Post Office Scandal. This hit ITV series, Mr. Bates versus the Post Office, has had an unprecedented reaction forcing new political urgency to resolve this scandal. In theatre her work has responded to war, austerity, cancer, mental health, refugees and currently, her personal and emotionally courageous, one woman show, These We Love, a hymn to her working-class childhood. Julie’s work as an artist is part and parcel of her activism for positive change, a fairer society and equality, including access to the Arts. Whilst her famous and ground breaking television role as Hayley Cropper, a transgender woman in Coronation Street, often dominates her career, her work is bigger than this very famous soap opera. Julie is also full of fun and she understands the importance of daftness. She thinks deeply about hope and what it means in how we navigate our lives. We talk about finding her dad's diaries, the huge investment in Arts for the privately educated but devastating cuts in state education and what that means in a democracy. We discuss the Arts in relation to mental health, being able to connect, not feel alone and to combat fear with joy. Julie discusses why hope and optimism are essential in personal and political struggle and how the Arts encourages us all to thrive. Photos courtesy of Julie Hesmondhalgh Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover: Julie Hesmondhalgh www.loucoulson.co.uk/talent/julie-hesmondhalgh Arts Emergency www.arts-emergency.org Take Back Theatre www.takebacktheatre

Dennis Clausen, is a professor of American Literature and Screenwriting at the University of San Diego in the USA. He’s a highly respected, award-winning author of many works of fiction that reflect his lived experience and special interest in American small towns. He’s also written, Storytelling as Art and Craftsmanship, offering practical strategies for Screenwriters and Creative Writers. The emphasis on storytelling as art and craft is critical which is reflected in his regular contributions to Psychology Today. He discusses the threat of Artificial Intelligence and technology to our own thinking skills, neurological development, mental fitness, our imagination, having an authentic voice and questioning, who’s soul will be in literature? We talk about the relationship in his current trilogy between social injustice, economic inequality, homelessness and how Art is critical to finding truth, purpose and human existence. Dennis shares powerful personal stories including how his father, Lloyd Clausen, was adopted to be a farm labourer, not a son, who was extremely deprived. In the 1920s, the Great Depression and droughts also made for his crushing existence. Dennis unravelled his father's life story before he sadly died from cancer and he consequently published, "Prairie Son." All of his work is a great act of humanity and an important reminder why the humanities must have freedom to survive, to respond to authoritarianism and exercise the health of our own minds. Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover Professor Dennis Clausen: www.dennisclausen.com Professor Dennis Clausen, contributor to Psychology Today magazine: www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/dennis-m-clausen-phd

David Attree is a ‘people’s poet,’ he’s also known as a ‘Poet-Chef,’ ‘Famous Dave,’ and more recently as the voice of the ‘Week in Words,’ aired on BBC Radio across three counties. His poetry is also currently on buses in the city of Brighton, known internationally as a centre of creativity. But fame isn’t what interests Dave, it’s connection; it’s you. Dave’s BBC, on-air introduction, was clear from the start: “I’m not writing for a crowd.” He’s interested in every individual that makes up a community. He finds “hope in disguise” and he takes “the time to measure what really counts.” Dave “links news and stories with poems and rhymes,” he creates a calm space where we can stop and think and even Time can rest a while. Dave is also an active poet in other ways; he walks and cycles for charitable causes, he speaks up, with us and for us. He’s also a funeral celebrant. He celebrates a person’s life as though he has always known them, with the skill and insight that poets possess. And what lies behind it all? Courage. Dave knows tragedy and fear, he’s had life-saving surgery that sadly, many don’t make and he’s also recovered from a stroke. Through all this he serves the value of life, for all of us and he champions his amazing, para-Olympian daughter too. This is a family that isn’t shy of beating the odds. Dave lets you know you are heard amongst all the noise, he invites you to pause and I’m sure, like me, you’ll feel, you’ve always known him too. Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover Dave Attree on BBC Sounds. The Week in Words and other clips with Dave are uploaded here as part of the Allison Ferns, Sunday Breakfast Show: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p001d7v5/clips

Do you like dancing? Do we dance enough? Or maybe the question is, why don’t we dance more? Dr. Angela Pickard is the UK’s first Professor of Dance Education. She has worked with talented dancers and choreographers across a multitude of theatres and sites in the UK and internationally. From toddlers to The Royal Ballet School, Angela has a wealth of knowledge and she is now the Director of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health, here in the UK. The Centre makes an internationally leading contribution to critical scholarship, research, and practice in the field of arts and health. She is interested in the relationship between dance and psychological, social and artistic outcomes and responding to barriers of exclusion. Who is and isn’t included in dance, even in contemporary forms that we might assume are much more accessible? Who participates in dance is problematic, there’s a ring of elitism around it. Different generations may have memories of the traditional Friday night dance at the village hall, the school disco, the glamorous prom, the explosion of street-dance or maybe at weddings only. Have you ever been to a 'Daybreaker,' a morning dance rave to feel energized and well? Are you a fan of the hit TV series, Strictly Come Dancing? Whatever is happening, it seems our relationship with dance is fragmented, yet it has brought us joy, forms of protest and phenomenal social change. So, let’s get curious about dance and who better to ask than the UK’s first Professor of Dance Education? Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover Dr. Angela Pickard, Director of the Sydney de Haan Centre www.canterbury.ac.uk/research/research-centres/sidney-de-haan-research-centre-for-arts-and-health

Cassa Pancho, MBE, founded Ballet Black in 2001, Britain’s most diverse ballet company celebrating dancers of black and Asian descent. Today it’s one of the most prolific commissioners of new and critically acclaimed ballets here in the UK. The journey in between however, has been huge. Racist barriers in the industry were high and it was only six years ago that the world leading designer, Freed of London, in collaboration with Ballet Black, developed the UK’s first range of point shoes for dancers with darker skin tones. The exclusively pink or pale ballet shoe had long reigned as the symbol of a white-centric ballet world. It was trying to write her dissertation for a degree in The Art and Teaching of Classical Ballet, that Cassa realised she couldn’t interview black women in British ballet, because there weren’t any. As a young graduate, Cassa started Ballet Black, it was a brave under taking. Starting a new company is normally built around a star dancer and no-one was likely to take her seriously. But, Ballet Black offered a space where black and Asian dancers could come without feeling othered or marginalised and even a basic dance class was hugely popular. This is the work of a pioneer leading positive change. Black ballerinas being told they could only be cast in male roles or to break their feet because they didn’t fit a preferred, white, body type, are racist traumas to be left in the dust of this trailblazing work. Ballet Black is making a fundamental change in the diversity of classical ballet and to audiences in Britain. We talk about the freedom to be an artist, the stories that are told and who by, creative collaborations, the Ballet Black junior school and Ballet Black on Film. Photo Credits: Image of Cassa Pancho, solo, credited to Holly McGlynn Images of the Ballet Black Company on stage and with Cassa in a Studio, are both credited to Photography by ASH Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover Ballet Black: www.balletblack.co.uk Ballet Black on Film: www.bbonfilm.balletblack.co.uk Performances and Dates: wwww.balletblack.co.uk/performances/ Reference also made to Justice 4 Windrush: www.justice4windrush.org

Described as “an obscenely talented man.” Matthew Todd is a multi, award-winning writer, playwright, broadcaster and sometime performer. He was also the editor of the UK’s best-selling gay magazine, Attitude, for 8 years. During this time, Matthew interviewed countless celebrities, idols and icons, including Madonna, Elton John and Lady Gaga. For his very last issue in 2016, he made history. HRH Prince William was photographed for the front cover of Attitude, making his first appearance in the gay press and issuing the first Royal statement against homo, bi, and transphobic bullying. This was statement publishing. The Art of the Attitude front cover was glossy, distinct and stylish, it featured photographs of both gay and straight celebrities; everyone was welcome. But what lay behind those front covers was an even bigger and personal story, one that has informed what some would say, is life-saving work today. Matthew’s insights into gay culture and his own lived experience, was telling him a very different story; not everyone did in fact, feel welcome. He was witnessing a disproportionate number of gay people suffering from anxiety, depression, addiction, suicidal thoughts and behaviour. Despite big life statements, perfect bodies, out and proud gay attitudes, there was a dysfunction which Matthew identified as the ‘straight jacket of shame.’ In his book, Straight Jacket, How to be Gay and Happy, he examines the socio-political history that lies behind gay culture and how secrecy, being othered, criminalised, bullied and relentlessly judged, became defining characteristics of the straight jacket. No amount of striving for perfectionism can replace shame and Matthew’s book, Straight Jacket, is described as a ‘revolutionary call.’ It's reviewed by Sir Elton John as “an essential read for every gay person on the planet." This interview also marks LGBT+ History Month. References include: In LGBT+ month and every month, Matthew Todd's landmark book remains as relevant and as important today. This is a book for anyone interested in good mental health, healthy relationships, a kinder society, human rights and not hatred and discrimination. You can also see Matthew's successful play, Blowing Whistles, 25 April - 25 May at The Turbine Theatre, London. Blowing Whistles is set on the night before Pride in the Park, a gay couple Nigel and Jamie, grapple with the complexities of modern gay relationships. @TurbineTheatre Book soon! Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: www.canartsaveus.com Discover Matthew Todd: www.matthewtodd.net/ LGBT+ History Month: www.lgbtplushistorymonth.co.uk/

Musa Motha is an outstanding, world class dancer and a master of making the impossible, possible. Despite a leg amputation at the age of 11 due to cancer, Musa's dance techniques and innovations exceed all ideas of what we typically think able-bodied means. Musa Motha has won the hearts and minds of thousands around the world, he is celebrated as a national hero in his home country of South Africa and now based in London, England, he is equally loved. Musa made television history with his breakthrough, UK, performance on the hit TV series, Britain’s Got Talent. The first ever, group golden buzzer was struck after the hysterical insistence of the audience. A shower of love and gold saturated the stage in return for a dance performance that was one of awe and disbelief. His ballet posture could hold up a skyscraper, but the essence of his core strength is courage, firm self-belief and faith. We talk about transformation in his personal life and in South Africa itself. Musa was nearly one when Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president. We talk about losing a leg and becoming a dancer, his near death experiences, positive thinking, visualisation, his firm belief in manifestation and unwavering faith in God. Photo Credits: @ViktorErikEman Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan. Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb Closed Captions are added to all interviews in this series. Read only, text versions of every interview, news, reviews and your host are here: https://www.canartsaveus.com Discover Musa Motha: www.harboursidemgmt.com/artists/musa-motha-artist-page/