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Looking to Others
Next Tuesday (Oct. 13, 4-5pm) is our third Creative Conversation panel, the final scheduled event of our mini-series with Play On Philly. In past discussions, we’ve been joined by leaders of premier arts & education organizations who are actively exploring new ways of performing, learning, and sharing in the era of social distancing. Previous events have focused on artistic innovation and new forms of collaboration during the pandemic.
A common thread throughout these discussions is that there’s much to learn from the response to the pandemic from different sectors. Thus, the theme of our third Conversation is Looking to Others, moderated by Jessica Zweig, program director of Play on Philly. It will feature another outstanding group of panelists whose efforts span a wide range of organizations and areas:
- Chris Bartlett is the Executive Director at William Way LGBT Community Center and longtime activist.
- Juliet Fink Yates is the Digital Inclusion Fellow at the City’s Office of Innovation and Technology, supporting innovative digital equity practices.
- Bill Rhoads is Senior Vice President of Esperanza Arts Center, the center for Latino arts and culture in the Philadelphia region
Obviously, the pandemic has impacted all sectors, and each community encompasses a range of needs and desires. Some of those will be defined by the objectives of an affinity group, whether it’s the arts, civic engagement, racial and social justice, or combinations thereof. But all efforts are mediated by the traditions of that community (concerts, exhibits, rallies, advocacy campaigns, and protests) as well as the technologies of our time (the Internet, streaming, social media, etc.).
This fully aligns with our transdisciplinary approach to problem solving: that we develop better solutions by understanding and integrating the learnings and practices across different areas. It’s also in keeping with the founding principle of the ExCITe Center: that creativity stems from the re-mixing of ideas and activities from one domain to another. I’m very eager to hear what are panelists will have to say, and I hope you’ll join us for what is sure to be another great conversation!
RSVP here for the Creative Conversation on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 4pm
With the start of the academic year, it’s challenging to keep up with a weekly schedule. Starting now, I’ll publish every two weeks, so the next newsletter will be Wednesday, October 21.
(Socially) Distant Creations
- Smile [William P. Ramsey] A beautiful rendition of this classic song by the Founder of the Voices of Soul Concert Chorale, submitted to the #SmileChallenge offered by the Matt Jones Orchestra.
- Philly Music Teacher Gives Her Students a Voice Amid Virtual Learning [NBC10] Nice profile of Suzanne Spencer, Vocal Music Director at the Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush (School District of Philadelphia), on the opportunities and challenges of teaching music remotely.
- To the Polls (2020) [Mural Arts] An exhibit featuring six large-scale temporary mural installations at LOVE Park by Philadelphia artists to excite the electorate and explore their reasons for voting.
- Star Trek: The First Generation (deepfake) [Futuring Machine] An AI-powered mashup, placing the faces of the original Star Trek cast (Shatner, Nimoy, etc.) into scenes from the 2010-era reboot movies. Shows what’s now possible through deep learning/deep fakes, and its both amazing and terrifying.
- Jump (1984) [Van Halen] With the sad news of Eddie Van Halen’s passing, I felt compelled to include this. Not the best example of Eddie’s talents, but it was such an impactful song in my childhood, and EVH’s solo still manages to steal the scene from David Lee Roth’s strutting. RIP.
What I’m creating
I’m a member of The Tonics, an a cappella group in the Philadelphia region. This year the group is celebrating 30 years of singing and performing together (I’ve been privileged to be a part of the last 8+ years).
Since we can’t sing together during the pandemic, we just created our first virtual a cappella video. We’re using this release to raise awareness and support for the West Philly Promise Neighborhood throughout October, so we hope you’ll take a look!
Creating at a Distance 