Season Recap
Spoken City Podcast
Cheers to a successful season 1! This episode is a recap of the first season. As we close out this season, our hosts will reflect on moments that brought them joy, laughter, enlightenment, and some behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
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State of the Arts
Spoken City Podcast
In this episode of the Spoken City Podcast, we talk with guests Wendy Fishman and Priya Sircar. Charlotte’s first Arts and Culture Officer, Priya Sicar joins Wendy Fishman, director of Collaborative Works for UNC Charlotte’s College of Arts + Architecture for a thoughtful discussion on the current state of the Arts in this city and what it looks like in the near and distant futures to ensure Charlotte as a city that welcomes, encourages, and advocates for creative spaces, places, and people. Handles/Links Priya Sircar Twitter: @priyasircar LinkedIn:...
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Libraries are Community Hubs
Spoken City Podcast
In Episode 11 of the Spoken City Podcast, recorded live at the University City Regional Library, we discuss the significance public libraries play in the ecosystem of a community. Branch manager Debra Sharp and adult services librarian Gina Petrie talk about the what we should expect with a new, larger, and more accessible branch coming soon and the role the regional library plays in UCity.
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Story Telling
Spoken City Podcast
In Episode 10 of the Spoken City Podcast, we talk with guests Lawrence Gordon and Sarah Gherghel. Lawrence is the the Co-Founder and CEO of Books with Color which inspires dads and male role models everywhere to read more books to children. His children inspire the content of his two self-published books Unicorn Dreams and The Dad, the Bully, and the Orange Ball. Sarah is the lead project manager for the Living Archives program as a listener/recorder of community members' stories. We dive into the art of telling YOUR story.
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Youth In UCity
Spoken City Podcast
In Episode 9 of the Spoken City Podcast, we talk with Vanessa, Nessa, a young artist living and learning in University City.
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University City: A Land of Opportunity
Spoken City Podcast
In Episode 8 of the Spoken City Podcast, recorded live at Real African Art Gallery in University City, we talk with two business owners in our community and hear their story of coming to America, pursuit of a legacy, and what makes them tick. Hau Doan, owner of Bahn Mi Brothers, came to the USA at the age of two, and after nearly twenty years in banking, decided to use his savings to open an acclaimed restaurant where he serves food inspired by his Vietnamese heritage. Cal Ganda is the proprietor of the Real African Art Gallery, where he imports sculpture and artwork from his native home in...
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Ingredients of Healthy Communities: Cocreating and Culture
Spoken City Podcast
Is Charlotte a healthy city? Are we on the way? What about University City? University City is one the most diverse communities in NC, served by transit and anchored by UNC Charlotte, the state's 2nd largest university. How does it match up? Lots of creators are creating here, but their talents find their ways into other parts of our city. Is that healthy? Guests Jim Dukes and Byron White will help us decide.
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Urban Explorers in the QC
Spoken City Podcast
In a city there are so many things, incremental changes and dynamic moments, it is impossible to see it all... there’s always more to discover. Discovery, for some, is an art. It is the willingness to try something new, choosing to make the uncomfortability of newness the norm. We will talk about exploring and discovering with Angelique Gaines and Tom Hanchet. Each has deep experience with exploring Charlotte, NC. Tom is responsible for hosting notorious food tours in East Charlotte and exploring the city’s history as well as authoring the book: Sorting Out the New South City....
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Sticks and Bricks - How University City Was Made
Spoken City Podcast
Because each city is a living artifact, every city is unique. All cities are evolving, living, have the capacity for self-repair, and are products of diverse input and influence. In other words, there is not just one artist. What makes UCity unique? University City, although well within the boundaries of Charlotte, is sometimes seen as a city within the city. It has its own set of characteristics, its own history, and its own potentiality. In Episode 04, we will explore the topic of University City - As a City. We will explore the past and future of University City with...
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Women Creatives In UCity
Spoken City Podcast
This month, we are turning up the volume on women creatives making place in UCity. Many people, moments, and events make UCity what it is. Episode 03 explores how women creatives cause UCity to be what it is and imagine together what it will be. The hosts and guests explore the intersection of art, creativity, and place-making. They raise powerful questions like "What is the responsibility of the city to the artist? And Of the artist to the city?" and "What is the difference between Place-knowing vs. Place-making?" They discuss UCity's public art scene and pull the veil back on what they think...
info_outlineThis month, we are turning up the volume on women creatives making place in UCity. Many people, moments, and events make UCity what it is. Episode 03 explores how women creatives cause UCity to be what it is and imagine together what it will be.
The hosts and guests explore the intersection of art, creativity, and place-making. They raise powerful questions like "What is the responsibility of the city to the artist? And Of the artist to the city?" and "What is the difference between Place-knowing vs. Place-making?" They discuss UCity's public art scene and pull the veil back on what they think is next for UCity. You do not want to miss this episode. Tune in today!
“Artists are capable of advancing the human condition. That’s different, perhaps, from what a scientist does, which is about finding new knowledge and sharing it in different ways. If we are trying to advance the human condition, it has to be about a sense of place. A very specific relationship to a group of people, their story, and what’s trying to be told in that way.” -Rachel Dickey
Guest Speakers
Rachel Dickey is an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture and founder of Studio Dickey, a Charlotte-based art and design practice. The practice uniquely consists of students and professionals collaboratively working on the design and production of creative works.
Dickey’s academic research and professional practice involve projects of varied scales, from furniture to urban design. Her work is characterized by the synthesis of architecture, digital art, and design appropriated towards innovative material interfaces for the built environment.
Dickey received a Masters of Design Studies from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, and Masters of Architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology. Dickey has previously taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Cornell University and at Ball State University as the Design Innovation Fellow.
Read More about Rachel & See her work here: https://coaa.charlotte.edu/people/rachel-dickey and http://studiodickey.com/about
Janeva Tyree is an artist residing in Charlotte, NC. Born in Washington D.C. with a paint brush in her hand, Janeva has a BFA in Illustration from Savannah College of Art and Design. She has developed storyboards, designed graphic logos, curated set designs, published children's illustrations, created three-dimensional art installations, painted murals, and taught arts and culture workshops. Noted works of Janeva include murals advocating for women's and civil rights in Charleston, Columbia, and Florence, South Carolina, storyboards used for educational tools at Harvard University, becoming a 2023 TEDx Speaker on the importance of art in public spaces, as well as projects giving back through art in the community. Janeva's mission is to create timeless art that documents history, breaks conventional chains, and starts conversations leading toward action. "Art that Sparks: Conversation. Connection. Creativity. Community."
Read about Janeva and her work here: https://www.janevatyree.com/
Find her on Instagram @janevatyree
Georgie Nakima is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist based in Charlotte, NC. She attended Winston-Salem State University, where she studied life sciences. Her inspiration is drawn from ranging sources from contemporary art to street art and animation. Today, she uses art to visualize the interconnectedness of communities and their environment on a micro and macro level. Her work builds an ecosystem of visual landscapes that explores the healing nature of color theory and geometric motifs. The thesis of this work is rooted in Afrofuturism as an offering to encourage uplifting and resilient representation across the Diaspora. This work is created to remind us of the intersectionality of our shared world, one that requires balance between all life forms to thrive as vibrantly as her painted fields. As a public artist, her personal goal is to create murals and sculptures on every continent in a language that expresses the social narrative of history while inspiring a sustainable future.
Read about Georgie and her work here: https://www.gardenofjourney.com/
Find her on Instagram @gardenofjourney