Framing the Hammer

“Democratization of American Arts and Culture” means lowering or removing barriers to experiencing, creating, and sharing art. Through this process, ideas are explored, questions asked, humanity exposed, bonds created, and communities are greatly strengthened. Democratizing the arts also helps strengthen American democracy, by strengthening communities, building belonging, and advancing interest in participatory citizenship. This is why Democratizing the Arts is one of the pillars of the 4A Arts mission, and our 2024 issues agenda includes Arts + Democracy. We believe that real investment in American arts, culture, design, and craft can strengthen communities and counter the political polarization currently undermining American democracy. Bianca Bosker is the New York Times bestselling author of “Cork Dork” whose most recent book, “Get the Picture” is a deep dive into various aspects of the visual arts industry. As a child, Bianca was a lover of all things artsy but had grown disillusioned with the snobbery and barriers erected by the art world. Eventually, the realization of her disengagement drove her to immerse herself in various aspects of the art world for better understanding. Through her research for Get the Picture, she worked as a gallerist, artist assistant, and museum guard.We hope you enjoy this conversation about Bianca’s fascinating dive into the art industrial complex rabbit hole. 

A conversation with Arizona Citizens for the Arts (AZCA), the state arts advocacy organization fighting to increase funding in the Arizona state budget. In this episode, we chat with the AZCA Executive Director, Patrick McWhorter, and Director of Community Engagement, Sabrina Estrada. we touch on the exciting cultural developments statewide, as well as the distressing state of arts funding in the upcoming 2024 Arizona budget. 

In episode 114 of Framing the Hammer, we chat with Richard Deming, Yale Director of Creative Writing and author of the recently published, This Exquisite Loneliness: What Loners, Outcasts and the Understood Can Teach Us About Creativity. In the book, Deming profiles six historic figures who publicly wrestled with loneliness and used creativity to cope (Melanie Klein, Zora Neale Hurston, Walker Evans, Walter Benjamin, Egon Shiele, Ron Serling). Their legacies leave us tools for better understanding loneliness, knowing that it is a condition that affects most people, and demonstrates how they harnessed their loneliness in their creative pursuits. In coping with loneliness, Deming emphasizes that vulnerability, and intimacy in relationships are critical for countering loneliness. Furthermore, the creative process is best fed with vulnerability and intimacy, leading to self-awareness and better understanding of other people. 

In Episode 12 of Framing the Hammer, we chat with Jason McGatlin, a Hollywood producer who worked on films such as The Adventures of TinTin, Volcano, and the Disney+ series, The Mandalorian, and (not least of all), the seventh, eighth and ninth of the Star Wars series, The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker . 

In episode 12, we chat with Hilary Perkins, founder of Whippoorwill Arts (www.whippoorwillarts.org) a nonprofit advocating for music and musicians that recently underwent a comprehensive report on recommended wages for working musicians. We talk about the report that makes suggested base and graduated pay for musicians of all types, stripes, and locations.  

In episode 11 of Framing the Hammer, we chat with artists Boris Eldagsen and Jason M. Allen about their respective approaches to, uses of, and thoughts about artificial intelligence. Both Boris and Jason received awards for their work using AI, but they took different principled stands in accepting (or not refusing) their awards. Join us as we discuss AI as well as the definition of art, design, creativity as well as Plato’s theory “Forms” and Baudrillard’s theory “simulacra”.

4A Arts dives into another aspect of the creative economy in our discussion with creative director Danielle Venne of Made Music Studio. Her firm specializes in “sonic branding” or, “The audio equivalent of a visual logo” as Danni says. 

Host and 4A Arts Executive Director Gavin Lodge chats about the mission of 4A Arts and the genesis of the title Framing the Hammer. 

In our conversation with Mathew Boudreaux, known in the online crafting world as the “Themperor of Crafting”, @mx.domestic. Mathew addresses their favorite quilting and crochet projects, being a crafting influencer, the sense of community developed in the art world, social justice melding with arts, their idea that 95% is good enough (the last 5% will steal your joy), and finally, “without creativity, without culture, without the humanities, without art, what is life?”

Jazz legend and current board member for 4A Arts, Larry Ridley, recounts his musical youth in the Indianapolis jazz scene, his time touring with jazz greats like the Montgomery Brothers, and his lifelong commitment to sharing jazz through education at the National Endowment for the Arts and starting the jazz program at Rutgers University.