Creative Process

Pew Fellow and Interdisciplinary Artist Raúl Romero on “Quiet Persistence” in Creative Practice

Pew Fellow Raúl Romero spoke with us about his creative motivations,  the “spirit of community” in Philadelphia’s arts scene, and how the Pew Fellowship is supporting his practice and career.

Pew Fellow and Theater Artist Rebecca Wright on Plays as “Communication Acts”

Pew Fellow Rebecca Wright spoke with us about her artistic motivations and theater’s capacity for gathering, collaboration, and liveness. 

Pew Fellow and Multidisciplinary Artist Mikel Patrick Avery on Crafting Tools for Creativity

Pew Fellow Mikel Patrick Avery spoke with us about being both a maker of art and a maker of tools for art. He shared his reflections on artists as leaders and the things that keep him inspired creatively. 

Choreographer Rennie Harris on the “Pliable Structure” of Street Dance

Pew Fellow Rennie Harris sits down for an in-depth conversation about his choreographic approach, the organic nature of street dance, and the influences behind Losing My Religion, which his company Rennie Harris Puremovement premiered at Penn Live Arts in March of 2026.

Pew Fellow and Filmmaker Bettina Escauriza on the Narrative Power of Images

Pew Fellow Bettina Escauriza spoke with us about the influence of her family, the hand-crafted nature of her work, and her biggest needs as an artist.

Pew Fellow and Movement Artist Shavon Norris on “Positive Obsession” and the Stories Our Bodies Tell

Pew Fellow Shavon Norris is a movement and theater artist who makes the unseen, seen. She uses performance to explore the full landscape of people’s internal lives—from grief to joy and pleasure—through a lens of personal healing.  

Pew Fellow & Filmmaker Tshay on the Stories Images Tell and the Necessity of Mystery

Filmmaker and 2024 Pew Fellow Tshay spoke with us about the power and potential of images to document the present, connect us to the past, and imagine the future.   

Pew Fellow & Filmmaker Stewart Thorndike on the Emotional Heft of Horror

Filmmaker and Pew Fellow Stewart Thorndike speaks about her love of horror, describing it as a space for defying boundaries and reckoning with darker truths of society not often reflected in conventional filmmaking. She also shares the thrill of her earliest artistic discoveries and the challenges and opportunities technology brings to filmmaking. 

Pew Fellow Chad E. Taylor on Sacrifice, Success, and His Musical Roots

Drummer, composer, educator, and Pew Fellow Chad E. Taylor offers thoughts about making space for an array of creative voices in his work, as well as the philosophy behind his practice, and tells stories about his roots as an artist. He also shared a playlist of the music that moves him.

Fellow to Fellow: Shehrezad Maher and Kristen Neville Taylor on Ideation, Play, and Procrastination

Pew Fellows Shehrezad Maher and Kristen Neville Taylor both consider the nature of memory and personal and collective histories in their creative work. Here, they discuss their artistic practices and processes.