Creative Process

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.

Fellow to Fellow: Sumi Tonooka and Phillip B. Williams on Expanding Their Artistic Identities

Composer/musician Sumi Tonooka and poet/author Phillip B. Williams discuss commonalities in the ways they “channel” their compositions and how they’ve experienced shifts in their artistic identities. 

Fellow to Fellow: Darius Clark Monroe and Karen Smith on Artistic Legacy and Connecting with Ancestors

Filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe and musician Karen Smith talk about tapping into creativity at an early age, striving to extend their artistic legacies, and finding peace at the ocean’s edge.

Pew Fellow James Allister Sprang on Creating Installations with “Spatial Sound”

Pew Fellow James Allister Sprang shares about his transformative encounter with 4DSound and what it means to be a “listener.”