What drives cultural practitioners to experiment, discover, and create?
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa Executive Director and Chief Curator Koyo Kouoh theorizes that social shifts inform new methods of artmaking and presentation, allowing and even necessitating that artists “draw from different registers,” and explains how a transdisciplinary practice can emerge from such an approach.
Liberian vocalist, composer, and dancer Zaye Tete (2018) spoke to us about her artistic development in Liberia, music’s transformative power, and her fondness for Paul Simon.
Theater artist Alex Torra (2018) spoke to us about his concentration on physical theater and why language sometimes feels “limiting,” as well as his in-progress work rooted in his Cuban American familial history.
Choreographer Leah Stein (2018) spoke to us about the origins of her site-specific choreography, her present-day process, and the “inexhaustible” qualities of Philadelphia.
Composer and guitarist Nels Cline explains the distinction between when virtuosity is an “aesthetic obstacle” to music and when it “changes the way you think about sound.”
Quentin Morris talks about the early moments that shaped his career, starting with trips to the Philadelphia Museum of Art with his father, and how Philadelphia has transformed in his time as an artist.
Documentary filmmaker Jonathan Olshefski spoke to us about how he came to filmmaking, how stories build a sense of connection, and why he says he “makes art to make friends.”
Interdisciplinary poet, performer, and recording artist Ursula Rucker spoke to us about the influences that shaped the trajectory of her career, from crucial early advice to collaborating across disciplines
We asked Michelle Angela Ortiz how she thinks artists can effect social change and about her legacy as an artist working in public spaces.
Composer and violinist Diane Monroe spoke to us about the musical lineage of her work and her family, as well as the influence of her mentors and Philadelphia public school music education.