Led by Wave Farm's 2020/2021 Radio Artist Fellow, Jess Speer, this workshop takes its focus from the 1992 radio artwork Redefining Democracy in America, Part 6: Leap of Faith by artist Jacki Apple, produced in collaboration with writer, poet, and performer Keith Antar Mason. Both were based in Los Angeles at the time, the radio work was made in the wake of the L.A. uprisings set off by the verdict in the Rodney King trial. Apple, a white woman raised in Manhattan, and Mason, a Black man raised in St. Louis, had a conversation about growing up on opposite sides of the American racial divide in the mid-20th century and placing the current events of that time in a larger historical and personal context. Almost 30 years later, the piece is as relevant now as it was then.

In the workshop, the group will listen to the piece closely and have a discussion about both its content, context, and form. Jacki Apple will visit the class to talk about making the piece, and answer questions. Participants will then either partner to work in small groups or work singly to create a radio art piece that responds to our experiences of history in our lifetimes, whether through music, poetry, interviews, radio play, or more abstract sound productions.

The Details

Contact info@wavefarm.org to register or ask questions.