Radio Intensive Workshop for Grownups

Apr 18, 2021 - Apr 25, 2021
Homeschool Radio Intensive Workshop Image

Homeschool Radio Intensive Workshop Image. Courtesy Jacki Apple and Keith Antar Mason

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

  • No previous audio experience is necessary.
  • Participants will need to have access to the internet for streaming and Zoom meetings, and a digital recording device (a phone, tablet, or laptop will work). Access to simple cloud-based audio production software will be available, but participants are welcome to use tools they are familiar with as well.
  • Participants should expect to spend a minimum of 30 minutes meeting together with Speer and/or the full class each day, and to spend time each day outside of that either listening to or making radio work.

  • Schedule
  • Remote Session 1: Sunday 4/18, 3-5 p.m.: Overview, ice breaking
  • Monday: On your own: close listening
  • Remote Session 2: Tuesday 4/20: 6-8 p.m.: Discussion, joined by artist & producer Jacki Apple
  • Wednesday: On your own: production
  • Thursday: "Office Hours" by appointment, continue production
  • Friday: On your own: production
  • Saturday: "Office Hours" by appointment, finish production
  • Remote Session 3: Sunday 4/25, 3-5 p.m.: Listening party & discussion
  • Contact info@wavefarm.org to register or ask questions.