BONUS EPISODE: Hannah Rose Thomas on Restoring Dignity Through Art

Portrait Artist, Hannah Rose Thomas has pioneered an incredible means of combining humanitarian work with paintings of refugee women she has encountered.

Through her art, Hannah gives voice to the voiceless, lionizes the isolated and prescribes dignity to the persecuted and forcibly displaced.

In this episode, Hannah and Stephen discuss her process of portrait painting and advocacy as well as the impact her paintings have upon Western viewers and the women who have undergone intense trauma.

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Artist Profile Series 31: Howard Thurman

Howard Washington Thurman was a poet, mystic, philosopher and spiritual activist. He authored more than twenty books in his lifetime and played a leading role in The Civil Rights Movement where he served as a spiritual mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

S7 E09: Art As Healing Live At The Farmhouse

This episode is our second release from the Makers and Mystics LIVE series. This conversation comes to you from Charlottesville, VA and highlights excerpts from our discussion on Art As Healing. You’ll hear from a diverse panel of voices including Farm House community founder, Lauren Stonestreet, Philosopher, Bernard Hankins, Pastor and songwriter, Brendan Jamieson, Neuroscientist and Jazz musician, Nadine Michel and Doctor of Osteopathy, Dr. David MacDonald.

In light of recent events, I felt this conversation on Art As Healing was timely and offers creative insights on navigating through difficult times and how art contributes to Healing for individuals and to society.

I’ve said often that the artist is an architect of hope and a voice of reconciliation for a divided world. I think you’ll find the perspectives in this conversation to be helpful in finding our way forward and understanding the vital role of art as an agent of healing.

*If you’re a patron of the podcast you have access to the full conversation which includes a spoken word performance by poet Latasha Strother and Nadine Michel’s story of traveling to Haiti, the country her parents immigrated from.

Artist Profile Series 30: Vàclav Havel

Vàclav Havel was a Czech playwright, political dissident, and consistent moral voice on human rights who went on to be elected President of the newly democratic Czech Republic. His life is a shining example of what artists can achieve when they have a robust sense of the time in which they have been placed in the world. Guest host Vesper Stamper talks about Havel’s life, work and spiritual perspective.

Read Havel’s collected plays here, and his book on freedom of conscience here.

Follow Vesper on Instagram @vesperillustration, or subscribe to her podcast on recovering artistic thinking, Vesperisms: The Art of Thinking for Yourself.

S6 E13: The Poetic Encounter with Tinasha LaRayé

Tinasha LaRayé is a poet, actress, and filmmaker who has an intense passion to see nations transformed through storytelling. As a spoken word artist, she incorporates her theatrical world of acting to elevate poetry from the page to an encounter. From working with inner city kids, to young women, to budding creatives, she loves empowering individuals to move in their God-given voice, purpose, and power. Tinasha also desires to see the wound of racism healed in the United States and uses her creativity and teachings to equip this generation to walk out healing, justice, and unity. She currently serves as a pastor in Creative Arts at Bethel Church in Redding.

In today’s episode Stephen talks with Tinasha about her work as a poet and actress standing at the intersections of spiritual encounter and social justice. The two also talk about her film, Hope Song which explores the historical experience of Black people in America, and paints a poetic and prophetic vision for racial healing.

WATCH THE FILM

S6 E5: Moving Through The World with Propaganda

The artist known as Propaganda, is a Los Angeles based poet, political activist, academic & emcee. His body of work challenges listeners with difficult and sometimes controversial topics such as systemic injustice and racism. With musical roots ranging from aggressive battle raps to smooth introspective rhythms, Propaganda’s music crosses cultural spectrums while his deep lyrical prowess appeals to both the heart and intellect alike.

In this episode, Stephen talks with Propaganda about the motivations behind his poetry, music and social conscience.

Justice, Music, poetry, spoken word, hip-hopStephen RoachOctober 16, 2019propaganda, protest, hip-hop, slam poetry, spoken word, poety

Artist Profile Series 15: Corita Kent

Sister Corita Kent was an artist, printmaker, educator and an advocate for social justice. She broke through religious norms in the art world of her day by incorporating popular song lyrics, advertising images and slogans into her work. Her pop-art style is reminiscent of the works of graphic artist, Andy Warhol. When Corita viewed Andy’s artwork in the Los Angeles Ferus Gallery, in 1962 she soon began producing her own pop-culture inspired prints.

S3 E10: Welcome Home: Re-storying The Narratives We Live By with Joel McKerrow

Joel McKerrow is one of Australia's leading internationally touring performance poets. He is the Artist Ambassador for 'TEAR Australia' and co-founder of community arts organization, 'The Centre for Poetics and Justice.'
Joel is a TEDx speaker and performer and frontman poet of 'Joel McKerrow & the Mysterious Few.'

This conversation was conducted in Joel's hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Stephen and Joel discuss his poetry, social justice and reframing the way we understand our lives through creativity and writing for others.

Acting, Justice, performance art, poetryStephen RoachFebruary 21, 2018Joel McKerrow, John O'Donahue, John Cleese

S3 E2: Urban Monks & Part-Time Hermits

Christine Valters Paintner is a spiritual director and Benedictine Oblate living in Galway, Ireland. She authored the book, "The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom." The book is a 12-week journey exploring the interplay between contemplation and creativity. In this episode, Stephen talks with Christine about her thoughts on humility, radical generosity and what it means to be an urban monk and a part-time hermit.

Featured Music by Latifah Alattas of Moda Spira.

Season 2 E9: An Ethos Of Amazement. Keynote with Sean Feucht

In this keynote, worship leader and founder of the Burn 24/7 prayer movement, Sean Feucht challenges artists to live and create from an "ethos of amazement." Drawing from his work among refugees in Iraq, Sean calls upon artists to have imaginations which will "challenge the dominant reality" and offer hope instead of despair. This keynote was given at the 2017 The Breath & The Clay Creative Arts gathering in Winston-Salem, NC.

Season 2 E 7: #poetryismyprotest

In the month of February 2017, Stephen Roach composed and posted a new poem each day of the month. These poems were written in response to the "artless and often contemptible mood" found within social media. Stephen set out to offer "choreography instead of industry", beauty instead of hostility and to place "a carnation in the barrels of loaded guns". In observance of National Poetry Month, Stephen shares several of his poems from this collection of writings featuring music by Timbre, Songs of Water, Loudharp and Brandon Willet. #poetryismyprotest

Joining Stephen in this episode is artist, Melina Daniels of Overflow Studios in Boone, NC. Melina shares a story of how she and her husband Jacob responded to the 2016 Charlotte protests surrounding the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott by setting up an outdoor art studio in the midst of the uprising.

Poetry is a vehicle of transcendence and social change. It is both protest and praise, a means of lifting the spirit and calling for action. In this episode, Stephen turns to the “ancient and analog” art of poetry as a means of response to the current challenges of our day.

**Special thanks goes out to Timbre, Loudharp, Songs of Water, and Brandon Willet for providing musical landscapes accompanying the poetry of this episode. Also, a special thanks to Elisa Cox, Eloise Corlett, Catherine Mi-Sook Roemer and Sarah Roach for voiceover contributions.

You can purchase a copy of Stephen's February poems at: stephenroach.org

poetry, Faith and Art, Justice, ProcessStephen RoachApril 25, 2017National Poetry Month, Stephen Roach, Poetry, Protest

S1 E12: Create vs. Copy with Ken Wytsma

This episode is a conversation with author Ken Wytsma discussing elements of his book, "Create vs. Copy: Embrace Change, Ignite Creativity, Break Through With Imagination. Host Stephen Roach talks with Ken about individualism and community, the importance of imagination and purposeful creativity within the community of faith. You can find out more about Ken Wytsma at: www.kenwytsma.com

authors, Justice, keynotesStephen RoachJuly 28, 2016Creativity, art, Community

S1 E9: On The Relationship Between Beauty & Justice (Live)

Art is an extension of the artist. The environments we create affect our relationship to the world around us. From the beginning of the Genesis story on, humanity has been invited to collaborate with the Spirit of God in establishing environments of beauty and justice on the earth. In this keynote, Stephen discusses how these elements share an important interactive relationship and how as artists, we can assist in establishing beauty and justice in our lives. You can see the film documentary "For The Love Of" mentioned at the beginning of this episode here.

keynotes, theology, Beauty, JusticeStephen RoachApril 25, 2016Stephen Roach