Sarah Hempel Irani has been sculpting expressive figures in clay and stone for nearly twenty years. Originally from Michigan, she moved to Maryland to apprentice with Jay Hall Carpenter, former Artist-in-Residence at the Washington National Cathedral.
Sarah has contributed sculptures to national shows and received several notable awards, including the Maryland Arts Council Individual Artist Award in 2009.
Currently Sarah is sculpting a seven-and-a-half-foot statue of renowned fashion designer, Claire McCardell, to be cast in bronze and installed in McCardell's hometown of Frederick, Maryland.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Sarah about her creative process as a sculptor, how technique and spontaneity work together and how practices such as centering prayer leads to unexpected astonishment in her art making.
This episode features song interludes from Songs of Water’s three song EP titled Bright Mystery.
**Virtual and a limited number of live tickets are available to The Breath and The Clay 2021 taking place March 19-21 in Winston Salem NC. You can find this link in our show notes and on our official website at http://www.makersandmystics.com.
One of the growing problems of our society that started long before but has been agitated by the COVID-19 pandemic is isolationism or the sense of loneliness and lack of meaningful social connections. Too much isolationism leads to individuals feeling a decreasing sense of responsibility or belonging to a group or a family. Therefore everything from littering to mass shootings could be rooted in the spiritual deficiency of belonging.
In this episode, Stephen shares on the artist's need to belong and the gift of creating a safe space to be in process.
Thea Matthews is a San Francisco born poet, orator and activist whose work centers on the complexities of humanity, grief, and resiliency. In this episode, Stephen Roach to talks with Thea about her debut poetry collection published by Red Light Lit titled, Unearth [The Flowers] and about her journey of finding healing and resiliency through poetry.
Thea's empowering poems provide a path to healing and illustrate how survivors can find a safe place within themselves to reclaim their own identity and sexuality.
Her book has been described as an electrifying letter to family, country, and self, Unearth [The Flowers] is relentless in its journey through stages of grief and healing while celebrating life.
Julian of Norwich was a Medieval English mystic born around year 1342 and who died around year 1420. Much of Julian’s life remains unknown to us but what we do know of Julian comes from biographical passages in her book Revelations of Divine Love. This book, now considered a classic of contemplative literature, is the first known book to have been written in the English language by a woman.
The book recounts a series of mystical visions where she witnesses spiritual realities in beautiful and sometimes terrifying encounters.
Her visions, sometimes contrary to Church teaching, occurred at a time when the Church’s word and God’s word were taken as synonymous. To contradict the Church’s doctrine was seen as an offense toward God. Furthermore, to write and teach authoritatively as a woman was highly frowned upon, even dangerous during her time.
Although there is not a wealth of information about the life of Julian of Norwich, understanding the culture and circumstance in which she lived reveals the revolutionary nature of her writing and highlights why this Medieval mystic’s experience is pertinent for us today.
Rivers & Robots is an independent band from Manchester, UK whose sound explores acoustic and electronic elements beneath layers of devotional lyrics and worship themed motifs.
In this episode, Stephen talks with founding members Jonathan Ogden and Nathan Stirling about the creative exploration within their music and how context influences the art we make.
In this live, keynote talk, Makers & Mystics host, Stephen Roach shares with The Well Collab in Frederick, Maryland. This talk discusses what sociologist, Max Weber coined as “disenchantment” and the human need for reverence.
What does it mean to sit with the mystery and what is the artist’s role in bringing “re-enchantment” to a world devoid of ecstatic experience? Listen to this keynote for insights into these questions.
JUURI is a Tokyo-born muralist currently working from Oklahoma City. Her vibrant, figure-driven work fuses traditional Japanese imagery with modern, pop motifs.
Juuri’s large scale murals frequently serve in city-wide revitalization efforts and can be seen in cities across America and overseas in Israel. Her realistic watercolor faces surrounded by cultural elements, patterns or flora contain deep, personal symbolism and often represent a tenacious attitude of defiance in the face of defeat.
Her bold imagery, set upon canvases of brick buildings and urban landscapes is themed with messages of unexpected courage, hope and beauty.
“In a world full of chaos”, Juuri says, her art “is a way to find home." For her, home is a timeless place unaffected by current events, trends, and noise.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Juuri about her background as a muralist working within varied geographical locations and what it means to step beyond tradition into a sense of timelessness within her art.
Jennifer Dasal is the curator of modern and contemporary art at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she is the host of the independent podcast ArtCurious, which she started in 2016 and was named one of the best podcasts by O, The Oprah Magazine and PC Magazine. Jennifer’s book ARTCURIOUS: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History takes a colorful look at the world of art history, and reveals some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world's great artists and masterpieces. In this episode, Stephen talks with Jennifer about some of the stories found in her book and why she feels that art history is important for modern creators to explore.
Pádraig Ó Tuama is an Irish poet and theologian whose work centers around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. His poetry and prose has been published widely across Ireland, the US and the UK. For Ó Tuama, religion, conflict, power and poetry all circle around language, that original sacrament. In the context of public theology, he takes the received form of biblical texts and explores the civic and artistic dynamics of language, narrative and impact in these stories.
Pádraig is a voice for LGBT inclusion and for the value of arts in public life. He presents Poetry Unbound with On Being Studios, a podcast that explores a single poem in each episode.
In this episode, Padraig and I share a conversation on his background as a poet, theologian and how the arts and language play a central role in reconciliation and conflict resolution.
Padraig’s work in language and conflict resolution is a vital contribution to finding a way forward through our current cultural moment.
Patrons of the podcast can enjoy the full, unedited interview at: http://www.patreon.com/makersandmystics
This Season Premiere Episode features a conversation with writer and director, Ryan Daniel Dobson of the feature film HOSEA, along with the film’s music composer, Michael Gungor of Gungor music and The Liturgists podcast.
After studying theology in college, Ryan turned his attention to the entertainment industry with a focus on marrying theological and philosophical concepts to powerful visual storytelling.
The feature film HOSEA follows this trajectory with a modern adaptation of the biblical narrative by the same name. The film takes place in the southern landscape of Oklahoma and follows the story of a young girl by the name of Cate and her childhood friend Henry. Cate’s story is one of substance abuse, mental illness, prostitution and the search for self-worth and acceptance.
In this episode, I talk with Ryan and Michael about the film, their creative collaboration and why it is important to reconsider familiar spiritual narratives apart from inherited cultural interpretations.
You can discover more about the film by visiting Hoseafilm.com
Khalisa Rae is an activist, poet, and educator in Durham, North Carolina, and a graduate of the Queens University MFA program. She is the winner of the 2020 Bright Wings Poetry Contest.
In this Bonus episode, Stephen Roach and Ashley Blake talk with Khalisa Rae about poetry and the importance of telling our story. Khalisa performs two of her poems, including her winning poem, The Way Out and the title poem from her upcoming collection, Ghost In A Black Girl's Throat.
You can read Khalisa's and the other winning poets at: http://www.makersandmystics.com/brightwings
The three strands of art, faith and culture encompass the ethos of Makers & Mystics and provide the guidelines for our topics and discussions. We believe that the path of the maker and the path of the mystic are one and the same. The creative life is inherently spiritual and healthy spirituality will always be expressed through creativity.
Makers & Mystics is committed to asking the questions, honoring the mysteries and leaving room for our listeners to wrestle with what answers resonate in your own creative space. We are called to be the architects of hope and counter the harshness of life with the opposite spirit, in beauty and creativity. So let poetry be our protest. Let generosity, humility and kindness lead the revolution. This is who we are and this is what this podcast is committed to advocate.
Listen to this short, season interlude from Stephen Roach as we prepare to go into Season 8 of the podcast!
Image by Erika Masterson http://erikamasterson.com/home/fine-art-erika-masterson/
Elephant Heart is the husband and wife musical collaborative of Jason and Victoria Evigan. Jason Evigan is an award-winning producer and songwriter responsible for some of today’s biggest hits from artists such as Maroon 5, Madonna, Ellie Goulding, and Rufus Du Sol. Victoria Evigan is a musician, visual artist, set designer and stylist known for using make up, hair, environments, and fashion to create contemporary expressions of the Elephant Heart ethos. Victoria is also the principal operator of Picture This, Elephant Heart’s not for profit organization.
Patrons of the podcast can listen to additional interview segments with Jason and Victoria about Picture This, making their own instruments and Jason’s work as a music producer.
In this season finale episode, Stephen talks with Jason and Victoria from their home studio in Los Angeles, California about the spiritual dynamics and creative processes within their music.
Marcel Duchamp was a visual artist, writer and avid chess player born July 28, 1887 near Blainville, France. His works are characterized by irony, movement and the dissolution of pre-conceived notions about art. Duchamp was an artist who defied categorization. He sent shock waves through the art world with the premiere of his line of found, manufactured objects called Readymades.
In this episode, Stephen shares a brief glimpse into the life of this eccentric artist as well as a spiritual interpretation of Readymades and Duchamp’s piece, Fountain.
A Boy & His Kite is the music project by Colorado singer-songwriter and producer, Dave Wilton. In this episode, Stephen talks with Dave about the silence of God, expressing joy and grief through art, and the creative process behind his latest release, The Path Became A Ghost.
Ben Chung is a freestyle dancer, choreographer and one of the co-founders of the Kinjaz American dance crew in Los Angeles, California. He is a former member of the famous Jabbawockeez male dance troupe and is the winner of the first season of America's Best Dance Crew. In this episode Stephen talks with Ben about his creative process, collaboration and the art of finding flow.
Turtledoves is the new musical project of Ashley and Alex McGrath. Exploring the balance between lo-fi electronics and acoustic instruments, the husband/wife duo creates harmonically rich soundscapes consisting of labyrinthine melodies, ambient textures, and layered vocals. Turtledoves exist in the liminal spaces - messengers between seen and unseen - ambassadors to the now from the not quite yet. Residing in Cincinnati, OH, the band recently released their second EP, titled, “Pillars of The Earth. Their first, “The Rest is Yet to Come”, was released in 2018.
In this episode, Stephen talks with Ashley and Alex about their collaborative process as a husband and wife duo.
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.
This episode is our third release from the Makers and Mystics LIVE series. This conversation comes to you from Denver, Colorado and highlights our panel discussion on Art As Incarnation. You’ll hear from a diverse panel of voices including Master Penman, Jake Weidmann, Graphic Novelist, R. Alan Brooks and Printmaker, Kim Morski.
The 27 Club is a cultural phenomenon that recognized how a large number of famous artists, actors and musicians all died at the age of 27. Although there is no scientific evidence to back up the connections, the tendency to rise to fame and die young is baked into the tropes of Western culture. In this live keynote talk, given at The Breath & the Clay 2020, Stephen Roach invites listeners to go beyond a pursuit of fame into the pursuit of greatness.
This bonus Episode features a live performance and interview with spoken word artist La’Tasha Strother. La’Tasha threads her relationship with God throughout her life and work and creates poignant imagery about her life experiences. The poem performed in this episode is titled Love Is Not Blind and was performed live at our Art As Healing Podcast in Charlottesville Virginia.
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.
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.
