CalArts Podcasts

Kataneh Vahdani (BFA Character Animation 05; MFA Experimental Animation 08) grew up in Iran. She is a director, animation creator, story artist, and educator, and came to the US with her mother and brother when she was a teenager, beginning her journey at CalArts when she was just 16 years old.You can learn more about Kataneh on her website.Please note this episode contains a discussion about suicide. Please listen with care. If you are thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the 988 Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States.The Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro“Lima” and the outro “Salta”) was created and performed by 2018 graduate, Nicolas Savignano. You can learn more about Nico by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Launched in 1978, The World Music Festival has its roots in CalArts’ World Music program in the Herb Alpert School of Music. As we prepare for the The 2024 World Music Festival in April, we are joined by the co-directors of the World Music Program specialization, Yeko Ladzekpo-Cole and Andrew Grueschow, who talk about the history of the World Music Festival, how it has evolved, and what we can expect for 2024.Watch to learn more about the 2024 World Music Festival, April 26 - 28.The intro music used in this episode is titled “Bamaya” The outro music used in this episode is titled "Jera” These live performances were recorded in Accra, Ghana.  Produced by retired CalArts faculty, Kobla Ladzekpo, under his record label Zadonu Records (copyright 2001)  Co-produced by Andrew Grueschow."Bamaya" is danced by men dressed as women.  This tradition began as a way to please the gods so they would bring rain.  "Jera" is music that is sometimes performed at large funerals. The dance that accompanies it is not very common.Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Jinal Sangoi (Art MFA 18) is an artist and educator, currently living in Mumbai, who weaves art, design, pedagogy, and community through her participatory and collaborative practice, designing creative methodologies for experiential learning with a particular interest in the ideas of care, home, nature, gender, and resistance. While at CalArts, Jinal was the recipient of the Tim Disney Prize for the Storytelling Arts, among other awards and scholarships. After receiving her MFA, Jinal participated in a program for recent CalArts graduate students known as the REEF Residency, where she received a stipend and free studio space for one year in downtown Los Angeles. Learn more about Jinal Sangoi and her art practice Learn more about the REEF Residency programThe Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro“Lima” and the outro “Salta”) was created and performed by 2018 graduate, Nicolas Savignano. You can learn more about Nico by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Esteban Ramón Pérez (Art BFA 17) taps into his experience as a professional upholsterer, often working with leather to produce works that intertwine the cultural and artistic sensibilities of his Chicano heritage with issues he identifies as rooted in postcolonial history. Esteban’s work embodies facets of art histories, popular icons, subjectivity, spirituality, and social issues.Esteban’s work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions across the United States and around the world. In 2023, his work was featured as part of Made in L.A., the Hammer Museum’s biennial exhibition highlighting the practices of artists working throughout the greater Los Angeles area.To learn more about Esteban’s practice, visit his website. The Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro“Lima” and the outro “Salta”) was created and performed by 2018 graduate, Nicolas Savignano. You can learn more about Nico by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

A lot that goes into creating a world class institution like CalArts, and your support of our mission helps to make that happen. In this bonus episode, Henderson explains the various ways that your gift to CalArts greatest need helps our students.Thanks for being a part of our community of artists!The Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro“Lima” and the outro “Salta”) was created and performed by 2018 graduate, Nicolas Savignano. You can learn more about Nico by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

In this episode, we’re joined by REDCAT’s Chief Curator, Daniela Lieja Quintanar and Assistant curator, Talia Heiman to talk about their new exhibition celebrating and honoring the groundbreaking effort of the Feminist Art Program pioneered by Judy Chicago in 1970. The Feminist Art Program (1970–1975): Cycles of Collectivity, which is on view through February 18, 2024 at REDCAT, CalArts’ downtown center for contemporary arts, presents an ever-growing feminist contribution to art and pedagogy with a multiplicity of voices, contexts, and identities, with an intergenerational collective of scholars, artists, activists, and curators contributing to the research, memory, syllabi, and artworks on display.Learn more about The Feminist Art Program (1970–1975): Cycles of CollectivityLearn more about REDCATThe Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro“Lima” and the outro “Salta”) was created and performed by 2018 graduate, Nicolas Savignano. You can learn more about Nico by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Trustee Emeritus, Austin Beutner, served as chair of CalArts Board of Trustees from 2006- 2014. He is a fierce supporter of arts education, including CalArts’ own Community Arts Partnership (CAP) program, as well as the landmark 2022 California ballot initiative, Proposition 28, which creates a guaranteed annual funding stream for music and arts education that equals 1% of the state’s general fund. In 2023, that amounts to almost $1 billion of funding for the arts statewide.Host Henderson Blumer spoke with Austin about these issues, as well as his own experience with the arts, why he believes so strongly in supporting arts education, and how he sees CalArts as ideally positioned to lead the arts education revival in California and beyond.Learn more about CalArts Community Arts Partnership (CAP)Learn more about California’s Proposition 28Learn more about School Gig, which connects musicians, visual artists, thespians, dancers, programmers, and more, with job opportunities in public schoolsThe Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro“Lima” and the outro “Salta”) was created and performed by 2018 graduate, Nicolas Savignano. You can learn more about Nico by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

CalArts’ annual Halloween party occupies a unique place in the hearts of most CalArtians. In this episode, we talk with past and current producers of Halloween to give you a unique look at what it takes to put on this remarkable event. We trace how the Institute has turned this epic rager into an extraordinary learning experience for students.Visit the CalArts Halloween website.Beyond the Blue Wall’s Season 3 intro music, “Lima,” was created and performed by Nicolas Savignano (Film/Video MFA 18). You can learn more about Nico and his work by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Additional music for this episode from Pixaby by:Coma StudioKeyframe AudioAnton KornienkoYrii SemchyshynSound RealityBeyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Host Henderson Blumer is joined by the Director of the Patty Disney Center for Life and Work (PDCLW), Jen Hitchings, and the Assistant Director for Career Connections & Development, Lonnie Woods III. Jen and Lonnie discuss the programs and services offered by the PDCLW as well as what it means to be a working artist. To learn more about the Patty Disney Center for Life and work, and the career services opportunities offering to CalArts students and alumnx, visit calarts.edu/clwYou can subscribe to the “Career Corner” newsletter.Request an appointment with an advisor.Beyond the Blue Wall Season 3 theme music (the intro is “Lima” and the outro is “Salta") was created and performed by Nicolas Savignano (Film/Video MFA 18). You can learn more about Nico and his work by visiting him on Instagram at @_oknico. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Bijan Berahimi (Art BFA 13) is a Graphic Design graduate and founder of Fisk, a design firm based in Portland, OR. Fisk has worked with CalArts on the Strategic Framework website and the 50th anniversary website and logo. They also assisted with the design for the 2022 gala and other projects, including the REDCAT website. Want more?Check out this profile from the Portland Monthly Check out this profile in Willamette WeekCheck out this Q&A in atomsBeyond the Blue Wall’s Season 2 original theme music was composed and performed by Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20). Learn more about their work at sockswhitmore.com. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

To learn more about Emara Neymour-Jackson (Dance BFA 20) and her practice, as well as to view some of her work, visit emaraneymourj.comCheck out this 2020 profile of Emara in VoyageLALearn more about the CalArts School of DanceBeyond the Blue Wall’s Season 2 original theme music was composed and performed by Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20). Learn more about their work at sockswhitmore.com. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Chad Hamill/ čnaq'ymi (Music BFA 93; MFA 97 ) is the Executive Director for Indigenous Arts and Expression and Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Affairs at CalArts. During the 2021-22 academic year, Chad was named the inaugural CalArts Presidential IDEA Fellow. Chad led the effort to establish a partnership between CalArts and the Institute for American Indian Arts (IAIA). He has also developed and taught the first Indigenous Studies and Native arts course in CalArts history, as well as organized numerous cultural events across the CalArts community.Chad previously served as chair of the Department of Applied Indigenous Studies and Vice President of Native American Initiatives at Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff. While at NAU, where he began teaching in 2007, Chad led innovative and impactful initiatives focused on a variety of areas, including tribal leadership, K-12 engagement with Native-serving schools, global Indigenous partnerships, wifi infrastructure on Native lands, and environmental sustainability in Indian Country. Chad received his BFA in World Music Performance and his MFA in North Indian Classical Music from CalArts and went on to earn his PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Colorado.A descendant of the Spokane Tribe of Indians, Chad is the co-founder of the Spokane Language House, a nonprofit tribal organization focused on language revitalization. Chad’s research and publications focus on music and sovereignty, music and spirituality, Indigenous ecological knowledge, performative scholarship, and the Indigenization / decolonization of academic structures. His book, Songs of Power and Prayer in the Columbia Plateau (OSU Press), explores song as a vehicle for spiritual power among tribes of the interior Northwest. Chad continues to write, record, and perform musical works centered on Spokane ways of knowing and being in the world.Learn moreTo learn more about Chad Hamill’s music and scholarship, and to listen to his music and watch him perform, visit motherearthsongs.com.Learn more about qey’s (Dream) Scholarship for Indigenous Artists, established by Chad, which provides full tuition support for students at CalArts.Learn more about Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) at CalArts.Learn more about CalArts’ Land Acknowledgment.Beyond the Blue Wall’s Season 2 original theme music was composed and performed by Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20). Learn more about their work at sockswhitmore.com. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

The REEF Residency is a collaboration between the School of Critical Studies, School of Film/Video, and School of Art.  Learn more about the REEF Residency. In this episode, we speak with 2022 REEF Residents, Fía Benitez and Simone Zapata. Their exhibition, Tense Renderings: the will and won’t of spatial logics, opened at The REEF Los Angeles, June 24–July 24, 2022. Tense Renderings interrogates the motivations, conditions, and limitations of maps and mapmaking. The range of works include axonometric projection drawing; feminist, communally-woven textile; speculative sea and space colonization; and interventions into legal language delineating exclusion and belonging.Tense Renderings features 14 artists across time zones and disciplines: Jumanah Abbas, C. Bain, Amy Chiao, Natan Diacon-Furtado, Jen D’Mello, Alexsa Durrans, Christine Imperial, sj kim-ryu, Wesley Larios, Julia Saenz Lorduy, Sonya Merutka, Amanda Teixeira, Sarah Sophia Yanni, and Bz Zhang.View Tense RenderingsPress:24700: New Exhibition Interrogates Mapmaking in Tense Renderings: the will and won’t of spatial logicsSimone Zapata is a poet and educator from San José, CA. Her work can be found, or is forthcoming in Foglifter, The Quarterless Review, Tiny Spoon, Reed Magazine, and The Vassar Review. She serves as Managing Editor for The Beat Within, and as a poetry editor for MAYDAY. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from California Institute of the Arts. Fía Benitez is an artist and educator living in Los Angeles. Their ongoing body of work, Root Rot, encompasses large-scale graphite drawings, collage, turn of the century artifacts, and bisque-fired ceramics. Incorporating research from public archives, works in Root Rot index the legacies of the California citrus industry and its history of indigenous dispossession, erasure of immigrant labor, and privatization of land management practices. Fía is a 2022 REEF Artist-in-Residence and a 2020 Research & Practice Fellow, with recent solo and group exhibitions at The Consulate General of Mexico in Los Angeles, NÉVÉ, The Reef, Tin Flats, Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, 7313 Melrose, Newhall Crossings, Other Places Art Fair, and CalArts. Publications include re:connections, water / relic / spices, as well as Baest Journal, Sublevel Magazine, The Kitchen Blog, and The Vassar Review. Fía holds degrees from Vassar College and CalArts.Beyond the Blue Wall’s Season 2 original theme music was composed and performed by Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20). LeBeyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

On Saturday, June 5, 2021, a cooling tower on the fifth floor of CalArts’ A-block overflowed, flooding several locations  below and causing much damage to the Character and Experimental Animation areas. This is the story of that flood, as well as the resurrection of this critically important space on the CalArts’ campus. To follow the progress of construction in A-block, visit this page on the School of Film/Video website.Learn more about CalArts’ Character Animation and Experimental Animation programs.____Beyond the Blue Wall's Season 2 original theme music (the intro and outro) was composed and performed by 2020 Music alumnx, Socks Whitmore. You can learn more about Socks at sockswhitmore.com. Additional music in this episode includes:“Zion” by Salmon Like the Fish from the Free Music Archive and Creative Commons“Midnight” by Lexin Music from Pixabay “Light Chilled Music Backgrounds” by ComaStudio from Pixabay“Mountain Pass” by Lobo Loco from the Free Music Archive and Creative Commons“Flying Minimal” by Coma-Media from PixabayBeyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Ochion Jewell (Music MFA 07) is a jazz saxophonist and composer from Appalachian Kentucky. He studied classical music as an undergraduate at the University of Louisville and studied jazz, free improvisation, and composition at CalArts.Ochion's debut album "First Suite for Quartet'' was released by Mythology Records in 2010 to positive acclaim. The album was heralded by the New York City Jazz Record as "an ambitious, beautifully rendered album...exhilarating in every facet." His followup, with the Ochion Jewell Quartet, “Volk,” was released in 2015. Ochion lives in Brooklyn and  teaches at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. He is also the co-host of the Brooklyn Living Room Sessions video podcast, which was partially funded by a CalArts Alumnx Seed Grant. Our original theme music was composed and performed by 2020 Music alumnx, Socks Whitmore. You can learn more about Socks at sockswhitmore.com. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

As The New York Times noted in a 2021 profile, “for a quarter-century, through the ever-changing social and cultural climate, [Andrea] Bowers has forged lasting bonds with queer and trans folk, fighters for abortion rights, radical environmentalists, immigration advocates, Native activists and scholars across generations.”In its 2022 retrospective of Bower’s work, the Hammer Museum said that she “has built an international reputation as a chronicler of contemporary history, documenting activism as it unfolds and collecting research on the front lines of protest.”Bowers (Art MFA 92) sat down with host Henderson Blumer at her Highland Park studio for a conversation about her experience at CalArts as well as her work as an artist and activist over the past three decades.Go deeper:Read an Los Angeles Times profile from July 2022Learn more at Andrew Kreps GalleryLearn more about 50+50: A Creative Century from Chouinard to CalArtsBeyond the Blue Wall’s original theme music was composed and performed by Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20). Learn more about their work at sockswhitmore.com. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

In this episode of Beyond the Blue Wall, Henderson Blumer talks with David O (Theater BFA 92) about their time at CalArts, life as a music director, and what it is like working on a Broadway production.David O is the music director for Mr. Saturday Night, a musical comedy starring Billy Crystal. It is currently playing at the Nederlander Theatre in New York.Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Director of the Jazz Program, David Roitstein, joins two of his former students: Scott Colley (Music BFA 88) and John Schwerbel (Music BFA 14) to talk about the extraordinary legacy of Charlie Haden at CalArts and beyond, including the annual Charlie Haden/CalArts Artist in Residence program. Learn more about Charlie Haden at charliehadenmusic.com Learn more about David Roitstein at davidroitstein.comJohn Schwerbel currently serves as Director of Administration at Thomas Safran and Associates and is the Founding Chair of the CalArts Alumni CouncilLearn more about Scott Colley at scottcolley.comWatch Carla Bley and Steve Swallow as part of the 2021 Charlie Haden / CalArts Artists in ResidenceMusic Credit:  "Turnaround" (composed by Ornette Coleman) from 80/81 (ECM) with Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, and Jack DeJohnette. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Socks Whitmore (Music BFA 20) talks about the ins and outs of starting your career as a freelance artists. Socks (they/them/theirs) is a Los Angeles-based singer, stage and voice actor, lyricist-composer, and writer. They have done voice over work on projects like the Narwhal & Jelly audiobook series (Penguin Random House) and the fiction podcast "Georgie Romero Is Done For." Socks has also written the book, lyrics, and music to original musicals like "We Are Here" (New Voices Project winner 2019) and "Back to One," as well as originated roles in new works like the ballet operetta "Children Cannot Sleep" and the new musical "The Bully Problem." Learn more about Socks at sockwhitmore.com Check out Building Your Freelancing Career, a new specialization from Coursera for CalArts, offered FREE to all students, alumnx, faculty, and staff at CalArts.Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.

Henderson Blumer talks with K Rocka Knittel (Art MFA 10) about their experience at CalArts, Other Places Art Fair (OPaf), and what it takes to make an independent art fair happen (with some help from funding awarded by the Alumnx Council).The next OPaf will take place on Saturday, May 14, 2022 in Santa Rosa, CA. OPaf 5 is happening in San Pedro on September 17 and 18, 2022. Learn more at Other Places Art Fair and visit them on Instagram. Beyond the Blue Wall is a production of the CalArts Office of Advancement. You can find all of the episodes at calarts.edu/btbw.