Sharing the Mic

Dr. Christopher Hein, Associate Professor in Coastal Geology at The College of William and Mary/VIMS. Hein’s research focuses on coastal populations, infrastructure, and ecological communities currently threatened by atmospheric warming, accelerated sea-level rise, changes in the frequency and intensity of coastal storms, and variability in sediment supply rates. His primary research focuses on the mainland and barrier islands of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He also has active projects studying dune processes in the North Carolina Outer Banks, barrier-island processes in the Gulf of Maine, and marshes processes along much of the US East Coast. Chris was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award at William & Mary in 2022.

Dutch artist Carole Böggemann Peirson has been a professional oil painter since 2005 and is mainly known for her East Coast landscapes. A few life-changing events in 2020 caused a shift in her work from figurative to semi-abstract. Her ethereal works in oil and cold wax are inspired by the idea that all living things are connected and that we are spiritual beings having a temporary physical experience. Carole hopes her love for life and her optimism about the future will shine through in her work and that the viewer will feel uplifted looking at it time and time again. 

For the past 13 years, Jim Spione has worked with the Barrier Islands Center to produce revealing and enlightening documentaries about the barrier islands of Virginia and life on the Eastern Shore.  Jim and David discuss the 8th film currently in production about the history of the Almshouse- where the Barrier Islands Center is located. 

 Jon Lohman is the founder and Executive Director of the Center for Cultural Vibrancy. Before that, he was the director of Virginia’s state Folklife Program, where he initiated and carried out numerous programs, including an award-winning Folklife Apprenticeship Program and the corresponding book In Good Keeping. Jon has presented and served on curatorial committees for numerous local and national festivals, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Richmond Folk Festival, Merlefest, Floydfest, the Lowell Folk Festival, the American Folk Festival, and the National Folk Festival. Jon has presented his work and collaborated with the Smithsonian, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the State Department, and numerous cultural organizations and festivals throughout Virginia and the country.

Jeff Holland has been the Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel District since June 2005. Jeff is responsible for the general management and oversight of the day-to-day operations of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. In this podcast episode, Jeff will discuss operating, maintaining, and preserving the largest bridge and tunnel complex in the most tumultuous marine environment for surface transportation in the world.

In this month's podcast, threads from past interviews weave a story of how a dream to preserve memories of a way of life became a creative and educational institution - the Barrier Islands Center. Featured excerpts include Washington Post journalist Devlin Barrett, musician and artist Thelma Peterson, past BIC Executive Director Laura Vaughan, BIC Executive Director Sally Dickinson, filmmaker Jim Spione, and children's book author Andrew Barbour.

Megan joined the BIC staff in 2021 as the Director of Planning and Development. Hear about her path that brought her to the BIC and what she is working on for the BIC to flourish and be impactful. 

David Phillips sits down with BIC 2023 Summer Intern, Anna Hart. Anna is the 3rd recipient of the Margaret Jane Dickinson Summer internship at the BIC. She is a senior at the College of William and Mary. We hope you will enjoy hearing about her 2023 summer internship and what she has learned and experienced at the BIC. 

Fans of the Barrier Islands Center's documentary films have remarked on the beautiful music that perfectly sets the mood and captures our emotions. Our guest on this episode of Sharing the Mic is Emile Menasché who composed the original scores for all seven films. A graduate of New York University's acclaimed school of Tisch School of the Arts, Emile is a self-described music geek who scores film and tv projects, plays, writes and produces music, and is also editor of a small weekly newspaper in upstate New York.

David’s guest is Moonrise Jewelry founder and designer Meredith Lusk. Meredith is deeply rooted in her Eastern Shore of Virginia community, where her family has lived since the 1700s. As a child, she began her entrepreneurial journey in her father’s drug store, the Cheriton Pharmacy, selling hand-made jewelry and sculptures crafted from seashells collected near her home on the Chesapeake Bay. Join David and Meredith as they discuss the challenges and joys of creating a business out of a lifelong passion.

In this special episode of Sharing the Mic with David Phillips, Jim Spione discusses his Barrier Islands Center film, Gatherings, which will have the premiere it was not able to have when it was originally released during the pandemic. Join us on July 6th at 7:00 p.m., for a screening and Q&A with Jim Spione at the Historic Palace Theatre in Cape Charles. FREE admission. No reservations required.

A good friend of the Barrier Islands Center, Gregg Kimball, was the MC for the recent Art & Music on the Farm event and has been so for that event’s duration. He advises on the programming and frequently performs. His day job is the Director of Outreach and Programming at the Library of Virginia in Richmond.

Beginning her 3rd year as Executive Director of the Barrier Islands Center, Sally Dickinson gives us an update on the State of the BIC and a preview of what’s to come.

David Phillips chats with Cela Burge, judge for the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court for Accomack and Northampton counties. Judge Burge has made a definite difference for those of us who live on the Eastern Shore. Since migrating to the Shore from West Virginia in 1998, she has been Town Manager for Cape Charles, a law student, a practicing attorney in private practice, the County Attorney for Accomack County, and now it's Judge Burge.

Anna Vita Lee and Dr. Bernard L. Herman are our guests in this episode. Anna and her husband, David, founded and operate the Barrier Islands Salt Co. Bernie is known as the host of the popular Barrier Island Center video production “Conversations in the Kitchen” as well as his many books, among which is A South You Never Ate: Savoring Flavors and Stories from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. We will learn a little about salt, its history, and the entrepreneurs reviving an ancient craft.

This episode’s guests are tidewater musicians, Richard David Spano and Jim Bulleit. Richard has worked on music productions at the Barrier Islands Center and The Historic Palace Theatre in Cape Charles. Jim and Richard have teamed up to produce a new CD and streaming album called In the Shadow of Cupid’s Arrow. They will appear on Paul Shugrue’s Out of the Box Sandler Center’s show on February 23.To listen to music by Jim Bulleit and Richard David Spano, follow these links:In the Shadow of Cupid's Arrow - YouTubeBetter Than We Are Movie - YouTube

Since her retirement and moving permanently to the Eastern Shore, Lee Jordan-Anders has been the gift that keeps giving! You will enjoy hearing about her robust career and her life view of being an artist.

New episode December 1st! Honorable Croxton Gordon is a retired Judge for the Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court in Accomack and Northampton County. Before becoming a judge, he had a successful law practice on the Eastern Shore. Croxton's many talents and passions include playing the bass and woodworking. He plays a bass that he built as a member of the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore. (Click the link in our bio for this and past episodes!)

Tevya Williams Griffin was born in a quaint close-knit community on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. In 2009 she was riding with her grandmother, Annette Williams, and noticed a building she had probably passed a hundred times in her lifetime.  Learning that the building served as a school for African American children during segregation in Cape Charles, she contacted alumni and town leaders to discuss how the building and history could be preserved. Under her leadership, alumni, former faculty, and friends worked two years later to place a state historic marker at the school, and not soon after, the collection of oral histories commenced. Currently serving as the President of the Cape Charles Rosenwald School Restoration Initiative, Tevya strives to be a bridge between diverse communities and bring them together for a greater cause. Tevya serves as the Director of Planning and Codes Compliance for the City of Williamsburg, VA. 

Our guest for this episode of Sharing the Mic is Dr. Paul Sanho Kim, an associate professor at Old Dominion University. He directs the ODU Symphony Orchestra, teaches conducting and violin, and coordinates the strings area. He is the music director of the Orchestra of the Eastern Shore and the symphony orchestra conductor of the Czech Music Camp for Youth. Kim led performances with the Virginia Symphony, Roanoke Symphony, and university orchestras across the U.S. and China. He was the conductor for Eurythmics star Dave Stewart and his Rock Fabulous Orchestra. He was also the conductor and producer for the album Carl Roskott: Works for Violin, released by Centaur Records.Kim is the composer of nearly thirty original works. Where Darkness Meets Light, a multimedia composition for violin and cello, was performed at the Chrysler Museum of Art and the 2017 Glass Art Society Conference to critical acclaim, and a digital music album (with Kim on violin) is available on iTunes and CD Baby. His arrangements of Radiohead songs for string quintet Sybarite5 have been performed on NPR’s Performance Today as well as at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and have been released on Sybarite5’s album Everything in Its Right Place. As a violinist, Kim is a member of the Roanoke Symphony, performed with the Virginia Symphony and Maryland Symphony, as well as internationally.Adagio https://youtu.be/Jetl-f_WG1MSoft Rain https://youtu.be/9209rOl3gHoSybarite 5 - Radiohead remixed for string quintet by Paul Sanho Kim https://sybarite5.bandcamp.com/album/everything-in-its-right-place