Artists Talk With LVA: July 14 2022

Multi-disciplinary artist Colleen Toutant Merrill’s work examines the simultaneously personal and social history of textiles. Her adorned, embellished, and sometimes garish composite forms scrutinize the beauty and tension of our most interdependent relationships

She has exhibited her work here in Kentucky in  Lexington & Louisville but also in New York, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh, and at the International Textile Biennial in Haact, Belgium. Merrill has received grants from the Kentucky Federation for Women and the Great Meadows Foundation. She has been awarded fellowships for the Byrdcliffe Artist Residency in New York, and the Pentaculum Textiles Residency at the Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Tennessee. 

Merrill is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Bluegrass Community & Technical College and a part-time Instructor in Fiber & Material Studies at the University of Kentucky.

Her latest body of work, Day In & Day Out, opens at  WheelHouse Art  Saturday, July 16, 3:00 - 5:00 pm. The exhibition continues through September 3, 2022.

Artebella On The Radio: November 18

The University of Louisville Theatre department has opened a production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night at The Playhouse and runs through November 21 It is directed by Jennifer Pennington and engages with ideas about gender fluidity and non-binary identity in creative ways that follow Shakespeare’s text. Three of the cast members talked with us about their experience with the production.

Allie Firell is a playwright, actor, journalist, who has worked with or written about a good majority of arts groups and artists in the Louisville area. They are a candidate for an MFA from the University of Louisville Theatre Dept.

Sarah Chen Elston is an actor, director, and educator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She holds a BA in Theatre from both Point Park University and Guilford College.. Currently a candidate for an MFA from the University of Louisville Theatre Dept.

Jahii Bogard is an actor from Atlanta, Georgia. He studied theatre at Greensboro College and is currently a candidate for an MFA from the University of Louisville Theatre Dept.

Artebella On The Radio: August 6

Janelle Renee Dunn, LaTasha Pace, & Alexander Griggs joined us for a highly personal conversation in relation to the Ain't I A Woman Virtual Summit taking place August 7-9. It is the creative pandemic pivot for the 3rd season of the Ain't I A Woman Playfest. Tune into WXOX 97.1 FM, or stream on Artxfm.com every Thursday at 10:00 am to hear Keith Waits talk with artists.

Janelle Renee Dunn, originally from Duncan, South Carolina, is a director, producer and teaching artist. She earned a MFA in Acting from the University of Louisville and a BA in Theatre (Directing) from Berea College. Janelle Renee is currently a Learning and Creative Engagement Associate for Actors Theatre. Janelle Renee is also the founder and producer of Ain't I a Woman Playfest, a theatre festival highlighting the work of women of color playwrights. 

LaTasha Pace is a wife and mother of two daughters (17 and 24). LaTasha received her MBA in Business Administration from Clemson University and works in contract management. In her down time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends. She is an avid reader and traveler. Being a parent and role model for her daughters is an important part of her life journey. For her, parenting is about being present, instilling values of faith, hope and resilience, all while teaching her daughters how to purposefully take up space.

Alexander Josiah Griggs is a proud transman who began transitioning in 2014. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Simmons College of KY in 2019 and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Alexander is an advocate and activist for trans and gender variant persons. He is a writer and an artist dedicated to the advancement of his community.

FRIDAY, August 7th:
4 pm: “Twice as Hard: Raising Black Kids in a White World”
Panelist: Anitria Allen, LaTasha Pace, Ivy Sowell, Stacy Bailey-Ndiaye, Janelle Renee (host)

8 pm: "Before You Decided: A Virtual Experience" w/ Talkback with the Creative Team
Hosted by: Arlane Taylor, Co-created and co-produced by Two Hearts Media and Sujotta Pace

SATURDAY, August 8th:
1 pm: - "TRANScending the Stigma"
Panelist: Remi Dior Martin, Derek Guy, Charlotte Hayden, Alex Griggs (host)

3 pm: "Black in Color: Why it’s time we spoke about anti-Blackness in Communities of Color"
Panelist: Jenna Zhu, Cabrina Arthur, JoMaris DeJesus, Arlane Taylor (host)

8 pm: Ain’t I a Woman: A Virtual Dance Party w/ DJ Bombshell

SUNDAY, August 9th: Self-care Sunday
4 pm: "I AM Yoga Flow" with Breketa Goodwin and Exhale Yoga Studio