Latest / Pop of Culture / S03 E02 - We Hit a Pothole

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S03 E02 - We Hit a Pothole · Pop of Culture

0:00
[Sean Ashcraft] Support for "Pop of Culture,"
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comes from Stallings Wealth Management,
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Daniel Stallings, Financial Advisor,
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Securities and Advisory services
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and registered investment advisor.
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Cetera is under separate ownership
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from any other named entity.
0:15
(bright music)
0:16
[Michelle Kinsey] This week on "Pop of Culture," 765 hunk,
0:19
we hear from local band Pothole.
0:21
[Lawson Sanchez] Someone does this and then they pass it to
0:24
him and then they pass it to him and they done.
0:25
[Carter Minton] Lots of laminating exacto knives and-
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[Lawson Sanchez] We make them with love.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, and it's like a way that we can keep
0:31
our price down. Like that's a really big part of it
0:33
is we want it to be accessible,
0:35
but we also don't wanna be screwing ourselves.
0:37
[Kara DuQuette] Also, if you find yourself saying,
0:38
"I know her from somewhere."
0:40
A new exhibition in Marion is connecting faces with places.
0:44
[Michelle Kinsey] And will get a taste of a two week dining
0:48
experience in Delaware County coming up.
0:50
[Luke Jones] Support for "Pop of Culture,"
0:52
comes from Stallings Wealth Management,
0:56
The Innovation Connector,
0:59
and from you, with state and federal money eliminated,
1:04
you are the difference in keeping local programming
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on the air at IPR.
1:09
Become a member today at indianapublicradio.org.
1:14
[Kara DuQuette] From IPR this is Pop of Culture. I'm Kara DuQuette.
1:17
[Michelle Kinsey] And I'm Michelle Kinsey.
1:19
If you live in East central Indiana,
1:20
you are used to hitting potholes,
1:22
but on the show today it's Pothole making the hits.
1:26
[Kara DuQuette] A local band who describes their sound as
1:31
765 punk, spoke with Maya Doss.
1:33
(upbeat rock music)
2:02
[Maya Doss] Today I have a couple members from the local
2:06
band Pothole, self-described as 765 punk.
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How are you guys?
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[Carter Minton] Good.
2:10
[Maya Doss] Who do we have in the hot seat today?
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[Lawson Sanchez] I'm Lawson. I play guitar in Pothole.
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[Carter Minton] I'm Carter. I play drums.
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[Maya Doss] Nice, so I'm so excited to have you guys in
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as my first band interview and I think,
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you know what I'm about to ask, what are you working on?
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[Carter Minton] We're working on two EPs.
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Hopefully we get the first out within three months.
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We're hoping for, and they're kind of like sister EPs.
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We're hoping that they can kind of connect.
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[Lawson Sanchez] We actually wrote the songs first.
2:45
The way that we went about it is we kind of...
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There's a story of this jazz drummer going into a woodshed
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after he like played publicly in front of people
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and was horrible.
2:59
And then they didn't see him for like years
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and they came back and he was awesome.
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And then there was this huge like concept of like,
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you go into hiding as an artist and then you chop it out
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and then you, you know, come out on top.
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And that's kind of what we did with writing the songs.
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I mean, originally it was only a four piece band.
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It was us two, Jarret and Sean.
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And then Jarret was playing bass
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and we wrote all of the songs.
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We wrote 12 songs together and then we were like, okay,
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this is enough to play.
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Our songs are so short. So it was only like a 20 minute set.
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But we're like, yeah, this is enough to play life now.
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And then we were like,
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well we really need two guitar players
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and we need to figure out who's gonna sing.
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And Sean was very, very clearly the singer.
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Like, 'cause all of us were kind of singing at that point
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and he was just so good and had never done it before.
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He has great front man energy.
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[Maya Doss] Yeah, I was gonna say his energy as the
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front man is just insane.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, he's a natural.
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Then Gentry kind of hopped on board last-
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[Lawson Sanchez] It was like a year ago.
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[Carter Minton] The year end of January.
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And then we were playing shows by March or April.
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And then now that we've played these songs to death,
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it's a good time to like start recording.
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Now that they've create...
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Especially with Gentry being in the band.
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We've all had our own identities in the songs
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and they've kind of grown into what they are.
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So we're ready to record.
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[Lawson Sanchez] Yeah, I mean, comparing what we first wrote
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with the songs and what they are now, I mean they're the
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same songs,but they're completely different.
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[Maya Doss] They're that special sauce.
4:35
[Lawson Sanchez] Yeah, they do. Yeah.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah.
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[Maya] Are you going to use physical media to make your EPs?
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[Lawson Sanchez] Oh yeah, of course.
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[Carter Minton] Of course.
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We make our own.
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[Lawson Sanchez] Yeah, we make it in my dining room
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or my dorm bedroom depending on, you know?
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[Carter Minton] Yeah.
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[Lawson Sanchez] The situation.
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[Carter Minton] We made it in my garage one time.
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We call it the Pothole sweatshop. We just-
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[Lawson Sanchez] Yeah, we get the four or five of us,
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Michael included.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah. And we just lock in.
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Yep, just literally like a assembly line,
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like, someone does this and then they pass it to him
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and then they pass it to-
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, lots of laminating and exacto knives
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[Lawson Sanchez] we make them with love.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, and it's like,
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it's a way that we can keep our price down.
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Like that's a really big part of it
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is we want it to be accessible
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but we also don't wanna be screwing ourselves and people,
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you know, if you're going to a live show
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and you're buying merch,
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you know that you're kind of helping out the band.
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[Maya Doss] What's more punk than DIY? [Carter Minton] Yeah, exactly.
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[Lawson Sanchez] DIY Till we die.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah. DIY till we die.
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And it goes back to, you know,
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that's part of the creative vision as well
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is we like to have input in our merch
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and we don't want just someone being like, okay,
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you got these CDs coming out and I hired.
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Like we want to be involved in the creative process.
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[Maya Doss] I respect that.
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[Lawson Sanchez] Yeah, it's way better than streaming.
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Support your local artists with your physical media.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah. It's sick.
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[Maya Doss] What themes are you guys exploring in those EPs?
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Like what's the music about?
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[Lawson Sanchez] Well, we talk a lot about things like
6:00
government overreach and general just, you know,
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antisystem kind of music.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, I think a lot of the music lyrically
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but also instrumentally, comes from a place of therapy
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for us to kind of get energy out and frustration out
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with what we kind of have with the world.
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And definitely current political issues
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are like a lyrically a lot in all of the songs on both Eps.
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[Maya Doss] I can feel the angst in your guys' music.
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And I was talking with Luke about Macho Man specifically
6:36
and how it's kind of satirical.
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Can you talk to us a bit about
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how you guys approach these topics
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that are kind of heated right now?
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, a big part of that is our
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inspirations, like dead Kennedy's are a huge, huge
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inspiration to all of us.
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But Macho in particular, I wrote the lyrics for that one.
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And it's more easy for me lyrically to create a character
7:01
in my head to almost put a wall between me and that person.
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It's hard to talk about issues
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and make it not sound like you're soapboxing.
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And so to me it was an easier angle
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for that song in particular to develop
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this theatrical character in it.
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And it was really fun.
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The most fun part about writing that song lyrically
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was the very end.
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'Cause it's such a like a huge climax
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that kind of leads to nothing.
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And I use that to kind of make the character
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kind of like lose his mind at the very end, which is cool.
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And then how we write songs in Pothole
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is like one of us kind of has the main idea
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and then we all kind of write the song together.
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So then that kinda led to the next song Pale Blue Screen.
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We're gonna have it so that those flowed kind of together
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seamlessly when we release EP
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and that was very much like a whole band decision.
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And then it made that end work way better,
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which I really look forward to where people can hear
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how our songs flow together.
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'Cause in a live context I feel like that's a strength
8:17
of ours is that we just keep playing.
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[Maya Doss] Yeah, absolutely.
8:19
Being at your concerts, there's a lot of energy
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and you have to keep that momentum going.
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As a guitar player, how do you contribute
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to the conversation of like how this songs transition
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and when things escalate.
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[Lawson Sanchez] As much as it seems like it would, the way
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we write songs, I don't feel like my angle as a guitar
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player is much different from his as a drummer
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or Gentry's as a bass player, et cetera.
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I feel like it really is just a matter of
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what can I think of for anyone, not even just myself
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and be like, oh this would sound cool there,
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you should try this.
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And then we play it.
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If it sounds cool we'll work with it.
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But if it sounds bad then it sounds bad.
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You know what I mean?
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It's just experimenting and thinking of different ideas
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and not being scared to try them
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and laying them on each other.
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[Maya Doss] It sounds like there's like a lack of hierarchy
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in your band, which kind of, you know,
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parallels to what you guys are about,
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which I think is pretty cool.
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[Carter Minton] Yeah, definitely.
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I mean we're very much a throw everything at the wall
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and see what we all think sticks
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and it's not about getting your idea through,
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it's about getting the right idea through.
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[Lawson Sanchez] 100%.
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[Carter Minton] And really value the creative process
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in each other's creative input.
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And you know, sometimes there's disagreements, you know,
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art is emotional but that's the most fun part about it.
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Also, like one of the ideas that we embrace
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is that the band isn't just like the music,
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like the band is the whole creative direction.
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Like it's part of why we wear uniforms and stuff.
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[Maya Doss] Oh my gosh, seeing your uniforms at the shows
9:43
you have like my favorite was at the skate park
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because I was skating around
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and I just saw my friends up on the bowl
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in their construction uniforms jamming out.
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It was really cool.
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So we don't have our friends Sean, Jarrett
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and Gentry with us today,
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but I would like to hear about how you guys,
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when you're working together to make this collective vision
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and you have your costumes and your music videos
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and your music that's coming out,
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what are you thinking is gonna be
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what you want the audience to take away?
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Like when they listen to your music,
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how do you want them to feel?
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[Carter Minton] Honestly, I mean whatever they want to take
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away from it. I think that's where the satire comes in
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is it leaves room for interpretation.
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And I think it's kind of a beautiful thing when there's,
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you know, a Republican on Facebook
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posting like raids against the machine on stuff.
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Like completely missing the point.
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And I think that has, I mean at least with my family members
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happened in my music and it's funny,
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at least to me, that the people that you know,
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it's like if you know, you know,
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and I think what that inspires in a live setting
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is in a community when they do understand it's a safe space
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when people who believe those ideas and it's part of why
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the music is political itself is it creates
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kind of like a safe environment.
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'Cause hopefully the people that are listening to that music
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believe it.
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And if they don't they're just dumb people on Facebook
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that missed a point.
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[Maya Doss] Well I've appreciated having you guys in today.
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Thank you so much for bringing light to alternative ways
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of seeing what's going on in the world.
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And I wish you guys the best with your EPs.
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[Lawson Sanchez] Great, thank you so much
11:31
[Carter Minton] Yeah, thank you so much for having us.
11:33
(upbeat rock music)
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[Kara DuQuette] That was Macho Man from local band Pothole.
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[Michelle Kinsey] You're listening to "Pop of Culture." I'm Michelle Kinsey.
12:11
[Kara DuQuette] And I'm Kara DuQuette.
12:13
There's a new exhibition
12:15
at the Kennedy Art Center in Marion.
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It's made by and centered on women of color in the community
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and the subjects were chosen by the community.
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The show is called "Ma."
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And the artist, Tashema Davis joins us in the studio.
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And thank you for taking time to talk with us.
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Tashema is a visual artist and the art teacher
12:35
at Marion Middle School in Marion, Indiana.
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[Tashema Davis] Yes, thanks for having me.
12:39
Yeah, it's a privilege and an honor. I appreciate it.
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[Kara DuQuette] So you have an exhibit opening on Saturday,
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January 17th that the Kennedy Art Center in Marion,
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and your solo show is titled "Ma."
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Capital M, lower case a, period.
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Will you tell us about the significance of "Ma."
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And how the artwork for your show came about?
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[Tashema Davis] Yes, so the "Ma." exhibition started in 2022
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and I was looking for a purpose.
13:07
I love painting and I love painting portraits
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and especially female portraits,
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particularly African American or those with color.
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And I was just tired of pulling random photos
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off the internet.
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I wanted to paint something different
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and I painted myself a whole lot.
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And then my kids, you know, family members and those things.
13:27
But I wanted something with purpose.
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So I decided to ask the community on social media like, hey,
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I would love for you to nominate 10 women
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that have been super influential in your life.
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Whether it was an older lady at the church
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that gave you a hug every Sunday,
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or if it was someone in the community
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that was doing big things for the community.
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I wanted someone like that.
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And the title "Ma" came from, it's just,
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I feel like it's a culture thing.
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Like, you know, sometimes you say, "What's up ma?"
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Or "Hey Ma," I call my own mother Ma.
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So I'm like, "Ma, I need this, this and this."
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So it can stand for a lot of different things
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but when it's said, it's clearly understood
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that it's out of reverence and respect.
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Like it's nothing that is disrespectful
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or anything like that.
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And it was just two letters. I was like, this is perfect.
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And then I want the period
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because when you call someone Ma, that's it.
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You don't need an explanation, you don't need,
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you know, any of that.
14:26
It's just Ma, period.
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[Kara DuQuette] Not necessarily a familial relationship.
14:31
[Tashema Davis] Right.
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[Kara DuQuette] Just the respect is the constant in this.
14:34
[Kara DuQuette] Yes.
14:35
Concept of ma. [Tashema Davis] Yes.
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[Kara DuQuette] Excellent.
14:37
So how many pieces are in your upcoming exhibition
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and can you talk a little bit about some of the people
14:43
that you've represented?
14:45
[Tashema Davis] Yes, so this one I have 13.
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When I first started I only wanted 10 women,
14:50
but life lifed.
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And I did not get the show finished when I was supposed to.
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So I did two shows and then I was off like a year and a half
15:01
and now I have this show and I wanted to do like 20 women
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'cause I'm like, oh I'm a year behind but 13 is what I have.
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[Kara DuQuette] And this is the third iteration of "Ma."
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[Tashema Davis] This is the third one, yes.
15:11
And in this particular one I wanted to highlight
15:15
not only older women in our community,
15:17
but also little people.
15:19
So I have someone from the elementary,
15:22
I have someone from the middle school
15:24
and I didn't make it to the high school
15:26
but it's a wonderful show.
15:28
It stressed me out, I was up until 4:00 AM this morning
15:31
doing some last minute touches.
15:33
But I am in love with the opportunity to display these women
15:39
to the community.
15:40
Most of the women are significant in their place,
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but when you take them outside of that place,
15:47
it's like oh these women deserve so much honor
15:50
and admiration, but they're only known like at the church
15:53
or in their classroom or those sorts of things.
15:55
And I wanted it to be public.
15:57
I wanted everyone to know in our community
15:59
how great this 12-year-old is,
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or how great this 7-year-old have been.
16:05
I also painted, which is gonna be a surprise,
16:09
but I painted a little girl who passed away,
16:11
she passed away at four and her mom used her death
16:16
and experience to produce life and to help those
16:19
who are grieving in the community.
16:21
She also helps out with like tombstones or head markers
16:26
for families who can't afford it.
16:29
And I just thought, I'm highlighting her mom,
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but I thought I should also highlight her.
16:33
It's gonna make me cry a little bit.
16:35
But she is no longer with us,
16:37
but her life has been so impactful
16:40
and I just think that is amazing.
16:41
So I was like, she deserves to be honored.
16:43
So that was my choice and my pick for this year
16:47
was a 4-year-old.
16:48
[Kara DuQuette] Tell us a bit about like you're a painter,
16:52
but what sort of paints do you use?
16:54
And now I'm just assuming you're a realist,
16:58
but like what kind of work do you do?
17:01
[Tashema Davis] That's a great question. So I use oils
17:05
primarily. I love using oils for the skin
17:06
because I can blend to my heart's content all night long.
17:11
But my under layers are acrylic.
17:14
I am not an abstract artist.
17:15
I struggle with doing abstract work.
17:17
So with my under layers,
17:18
that's where I get that out of my system.
17:20
Like I get to just grab random colors
17:23
and I use kind of like this rubber palette
17:26
and I just go for it.
17:27
I'm just like a 2-year-old having fun in paint.
17:30
There is no thought to it.
17:31
There's just whatever I have laying right here, I use it.
17:34
And if I'm in my classroom,
17:35
I use the paint that the kids have leftover
17:37
'cause I cannot waste paint.
17:39
It drives me nuts.
17:40
So whatever is left over, I take that and I just go for it.
17:43
And then I'll send back and I'm like, oh this is beautiful.
17:46
And then I'll put a face on top of that.
17:48
With this show I wanted to really highlight my under layers.
17:52
Normally I cover them all up
17:53
but I was like, oh I don't wanna cover that up.
17:55
I wanna show this process because it's not just a face
17:57
that I sat and painted for hours.
17:59
It's a whole process that goes into creating these artworks.
18:03
And also with this particular show,
18:05
we are focusing on spaces.
18:07
So the face in the space.
18:09
The show before I focused on the women as a light.
18:13
So I had them come to my studio
18:15
and I shine different color lights on their faces
18:19
because I wanted them to look like the light,
18:22
like they are a light to their community.
18:24
In my very first show I focused on flowers.
18:27
So a flower that represented...
18:29
A flower and a bird that represented the woman.
18:31
[Kara DuQuette] Curious to know how you convinced someone
18:34
who's kind of shy to be painted or reluctant
18:38
to have their painting done.
18:41
[Tashema Davis] Great question.
18:42
So I received my first no one year
18:45
and I was so heartbroken.
18:47
I was like, what do you mean no?
18:49
I just wanna honor you.
18:50
But she just was not comfortable with that
18:52
and I didn't wanna pressure her.
18:54
I didn't want this show to be something where it is forced.
18:56
As long as the community wants the show, I'll do the show
18:59
and if someone is okay with me painting them
19:02
I'll paint them.
19:03
And if they say no, I'll be sad, tuck in my little tail
19:06
and run off.
19:06
But I'll respect that.
19:08
Thankfully I have grown a reputation in my community
19:11
and people know my work
19:13
and they know that I am not one to paint anything
19:16
that is disgraceful.
19:17
Anything that is traumatic or trauma producing.
19:20
I don't do anything like that.
19:21
My work is about beauty and love
19:23
and because I have that reputation that precedes me.
19:26
Most people know who I am and they just say yes.
19:29
A lot of people are like, well, they have a lot of questions
19:32
because not everyone knows about the show.
19:34
I'm like, how do you not know? This is the third one.
19:36
I digress. But I let them know that this is an honor.
19:40
I don't need anything from them.
19:42
It doesn't cost them anything.
19:43
They don't have to say anything.
19:45
I just need them to come to wherever I am
19:47
or I go to wherever they are
19:48
and I just need to take about three photos of them.
19:50
And from there I will paint them and I try to reassure them
19:53
that it's not gonna be anything that will make you feel bad
19:56
or anything that you would be ashamed of.
19:58
It's gonna be something quite beautiful.
20:00
[Kara DuQuette] I read that you believe that art transcends
20:04
a typical and doesn't always dwell in the realm
20:07
of just color line and form.
20:09
So what does that art transcendence look like for you?
20:14
[Tashema Davis] I believe that art is for everyone,
20:18
and I also do murals outside.
20:22
And I love the fact
20:23
that when you're driving down the street,
20:25
you look at something that catches your eye
20:27
and you're forced to react.
20:29
Whether it is positive or negative,
20:32
you're gonna have a reaction.
20:33
That's the power of an artist.
20:36
Also, when you are either creating, like myself,
20:39
I create through my trauma, I create through my joy,
20:43
I create to produce peace,
20:46
I create for all of those reasons.
20:48
It's not just simply color and line and shapes,
20:51
but it is me expressing how I'm feeling
20:54
or me trying to express how I see you.
20:57
If I see you as you know, someone who's full of joy,
20:59
you're so bubbly, you're so whatever it is,
21:01
I'm trying to capture your essence and put that on a canvas.
21:05
So I like to say that I was created by the creator to create
21:09
and I think that that is a powerful thing.
21:12
I love being an artist.
21:13
I try to encourage everyone that everyone's an artist,
21:15
it's just a matter of what type of artist you are.
21:18
Also with my work,
21:19
I think that portraits are the most relatable
21:23
because the first thing that we were able to recognize
21:25
was someone's face.
21:27
We couldn't talk, we couldn't understand anything.
21:30
But we can look at a face and we can recognize that face
21:32
and we smile or require, we react in some sort of way.
21:35
That's true whether you an infant all the way up to,
21:39
you know, your senior years, you're gonna react to a face
21:41
and that's why I love portraits.
21:43
[Kara DuQuette] That's really great.
21:45
You know, when you were talking it made me think
21:47
of another thing I read that you grew up in Gary
21:50
in the projects and you said despite that,
21:55
you had a amazing childhood.
21:58
And so could you talk a little bit
21:59
about how that maybe sparked your art passion?
22:03
[Tashema Davis] Yes, most definitely.
22:04
So I did not know I was an artist until I got here
22:07
to Ball State University in year 2000.
22:10
And I took my first painting class with Scott Anderson
22:12
and I fell in love.
22:13
So I've been painting ever since.
22:15
But growing up in a project in Gary, Indiana,
22:18
I didn't know I was poor.
22:19
I didn't know that we were different.
22:21
I didn't know any of those things
22:22
until I got a little older.
22:24
All I knew is that I was loved and that I was clean.
22:27
And I didn't experience art galleries.
22:29
I didn't experience exhibits,
22:31
I didn't experience any of those things.
22:32
I experienced graffiti.
22:34
I experienced trains going by with these bright colors
22:36
and these beautiful images and these words
22:38
that I couldn't understand.
22:40
But I was attracted to the color.
22:42
And then when I got to college, I took a trip to Italy
22:45
and there I learned what traditional art beauty is
22:49
and how the art that I fell in love with
22:51
was not traditional beauty.
22:53
And in Italy we were there for 33 days
22:57
and I did not see anyone or anything that looked like me.
23:00
And if I did see someone or something that looked like me,
23:03
it was in the background, it was in the shadows,
23:05
it was a slave, it was, you know, something of that nature.
23:09
So from there I made it my mission to create
23:12
what I want to see in the world.
23:13
And I fell in love with portraits
23:16
and I'm just like, I'm gonna do the subject
23:18
that I know best, an African American woman.
23:20
And it kind of took off From there.
23:22
Do I paint other people? Absolutely.
23:24
I get commissions all the time from people to pets.
23:26
I would paint anything I have a picture of.
23:29
I like to paint from photos, but I love to specialize.
23:32
It's my preference is what I try to tell my students.
23:35
You can have a preference without a prejudice.
23:37
It's my preference to paint African Americans
23:39
or people of color.
23:41
So now that I am a teacher, I try very hard
23:44
to expose my students to galleries and to exhibits.
23:47
I try to take them on field trips
23:49
where we can go and see work that either they created,
23:52
'cause we enter the art and writing Scholastic show
23:55
every year.
23:56
And I have a few winners this year
23:58
and we get to go see the show in Fort Wayne.
24:01
So we plan a field trip for that.
24:02
And it's just my way of giving back.
24:04
It's my way of being that person that I wanted
24:07
and needed when I was a kid.
24:08
I wanted someone to take me under their wing
24:10
and say, "Hey, you an artist kid.
24:12
And here's all these things that you can do.
24:14
All these mediums and supplies, have at it."
24:17
I didn't have that opportunity.
24:18
My mom didn't know...
24:21
Short story, she had me when she was 15.
24:23
So her main goal was you get through high school
24:26
and you graduate.
24:27
That was my only goal. Well I superseded that.
24:29
I went to college for undergrad
24:31
and then I also got a master's and I'm doing wonderful.
24:33
And she tells me quite often,
24:34
I'm so proud of you and that's all I need.
24:37
You know, it says my mom saying that she's proud of me,
24:39
but I really take that as my mission
24:43
to be that person that I need it.
24:45
[Kara DuQuette] That's amazing you're sharing your light
24:47
with them and giving them those experiences.
24:51
And can you let us know where we can catch your show
24:55
specifically and like what time?
24:59
And also since you talked about commissions,
25:01
can you tell people
25:02
how they might be able to get a commission?
25:04
[Tashema Davis] "Ma." 2026 will be at Kennedy Arts Center
25:10
in Marion, Indiana downtown.
25:12
And it is from 1:00 to 3:00.
25:14
The opening reception is from 1:00 to 3:00.
25:15
There'd be snacks, there'd be music.
25:18
I'll be talking for a little bit and the show will stay up
25:21
for a few months.
25:21
And I'm gonna also hopefully do an artist panel
25:25
February 27th or 28th.
25:28
But the easiest way to contact me is probably Instagram
25:31
and that is tashimadavisart
25:34
So I try to make it very simple.
25:35
[Kara DuQuette] Yeah, that's wonderful.
25:36
So people can see a lot of your work there.
25:38
[Tashema Davis] Yes, and they can also email me
25:40
at tashemadavisart@gmail.com.
25:44
But I'm pretty social,
25:45
so they can see anything updated on Instagram.
25:49
[Kara DuQuette] Well you certainly exude love, light and joy
25:53
and it's been a pleasure to talk with you.
25:55
[Tashema Davis] Thank you so much.
25:56
(bright music)
26:19
[Michelle Kinsey] Hungry for a new adventure?
26:22
The director of marketing and community engagement,
26:25
Jeff Neff at Destination Muncie, is with us to talk about
26:29
a new event coming to town.
26:32
Jeff, thank you so much for joining us in the Pop studios.
26:35
[Jeff Neff] Very excited to be here.
26:36
[Michelle Kinsey] So tell us about this new event, and I'll try really hard
26:39
to say it without saying the name of the organization again,
26:42
but it's Destination Munchie from Destination Muncie.
26:48
[Jeff Neff] Correct. It is a kind of a tongue twister.
26:51
Destination Munchie is a two week digital dining passport.
26:56
Where we're gonna celebrate 20 of our local restaurants.
27:00
So we're really excited.
27:02
The event will run January 18th through January 31st.
27:06
So those last two weeks in the month
27:08
and it's really a time to get out and explore,
27:10
try something new or you know, go to your local favorite.
27:14
[Michelle Kinsey] I know that other cities have done this
27:18
in the past, like taste of Indie and those kinda,
27:20
is that kind of where the idea came from?
27:24
[Jeff Neff] Yeah, so we got this new digital software
27:27
where we can put these passports together
27:29
and our first one we did is the Garfield Trail.
27:31
So there's 17 statues located around Delaware County
27:35
where you can go and visit the statues
27:37
and you can actually check in using this passport
27:39
at each statue and enter for a chance to win
27:41
cool Garfield theme prizes.
27:43
[Michelle Kinsey] Yeah.
27:44
[Jeff Neff] So we were thinking what are some other opportunities
27:45
that we can use this fun passport system
27:48
and get people to get out and explore and try new things
27:51
and maybe visit a restaurant
27:53
that they hadn't visited before.
27:54
So yeah, there are some other, you know, Indy has Devour.
27:59
Fort Wayne has Savor Fort Wayne and you know,
28:02
we wanted to come up with something fun.
28:04
So Destination Munchie is ours
28:07
and we want people to again, try something new and enjoy.
28:11
[Michelle Kinsey] Yeah, you know, it makes sense, Jeff,
28:12
because I really feel like going to restaurants
28:16
is one of Muncie's favorite pastimes.
28:19
People love to go out to eat here.
28:21
[Jeff Neff] Yeah. We have an amazing culinary scene.
28:24
And not enough people know about it I think,
28:26
you know, we want guests to come in from out of the county
28:29
and really try something new.
28:31
Whether it's Lahody's Steakhouse, they have amazing steaks,
28:36
Adams Street Chophouse, awesome vibes and amazing food.
28:39
But we also have some participants like Cafe at the Crossing
28:42
and it's, you know, a nice little cafe in town
28:44
that might, you know, you might not have visited before, so.
28:48
We're really excited.
28:49
[Michelle Kinsey] As you were putting this together,
28:51
talk to me about the process
28:53
of getting all of these restaurants involved.
28:56
[Jeff Neff] Yeah, so we sent out, you know, some information
28:59
on how to participate and went around and asked people
29:02
to join in and.
29:03
You know January's can be a little slower time.
29:06
It's after the holidays, but before, you know,
29:08
the big Valentine's Day.
29:10
So we thought it would be a good time to fit right here
29:12
in the end of January.
29:13
And a lot of them really jumped on board
29:15
and are really lifting this up.
29:16
Some of are even putting together special menus
29:19
that are not curated pieces off of their regular menu,
29:21
but an actual special menu for the event.
29:23
[Michelle Kinsey] Nice. I love that.
29:25
So talk about what you need to do
29:27
if you want to get involved in Destination Munchie.
29:31
[Jeff Neff] Yeah, so it's really easy.
29:33
It's all run off of your phone.
29:35
So you can go to destinationmuncie.org
29:38
and you can visit there.
29:39
There's a banner right on the main page
29:40
for Destination Munchie.
29:42
You can sign up for that digital passport
29:44
and that's where you're gonna find out about
29:45
all the 20 participating restaurants,
29:47
be able to view their menu and plan and prepare
29:50
where you want to go.
29:51
And then all you do is when you go to visit
29:53
those restaurants for the last two weeks,
29:55
you show them your phone and say,
29:56
"Hey, I'm here for the Destination Munchie menu."
29:59
And you get that special curated menu for it.
30:02
[Michelle Kinsey] Is there a printed passport as well
30:06
for those that may not be online?
30:08
[Jeff Neff] Not a printed passport for this one, you know,
30:10
it is all on your phone, but it is very easy to sign up.
30:14
You click a signup button,
30:15
you don't have to download an app or anything.
30:17
It's all web based.
30:19
So, you know, you sign up online, it texts you
30:22
and emails you a link.
30:23
You click on that and you're in and ready to go.
30:25
[Michelle Kinsey] Awesome. It says 21 participating
30:30
restaurants. Is that right?
30:31
[Jeff Neff] Well, we have 20, so we did have one
30:34
that unfortunately isn't gonna be able to participate.
30:36
We're hoping to get them for the next one.
30:38
[Michelle Kinsey] Talk a lil' bit about the different types
30:41
of locations that you're gonna be able to go to
30:43
in this extensive list.
30:45
[Jeff Neff] So there's kind of a wide variety.
30:47
So anything from like a fine dining menu at Vera Mae's,
30:51
that's a taste of Vera's.
30:53
Back down to a more casual offering.
30:55
Like I said, the Cafe at the Crossing,
30:57
which is the one I'm really excited about,
30:58
they're doing a soup flight.
31:00
So it's three different soups.
31:02
You also get a cheese muffin
31:05
and then an individual small dessert.
31:08
So it's a way to get out and really try something new
31:11
and that's what I keep telling everybody.
31:13
Elm Street Brewery has put together a great menu.
31:16
Another one that I really like is Twin Archer.
31:19
I'm really excited they have a 12 ounce chimicherry
31:21
grilled pork steak and with a creme caramel for dessert
31:25
and soup and salad.
31:26
So I'm really excited about that one as well.
31:27
[Michelle Kinsey] Nice. And is it all over Muncie?
31:31
Are there some kind of outside Muncie proper
31:34
or where am I traveling to with my passport?
31:36
[Jeff Neff] We have participants that are in the county.
31:40
Four Day Ray in Yorktown is participating.
31:42
So you can go out and explore there.
31:44
Tonney Winery is actually participating too,
31:46
Which is on the north side of town.
31:47
So you can get out and sample some wines
31:49
and really enjoy all of the culinary expertise
31:53
that's in the county.
31:54
[Michelle Kinsey] So did the folks at Destination Muncie,
31:56
did they get to go sample all the menus
31:59
before putting them on the passport?
32:01
[Jeff Neff] We haven't got to sample all of them.
32:03
Personally I'm trying to get out and experience
32:06
as many of them as I can.
32:07
[Michelle Kinsey] Oh yeah.
32:08
[Jeff Neff] I'll try to see if I can hit all of them.
32:10
I don't know if I can hit all 20 in the two weeks.
32:12
[Michelle Kinsey] Why do you think it's important for
32:15
Destination Muncie to do events like this for the community?
32:19
[Jeff Neff] Well, you know, Destination Muncie is all about
32:22
really lifting up our local businesses.
32:24
So that's one thing that we wanted to do.
32:27
We wanted to highlight some unique offerings
32:29
that we have that other communities don't have, you know,
32:33
so we want people to actually come and explore Muncie
32:36
and while they're here and trying new food,
32:38
maybe they'll out and experience some other things
32:40
like Minnetrista Museum & Gardens
32:42
or come to a Ball State game or,
32:44
there's lots of fun stuff to do in Muncie
32:46
and we're really just trying to promote all the fun stuff
32:48
that's going on.
32:49
[Michelle Kinsey] That's a really good point.
32:50
So you can kind of pair your passport with other things
32:53
that are going on in town.
32:55
[Jeff Neff] Yeah, for sure.
32:56
[Michelle Kinsey] So what's the first place that you're
32:59
gonna go to, Jeff? Do you have a kind of a plan of attack?
33:01
Are you scheduling this on your calendar or?
33:03
[Jeff Neff] I haven't put the schedule together,
33:05
but I'm probably gonna have to.
33:06
But like I said, the one I'm really excited about
33:08
is that soup flight at Cafe at the Crossing.
33:11
It sounds silly, but she makes amazing food.
33:14
You know, she's all about homemade dishes
33:16
and I'm really excited to try that.
33:18
[Michelle Kinsey] Yeah. I gotta tell you, it makes me happy
33:21
just to know. And I know there's more than 20, but just 20
33:27
great local and the keyword here is local restaurants
33:30
that you can go to that are doing great business,
33:33
doing great things, serving great food right here in Muncie.
33:37
How does that make you feel?
33:38
To know, as you were compiling this, you were like,
33:40
oh my gosh, we've got 20.
33:41
[Jeff Neff] Yeah. And there's way more than that.
33:43
Again, 20 is a good start.
33:45
And this is our first time doing Destination Muncie, Munchie
33:48
see there I did it and we're really excited
33:51
to grow this event over the years.
33:53
So we have over 600 people already signed up
33:57
and we're a week from it starting,
33:58
so we're really excited for that.
33:59
[Michelle Kinsey] Wow, so this is the first of many things
34:02
that you're going to do with that online
34:04
kind of passport opportunity.
34:06
Can you give us like any hints as to what you're working on
34:09
in the future?
34:10
[Jeff Neff] So we've talked about doing like a burger week
34:13
or a pizza week, but the next one that's coming up,
34:15
we do have a pizza trail that we'll be launching here soon.
34:18
And then we also have a nice bar crawl passport
34:21
that we're working on.
34:22
[Michelle Kinesy] Wow, lots of adventures to be had right
34:25
here in the Muncie area.
34:26
Jeff, thank you so much for coming in
34:28
to tell us all about it
34:30
and we'll see you on the Destination Munchie Trail.
34:33
[Jeff Neff] Yep. We'll see you there.
34:34
(bright music)
34:48
[Michelle Kinsey] I'm Michelle Kinsey.
34:49
[Kara DuQuette] And I'm Kara DuQuette.
34:51
This is "Pop of Culture," but you already knew that.
34:54
[Michelle Kinsey] You probably also know it's the part of
34:56
the show where we ask an artist," What are you walking on?"
34:59
Our co-host Maya Doss spoke with an artist
35:02
focused on women's rights.
35:04
[Maya Doss] Today on the show I have artist and Ball State
35:07
alum, Amren Klingaman, Amren what are you working on?
35:10
[Amren Klingaman] I am currently working on setting up my
35:14
studio so I can start working on some of my own works again.
35:18
But more specifically I'm going to try and continue working
35:21
on artworks and paintings that represent women,
35:27
women's rights, and kind of things
35:31
that women can connect to.
35:34
[Maya Doss] I think that's really beautiful.
35:35
So when you're talking about new works you wanna make,
35:38
what ideas are you playing with?
35:41
[Amren Klingaman] I'm going to continue playing with the
35:45
ideas of women's rights and their reproductive rights,
35:49
but I also want to kind of lean into
35:53
some past ideas that I've had
35:55
where I kind of connected fantasy aspects and stories
36:03
of other women and things that they've been through,
36:06
things that I've been through
36:07
and how we can all kind of come together
36:10
and unify in that way.
36:12
[Maya Doss] I love hearing about you continuing down this
36:14
path because I thought it would be interesting to touch on,
36:17
you know, as you're moving forward, you did just finalize
36:20
a huge senior thesis exhibition, right?
36:23
As an artist at Ball State.
36:25
Will you talk to us a bit about "Change or Die,"
36:27
your last body of work and how the things
36:31
you're talking about now inspired that body of work?
36:33
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah, so "Change or Die,"
36:35
was very specifically localized on abortion rights.
36:40
And that is something that I want to continue with,
36:43
but I wanna get a little bit more specific
36:46
in different categories of that.
36:49
So I wanna kind of take somebody's specific story
36:53
and turn it into something that people can visualize
36:58
and connect to in their own ways
37:00
while still holding very true to that person's story.
37:04
[Maya Doss] Right, I'm sure that'll be really impactful.
37:08
So can you describe for our listeners the visuals
37:10
that were within your former body of work?
37:12
This more abstract style, and maybe compare it
37:15
to where you're wanting to go?
37:17
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah, so in "Change or Die,"
37:18
a lot of my paintings had kind of a dire canvas background
37:24
where the background wasn't really anything figurative.
37:27
So the colors, I only used red, blues and yellows
37:32
and I kind of let them like watercolor almost.
37:36
I drip them on the canvas and they kinda mesh together
37:39
however they were gonna mesh together.
37:41
And it made some really beautiful pinks, purples,
37:44
like almost like a sunset kind of vibe in the background,
37:47
which I loved.
37:49
And I also had the drips on the sides of the canvases
37:52
that people loved.
37:53
And I loved that aspect of making those paintings.
37:57
[Maya Doss] And they did make a really great backdrop
37:59
for your subject matter, right?
38:00
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah.
38:01
[Maya Doss] What symbolisms were in your subjects?
38:03
What ideas were you expressing with these different symbols?
38:05
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah, I used a lot of female body parts.
38:09
So I used the uterus and I kind of, you know,
38:12
I added those thorns and some blood dripping off of it.
38:16
And I also used a shell in the shape of a woman's body part
38:23
with a pearl inside to kind of represent
38:26
that innocence and that beauty
38:28
and just the anatomy of women.
38:33
[Maya Doss] They were really beautiful pieces.
38:34
I think, you know, you used the female form
38:37
and then like pomegranates and shells
38:39
and there was just such a feminine power to your work.
38:46
I think it was because of the like deep blood reds
38:48
paired with these really soft forms.
38:51
There is a, I don't know how to word it.
38:54
It feels very natural for women to be represented
38:57
through natural forms.
38:59
I don't know if that sounds redundant,
39:01
but it makes sense to me, you know?
39:04
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah.
39:05
[Maya Doss] When your viewers are looking at this work,
39:08
what is like the important takeaway for you?
39:10
'Cause it was such an impactful title and such bright,
39:14
bold colors that, you know, it really caught your attention.
39:17
What were you hoping people took away
39:18
from this body of work?
39:20
[Amren Klingaman] Well, my biggest hope was that despite
39:23
people's personal beliefs,
39:24
that they could take away something.
39:27
And I think I really noticed that at the reception.
39:29
So there were some people who loved the topic
39:33
and they loved what I was representing.
39:35
And then there were other people who were,
39:37
you could tell were visually uncomfortable
39:40
but still complimented me on the painting aspect and were,
39:46
you know, happy that I chose this topic
39:50
and kept it respectful so that anybody with any belief
39:55
could look at it and find something
39:57
that they connected with.
39:59
[Maya Doss] Which one of those pieces do you think
40:01
was really the one that you think had the most impact
40:04
on people or maybe even yourself,
40:05
and is that going to continue into future works?
40:09
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah, so I think the one with the
40:13
pomegranate and the hand, I think that one made people
40:17
uncomfortable, which was good, that was the goal.
40:20
And I do love that one because there are so many ways
40:24
that people can take it.
40:25
If they know what a pomegranate represents,
40:28
if they know or can kind of see what is happening in the way
40:33
that the hand is moving in relation to the pomegranate.
40:36
And I think that I wanna continue
40:41
with making people uncomfortable in that way
40:45
because it really represents like the scary part
40:50
of being a woman.
40:52
[Maya Doss] Yeah, I think your work is so effective or
40:56
successful because it's kind of having people confront what
40:59
women have been socially conditioned
41:01
to hide for so long, you know?
41:04
When it comes to this artwork
41:05
of such a confrontational and important subject
41:10
and you're showing it through artwork,
41:11
but you're trying to not be divisive,
41:14
what artwork of yours do you feel like really was successful
41:16
in that way?
41:17
[Amren Klingaman] I feel like that was the largest painting
41:20
and the central painting,
41:21
which was titled "Change or Die," the same as the show,
41:25
which captured a younger version of my mother
41:30
holding up this broken snake.
41:32
And that broken snake is broken into six pieces I believe,
41:36
as she's like holding it up like triumphantly,
41:39
like struggling with it.
41:41
And that snake is kind of inspired from the piece,
41:47
political cartoon "Join or Die," which is a broken up snake
41:50
into eight pieces I believe that represented
41:53
the colonies unifying.
41:54
In this painting I wanted to do something similar
41:56
where it had those pieces of the snake
41:58
and the woman holding it up and kind of representing
42:02
that men and women and people in general unifying for this,
42:08
like women's rights and their reproductive rights.
42:11
And I used more oil paint on that one as well
42:15
in the background.
42:16
I kind of made it foggy
42:17
and like she had just been through a battle of some sort
42:22
and you know, her figure's not fully formed at the bottom,
42:25
she's kind of fading out.
42:27
It's just that struggle against the snake
42:30
and trying to unify everyone.
42:33
[Maya Doss] And I can see that piece being the one
42:35
that kind of inspires how you said you wanted to move
42:37
in a more fantasm like narrative direction
42:41
because she does look like almost a pantheon goddess
42:45
fighting, you know, for a cause.
42:48
And it is very inspiring.
42:49
[Amren Klingaman] Thank you.
42:50
[Maya Doss] No problem.
42:52
Ameren, where could our listeners go
42:53
to find your artwork, to find you?
42:55
[Amren Klingaman] Yeah, so they can find me on my Instagram,
42:58
which is amrens_studio.
43:02
You can also find me on Facebook under the same username
43:06
and I am still working on my website,
43:09
but it'll have the same username
43:10
and they can find me there as well.
43:12
[Maya Doss] Well, thank you so much
43:13
for being on the show today, Amren. It was a real treat.
43:15
[Amren Klingaman] Thank you.
43:17
[Kara DuQuette] Michelle, let's find out what's going on.
43:21
[Michelle Kinsey] Kara. Let's do it.
43:22
[Kara DuQuette] All right.
43:23
The world premiere of the documentary film,
43:25
"The Hobby," is set for 6:00 PM Friday, January 16th,
43:29
at Cornerstone Center for the Arts.
43:31
The film documents, the history, the hobby,
43:34
and the people who keep Munci's past alive.
43:36
Through the world's most iconic ball jar collection.
43:40
The project was completed in collaboration
43:42
with Ball State University students, faculty,
43:45
as well as community members around Muncie.
43:48
[Michelle Kinsey] Ooh, I'm excited for that one.
43:49
I think that's gonna be really interesting.
43:52
Ball State University's musical theater class of 2026,
43:55
will take the stage for a night of music,
43:57
laughter and inspiration.
43:58
Friday and Saturday, January 16th and 17th,
44:01
at the Cabaret in Indianapolis.
44:03
This next generation cabaret performance
44:06
will begin at 8:00 PM
44:08
♪ Come to the Cabaret, old chum ♪
44:12
[Kara DuQuette] Paint your own pottery with Made in Muncie,
44:14
at Belgian Horse Winery in Middletown
44:17
on Sunday, January 18th.
44:19
The painting begins at 1:00 PM.
44:21
Painting and Tasty beverages.
44:24
[Michelle And Kara] Yes please.
44:26
[Michelle Kinsey] Chicago, the Musical, will take the stage
44:28
at Ball State's Emens Auditorium at 7:30 PM January 22nd.
44:33
"Chicago," is that one musical with everything
44:36
that makes Broadway shimmy shake.
44:38
A universal tale of fame, fortune, and all that jazz
44:41
with one show stopping song after another.
44:44
And the most astonishing dancing well that I'll ever see
44:48
and that I'll never do, bsu.edu/emens for more info.
44:53
[Kara DuQuette] Bracken Library at Ball State will present
44:56
Not your Average Story Time
44:58
at 1:00 PM Saturday, January 17th.
45:01
Take a deep dive into children's literature,
45:03
compare and contrast themes and narratives
45:06
in children's books of the past
45:08
with contemporary children's stories of today.
45:10
[Michelle Kinsey] Ooh, that's gonna be fun. [Kara DuQuette] Yeah, it will.
45:14
[Michelle Kinsey] A reminder that Monday is MLK Junior day.
45:18
There are several activities going on in and around
45:22
the Pop area, so be sure to check those out.
45:25
And if you have something "Pop of Culture," listeners
45:28
should know about,
45:28
let us know indianapublicradio.org/contact.
45:32
Then click "Pop of Culture."
45:34
(bright music)
45:39
[Luke Jones] Support for "Pop of Culture,"
45:40
comes from Stallings Wealth Management,
45:44
the Innovation Connector,
45:47
and from you, with state and federal money eliminated,
45:52
you are the difference in keeping local programming
45:55
on the air at IPR.
45:58
Become a member today at indianapublicradio.org
46:02
[Kara DuQuette] And that's our show.
46:03
Our director of audio operations is Sean Ashcraft.
46:06
[Michelle Kinsey] This week was produced by Luke Jones,
46:08
who always has the munchies
46:11
[Luke Jones] Mom, to be clear,
46:12
that's a joke about my fast metabolism.
46:14
[Kara DuQuette] Our audio fellow is Maya Doss.
46:16
Our show was hosted by me, Kara DuQuette.
46:18
[Michelle Kinsey] And me, Michelle Kinsey.
46:20
"Pop of Culture," is a production from IPR
46:22
on the campus of Ball State University.
46:25
(bright music)