Latest / Pop of Culture / S03 E05 - We Build a Bakery

Transcript

S03 E05 - We Build a Bakery · Pop of Culture

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  [Michelle Kinsey] This week on "Pop of Culture,"
• 0:32
  we press our noses against the display case.
• 0:35
  A new bakery is opening
• 0:37
  and we get a taste of the process.
• 0:39
  [Heather Taylor] I hope this becomes part of people's day,
• 0:41
  but it's more about people
• 0:43
  than it is food or coffee.
• 0:45
  [Jen Blackmer] Also, why the tile game Mahjong
• 0:48
  is having a moment in East Central Indiana.
• 0:51
  [Michelle] And we have time,
• 0:53
  Time for Three.
• 0:54
  Nick Kendall talks with us
• 0:55
  about the Grammy-winning trio's new album.
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  That's coming up.
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  (upbeat music)
• 1:28
  [Jen] From IPR, this is "Pop of Culture."
• 1:31
  I'm Jen Blackmer.
• 1:32
  And I'm Michelle Kinsey.
• 1:33
  In just a few minutes,
• 1:35
  we'll speak to the continues-founder of a musical trio
• 1:37
  that defies a genre.
• 1:40
  [Jen] They're called Time For Three,
• 1:41
  and their new album interprets
• 1:43
  the works of Emily Dickinson.
• 1:45
  [Michelle] Very cool.
• 1:47
  But first, a new bakery is opening up in Yorktown.
• 1:50
  IPR Stephanie Wiechmann spoke to...
• 1:53
  Wait a minute,
• 1:54
  how did Stephanie get this story?
• 1:56
  [Jen] I don't know.
• 1:57
  I would've made myself available for a baked good story.
• 2:01
  [Jen] Me too.
• 2:01
  I think both of us could have gone.
• 2:03
  [Michelle] Oh man.
• 2:04
  Anyway, IPR Stephanie Weichmann spoke to part of the team
• 2:08
  getting ready to open.
• 2:09
  [Steph Wiechmann] We have two of the team behind the new
• 2:11
  soon to open Cocoa and Cream Collective in Yorktown.
• 2:13
  Heather Taylor is the founder,
• 2:15
  and Casey Morgan is Lead Baker.
• 2:17
  Heather, first up, why locate in Yorktown?
• 2:19
  [Heather] Well, like lots of things,
• 2:21
  it's a long story.
• 2:22
  The short version is
• 2:23
  that's become home for my husband and I.
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  We've been living in Yorktown for more than 20 years
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  and we actually own another business
• 2:29
  a half mile away from the bakery.
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  And so I had actually swore I'd never do another startup.
• 2:34
  We did one 12 years ago and it's done great,
• 2:36
  swore I'd never do it again.
• 2:38
  And so looked at buying a business
• 2:40
  and so looked at a couple different bakeries
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  in other locations.
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  It just didn't work out.
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  But by then I was obsessed
• 2:46
  and it just made more sense
• 2:47
  to do something close to home.
• 2:49
  Jokingly, I've been saying since I moved here,
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  I want a from scratch bakery in town.
• 2:55
  I want a bakery
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  that I can get really good pastries and croissants.
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  And so I've been joking,
• 3:02
  I'm now putting my money where my mouth is.
• 3:04
  And so yes,
• 3:06
  it just ended up we found a great location in Yorktown.
• 3:09
  As a former member of the Yorktown
• 3:11
  Economic Development Committee,
• 3:13
  that committee actually offers a great grant
• 3:15
  for startups in Yorktown
• 3:16
  to incubate those new businesses.
• 3:18
  And so that's also a draw to Yorktown.
• 3:21
  [Steph] Okay, let's talk about the location.
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  You mentioned that your new space
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  is being built out to us,
• 3:27
  literally construction and brand new walls.
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  What's it like to be able to design the space
• 3:31
  the way you want it?
• 3:32
  [Heather] We've been joking from the beginning.
• 3:33
  So actually a truck drove through the front window
• 3:36
  of the space 18 months ago.
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  So it's been reconstructed.
• 3:39
  It was literally a white box.
• 3:41
  I mean, there was nothing there,
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  which the upside is,
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  wow, we can make this whatever we want.
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  We don't have to live with somebody else's
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  janky kitchen layout.
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  Or well gee, that wall's in a weird spot,
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  but all right.
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  I mean, literally we've been able to go through
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  step by step.
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  So that's been fantastic.
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  The business side of me from a budget standpoint,
• 4:02
  there was absolutely nothing there. (laughing)
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  And so obviously the build out costs are higher then,
• 4:07
  but again, the chance to just start from the very beginning.
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  [Steph] Casey, was there anything special or unexpected
• 4:14
  that you asked for in the kitchen?
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  [Casey] You know, I didn't really ask for a lot,
• 4:21
  I don't think.
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  I mean, just to have the space in general
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  was just enough for me.
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  You know, just to be able to have all the free space
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  and with all the counters and all the ovens and everything,
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  and the help that we're having,
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  that in itself is just enough for me really.
• 4:39
  So I'm not gonna try and take over the interview,
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  I promise, have Casey tell you a little bit
• 4:44
  about her current background
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  and the space she's working in now?
• 4:48
  [Steph] Yeah.
• 4:49
  [Casey] Yeah, okay so I'm actually out of my home kitchen
• 4:53
  and I've been doing that.
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  So my oldest son, he's 16,
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  I made his first birthday cake and it was not great.
• 5:03
  I thought it was great at the time.
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  [Heather] Do not despise small beginnings.
• 5:06
  [Casey] So I really just, over the years since then,
• 5:10
  I've kind of just taught myself the beginning.
• 5:12
  I used to watch YouTube tutorials all the time
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  and like how to do this and that,
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  and just like making fondant, making icing,
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  making everything, and using my artistic background
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  with just how I am,
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  I was able to just master the art of doing cakes.
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  And I really like the decoration of it too,
• 5:30
  as well as the flavor.
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  The flavor is important.
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  But yeah, I've just been doing it out of my home
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  with four kids.
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  [Heather] So this is a big upgrade.
• 5:38
  [Casey] Right.
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  And I had, for the longest time,
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  I had a baby gate in the dining room
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  that separated the living room and dining room
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  like with the kitchen.
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  But my three-year-old,
• 5:48
  she ripped it out of the wall one day.
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  I mean, this has been about a year and a half or so ago,
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  but she just, "Mom," you know.
• 5:55
  So but yeah,
• 5:56
  it's been a challenge at home.
• 5:57
  So I'm ready for this.
• 5:58
  This is... (laughing)
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  [Heather] Four commercial ovens.
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  is the upgrade,
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  not that we're upgrading from your children.
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  Your children are delightful.
• 6:06
  [Casey] No, it's okay.
• 6:08
  [Heather] But we're trading four assistant children
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  to trained assistant bakers and four commercial ovens.
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  [Casey] This is really,
• 6:14
  all of my kids know,
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  you know, just mom's in the kitchen,
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  mom's working.
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  So it's gonna be a big change,
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  but a good change.
• 6:21
  [Steph] So let's talk about the people
• 6:24
  who are gonna be working there.
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  You have somebody focused on cakes,
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  you have somebody focused on bread,
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  you have a French patisserie chef.
• 6:30
  The word collective seems very deliberate
• 6:32
  in your business name and your business model.
• 6:34
  Can you talk about that?
• 6:35
  [Heather] Absolutely.
• 6:35
  So Casey actually signed on first,
• 6:38
  so took a leap of faith with me.
• 6:40
  And just given her background,
• 6:42
  her following in Delaware County is really significant.
• 6:45
  And then from there we reached out
• 6:47
  to one of her farmer's market buddies,
• 6:50
  if you can, that's a term.
• 6:51
  [Casey] Yeah.
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  And so the bearded baker, Shane Heath,
• 6:54
  is coming on board.
• 6:55
  And Shane makes the most amazing bread.
• 6:58
  [Casey] Yes.
• 6:59
  [Heather] Casey and I have been joking
• 6:59
  of we might have to set up "The Biggest Loser,"
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  we're gonna do it in reverse.
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  Who gains the most weight the fastest between us.
• 7:06
  And then we've been working really closely
• 7:08
  with the team at Ivy Tech.
• 7:10
  Heather Pier has just been a godsend.
• 7:13
  She's come alongside and just jumped right in.
• 7:16
  And so we've actually hired four recent Ivy Tech grads.
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  So Tanner Patton is coming on board
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  to do our French patisserie work,
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  and he just has such a great spirit.
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  He's just so excited to be there
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  and to jump in with both feet.
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  And then we have three assistant bakers,
• 7:34
  Emma Howard, who's also working on all of our coffee.
• 7:37
  And she has a real passion for coffee,
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  so that's fantastic.
• 7:40
  And then Chris Rodriguez who comes to us
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  with a Hispanic heritage,
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  that he's excited to infuse that into our recipes.
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  So we're ready to get rolling with that.
• 7:51
  And then Jocelyn Funk Stanley
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  has also a passion for bread and patisseries.
• 7:55
  And so we're just excited to bring them on board.
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  I will admit they're the same age as my kids,
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  so there are moments I have to remember
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  to not put my mom hat on too often.
• 8:06
  But they're just all so enthused and excited
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  and launch their careers.
• 8:11
  And then the cafe side,
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  the front of house team is very enthusiastic
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  about interacting with people
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  and making sure it's a great customer experience
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  and that it's a place you feel welcome.
• 8:20
  And so that's been fun.
• 8:21
  So I'm excited to get,
• 8:23
  we had not yet had everybody on both sides
• 8:25
  of the house and the room at the same time.
• 8:27
  So that'll be coming soon.
• 8:28
  We've had different groups meeting,
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  but we're excited to see everyone together
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  and see the team work together.
• 8:36
  And then we also will be doing a lot
• 8:37
  of farmer's markets and vendor markets,
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  literally in a 90 mile radius.
• 8:41
  [Steph] More chances to get your products
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  and to get your name out there.
• 8:45
  Right, right.
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  Well, and I come at this from the business side,
• 8:46
  I've promised Casey I will stay out of the kitchen.
• 8:49
  From a business and revenue standpoint,
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  I think what we're trying to create
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  I'm not sure can be fully supported
• 8:55
  from a single retail location in Yorktown.
• 8:57
  And so therefore we will be doing a lot of the markets.
• 9:00
  We'll also be doing direct to consumer catering,
• 9:03
  corporate, that sort of thing.
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  And so yeah, we're excited just to be able to see
• 9:07
  how to grow something
• 9:09
  that we think is needed in the community.
• 9:11
  And I think we both have a vision to create.
• 9:13
  [Casey] We do.
• 9:14
  I think we really are a great team.
• 9:15
  We've learned so far.
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  We didn't know each other before this,
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  so we've just kind of learned to know each other.
• 9:22
  And I really think our team is great.
• 9:23
  Even everybody was really handpicked
• 9:27
  and it wasn't just thrown out there, you know.
• 9:29
  We weren't just like,
• 9:30
  well, we gotta get a team together,
• 9:31
  let's get this started.
• 9:32
  It was very strategic
• 9:33
  and I think it's very special.
• 9:37
  [Steph] Nice.
• 9:38
  Now since we're on the radio,
• 9:39
  we can't see or smell what's happening.
• 9:42
  But as a bakery lover,
• 9:43
  I kind of judge the bakery
• 9:44
  by what's in the case when you walk in,
• 9:47
  what does it smell like?
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  So what will you have for customers kind of every day,
• 9:51
  the ones that stop in and get coffee
• 9:53
  and want something?
• 9:54
  [Casey] So it will change.
• 9:56
  But for the most part, we're gonna have cake slices.
• 9:58
  We'll have different flavors of cake slices,
• 10:00
  we'll have cheesecakes.
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  We'll also have scones and cinnamon rolls and cake pops.
• 10:05
  We'll have some French pastries.
• 10:07
  We'll have macarons, croissants, brownies.
• 10:12
  I probably left a lot out.
• 10:13
  [Heather] We'll have a fair amount of bread.
• 10:15
  [Casey] We will.
• 10:16
  [Heather] So Shane will be solely focused on bread.
• 10:18
  [Casey] We'll also have a fair amount of gluten-free items
• 10:21
  Steph Okay, yeah.
• 10:22
  [Heather] Casey is actually gluten intolerant herself.
• 10:24
  So for those that just know how important that is,
• 10:27
  she's pretty passionate about that.
• 10:28
  So yeah, there will always be gluten-free items
• 10:30
  in the case. [Casey] There will.
• 10:31
  So, and then all of those things like flavors,
• 10:33
  and maybe we'll just throw something in different.
• 10:34
  But it won't be the same old, same old every day,
• 10:37
  you know?
• 10:38
  [Steph] Kind of a rotating menu.
• 10:39
  [Casey] Yeah.
• 10:39
  [Steph] Do you hope the physical space will be one of those
• 10:42
  places that's a gathering place
• 10:43
  that has daily customers where people stay
• 10:46
  and make it part of their day?
• 10:48
  [Heather] Yes.
• 10:49
  I realized you can't see me nodding.
• 10:50
  (all laughing)
• 10:51
  [Heather] Yes.
• 10:52
  So we will not have a large amount of seating.
• 10:54
  We made the strategic decision
• 10:56
  to maximize the kitchen space.
• 10:59
  So when you walk in,
• 11:00
  the wall is in a little bit of an odd spot.
• 11:02
  Someday, you know, 50 years from now
• 11:04
  when we've moved on,
• 11:05
  somebody will say,
• 11:07
  "Well, gosh, this wall's kind of in a janky spot."
• 11:09
  But we did it intentionally
• 11:10
  to maximize that kitchen space.
• 11:13
  Sometimes you don't know how many seats you're gonna have
• 11:14
  until you get it in there.
• 11:16
  We think it will be 12.
• 11:17
  So again, it's not that it's going to be
• 11:19
  a large crowded restaurant by any means.
• 11:21
  But yes, I hope those 12 seats are filled
• 11:23
  and that people feel welcome and comfortable
• 11:26
  and know that this is just a place to connect.
• 11:30
  To me, great food, great coffee.
• 11:32
  I'm Canadian by birth,
• 11:33
  so therefore you are required to drink gallons of tea.
• 11:37
  Great tea.
• 11:39
  To me, it elevates every day.
• 11:41
  You don't wanna just live for the next weekend
• 11:42
  or live for your next vacation.
• 11:44
  The point is to build a great life you love
• 11:48
  on the random Wednesday.
• 11:50
  And I hope this becomes part of people's day,
• 11:53
  but it's more about people than it is food or coffee.
• 11:57
  That's right.
• 11:58
  [Steph] Excellent.
• 11:59
  What are your hours and how are they deliberately set?
• 12:04
  [Heather] So while the kitchen will be operational
• 12:07
  on Mondays and Tuesdays,
• 12:08
  the cafe itself will be closed.
• 12:10
  And at the risk of disparaging my husband
• 12:13
  and other men, which is not my intent,
• 12:15
  my personal experience is
• 12:17
  that generally it's mom picking up those baked goods,
• 12:20
  that's ordering those.
• 12:21
  Mom needs time after work
• 12:22
  to be able to go pick up bread for dinner,
• 12:25
  to be able to pick up the birthday cookies,
• 12:27
  to be able to pick up the team snack practice.
• 12:30
  I'm not getting that word right.
• 12:32
  (all laughing)
• 12:34
  Snack for after practice.
• 12:36
  [Steph] Snack practice sounds pretty good, actually.
• 12:38
  [Casey] I didn't even catch it.
• 12:40
  [Heather] Those treats for the team that night.
• 12:44
  So yes, it was very intentional
• 12:46
  to give mom time to leave work
• 12:48
  and swing by
• 12:49
  before she jumps into the next 600 things to do tonight.
• 12:52
  And those hours to a degree,
• 12:56
  certainly we've spoken to others in the community
• 12:58
  and have attempted to seek wise counsel.
• 13:01
  But at the end of the day,
• 13:02
  the customers are gonna tell us.
• 13:04
  Is 6:30 too later, is that too early?
• 13:06
  I don't know.
• 13:07
  We're gonna know in about 60 days
• 13:10
  and if we need to back it up to 6:00 a.m., we will.
• 13:12
  If nobody's showing up till 7:00 a.m.,
• 13:14
  well that's a really easy decision to make then.
• 13:18
  So it's a lot of that.
• 13:19
  Again, we'll just see what the traffic flow looks like.
• 13:21
  We've also debated on evening hours.
• 13:24
  [Casey] So we didn't mention why we're open early.
• 13:26
  We're doing breakfast too.
• 13:28
  [Steph] Okay, yes, yes.
• 13:29
  It'll be breakfast sandwiches.
• 13:31
  [Casey] We'll also have cinnamon rolls, some cake donuts,
• 13:34
  and just some other sweet options as well.
• 13:36
  [Heather] And we've been working with The Caffeinery,
• 13:38
  who a lot of people locally know.
• 13:39
  And we've worked with Frank and his team
• 13:41
  to create a proprietary coffee for us.
• 13:44
  And so we're excited about having the coffee.
• 13:46
  [Steph] I know you're still under construction a little bit,
• 13:49
  but can you tell us when you hope to open
• 13:53
  and then also where we can find you?
• 13:55
  [Heather] So we are shooting for mid-February.
• 13:58
  The goal all along has been
• 13:59
  to be open for Valentine's Day.
• 14:01
  We've been joking now,
• 14:02
  we'll either be open two days before Valentine's Day
• 14:04
  or two days after Valentine's Day.
• 14:07
  So that has been the target.
• 14:09
  But at the same time, as anxious as I am,
• 14:12
  I also wanna make sure that we open well.
• 14:15
  And then we are located on the west side
• 14:17
  of downtown Yorktown.
• 14:19
  If you know new Yorktown at all,
• 14:20
  we are just past the Civic Green and Four Day Ray.
• 14:23
  And the landmark that lots of people seem to know,
• 14:26
  we're two doors down from Twister Soda.
• 14:28
  And so that's become my landmark for people.
• 14:31
  We're just down from Twister Soda.
• 14:33
  So our website is www.cocoaandcream.com.
• 14:39
  And that's cocoa with an A
• 14:41
  and the and is spelled out
• 14:42
  because the nice people at internet land
• 14:45
  will not let you use the ampersand.
• 14:47
  And then we are also on Facebook,
• 14:50
  Instagram, TikTok, and X.
• 14:52
  [Steph] Okay, I can't wait to try everything.
• 14:55
  Thank you very much for being here.
• 14:57
  Heather and Casey, thank you so much.
• 14:59
  [Casey and Heather] Thank you for having us.
• 15:01
  [Steph] I'm Stephanie Wiechmann.
• 15:03
  (upbeat music)
• 15:16
  [Jen] You are listening to "Pop of Culture."
• 15:18
  I'm Jen Blackmer.
• 15:19
  [Michelle] And I'm Michelle Kinsey.
• 15:21
  Grammy and Emmy winning string trio,
• 15:23
  Time for Three,
• 15:24
  has a new project that just dropped on January 30th.
• 15:28
  Here on Pop to tell us all about it is Nick Kendall.
• 15:31
  Thank you so much, Nick.
• 15:33
  [Nick Kendall] It's great to be here, guys.
• 15:35
  [Michelle] Really appreciate it.
• 15:36
  Before we get to the new album though,
• 15:37
  for those who may not be familiar with the group,
• 15:40
  and I can't imagine how that could be,
• 15:42
  Nick, give us a little Time for Three background.
• 15:46
  And I wonder if you can do it in under three minutes.
• 15:49
  [Nick] Oh my, oh gosh.
• 15:50
  This is like the test of all,
• 15:52
  this is the elevator pitch of all elevator pitches.
• 15:56
  [Michelle] That's right.
• 15:57
  [Nick] I mean, two violins and upright bass.
• 16:00
  All three of us, you know,
• 16:01
  we grew up in different parts of our country.
• 16:04
  And all of us had this desire coming
• 16:07
  from the craft of classical music.
• 16:10
  A lot of our friends in high school,
• 16:11
  lower school, high school
• 16:12
  had no idea about the violin or bass
• 16:16
  or what happens in a concert hall
• 16:18
  with music that we loved,
• 16:20
  like Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky.
• 16:22
  And we somehow,
• 16:24
  the three of us during those young ages figured out
• 16:27
  that if we played something familiar to our friends,
• 16:30
  like Britney Spears on violin,
• 16:32
  suddenly we're like the coolest thing since sliced bread.
• 16:35
  And really, the idea of Time for Three
• 16:37
  started at the Curtis Institute of Music,
• 16:41
  where after these intense rehearsals
• 16:44
  of playing like Mahler Symphonies,
• 16:47
  we just have these jam sessions.
• 16:48
  And we really were not planning to be a group,
• 16:51
  it was just three humans
• 16:52
  completely on the same page vibe-wise.
• 16:55
  And it just took off.
• 16:57
  I mean, the famous pianist,
• 16:58
  legendary pianist, Gary Graffman,
• 17:01
  who was then the president of the Curtis Institute of Music,
• 17:03
  said, "Whatever this is,
• 17:06
  there's such an energy that people feel your energy."
• 17:10
  [Michelle] Yes.
• 17:11
  [Nick] And it's not about the genres,
• 17:11
  it's the energy.
• 17:12
  And he suggested that a big management firm check us out
• 17:16
  and it just kinda like took off.
• 17:18
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 17:19
  [Nick] And our biggest fans early on were our friends
• 17:21
  and it just happened.
• 17:22
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 17:23
  I think you're right.
• 17:24
  I think with energy and charisma
• 17:26
  and the chemistry among the three of you,
• 17:29
  you can literally play anything and draw people in.
• 17:31
  Right?
• 17:32
  [Nick] That's, we think so.
• 17:34
  And you know, in our space,
• 17:37
  playing in like these big concert halls and gorgeous places,
• 17:42
  I mean, we do play club dates,
• 17:43
  we play alternative spaces.
• 17:44
  But there's nothing like sharing these moments
• 17:47
  with other fellow humans.
• 17:49
  It's beautiful.
• 17:50
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 17:50
  And we probably should shout out
• 17:52
  the other members of the trio.
• 17:53
  You are on violin and vocals.
• 17:55
  And then tell us about the other two.
• 17:57
  [Nick] The other violinist and lead vocalist, Charles Yang,
• 18:01
  who's just unbelievable.
• 18:03
  He comes from Austin, Texas.
• 18:06
  And then the other founding member with me
• 18:08
  is Ranaan Meyer on double bass and vocals.
• 18:12
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 18:13
  So let's talk a little bit about this new album,
• 18:16
  "Emily, No Prisoner Be".
• 18:19
  And this album was inspired
• 18:21
  by the poetry of Emily Dickinson.
• 18:23
  Tell me more about that.
• 18:24
  [Nick] Yes.
• 18:25
  I was one of these idiots in high school
• 18:27
  that took class,
• 18:29
  but sometimes information went in one ear and out the other.
• 18:31
  It's like Emily Dickinson, of course
• 18:33
  it was part of the whole curriculum.
• 18:36
  But I just never really dove into it as a human
• 18:40
  until this project came about.
• 18:42
  And so Kevin Puts, who's the creator of
• 18:44
  "Emily, No Prisoner Be", he's a genius.
• 18:46
  And Time for Three has worked with Kevin
• 18:48
  throughout the pandemic.
• 18:49
  He created a concerto that ended up winning the album,
• 18:53
  won a few Grammys.
• 18:54
  [Michelle] Oh yeah, you said that very nonchalantly.
• 18:58
  And got a couple Grammys for it.
• 19:00
  Not a big deal.
• 19:01
  [Nick] I mean, trust me, it's definitely a huge achievement,
• 19:03
  but I know it does not solve all problems.
• 19:06
  I wish it did.
• 19:07
  But at the same time,
• 19:10
  coming outta the pandemic,
• 19:10
  he was working with Joyce DiDonato,
• 19:13
  arguably one of the most famous,
• 19:16
  iconic opera singers in the world.
• 19:18
  [Michelle] Seriously.
• 19:19
  So great.
• 19:21
  [Nick] And he was working on "The Hours" with her
• 19:24
  at the Met Opera at the same time.
• 19:25
  And Joyce was actually asking him,
• 19:28
  "I love your music, Kevin, I wanna do something more."
• 19:31
  And he said, "Well, you know,
• 19:32
  I've been working with these guys.
• 19:33
  They're just kinda wild.
• 19:36
  And I've just been thinking about the poems
• 19:39
  of Emily Dickinson."
• 19:40
  But then he famously said,
• 19:41
  "But not like the boring kind of staid Emily Dickinson
• 19:46
  that you might think of."
• 19:47
  [Michelle] Mm.
• 19:49
  [Nick] "It's more about her world that she created."
• 19:51
  And you know, Emily Dickinson,
• 19:52
  as we know and as we've gotten to know,
• 19:55
  she wrote in the confines of a small room.
• 19:59
  She lived during a time when women were very much thought
• 20:04
  to just make babies and stay in the kitchen.
• 20:06
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 20:07
  [Nick] And she wrote not for likes
• 20:09
  or never to be published.
• 20:12
  She never had that in mind.
• 20:13
  She wrote for herself.
• 20:15
  But everything that she wrote about
• 20:17
  was liberty and freedom
• 20:19
  and using the imagination to create all of these worlds
• 20:23
  that are so emotional and so relatable.
• 20:26
  And we feel like a lot of the poems,
• 20:29
  these 24 poems,
• 20:30
  young people we feel like are relating to it
• 20:33
  because they're coming out of a time of isolation.
• 20:35
  [Michelle] Yeah, good point.
• 20:37
  [Nick] And this has been such a meaningful project,
• 20:40
  two years in the making.
• 20:41
  And this album is,
• 20:45
  and this amazing collaboration with Joyce and Kevin
• 20:48
  and Time For Three is so timely right now
• 20:52
  where there's so much confusion and chaos happening.
• 20:56
  But we've launched into this tour
• 20:58
  that's representing the album now.
• 21:00
  It's a live show that we're taking all across the country.
• 21:02
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 21:03
  [Nick] We feel like it's representing all of these things
• 21:07
  that represent freedom and liberty and imagination.
• 21:09
  And the first poem is "They shut me up in Prose."
• 21:14
  So we come out really strong.
• 21:16
  [Michelle] Wow.
• 21:16
  [Nick] And it's talking, it's that poem that she wrote
• 21:19
  where she felt like she belonged in a closet.
• 21:23
  And very skillfully, Kevin ends the whole show
• 21:29
  with "No Prisoner Be".
• 21:31
  [Michelle] Wow.
• 21:32
  [Nick] And it's this anthem Kevin created with us,
• 21:34
  actually created this pop like anthem
• 21:37
  that's like this cry for self and liberty,
• 21:43
  you know, no prisoner.
• 21:44
  [Michelle] Yeah, and freedom, yes.
• 21:45
  [Nick And freedom.
• 21:46
  Yeah.
• 21:47
  And it's so awesome.
• 21:47
  It's really,
• 21:48
  we did the first show on the tour the other night.
• 21:52
  The show felt so inclusive
• 21:54
  and everybody walked out with this feeling of ownership
• 21:58
  of the whole thing in this moment.
• 21:59
  It's very, very cool.
• 22:00
  [Michelle] Oh, that's wonderful.
• 22:01
  As you mentioned, you are touring with this,
• 22:04
  and I think the closest you come as of now
• 22:07
  is Chicago and Louisville.
• 22:08
  [Nick] Yes.
• 22:09
  So when are we getting you back in Indiana?
• 22:11
  That's the question, right?
• 22:12
  [Nick] Well, we're working on it.
• 22:13
  I mean, we have a, as you guys know,
• 22:14
  we have a very lifelong connection
• 22:18
  to the city of Indianapolis,
• 22:22
  but specifically through the Indianapolis Symphony.
• 22:24
  And we'll be back for sure.
• 22:26
  [Michelle] Good.
• 22:28
  [Nick] We just am not exactly sure when.
• 22:29
  [Michelle] Well, I will hold you to that
• 22:30
  'cause we have that on tape now, that is recorded.
• 22:32
  [Nick] Yes, love that.
• 22:32
  [Michelle] So I will hold you to that.
• 22:33
  All right.
• 22:34
  We're gonna do a little lightning round.
• 22:35
  Are you ready?
• 22:36
  Some really quick questions.
• 22:37
  [Nick] I'm so ready. [Michelle] All right.
• 22:38
  If the trio could collaborate
• 22:39
  with any one artist alive today, who would it be?
• 22:42
  [Nick] Bruno Mars.
• 22:43
  [Michelle] Nice.
• 22:45
  Who is an artist you listen to
• 22:47
  that may surprise others?
• 22:49
  [Nick] I mean the artist D'Angelo,
• 22:51
  but I don't know if that's gonna be surprising to people.
• 22:55
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 22:56
  But the artist D'Angelo who actually passed away, sadly,
• 22:58
  this year.
• 22:59
  [Michelle] Yes.
• 23:00
  [Nick] Like R&B, hip hop, old school hip hop.
• 23:02
  - Yeah. - Cool.
• 23:03
  [Michelle] I love that.
• 23:04
  What's the first piece you learned
• 23:06
  that you still love playing?
• 23:09
  [Nick] Brahms "Lullaby".
• 23:10
  I think it's Suzuki book one or two.
• 23:16
  But the Brahms "Lullaby",
• 23:18
  it's an obscure piece by Brahms.
• 23:21
  Very short, but we played it as young children.
• 23:24
  [Michelle] Aw, I love that.
• 23:25
  [Nick] nd it's very hummable
• 23:27
  and it's something that I still sometimes will play
• 23:30
  just for my four and a half year old.
• 23:33
  [Michelle] What's the most surprising influence on your
• 23:37
  playing these days?
• 23:38
  [Nick] Oh wow.
• 23:39
  God, this is a great, great question.
• 23:41
  I mean, you know, I have to say
• 23:44
  I have the Russian tradition school as my backbone,
• 23:49
  as my tradition.
• 23:51
  But the violinist and just, I mean, he was such a god,
• 23:54
  Stephane Grappelli, who was like a jazz fiddler,
• 23:58
  he's always been an influence on me.
• 24:00
  Just the way he just makes a violin dance.
• 24:04
  [Michelle] Ah.
• 24:05
  [Nick] The notes just come flying in with such ease.
• 24:06
  And it's really his right hand technique with the bow,
• 24:09
  how he uses the bow.
• 24:11
  [Michelle] What's one word that you would use
• 24:13
  to describe a Time for Three concert?
• 24:16
  [Nick] Heartfelt and sincere.
• 24:17
  Sorry, that's not-
• 24:18
  [Michelle] Oh, you Cheaty McCheaterson.
• 24:21
  You just like... (laughing)
• 24:24
  I think we'll allow the two words.
• 24:25
  'Cause those were two great words.
• 24:27
  Well, Nick Kendall, thank you so much
• 24:29
  for taking time to talk with Pop today.
• 24:31
  [Nick] This is great.
• 24:32
  Absolutely.
• 24:33
  It's great to be speaking to a community.
• 24:35
  Actually, Muncie, my parents lived there
• 24:37
  for quite some time.
• 24:39
  And I'd go there quite often
• 24:41
  and I miss you guys a lot.
• 24:43
  [Michelle] Oh, we miss you too.
• 24:44
  That's why you gotta get back here.
• 24:46
  [Nick] Yes.
• 24:47
  [Michelle] Nick Kendall is a founding member of Time for Three.
• 24:50
  (upbeat music)
• 24:58
  [Jen] The tile game Mahjong is having a moment.
• 25:02
  It was invented in 19th century China,
• 25:05
  but it's becoming popular with a new generation of players
• 25:08
  looking to get off their phones
• 25:10
  and socialize in the real world.
• 25:12
  IPR's Thomas Ouellette learned the basics
• 25:15
  from a local expert.
• 25:16
  [Thomas] I'm sitting next to the person spearheading
• 25:18
  the Mahjong community in Muncie.
• 25:20
  Can you introduce yourself for me?
• 25:22
  [Raquel] Sure.
• 25:23
  My name is Raquel Santoni.
• 25:24
  [Thomas] And when you're not playing Mahjong,
• 25:25
  you're a nurse practitioner?
• 25:26
  [Raquel] I am.
• 25:27
  I work for the Veterans Administration.
• 25:28
  [Thomas] So Mahjong.
• 25:30
  [Raquel] Yes.
• 25:31
  [Thomas] How would you describe Mahjong as a game
• 25:33
  to somebody who's never heard of it?
• 25:35
  [Raquel] I think that it's almost a mix
• 25:37
  between dominoes and the game of Rummy.
• 25:41
  It's just a card game that people play
• 25:43
  and they form suits.
• 25:45
  Yes.
• 25:46
  [Thomas] So ultimately it's a matching game.
• 25:48
  [Rqquel] Kind of, yeah.
• 25:49
  So there are suits.
• 25:51
  So you have the craks, which are characters,
• 25:53
  bams, which are bamboo,
• 25:55
  and then dots, which are exactly what they are.
• 25:58
  You know, they correspond to dots.
• 26:00
  Each suit has a corresponding dragon,
• 26:02
  a white dragon, which is also called soap,
• 26:05
  which can also be the number zero belongs to the dots.
• 26:08
  [Thomas] I should be taking notes right now.
• 26:09
  I should be writing this down.
• 26:10
  [Raquel] Red dragons go with characters
• 26:12
  and the green dragons go with bamboo.
• 26:13
  Then there's also flowers and jokers that you can use,
• 26:16
  but you can never, ever, ever use a joker in a pair.
• 26:19
  [Thomas] Do you know where Mahjong comes from,
• 26:21
  how old it is?
• 26:22
  [Rqquel] So Mahjong is originally from China,
• 26:25
  and I mean, back before recorded time
• 26:28
  there's where people, drawings,
• 26:30
  people playing Mahjong.
• 26:31
  It was actually brought to the United States
• 26:34
  in the 1920s by a businessman.
• 26:36
  It was all the rage for some time.
• 26:40
  My in-laws were in the military.
• 26:42
  My father-in-law was an army man
• 26:45
  and they played Mahjong in the '50s and '60s
• 26:48
  with their friends.
• 26:49
  Just like people played Bridge or Canasta
• 26:52
  or other things like that.
• 26:53
  [Thomas] How long have you been playing it?
• 26:55
  How did you get into it?
• 26:56
  [Raquel] Okay, well I was a freshman
• 26:58
  at the University of New Orleans.
• 27:00
  And in one of the dorms someone said,
• 27:02
  "Hey, are you bored?"
• 27:04
  I said, "Yes."
• 27:05
  So he said, "Let's play Mahjong."
• 27:06
  So I played Chinese Mahjong
• 27:08
  at the University of New Orleans,
• 27:10
  I'll date myself a little, bit back in 1994.
• 27:14
  This May, I was actually on a girl's trip
• 27:17
  with my sister-in-law
• 27:19
  and she told me that she had just started playing Mahjong.
• 27:22
  And I said, "Wow, that's a core memory there
• 27:24
  that was unlocked."
• 27:25
  I hadn't heard that in a long time
• 27:27
  and hadn't really thought about it in a long time.
• 27:28
  So we started talking.
• 27:30
  And while I played Chinese Mahjong in college,
• 27:32
  she plays American Mahjong,
• 27:34
  which is a whole different, I mean similar,
• 27:38
  but very different and very fun.
• 27:40
  So I have now been playing American Mahjong since May.
• 27:44
  I think it's had a huge resurgence since the pandemic.
• 27:47
  I think it was very, very popular in the '20s, '30s, '40s,
• 27:50
  and maybe early '50s.
• 27:52
  There's actually a "Saturday Evening Post" from 1924
• 27:55
  and there's a lady on the cover playing Mahjong.
• 27:59
  It's been featured in a lot of movies,
• 28:00
  mostly like "Crazy Rich Asians".
• 28:03
  There's a scene where they're playing Mahjong.
• 28:04
  But I think that it's just a sense of community.
• 28:07
  You're playing a game with other people in real life.
• 28:10
  You know, there's something tactile
• 28:11
  about touching the tiles and listening
• 28:13
  to them clacking away.
• 28:15
  There's a mental aspect as you're trying
• 28:17
  to arrange all these suits.
• 28:19
  And there's also, I don't know how to describe it,
• 28:23
  it's just a great experience.
• 28:25
  I think that's just the gist of it.
• 28:28
  Yeah.
• 28:29
  [Thomas] So what is it that you find is the most fun
• 28:31
  about playing Mahjong?
• 28:32
  [Raquel] I think the most fun about playing Mahjong
• 28:35
  is just being able to play with real people.
• 28:40
  And I'm using my brain and it's fun.
• 28:44
  There is some skill involved,
• 28:47
  there's some strategy involved,
• 28:48
  but also there's a lot of luck
• 28:50
  and you know what you're dealt.
• 28:52
  So I just think that it's kind of that combination
• 28:54
  of putting all of that together.
• 28:56
  [Thomas] Yeah.
• 28:57
  So it's becoming more popular.
• 28:58
  You were talking about that a second ago
• 29:00
  about the pandemic.
• 29:01
  Right after the pandemic or I guess during it,
• 29:03
  people were learning new things,
• 29:04
  they were playing Mahjong.
• 29:05
  And afterwards they were able to get together
• 29:07
  with more people and play it.
• 29:09
  What do you think led to that growth?
• 29:12
  [Raquel] I think, if anything during the pandemic
• 29:15
  we kind of understood what kind of loneliness felt like.
• 29:19
  And I think also everything is so expensive
• 29:23
  and Mahjong can be a very expensive hobby.
• 29:26
  I'll just say that.
• 29:27
  You know, depending on what suits you buy.
• 29:29
  But you know,
• 29:30
  if you wanna get together with your girlfriends
• 29:32
  and you don't wanna just sit and have a beverage
• 29:35
  or you don't wanna sit and go to a bar
• 29:37
  or you don't wanna go to dinner
• 29:39
  and you want something to do,
• 29:40
  it's very fun to come up with these fun tablescapes
• 29:43
  to pick tiles and mats and all the things
• 29:45
  that match and correspond.
• 29:47
  And have just a girl's night in
• 29:48
  where you're meeting a friend,
• 29:50
  maybe at her house you're hosting weekly
• 29:53
  or you're taking turns hosting.
• 29:55
  Or you know, I have a group of girlfriends,
• 29:56
  sometimes you just go to The Pizza King and play.
• 29:58
  [Raquel] Now how long does a game of Mahjong typically take?
• 30:02
  So if you're really good,
• 30:04
  it can take as little as 15 to 20 minutes.
• 30:06
  Usually in tournament play,
• 30:07
  they keep them 15 minutes per game,
• 30:10
  but sometimes when you're just learning and having fun,
• 30:12
  it could take 45 minutes to an hour.
• 30:15
  [Thomas] Right.
• 30:15
  [Raquel] Yeah.
• 30:16
  [Thomas] Wow.
• 30:17
  So what is the ultimate goal of Mahjong?
• 30:19
  Like how do you win the game?
• 30:20
  [Raquel] So the Mahjong League has a card
• 30:24
  and there's different combinations of all the suits.
• 30:27
  And when you have a suit
• 30:29
  or have one of those combinations,
• 30:31
  you have a total of 14 tiles,
• 30:32
  you get to call Mahjong.
• 30:34
  [Thomas] Okay.
• 30:35
  So and how many pieces are in a suit?
• 30:39
  [Raquel] So there's nine dots plus four corresponding dragons.
• 30:44
  But you play with a total of 166 tiles.
• 30:48
  [Thomas] Wow.
• 30:49
  [Raquel] So when you're playing,
• 30:49
  usually you can play Siamese,
• 30:51
  which would be against another person.
• 30:53
  You can play with three people.
• 30:54
  Normally the game is played with four.
• 30:57
  And you know, you're hoping that when you're playing
• 30:58
  that everybody is choosing a different,
• 31:01
  what I call neighborhood or part of the card
• 31:03
  so that you're not all vying for the same things.
• 31:06
  'Cause that could get really difficult.
• 31:07
  [Thomas] Are you able to see what your opponent is playing?
• 31:10
  No.
• 31:11
  [Thomas] Oh, okay.
• 31:12
  [Raquel] Sometimes when you get really good at the game,
• 31:13
  you can kind of see what they're discarding
• 31:16
  or what they're calling for and what they're exposing.
• 31:19
  So sometimes you're able to kind of tell
• 31:21
  where they're going.
• 31:22
  [Thomas] So there's a bit of deception involved, right?
• 31:24
  [Raquel] Oh, a little bit.
• 31:24
  Yeah.
• 31:26
  [Thomas] They're throwing people off and stuff like that.
• 31:27
  That's, and so is there a way
• 31:28
  that you can stop another person when they're about to win?
• 31:31
  I guess like in "Uno,"
• 31:32
  you know, when someone's got one card,
• 31:34
  if they don't say Uno fast enough,
• 31:35
  then someone else says it and they draw.
• 31:37
  [Raquel] So you have to hope that they're not going to pull
• 31:40
  what they need from the discard or the wall.
• 31:45
  But if you know they need a tile
• 31:48
  and you're holding onto it,
• 31:50
  it's almost safer to throw your own hand
• 31:52
  than to give that person the Mahjong win.
• 31:54
  [Thomas] Okay, yeah.
• 31:56
  So there is some pretty deep strategy then at that point.
• 31:58
  A lot of prediction and like chess.
• 32:00
  So tell me about the Mahjong scene in Muncie.
• 32:04
  How is it here?
• 32:05
  [Raquel] So I know that there's a group of ladies
• 32:08
  that play once a week usually.
• 32:12
  I think I've heard that they play at the Tonne Winery,
• 32:15
  but I really couldn't find any women that were playing.
• 32:19
  So I taught some of my girlfriends in my neighborhood.
• 32:23
  And then I have a friend that owns Tonne
• 32:26
  and I went to her and I said,
• 32:27
  "Hey, I would really like to teach people to play,
• 32:30
  selfishly so that I would have people to play with."
• 32:34
  So I have taught a total of two classes,
• 32:37
  which is about 24 women,
• 32:38
  and I've probably taught two handfuls of other women.
• 32:42
  [Thomas] Have you ever,
• 32:43
  during when you were teaching these classes,
• 32:44
  have you ever run into somebody
• 32:45
  who's staring at these pieces
• 32:48
  like, "Oh man, I don't know about all this?"
• 32:52
  [Raquel] I think a lot of people feel that way at first.
• 32:54
  I mean, I think it's very overwhelming at the beginning.
• 32:59
  But I just think that once you start playing,
• 33:02
  and I mean when you first look at them, it's a lot.
• 33:05
  You know, there's so many things
• 33:07
  that we're not used to seeing.
• 33:08
  I think at least, I can't play cards,
• 33:12
  but I know what the cards look like, right?
• 33:15
  Because they're so integrated in our life.
• 33:18
  You know, that people see cards all the time,
• 33:21
  whether you're playing Go Fish or something else.
• 33:23
  When you're looking at Mahjong for the first time,
• 33:26
  most of us haven't seen that.
• 33:27
  So we don't even know what it is.
• 33:30
  [Thomas] And so you're teaching these classes,
• 33:32
  do you think there's gonna be more?
• 33:34
  [Raquel] Yeah, we're hoping to do some more.
• 33:35
  We're also hoping maybe to start a monthly Mahjong meetup.
• 33:40
  I would love to do that.
• 33:42
  The thing is, you know, my sister-in-law plays in St. Louis
• 33:45
  and they have a community center.
• 33:46
  We don't have a lot of that in Muncie.
• 33:49
  So I really wish that we had a community center
• 33:52
  where we would have the space
• 33:54
  without having to pay for using the space,
• 33:57
  and we could all just kind of go play there.
• 33:59
  [Thomas] Yeah, I was gonna ask,
• 34:00
  do you guys have an area, like a spot?
• 34:02
  I know you said Tonne.
• 34:03
  Is that like your area where you go?
• 34:05
  [Raquel] No, we've taught the classes there,
• 34:07
  but we've met at just a couple of local restaurants to play.
• 34:12
  Friends have hosted at their houses.
• 34:14
  So we just kind of go from place to place.
• 34:16
  Sometimes we wanna be in the house
• 34:18
  and sometimes we're like,
• 34:18
  "Hey, let's go get a pizza and play Mahjong."
• 34:21
  [Thomas] So when you're out playing in public
• 34:22
  and someone walks by and goes, "What the heck is this?"
• 34:25
  What do you tell 'em?
• 34:27
  [Raquel] It's Mahjong!
• 34:28
  (Thomas laughing)
• 34:29
  Yeah, and you know,
• 34:30
  sometimes people have questions.
• 34:31
  We played this weekend
• 34:32
  and one of the young girls was like,
• 34:33
  "Oh my gosh, my grandpa used to play Mahjong.
• 34:35
  I haven't seen it in a really long time."
• 34:37
  So that kind of brought back a memory for her.
• 34:39
  I think sometimes, especially like the older generation,
• 34:42
  they played a lot.
• 34:44
  There was a lot of Mahjong tournaments in Florida,
• 34:48
  New York, New Jersey,
• 34:50
  but it hasn't really made its way into the Midwest yet.
• 34:53
  It's all over the south.
• 34:55
  It's been on "Good Morning America".
• 34:57
  It's been on the "Today Show".
• 34:59
  So I know that there's a huge boom in playing Mahjong.
• 35:04
  So I'm hoping it continues.
• 35:07
  (upbeat music)
• 35:12
  [Jen] And a note here, Raquel Santoni is our audio fellow,
• 35:16
  Maya Doss's mom.
• 35:19
  (upbeat music)
• 35:31
  Every week we ask a local artist,
• 35:33
  what are you working on?
• 35:35
  But this month we have a theme.
• 35:38
  Let's welcome our cohost, Maya Doss.
• 35:40
  Hi, Maya.
• 35:41
  [Maya] Hi, Jen.
• 35:42
  I wanna ask you guys what do my interviewees have in common
• 35:45
  with both myself and Bob Ross?
• 35:48
  Guess you'll have to listen to find out.
• 35:50
  [Jen] Is it the hair?
• 35:51
  [Maya] Oh, we do have fabulous hair, don't we?
• 35:54
  (both laughing)
• 35:56
  [Jen] All right, let's take a listen.
• 35:58
  [Maya] Today in the hot seat I have Taylor Woodruff,
• 36:00
  a student at Ball State.
• 36:02
  And Taylor, I'd love to know,
• 36:03
  what have you been working on?
• 36:05
  [Taylor] Hello.
• 36:05
  Recently I have been working on some paintings and drawings.
• 36:09
  I'm in two art classes right now.
• 36:12
  We just finished our first painting
• 36:14
  and we're still in the midst of our second drawing project.
• 36:18
  And I just started thinking of concepts and ideas
• 36:22
  for this next painting.
• 36:24
  [Maya] That's so awesome.
• 36:25
  So what are these classes?
• 36:26
  [Taylor] So my painting class is narrative painting,
• 36:30
  and then my drawing class is actually
• 36:32
  narrative drawing as well.
• 36:34
  [Maya] Oh wow.
• 36:35
  So are you interested in this idea
• 36:36
  of telling stories with your work?
• 36:38
  [Taylor] Yes, absolutely.
• 36:39
  I think it definitely caters to my kind of visuals
• 36:43
  and just symbols, motifs in work.
• 36:46
  So it's been nice to have those guiding narrative things.
• 36:51
  [Maya] So with you taking art classes at Ball State,
• 36:53
  you are an art major, right?
• 36:55
  [Taylor] Yes, yeah.
• 36:55
  [Maya] You study painting and entrepreneurship?
• 36:58
  [Maya] Yes.
• 36:59
  That's really awesome.
• 36:59
  So what was this first painting
• 37:00
  that you said you just finished?
• 37:02
  [Taylor] So this first painting was our color narrative.
• 37:05
  So we take a color
• 37:07
  and we kind of think about what that color could mean
• 37:10
  or how it makes us feel,
• 37:13
  and then we create a narrative surrounding that color.
• 37:16
  So this painting, I chose pink.
• 37:19
  I'm not a very big fan of pink,
• 37:21
  which is actually why I chose it.
• 37:22
  I wanted to challenge myself.
• 37:24
  [Maya] Nice.
• 37:25
  [Taylor] So I kind of did a little bit of like a Barbie
• 37:27
  in real life, playing on how I am a blue-eyed blondie
• 37:34
  and that label that society has created.
• 37:37
  And kind of something like that.
• 37:38
  [Maya] That's interesting.
• 37:39
  I like that.
• 37:40
  And then what was your drawing?
• 37:42
  [Taylor] So basically what we're doing
• 37:44
  is we're building a set of ideas
• 37:47
  for our overall theme for the entire semester.
• 37:51
  So we get one theme
• 37:52
  and then we use only one material,
• 37:56
  one medium for each project,
• 37:57
  and then we can't use that material again.
• 38:00
  [Maya] Oh. [Taylor] Which is really cool.
• 38:01
  Yeah, so right now we're just doing thumbnails
• 38:05
  and we're just creating ideas surrounding the theme.
• 38:10
  For my piece, I've chose the mundanes of life,
• 38:14
  which I've kind of gotten into that concept before.
• 38:17
  [Maya] Yeah, that's been a reoccurring theme.
• 38:19
  [Taylor] Yeah, so I thought it would be really fun
• 38:21
  to dive into that.
• 38:23
  So right now I'm just working on hundreds of thumbnails
• 38:26
  to give myself ideas to go.
• 38:29
  [Maya] I remember because I've been in an art class with you
• 38:32
  before I graduated
• 38:33
  that you did paintings of people brushing their teeth
• 38:36
  and things like that.
• 38:37
  Why do you find beauty in the mundane?
• 38:40
  [Taylor] I think that it often just goes unnoticed
• 38:43
  and it's a big part of being a human.
• 38:46
  I think it's a connecting point for all of us
• 38:49
  and it can reach a bigger audience that way.
• 38:52
  And you can kind of put yourself into the painting
• 38:54
  rather than seeing a more complicated narrative.
• 39:00
  [Maya] And speaking of bigger,
• 39:01
  you did just do a huge mural, right?
• 39:03
  [Taylor] Yes.
• 39:04
  [Maya] Can you talk to us about that?
• 39:05
  [Taylor] Yeah, so it kind of has a gridded plant background.
• 39:08
  So there's little strings of leaves and vines
• 39:12
  in the background of the entire piece.
• 39:15
  They go up to about 10 to 15 feet high.
• 39:18
  And then in front of those
• 39:21
  you kind of start up the staircase,
• 39:23
  which it is on a stairwell,
• 39:24
  so you kind of turn into it.
• 39:27
  But you start with a big pink peony.
• 39:29
  And then you go into these beautiful red roses.
• 39:33
  There's like a red rose bud.
• 39:35
  And then a huge rose in the center of the wall.
• 39:40
  There's a little hummingbird too,
• 39:42
  kind of looking at the roses.
• 39:44
  [Maya] I love hummingbirds.
• 39:45
  [Taylor] Yeah, really cute.
• 39:47
  That was actually my choice to add that as well.
• 39:50
  And then moving more,
• 39:52
  there is the flagpole with the checkered flag
• 39:56
  kind of flying in the wind.
• 39:58
  And then there's a few peonies
• 40:00
  to kind of connect that piece.
• 40:03
  There's also a Colts horseshoe at the bottom.
• 40:07
  [Maya] Oh, I didn't notice that.
• 40:08
  [Taylor] Yeah, so they're big Colts fans.
• 40:09
  They didn't want it to be super blue.
• 40:12
  So I just kind of did a wash kinda light gray blue.
• 40:16
  And then there's two tulips that I added.
• 40:19
  I wanted those to represent the clients themselves.
• 40:23
  [Maya] That's sweet.
• 40:23
  [Taylor] Yeah, just like new beginnings,
• 40:25
  and all the things that tulips can represent.
• 40:28
  Oh yeah.
• 40:29
  And then there is the cardinal above the tulips
• 40:32
  kind of flying over the entire mural.
• 40:35
  And then there's a little tiny picture of their dog
• 40:39
  at the very end of the mural.
• 40:40
  [Maya] I love how you included so many personal touches for
• 40:42
  them. 'Cause it is in their family home.
• 40:45
  [Taylor] Yeah.
• 40:46
  [Taylor]And I saw pictures of it
• 40:47
  and you looked like a fairy in the garden
• 40:47
  next to these huge flowers.
• 40:49
  It was really awesome.
• 40:50
  [Taylor] They were awesome.
• 40:51
  They helped me a lot
• 40:52
  and it was really cool to get to ask them like,
• 40:55
  "Hey, do you like this?
• 40:56
  You want me to change this?"
• 40:57
  So it was really great.
• 40:59
  [Maya] It seems like you have been pushing yourself
• 41:01
  to go larger and larger,
• 41:02
  like with this 15 foot mural.
• 41:04
  Before that it was a three foot by four foot, right?
• 41:06
  [Taylor] Four by six.
• 41:07
  [Maya] Yeah, four by six, even bigger.
• 41:08
  [Taylor] Yeah.
• 41:09
  [Maya] Talk to us about that painting.
• 41:10
  [Taylor] So I had this idea,
• 41:12
  our last painting last semester was an epic narrative.
• 41:16
  And when I thought of epic, I thought big.
• 41:19
  So I wanted to just go crazy
• 41:22
  and I was graciously gifted that canvas,
• 41:25
  four by six foot, by my professor.
• 41:27
  And he told me that I needed to do it if I was gonna do it,
• 41:31
  and I did.
• 41:32
  So I kind of wanted to give back to the artists
• 41:36
  in that painting.
• 41:37
  And whenever I think of creators or the makers,
• 41:42
  I think we're like angels
• 41:44
  and I think we provide light in the world.
• 41:47
  And that's kind of what I wanted to capture.
• 41:49
  [Maya] So that's so beautiful.
• 41:49
  'Cause seeing the painting,
• 41:50
  they do look like angels in the moonlight.
• 41:52
  [Taylor] Yeah, thank you.
• 41:53
  [Maya] What did you end up titling that 4 x 6 painting?
• 41:57
  [Taylor] It's called "We The Heroes, The Makers, The Light".
• 42:01
  [Maya] Beautiful.
• 42:02
  [Taylor] Yeah, I thought it kind of captured
• 42:04
  just the idea that I was going for.
• 42:07
  And a big piece gets a big title, so.
• 42:11
  [Maya] Well that's better than
• 42:12
  when artists call everything "Untitled".
• 42:14
  [Taylor] Yeah, I know.
• 42:15
  That makes me so sad.
• 42:16
  The title is so important to me.
• 42:18
  [Maya] Will you describe what's happening in this painting?
• 42:22
  How you depicted these artists as angels of light?
• 42:24
  [Taylor] Yeah, so there are four figures in this painting
• 42:28
  and they're kind of all spread out across the image.
• 42:32
  They're kind of running through a field.
• 42:34
  It's kind of a greenery foresty background,
• 42:37
  and it's nighttime,
• 42:39
  so there's a big moon, lots of trees in the back.
• 42:42
  But they're lit from themselves,
• 42:45
  so they're wearing all white
• 42:46
  and they're kind of glowing in a way.
• 42:49
  They have like little outlines
• 42:51
  that help show that they are the light source,
• 42:54
  which is kind of where the light comes from in the title.
• 42:58
  And they're all kind of interacting with each other,
• 43:01
  kind of in whimsical poses,
• 43:03
  like flowing arms and fabrics and stuff.
• 43:07
  And then the figure on the farthest
• 43:09
  is actually looking at the viewer,
• 43:11
  almost inviting them to join this idea
• 43:15
  where you can create and you can change the world
• 43:18
  and all that.
• 43:20
  And the coolest part, I think,
• 43:22
  is the fireflies that surround all of them,
• 43:25
  kind of connects all of them.
• 43:26
  [Maya] It is beautiful to see the darkness
• 43:29
  and then there's the moon.
• 43:31
  The fireflies and the artists are the sources of light.
• 43:34
  It really makes it luminous and it does invite you in.
• 43:37
  I think it's cool how they're kind of
• 43:38
  receding back into space running towards us too.
• 43:41
  [Taylor] Yeah, thank you.
• 43:42
  [Maya] Super cool.
• 43:43
  Taylor, it's been an honor to have you in the studio today.
• 43:45
  I love giving a platform to Ball State students
• 43:48
  so that we can show the world that art is still important
• 43:51
  and it's worth learning about, right?
• 43:53
  [Taylor] Yeah, of course it is.
• 43:54
  It is everything.
• 43:56
  (gentle music)
• 43:58
  [Michelle] Are we ready for the calendar, Jen?
• 44:00
  [Jen] I am ready.
• 44:00
  I am so ready.
• 44:02
  [Michelle] So many good things this week.
• 44:03
  The Muncie Symphony Orchestra String Quartet
• 44:06
  will perform "Music of the Heart"
• 44:09
  Saturday, February 7th
• 44:10
  at Westminster Village in Muncie.
• 44:12
  Warm your heart with an afternoon of beloved melodies
• 44:15
  that celebrate joy and connection.
• 44:17
  The concert will include Mozart, Strauss, and more.
• 44:21
  So romantic.
• 44:22
  The concert begins at 1:30 p.m.
• 44:25
  [Jen] Lots of love in the air.
• 44:26
  [Michelle] It is.
• 44:28
  The Anderson Symphony Orchestra will present
• 44:30
  "Beethoven on the Rocks"
• 44:32
  Friday, February 6th at the Paramount Theater.
• 44:35
  You are invited to join artistic director
• 44:37
  and conductor Daniel Wiley
• 44:39
  for Beethoven like you've never heard or tasted before.
• 44:43
  "Beethoven on the Rocks" is a relaxed social evening
• 44:46
  where great music meets great cocktails.
• 44:49
  After the performance, stick around
• 44:50
  for a casual meet and greet with the musicians.
• 44:53
  Chat, connect and raise a glass together.
• 44:55
  The event begins at 7:30 p.m.
• 44:58
  Andersonsymphony.org is the place to go for more info.
• 45:03
  [Jen] The new play "Balls Balls Balls" opens this weekend
• 45:08
  at Ball State.
• 45:09
  That's a lot of balls.
• 45:10
  [Michelle] A lot of balls.
• 45:11
  [Jen] A lot of balls.
• 45:12
  The Department of Theater and Dance
• 45:14
  will present the new play February 6th through 14th
• 45:17
  at the Oakwood Building,
• 45:19
  which is just north of campus.
• 45:22
  This play is presented as an on script reading,
• 45:26
  and it tells the story of the big game,
• 45:28
  asking the question,
• 45:29
  can you imagine a world where we all make bread
• 45:32
  and break bread together?
• 45:35
  Written by award-winning playwright Alice Tuan,
• 45:37
  "Balls Balls Balls" was commissioned
• 45:39
  by the Ball State Department of Theater and Dance.
• 45:43
  Bsu.edu/theater for details.
• 45:47
  [Michelle] Very interesting.
• 45:48
  Balls, I just had to say it.
• 45:49
  [Jen] I know. It's so much fun to say.
• 45:52
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 45:53
  (laughing) Indiana Poet Laureate
• 45:55
  Curtis L. Crisler will host
• 45:57
  an evening of poetry, performance, and literary innovation
• 46:00
  at 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 11th
• 46:03
  in Bracken Library on the Ball State Campus Room 104.
• 46:07
  Crisler will share work from his acclaimed
• 46:09
  "Chitlin Circuit Project"
• 46:10
  and introduce audiences to sonastic poetry,
• 46:14
  a style he pioneered.
• 46:16
  bsu.edu/bracken has info.
• 46:20
  [Jen] The musical "Groundhog Day" takes the stage
• 46:24
  over and over and over again at Muncie Civic Theater.
• 46:30
  February 12th through the 22nd,
• 46:33
  visit the charming town of Punxsutawney
• 46:35
  as Phil Connors, a cynical weatherman,
• 46:38
  tries to escape that never-ending time loop.
• 46:41
  munciecivic.org for details.
• 46:43
  [Michelle] Love it.
• 46:44
  Sister Sadie performs at Ball State's Pruis Hall
• 46:47
  on February 12th.
• 46:48
  Sister Sadie is a bluegrass band born by accident,
• 46:51
  kept alive by chemistry,
• 46:53
  and fueled by an unshakeable bond between women
• 46:56
  who had spent their lives
• 46:57
  not just learning the rules but defying them.
• 47:00
  I love that description.
• 47:02
  [Jen] Born by accident.
• 47:03
  [Michelle] Right?
• 47:04
  [Jen] Yeah, how about that?
• 47:05
  [Michelle] By defying the rules,
• 47:06
  the Grammy nominated all women band
• 47:08
  will perform at 7:30 p.m.
• 47:11
  Hey, if you've got a concert or other events
• 47:13
  that we need to know about,
• 47:15
  tell us at indianapublicradio.org/contact.
• 47:18
  Then click "Pop of Culture."
• 47:20
  [Jen] Plenty of balls for everyone.
• 47:21
  [Michelle] Balls.
• 47:23
  [Luke] Support for "Pop of Culture" comes from
• 47:25
  Stallings Wealth Management,
• 47:28
  The Innovation Connector,
• 47:31
  and from you.
• 47:33
  With state and federal money eliminated,
• 47:36
  you are the difference
• 47:37
  in keeping local programming on the air at IPR.
• 47:42
  Become a member today at indianapublicradio.org.
• 47:46
  [Michelle] And that's our show.
• 47:48
  Our fact-checker and ethics curator is Stephanie Wiechmann.
• 47:51
  [Jen] And also Baked Goods Consumer.
• 47:54
  [Michelle] Yeah.
• 47:54
  [Jen] This week was produced by Luke Jones,
• 47:56
  who's going into Valentine's Day next week
• 47:58
  full of love for the team
• 48:00
  that helps carry this program, and by extension him.
• 48:04
  [Jen & Michelle] Aww.
• 48:06
  [Michelle] Speaking of, we had production assistance
• 48:08
  from Andrew Montavon and Stephanie Wiechmann.
• 48:10
  Okay, we've said her name way too many times this episode.
• 48:13
  [Jen] Uh huh.
• 48:14
  Our audio fellow is Maya Doss.
• 48:16
  Our show is hosted by me, Jen Blackmer.
• 48:19
  [Michelle] And me, Michelle Kinsey.
• 48:21
  "Pop of Culture" is a production from IPR
• 48:23
  on the campus of Ball State University.
• 48:26
  [Jen] All right.
• 48:27
  "Pop of Culture" has more sweet treats for your ears
• 48:30
  coming up, after this from IPR. (laughing)
• 48:39
  I said, I saw Michelle's thing in there.
• 48:41
  I thought she...