Triad Arts Weekend

SECCA's Neil Goldberg: Anthology, Trumpeter Anita Cirba and the Salem Band, and Knifemaker John Hege

Art is all around us and you can find it in the most unexpected of places. There's the art of Damascus steel, the art of emerging from the darkness of a subway into the light of day, the art of theme and variation, knife blades, trumpet playing, and, guess what? We'll cover all those and more for you today on the show. First up, Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art curator Cora Fischer and New York-based artist Neil Goldberg open our eyes to all kinds of intimate artistic opportunities in Neil's multi-media Anthology. Did you know the Triad is home to one of the finest trumpet players in the country? Yep, her name is Anita Cirba, and I'm not just blowing hot air—she's here with trumpet and the Carnival of Venice in hand to show you. I'll give you a hint how she does it: hours and hours of tireless practice, loads of dedication, and just not taking “no” for an answer. That's the same recipe for beautiful Damascus steel knife-blade- making, and we'll chat with a devoted blacksmith whose journey from auto repair to the art of the blade is pretty inspiring stuff. John Hege feels like a fire god—and as well he should.

Jim Dodson, Behind the Scenes with Mary Dalton, India Arie, and The Sharing Project

Today on the show we'll explore the art of the magazine, celebrate LGBT movie-making, explore the spiritual side of music-making, and wrap up with a better understanding of what it truly means to share. Best-selling author, educator, and O. Henry Magazine editor Jim Dodson is here with the August issue preview and more great local essays than you can shake a stick at. Then film scholar Mary Dalton takes us Behind the Scenes at Out at the Movies Series, Winston-Salem and the Triad's LGBT Film Series. Their celebrating their tenth anniversary and Mary's saved you an aisle seat. Four-time Grammy Award-winner India Arie gives us a glimpse into the spiritual side of her songwriting and performance practice, and artist, filmmaker, and Wake Forest University educator Joel Tauber just wrapped up an entire sabbatical tackling the sometimes thorny issue of sharing, and he can't wait to share what he's discovered along the way with you

William Tyler, Clark Whittington of Art-o-mat, Mary Dalton, and Hiss Golden Messenger

  The Crossroads Concert Series is returning to the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, and we've got interviews and music from both acts on the bill. Solo guitarist William Tyler cut his teeth as a sideman in Nashville, Tennessee, before setting out on his widescreen guitar journey. He's in Winston-Salem on Saturday night, and he'll be filling SECCA with exploratory & scenic instrumental guitar work, with notes that ring louder than words. But if lyrics are your thing you're in luck – co-headlining the concert is Hiss Golden Messenger, the vehicle for the searing songs of MC Taylor. He stopped by WFDD with guitar in hand and sat down for a conversation and intimate performance. While you're at SECCA, if you happen pass an old cigarette machine and do a double take, then you've encountered an Art-o-mat.  The machines are filled with affordable handmade art, and founder Clark Whittington is here to talk creativity and commerce. And when it comes to The Emmys, streaming is king, so we're going Behind the Scenes with Mary Dalton to take a look at two Netflix shows that have lots of nominations in common, but when it comes to character, they couldn't be more different. 

Melody Moezzi's "Haldol and Hyacinths", Arts for Life, Jiliana Dulaney's Haute Chocolate, and Irata

This week on the show, Iranian-American attorney, writer, and activist Melody Moezzi shares her book Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life, with Associate Producer Bethany Chafin. It's been called “…blistering, brash and irreverent” by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “…bold and courageous…” by Kirkus Reviews, and “…whip smart but whimsical” by “The Boston Globe”. Bethany Chafin finds out why and you get to come along for the ride. Arts for Life teaches artistic skills to children in the hospital who are battling life threatening illnesses. The AFL team is incredible and we'll get to meet two of them and find out what makes them tick. Chocolatier Jiliana Dulaney is rocking the entire chocolate world and she's doing it with only two main ingredients. And Greensboro-based guitarist Cheryl Hall is just simply rockin' with her band Irata. She sits down with Technical Producer Eddie Garcia to talk shop.

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Korner's Folly, Fiddler on the Roof, UNCSA's Katharine Laidlaw, and Singer Emily Hurd

We've got an unusual mix for you today beginning with an artistic restoration tour from the paint on the walls to the top of the roof at historic Korner's Folly. Dale Pennington will be our guide. Next, we'll whisk ourselves away to another roof top, thousands of miles from the Piedmont to a tiny little town called Anatevka. It's a compelling story about tradition, love, family, change—let's face it, Fiddler on the Roof has it all, and Stained Glass Playhouse is bringing it to the Triad! Then, after we've gazed at the Sunrise and Sunset, and contemplated what'd be like to be a rich man, we get a behind the scenes peak into the work of marketing. So, you've written an amazing play, assembled a superstar cast, and rehearsals are going smoothly, but how are you going to sell this show to the public? UNCSA's Executive Producer Katharine Laidlaw has a few ideas from her work on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to CocaCola. And we'll wrap things up with singer/songwriting sensation Emily Hurd. 

Summer Reads: Erin Gruwell, Bill Griffin, Terri Kirby Erickson, Kwame Dawes, and Ken Ilgunas

Happy 4th of July weekend to you! This year, instead of celebrating the season with loud fireworks, blaring patriotic music, and flag waving, we're going to salute our nation's independence and the freedoms that we all enjoy by…curling up with a good book. Today we've got not one, not two, not three, but FIVE outstanding author options for you. Bethany Chafin kicks things off appropriately enough with The Freedom Writer's Diary mentor and teacher Erin Gruwell. Then David Ford will plum the poets' perspective with family physician turned poet Bill Griffin, award-winning local poet and educator Terry Kirby Erickson, and University of Nebraska, Chancellor Professor of English Kwame Dawes. Bethany wraps up with author Ken Ilgunas. His Walden on Wheels: A Memoir About Student Debt, Adventure, and Freedom—there's that word again—provides the bookend to our poetry picnic. What better way to spend your Triad Arts (July Fourth) Weekend NEXT, after this news.

Power2Give, Death and the Robot, Must Be the Holy Ghost, and Jacob Felder

  Sculpture, written and spoken word, arts council, filmmaking, death, robots, mime, Holy Ghost Authoring Action and the Power2Give. Yep, it's all in a day's work for your Triad Arts Weekend team. We begin with the Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County. They're supporting their member organizations like never before with web platforms like Power2Give. That means more fantastic arts opportunities right here at home from a public art installation downtown to making a local teen author's feature filmmaking dream come true. Speaking of film, Eddie Garcia puts the spotlight on UNCSA grad filmmaker Austin Taylor. His Death and the Robot is racking up the awards and we'll find out why. Then, history will be made when I actually get a mime to speak. That's right Jacob Felder is here with a special behind-the-scenes peak at the art of miming. And we wrap things up with an artist and album overview: layered rhythms, looping guitars, gripping vocals - Must Be The Holy Ghost.

Quique Rodriguez-Pastor, Greensboro Summer Solstice, the Sounds of Summer and More

Today on the show, it's great music from around the world and an amazing celebration of the sun. First up, we get the sunny disposition of Peruvian/American singer/songwriter Quique Rodriguez-Pastor. His new album Lovelike tackles the yearning we all experience in life with uplifting melodies and harmonies that'll put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Then, here comes the sun! That's right, Greensboro Summer Solstice is here at last so let the butterflies loose! Oh, and don't forget the faeries, dancers, fire twirlers, harps, flutes, Tai Chi and yoga artists, and 27 performances going on all day on three separate stages! Sun worshippers will be waiting for you—6,000 strong—at the Arboretum this weekend. It's free and you're invited! Speaking of free, how about a world class organ recital performed on a world class instrument by not one, not two, but three acclaimed organists? Sounds of the Summer has you covered in Winston-Salem and it's all summer long. And we wrap things up at The Creative Center in Greensboro. The Collabative presents live performances by Lawyers Guns & Money, Molly McGinn and Sam Frazier. 

Triad Arts Team Wins Gabriel Award

WFDD's Triad Arts team has received a national Gabriel Award. The Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals honored the team for its arts coverage on Thursday, June 19 during an awards ceremony at the Sheraton Hotel in Charlotte.

Irish Musician Andy Irvine, Poet Becky Gould Gibson, Behind the Scenes with Dale Pollock and More

Today on the show there's nothing like the power of music to change people's lives—literally. Back in the 1960s for example, a young boy in Ireland heard a Woodie Guthrie album, and he was immediately hooked. Today that little boy is arguably the finest interpreter of traditional Irish music, and, thanks to The Fiddle & Bow Society, Andy Irvine is coming to Winston-Salem this weekend for an intimate concert you do not want to miss. Then University of North Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking Professor of Cinema Studies Dale Pollock takes us Behind the Scenes for a look at the ever growing relationship between movie making and merchandising in the post—LEGO Movie world. Poet Becky Gould Gibson is the author of Heading Home, the inaugural winner of the 2013 Lena M. Schull Book Contest, and she sits down with Bethany Chafin to cover, among other things, the essence poetry and the life of an artist. And from Heading Home we shift to The War At Home. That's the fascinating current exhibit going on at the New Winston Museum. It covers the dynamic history and diverse stories of the Piedmont during the Civil War years. Irish music, LEGO moneymakers, plenty of poetry and hearty tip of the hat to the Moravians.