Hallie Dizdarevic is the Director of Creative Engagement has a long history with Commonwealth Theatre Center. She began working with Walden Theatre in 2006 and Blue Apple Players in 2008. She is proud to have taught at every level of the Conservatory over the years, especially at the Imagination level which she developed and launched in 2013. Hallie has also been responsible for developing many successful Outreach programs such as Connecting Cultures, Spanish Movement for Stories, and Resiliency; a drama curriculum intended to destigmatize trauma and introduce an arsenal of positive coping mechanisms to children who have experienced high levels of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Hallie is currently heading up a three year project funded by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and the NEA that is intended to increase tolerance and understanding between Muslim and non-Muslim members of the Louisville community
Denmo Ibrahim is a first-generation Egyptian-American playwright, actor, and entrepreneur who the San Francisco Chronicle called “a tower of strength in the Bay Area theatre scene.” Denmo was one of 25 theatre artists nominated for the Rainin Fellowship (2020) and was a Sundance Theatre Lab Finalist.
Denmo joins the Connecting Cultures team as the playwright and lead actor in “Zaynab’s Night of Destiny”, an audio immersive play premiering later this year.
Andy Perez is the 2021 KY Derby Poster Artists and our guest this week. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM, or stream on Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Keith Waits talk with artists.
Andy Perez is a visual artist, Illustrator, and graphic designer. Originally from Kentuckiana, he received a BFA from The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2004. He now resides in Louisville, KY with his wife and daughter.
“My work has been featured in publications and galleries across the US. I work on a variety of projects including (but not limited to) editorial, conceptual, and advertising illustration. My work is mostly executed with collage and acrylic paint, along with other mixed media.” - Andy Perez
Fiber artist Pat Sturzel joined us this week to talk about Open Studio Weekend https://www.openstudioweekend.org/. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM, or stream on Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Keith Waits talk with artists.
Pat Sturtzel has been a fiber artist for over 35 years and has been teaching fabric dyeing and surface design techniques for 15 years. Pat has taught fabric dyeing at the national level, most recently at AQS QuiltWeek Paducah in April 2020.
Pat was presented the 2015 Teacher of the Year award by the International Association of Creative Arts Professionals, this weekend she will be participating in the LVA/Hite Institute Open Studio Weekend.
Multi-media artists Kenyatta Bosman & Jessica Chao will be participating in the rescheduled Open Studio Weekend April 10-11 and this week will be talking about their work. Tune in Thursday at 10 am to WXOX 97.1 FM, or stream on Artxfm.com to hear their voices.
Kenyatta Bosman is a non-binary visual/multimedia artist who focuses on realism and being in the moment. Their inspiration comes from black and queer cinema and the Queer Black Experience. They have exhibited in Louisville at Roots 101: African American Museum and at Quappi Projects. Their studio is at Creatives of Color Collective in the Artspace Building.
Jessica Chao is a native New Mexican artist who earned her BFA in Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico in 2012 focusing on lithography and oil painting.
Jessica’s work consistently reflects the discipline and dedication to trying new techniques, ideas, and challenges. Jessica relocated to Louisville, Kentucky to pursue arts in and around surrounding cities like Cincinnati and Chicago, Her studio is in Art Sanctuary on South Shelby Street.
On April 10 & 11 both artists will be participating in the LVA/Hite Institute Open Studio Weekend. To purchase directories Click HERE.
The 2021 Arts-Louisville Theatre Awards will live stream this March 25, and as a part of this year's special edition, Angelica Santiago & Crystian Wiltshire talk about being BIPOC actors working out of Louisville. Join us this Thursday on WXOX 97.1 FM, or stream on Artxfm.com at 10 am.
Angelica Santiago, a multicultural chica born and raised Jersey native, is an actress telling the stories that need to be told. Having graduated from Montclair State University with her BFA in acting she uses the skills towards her craft to connect with people around the world and dive into her work in an even more personal way. Angelica's passion for acting comes from her desire to inspire audiences from all over and allow them to be affected by the stories of people that must share what they have to say. She was apart of the 2018-19 Actors Theatre of Louisville Acting Apprenticeship and has continued to work off and on in Louisville for Actors Theatre, Kentucky Shakespeare, and the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.
Crystian Wiltshire is originally from Brooklyn, New York but is an alumnus of the African American Theatre Program at the University of Louisville Department of Theatre Arts. He has worked with Stage One Family Theatre, Kentucky Shakespeare, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, and the Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati.
