00;55;00;02 - 00;55;15;00 Sean Ashcraft Support for Pop of Culture comes from Stallings Wealth Management. Daniel Stallings, financial advisor. Securities and advisory services offered through Cetera advisors, LLC. Member, FINRA, SIPiC, a broker dealer and registered investment advisor. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity. 00;55;15;03 - 00;55;23;20 Jen Blackmer This week on Pop of Culture, we cross blades! The show takes a trip to a local fencing club to see what the point is. 00;55;23;23 - 00;55;27;22 Michelle Kinsey We'll also talk to a metal artist forging her own path. 00;55;27;27 - 00;55;34;12 Tracy Davidson If I have to make three of the same necklaces with different colored stones for Christmas for people, I get bored by the second one. 00;55;34;14 - 00;55;36;28 Jen Blackmer We'll go Behind the Song. 00;55;37;00 - 00;55;41;04 Michelle Kinsey And we'll get frozen for this week's What Are You Working On? 00;55;41;07 - 00;55;42;14 Jen Blackmer Coming up. 00;55;42;16 - 00;56;13;04 Luke Jones Support for Pop of Culture comes from Stallings Wealth Management and from you. You may have heard about large gifts to NPR. Those donations are important. But they don't bring back the funding to IPR. Your support pays for the programs you rely on, especially local programs like this one and the people like me who create them. Pop of Culture exists for you and because of you. Give today at Indiana Public radio.org. 00;56;13;06 - 00;56;17;18 Michelle Kinsey From IPR. This is Pop of Culture. I'm Michele Kinsey. 00;56;17;18 - 00;56;26;02 Jen Blackmer And I'm Jen Blackmer. Later this hour, a metal worker who says she's never made the same thing twice. But first: en garde! 00;56;26;05 - 00;56;37;29 Michelle Kinsey Earlier this week, Jen and I visited the new fencing club at Cornerstone Center for the Arts. We were handed blades and acted responsibly the entire time. Here's proof. 00;56;38;02 - 00;56;57;21 Christian Achgill All right, let's get you guys some gear. So start off chest protectors. So, We've got women's chest protectors here. Oh. Basically just goes on, like, you can figure it out. 00;56;57;21 - 00;57;00;27 Jen Blackmer Yep. This is imagine, what? 00;57;00;27 - 00;57;01;21 Michelle Kinsey A plastic bra. 00;57;01;21 - 00;57;06;02 Jen Blackmer Yeah. What? The 1950s version of the, bullet bra would have been. 00;57;06;04 - 00;57;08;23 Michelle Kinsey Maybe it looks like something Madonna would wear. 00;57;08;23 - 00;57;11;22 Jen Blackmer Oh, yeah. 100%. Yeah. Oh, my. Look at that. 00;57;11;23 - 00;57;22;23 Christian Achgill We'll get you, one of our life jackets or white jackets that we use for our beginner classes. So if you stick your arms out now, that that loop there, your your foot’s gonna go through. 00;57;22;26 - 00;57;23;18 Jen Blackmer Yeah. 00;57;23;20 - 00;57;24;10 Christian Achgill Then you'll need. 00;57;24;13 - 00;57;31;23 Michelle Kinsey So just that's like that is. Hello. That's getting friendly right down in my nethers. Let's get 00;57;31;26 - 00;57;41;25 Jen Blackmer Each of these jackets has, like, a really awesome crest. (Yeah.) On the arm we've got our Muncie Fencing Club and it's a cardinal with a. 00;57;41;26 - 00;57;43;02 Christian Achgill Holding a sword and a dagger. 00;57;43;03 - 00;57;44;07 Jen Blackmer I was gonna say sword and a dagger. 00;57;44;07 - 00;58;06;08 Christian Achgill Yeah. Next thing we'll have you get is a pair of gloves. And, although this is a rapier and dagger class, as of right now, we're focusing on some single rapier techniques. So just the rapier alone. And that's partly because, we have a tournament in Indianapolis coming up. That's rapier only. At the Indianapolis Club. 00;58;06;12 - 00;58;08;19 Jen Blackmer So define rapier. 00;58;08;21 - 00;58;15;28 Christian Achgill Rapier. I'll actually I'll grab one and show you. So this is a a single handed sword. 00;58;15;29 - 00;58;25;10 Michelle Kinsey Take us back to the beginning. And when you. Were interested first in fencing, how you got started, how long you've been doing it? 00;58;25;11 - 00;58;25;20 Christian Achgill Yeah. 00;58;25;25 - 00;58;26;10 Michelle Kinsey ... teaching. 00;58;26;11 - 00;58;47;20 Christian Achgill I got started, in middle school, doing Olympic saber. Wow. At the time, it was through a local YMCA program. When I went to college, I kind of set it down for a little bit. But then it wasn't until after Covid that I was, you know, pandemic was over. Looking for something to fill my time. 00;58;47;22 - 00;59;05;19 Christian Achgill And I said, let me see what my old club's up to. And so, of course, they're still doing the Indianapolis fencing Club, they're still doing Olympic stuff. But at the time they also had and still do because I also teach there. I'm one of the instructors there. Introductory classes to HEMA: historical European martial arts. 00;59;05;21 - 00;59;22;01 Christian Achgill So I took a beginner rapier and dagger class. And when I had taken the Olympic fencing, I think one of you asked, what do I do with this hand? And I'd always wondered, what do you do with this hand here? Does it go up in the air and it'll go behind me. Where? Where does it go? And so someone put a dagger in my hand. 00;59;22;03 - 00;59;41;18 Christian Achgill I was like, okay, that make sense. That all makes perfect sense. And so I fell in love with with rapier and dagger. That was, you know, 4 or 5 years ago. I have a friend, one of my sparring partners who's friends with the, director here of of programing. And so he said, hey, you know, you're looking for people to teach classes. 00;59;41;18 - 01;00;00;10 Christian Achgill I have someone who I think might might know how to do that because I actually live just outside of, Muncie and, in Selma. And, so that's how we got connected with the program here. And we had an initial early grant to cover some of the, the, the basic the white jackets, the swords and stuff like that. 01;00;00;10 - 01;00;20;05 Christian Achgill So we were able to get started, once we had a couple of, beginner classes, then we kind of had the momentum to say, okay, let's go for an intermediate class. Let's, let's not just do this eight week thing, but let's come back every week and have a club structure and all that kind of stuff, get some heavier equipment, get some, you know, bigger, heavier swords, all that kind of stuff. 01;00;20;07 - 01;00;22;25 Christian Achgill And so we just kind of kept going from there. 01;00;22;26 - 01;00;28;18 Michelle Kinsey So the interest in the club was from the jump. It sounds like as soon as you announced it was happening, you had people. 01;00;28;21 - 01;00;58;14 Christian Achgill Filled up pretty quickly. What we teach here is what we focus on is the, Renaissance Spanish school of fencing. So beginning in the mid 1500s through the early 1600s, the Spanish developed a school called, Destreza, in which the true skill, true art, the true skill, the science of defense. So in the Spanish school, well, you may have seen, at least in the Olympics, is a stand like this. 01;00;58;16 - 01;01;18;07 Christian Achgill And the sword is very relaxed. Okay. What we're going to do instead in the Spanish school is we're going to stand in the right angle. So one of the simplest things that we can do is we can displace the sword. I'm I'm here, you know, step out and pick your sword up, and you don't have to. You don't have to give it away. 01;01;18;12 - 01;01;33;27 Christian Achgill Okay? So you just going to hold it? I carry it, so I move it out of the way first, and then I can attack another step to the left. Step towards them. It's not me. It's you. Right. Let's try. Let's try it. 01;01;33;29 - 01;01;39;24 Michelle Kinsey It's like it's a little bit. It's a it's like a really scary. Like 3D movie. 01;01;39;26 - 01;01;48;11 Christian Achgill So we're going to do a very simple exercise. Just that. Just that for right now. So we'll, grab a partner. 01;01;48;14 - 01;02;07;29 Michelle Kinsey The silent but deadly type, aren't you? I can tell you're very quiet. Which it. (Ring) I'm just. Like I can't be any softer. 01;02;08;01 - 01;02;09;13 Christian Achgill I wear lots of protective equipment. 01;02;09;16 - 01;02;17;17 Michelle Kinsey I know you do. (I'm not going to.) I know you do. But it's just like the whole idea about that. It is a sword. And I’m freaking out? 01;02;17;19 - 01;02;21;17 Christian Achgill Defend ourselves against that. So Nick’s going to do that to me. 01;02;21;19 - 01;02;25;07 Michelle Kinsey Nick, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm a little exhausted. 01;02;25;10 - 01;02;28;11 Nick, the Fencer Yeah, I it's tiring when you first start out. 01;02;28;13 - 01;02;32;22 Michelle Kinsey Yeah. So how long have you been fencing? 01;02;32;24 - 01;02;34;11 Nick, the Fencer A little more than a year at this point. 01;02;34;14 - 01;02;40;21 Michelle Kinsey Wow. Why did you decide to do this? What was it that drew you to the sport? 01;02;40;25 - 01;02;47;22 Nick, the Fencer I'm a massive nerd, so getting to go play with swords sounded like a lot of fun. And I enjoyed it a lot. 01;02;47;24 - 01;03;00;13 Michelle Kinsey Yeah. So when you had your try to take yourself back to the first time that you put all the gear on and you did what we just did for Pop of Culture, how did you feel? 01;03;00;15 - 01;03;19;03 Nick, the Fencer I was excited. I was a little I was a little worried because I'd never heard of Cornerstone doing anything like this. Yeah. So I was I was a little worried that I wasn't, that it wasn't going to be, like, really, like I'd get to use the swords. But then I was very happy. Even the first day we were, we got to do a sparring with the swords and that was a lot of fun. 01;03;19;04 - 01;03;27;13 Michelle Kinsey Wow. He does jump right in, doesn't he? Do you feel like that's the best way is just to overcome that fear of of doing it? 01;03;27;14 - 01;03;38;20 Nick, the Fencer A lot of what we do is kind of intuitive. Where to avoid getting hit. You put your sword here, and then that's what he teaches based on. So I like the faster approach. 01;03;38;23 - 01;03;40;02 Luke Jones How's it going, Jen? 01;03;40;04 - 01;03;44;04 Jen Blackmer It’s going. I'm feeling powerful. 01;03;44;06 - 01;03;46;21 Christian Achgill She's doing great. 01;03;46;24 - 01;04;01;09 Jen Blackmer So I step over, move my. Blade, and then I back up and fake him out and stab him right through the chest. Okay. I'm sorry. What's your name? 01;04;01;14 - 01;04;02;16 Luke, the Fencer My name is Luke. 01;04;02;19 - 01;04;03;20 Jen Blackmer Luke. 01;04;03;23 - 01;04;14;23 Christian Achgill And, And you, quit wandering. And he needs it. 01;04;14;25 - 01;04;16;01 Jen Blackmer Where's the drinking fountain? 01;04;16;03 - 01;04;16;24 Michelle Kinsey I don't know. 01;04;16;24 - 01;04;17;22 Jen Blackmer Okay, good. You're sweaty, too. 01;04;17;25 - 01;04;18;09 Michelle Kinsey Are we done? 01;04;18;13 - 01;04;19;10 Jen Blackmer I was wondering. 01;04;19;10 - 01;04;47;15 Michelle Kinsey If this is, like, the. I feel like I didn't realize that this was going to be as much of a workout as it is, right? Because when you look at it like when when the instructor is moving around and he's like shifting his feet and his movements are really easy and the flow is great. Yes. And then and then just holding the sword and moving around, you're like. Oh my goodness. But then 01;04;47;17 - 01;04;53;10 Jen Blackmer It looks effortless. (It does). And then when you begin to do it yourself, you're like, wait. And I was, I was. 01;04;53;10 - 01;05;12;05 Michelle Kinsey And that's why it's hard because we're not used to the movement. Right. So then we're working harder because we're not doing it right. Because we're learning. Right. So then it seems like a lot of like extra steps and concentration and our bodies are tensing up and but it's the whole night. It's so fun. 01;05;12;06 - 01;05;25;26 Jen Blackmer I was telling I was, I was saying earlier that it's, there's this sense of empowerment even when you don't know what you're doing. You're here and you know, and everybody is so nice. And I'm working with a guy named Luke who is just so encouraging. 01;05;25;26 - 01;05;26;20 Michelle Kinsey Nick is delightful. 01;05;26;20 - 01;05;35;17 Jen Blackmer And every time I look in, you know, I'm like, looking. Yeah. Did I do it right? He's like, yeah, absolutely. And a couple of times I like got him pretty good. So yeah. 01;05;35;20 - 01;05;37;14 Christian Achgill So we'll open up to open sparring. 01;05;37;22 - 01;05;39;15 Jen Blackmer So we've been working up to this. 01;05;39;17 - 01;05;43;19 Christian Achgill Okay. So, I’ll officiate a quick bout between you. 01;05;43;21 - 01;05;48;27 Luke Jones YESSS (Laughter) 01;05;49;00 - 01;05;52;01 Jen Blackmer This is not personal Michelle Kinsey. It’s not personal. 01;05;52;01 - 01;06;01;21 Michelle Kinsey Listen, I love you. (Do you?) You’re going down. (what’s that?) Oh, what, you didn’t hear me? (what’s that?) 01;06;01;24 - 01;06;17;02 Christian Achgill So we're going to go to five points. For you to get a point, you have to get the touch without the other person hitting you at the same time. If you both poke each other at the same time, it's called a double and no one gets the point. So, we’re going to five. Okay? When I say fences ready, you can fence until I say halt. 01;06;17;02 - 01;06;25;17 Christian Achgill Fences ready? Fence! 01;06;25;19 - 01;06;37;28 Christian Achgill Up double! Touched each other. No points awarded. Fences ready? Fence! 01;06;38;01 - 01;06;51;11 Christian Achgill Oh, I saw a good touch to the side over here. That one kind of glanced off over here. And you get the point over here. Whoa. A touch to the side, a little bit of. a miss over here. Fences ready? Fence! 01;06;51;14 - 01;07;08;14 Michelle Kinsey So, I'm going to put you on the spot. Nick. As a first timer. Yeah. Tonight. I've never done this before. Like, let's say ranking 1 to 10, Nick, where do I fall in, like, my first attempt at fencing? 01;07;08;16 - 01;07;22;05 Nick, the Fencer So I haven't seen a full beginner class in a while, but you did. You were able to hold the sword the entire hour. And you scored on me in sparring, which was good. Say, at least a seven. 01;07;22;07 - 01;07;27;29 Michelle Kinsey A seven. Nick. You are being too kind, but I love you for it, Nick. 01;07;28;04 - 01;07;33;03 Nick, the Fencer I've seen I've seen a couple of other classes that were a little rough. 01;07;33;06 - 01;07;48;12 Christian Achgill Oh. You guys recognize such good. I think you got a point. Right? Okay. She got a point. Okay. Three, zero. Almost there. But she can surge back, so it's a possibility. That's great. Fence! 01;07;48;12 - 01;07;55;03 Michelle Kinsey It’s so exciting. So how long do you think - is this something that you think you're going to do for years to come? 01;07;55;08 - 01;07;59;00 Nick, the Fencer Yeah. As long as I'm able to do something and continue to do it. 01;07;59;02 - 01;08;06;10 Christian Achgill Yeah, yeah. For three fences. Ready? Fence. Oh. 01;08;06;13 - 01;08;11;25 Jen Blackmer I just put that. 01;08;11;27 - 01;08;27;27 Christian Achgill And fence. Oh, good. There's our point. Five, three. And you salute. With the sword. Salute. Salute with the swords, up and down. Oh very good, very good. 01;08;27;28 - 01;08;38;15 Michelle Kinsey Yay! Okay. That was awesome. I mean, we learned a lot in a very short period of time. And then actually, for the most part, follow the rules. 01;08;38;16 - 01;08;42;07 Jen Blackmer And I knew what I was kind of doing, maybe. I mean, it was 01;08;42;12 - 01;08;56;16 Michelle Kinsey I noticed because we were, we were doing those like those invasive like, I'm going to bring you this way, but oh no, come. Back this way (and kind of fake) Yes, yes. The fake thing. Yeah. All right. Well, she said that’s what it’s all about. 01;08;56;19 - 01;09;03;24 Christian Achgill You know, there's a lot of fun to learning fencing, but it is very much a sport rather than a historical practice. 01;09;03;26 - 01;09;10;24 Jen Blackmer Yeah. It's a welcoming space too. You've done a great job of that. Just bringing us in and, and making us feel very welcome. 01;09;10;28 - 01;09;11;16 Christian Achgill And you. 01;09;11;18 - 01;09;12;13 Michelle Kinsey And sweaty, sweaty. 01;09;12;18 - 01;09;14;16 Jen Blackmer Sweating. Yeah, yeah. 01;09;14;18 - 01;09;19;02 Christian Achgill Good form, good form. I'd love to have you back. And you're always welcome back. 01;09;19;03 - 01;09;52;16 Michelle Kinsey So thank you. Thank you so much. This has been great. Yeah, yeah, I get it. I mean, who would have known in downtown Muncie. Cornerstone Center for the Arts... on the third floor there is fencing. That just awesome. I just love it. Registration for summer classes at Cornerstone in Muncie is open now at Cornerstone arts.org. (horn music) 01;09;52;18 - 01;09;55;13 Michelle Kinsey This is Pop of Culture, I'm Michelle Kinsey. 01;09;55;14 - 01;09;56;17 Kara DuQuette I'm Kara DuQuette. 01;09;56;22 - 01;10;12;29 Jen Blackmer And I'm Jen Blackmer. Most art can be scaled up or down. Think murals that cover the side of a building or a tiny doodle in a notebook. Our next artist has made sculptures the size of trees and pieces so small they can fit around your finger. 01;10;13;02 - 01;10;21;10 Kara DuQuette We are speaking with Tracy Davidson, an Indiana artist who works with metals. Tracy, thank you so much for being here today. 01;10;21;12 - 01;10;22;20 Tracy Davidson Thanks for inviting me. 01;10;22;23 - 01;10;28;21 Kara DuQuette Of course. Curious, how did you get started in metalwork? 01;10;28;24 - 01;10;52;07 Tracy Davidson Oh, well, I'm the first. First child that was wished a boy by my father, and I helped him with working on cars growing up, the race and go karts and all that. So I like the mechanical part of it. And then in the 80s, I went to Pendleton and I took a couple jewelry classes there. Fell in love with that. 01;10;52;07 - 01;11;14;13 Tracy Davidson But back then with and younger folks are hard to explain this to, but there was no internet, or, you know, cell phones, websites, stuff like that to order things. And you couldn't just go pick up jewelry, tools and all off the shelf. So in 2008, I had a motorcycle accident away on my way home from work, and a very old, mostly blind lady ran into the side of my motorcycle. 01;11;14;20 - 01;11;25;27 Tracy Davidson So I had to do a quick sidestep and pick another occupation. And that's what I picked. Oh, it's been a long journey since then. Oh. 01;11;25;29 - 01;11;33;21 Kara DuQuette Wow. Well, I am so sorry to hear about your accident, but it has birthed quite a career for you. 01;11;33;25 - 01;11;44;16 Tracy Davidson Yes, yes it has. You know, I'm pretty pretty happy doing what I'm doing. And has started the jewelry aspect of it, for pain management. And, 01;11;44;18 - 01;11;46;07 Kara DuQuette In what way? 01;11;46;10 - 01;12;08;20 Tracy Davidson Well, when you fiddle around with stuff that's got to, you got to keep your your attention to little tiny things, whether you're going to blow yourself up or cut your finger with a file, you know. And it takes your brain somewhere else for a while. And the pain and pains and whatever from limb loss, they kind of go back to the back of your brain a little bit. 01;12;08;20 - 01;12;28;29 Tracy Davidson And I found out with some veterans, they found out the same thing. So I started doing that, and it just kind of took off from there. And then I never thought I'd teach anybody anything. And everybody kept going, Where did you get your? Where'd you learn how to do that? And I ended up started teaching to about 15 years ago, so 01;12;29;01 - 01;12;35;10 Kara DuQuette That’s amazing. So what what do you like to make? You make jewelry and sculptures as well? 01;12;35;11 - 01;13;14;20 Tracy Davidson Yeah. I've me and two of my older friends during Covid made an 18ft, steel tree sculpture with, like, 400 copper oak leaves on it, what we called a blacksmith sample fence across the front. And it's right betwen two buildings in downtown Pendleton, next to the gallery. And I've donated, five by five foot gigantic rosebush. that's all rusty. And it's next to the historical museum in Falls Park in Pendleton. And I've got six, seven foot sunflowers around the county that people have in and out in their yard. It's kind of fun to drive by and see my stuff, so 01;13;14;22 - 01;13;28;14 Kara DuQuette That’s amazing. Yeah, I, you know, you say you started off with, working on cars with your dad, and I'm wondering what what's your favorite kind of metal to work with? 01;13;28;16 - 01;13;48;02 Tracy Davidson The only thing I don't like working with is stainless. People that don't work with metal don't understand it, but it's, like, crunchy. And it's hard to anneal. And, you know, it's got some things I'll work with, but, primarily I work with mild steel, copper, sterling silver, fine silver and, some brass. This. I like them all. 01;13;48;03 - 01;13;50;00 Tracy Davidson You can mix and match them or whatever you want. 01;13;50;03 - 01;14;08;29 Kara DuQuette I love your answer to that question. Was the one metal that you don't like. It's where you started. That says a lot. So what inspires your art? You talked a little bit about, some natural, the rosebush that you created. What other kinds of things do you make? 01;14;09;02 - 01;14;28;09 Tracy Davidson I, I'm not into the characters out of scrap and stuff like that. And all animals, I mean, I do make them, but, there's certain things, I don't know, sometimes I just go through my scrap pile and lay stuff out on my shop floor, which is my dad's garage, and, is everything kind of gets born from there. 01;14;28;09 - 01;14;50;15 Tracy Davidson And with the jewelries, I start with stones and, occasionally I have custom projects, the scrap metal sculptures and all that are kind of hard, though, because the, the junkyards where I get all these awesome parts and they're just lousy people. They don't keep all the same stuff there all the time for me to go back and buy more. So. 01;14;50;18 - 01;14;53;21 Kara DuQuette So you can't fall in love with one particular thing? 01;14;53;23 - 01;15;16;28 Tracy Davidson No, no, I had a I had a place in Anderson that wanted one of my dragons, a specific one. I'd made. And, the body itself, it's one that are on undulating kind of Chinese style dragons and was made out of Mitsubishi alternator parts, and that factory closed up, which is the reason I found them at the junkyard, so I couldn't make them one. Unfortunately. 01;15;17;00 - 01;15;22;29 Kara DuQuette I guess that pushes you to, new territory every time you make something. 01;15;23;01 - 01;15;45;18 Tracy Davidson Oh, absolutely. You. I call it art ADD. You're constantly wanting to try new things and learn new, you know, techniques and tools and and of course, the art world is constantly, especially jewelry coming up with new types of tools and chemicals and all kinds of different stuff. So you're never, ever get bored unless you start doing, like, production. 01;15;45;21 - 01;16;04;16 Tracy Davidson Which I don't like doing. If I have to make three of the same necklaces with different colored stones for Christmas for people, I get bored by the second one, but I get them done. And, I'm just trying to add on, you know, new steps to my skills. And the more you know, the easier it is to design crazy stuff. 01;16;04;16 - 01;16;13;05 Tracy Davidson Because if you don't know many different procedures and techniques, you can't do that crazy stuff on top of it. And like, I don't know, I'm babbling. 01;16;13;13 - 01;16;21;02 Kara DuQuette No, you're not the thing in your head or the thing you're drawing, right? Right. It's totally easier to do once you have another tool in your tool belt. 01;16;21;03 - 01;16;41;23 Tracy Davidson Yeah. Because when I first started, you know, after my accident, when I got home, I couldn't make a whole lot. I designed some really neat looking stuff, I thought. But I'd get ready to go to make them and sit down and cut out parts, and I'm like, oh, crap, that's just going to melt. Okay, probably something different, though. So, 01;16;41;26 - 01;16;54;25 Kara DuQuette I can understand it. I think, you're not alone when you talk about not enjoying, like, production and making the same thing over and over, you know, you kind of express it. And then there it's it's in the world. And then you want to make something else. 01;16;54;27 - 01;17;22;13 Tracy Davidson Yeah. And and I really I love the idea of being able to go out and getting something bespoke that no one else has. I, when I do classes, most of the stones I buy are all hand-cut. They're not calibrated and they're all different kinds. So I've got a table full of different gemstones and everybody, it's the subject of our class for that Sunday or whatever will be a picture of was a ring or whatever I've made. 01;17;22;13 - 01;17;37;25 Tracy Davidson But I don't want them to make that ring. I just want them to do the same procedures and come up with their own designs. So a lot of my classes, it doesn't even look like they're all the same class, which is what I love, because then they've got their one of a kind made by them, you know, ring. They can show off. 01;17;37;25 - 01;17;45;10 Kara DuQuette So yeah, you've given them like an inspiration point and tools and then what comes from them comes from them. 01;17;45;12 - 01;17;46;05 Tracy Davidson Exactly 01;17;46;10 - 01;17;54;27 Kara DuQuette I love that. Well okay. So metal lasts a long time. Have you thought about it in terms of like your legacy in making? 01;17;54;27 - 01;18;19;23 Tracy Davidson Yeah, I. In a way, kind of. Yeah. Because my husband, I never had kids and he's the youngest of 11. Why would we want any anymore? So, it is kind of theme you every. I think every human being wants to leave something of themselves behind. And mine's not going to be offspring that way. But I've got sculptures now that will last for decades, you know, out in the open. 01;18;19;25 - 01;18;30;13 Tracy Davidson And, it's kind of fun. We put little plaques on them to say who they were for and who made them, and all, but, I don't know. I just that's fun. 01;18;30;16 - 01;18;41;24 Kara DuQuette That's very cool. Well, now. Is there some place that - you named a couple of things we can see, but are there other places we can see your art in Pendleton, in the surrounding area? 01;18;41;26 - 01;19;05;22 Tracy Davidson Well, inside the gallery, if I have a piece in a show, we have a new show every first Friday starts at 630. Our Pendleton Artist Society, we founded ourselves in ‘13. And we've been going ever since and we own our own building. We paid it off outright from doing volunteer work and sales and classes, and I'm really proud of our little thing, because it doesn't happen very often like that. 01;19;05;25 - 01;19;18;27 Tracy Davidson And, but we'll have stuff there. And I'm trying to get ready the farmers market that I'm in every year starts the first Saturday in May, and I'm not I'm not ready, but I'm here. 01;19;19;00 - 01;19;21;10 Kara DuQuette Will you be ready by then? 01;19;21;12 - 01;19;25;15 Tracy Davidson Know it. I'll be getting ready all day long while I'm selling stuff, so. 01;19;25;17 - 01;19;27;14 Kara DuQuette Hey, that totally works. 01;19;27;17 - 01;19;46;21 Tracy Davidson Yeah. Oh, but most of the time it's on the internet. I had a website and everything for a long time, but I was paying a lot of money and spending a lot of time posting stuff and having it hosted and then selling something at Farmer's Market on Friday and forgetting to take out of the website before it gets sold on the website. 01;19;46;23 - 01;20;02;12 Tracy Davidson So I quit that. So that's why they call me to come over and look. Or they can come to the farmer's market all the way till October. And then there's a heritage fair in Pendleton, which is Friday and Saturday after Labor Day every year. And it's huge. 01;20;02;14 - 01;20;15;03 Kara DuQuette Tracy Davidson is a metal artist, and you can see her work around east central Indiana and at Gallery 119 in Pendleton. I, really have appreciated speaking with you. 01;20;15;05 - 01;20;28;26 Tracy Davidson And thank you. 01;20;28;28 - 01;20;36;11 Michelle Kinsey You're listening to Pop of Culture, which is good because we have an intentional listening opportunity for you right now. 01;20;36;14 - 01;20;48;05 Jen Blackmer Every month during first Thursday in downtown Muncie, visitors can catch the Songwriter Sessions. It's a showcase of local talent where songwriters get to share the meaning behind their words. 01;20;48;07 - 01;20;58;29 Michelle Kinsey We're going to bring you two artists now in a segment we call Story Behind the Song. This was recorded live exclusively for Pop of Culture earlier this year. 01;20;59;02 - 01;21;25;06 Laura Switzer Okay, so I'm Laura Switzer, I'm from Terre Haute, Indiana. I've been writing since I was little, but I'm just now starting to get my name out there, share my music. So thank you guys for listening. This next song I'm about to play is actually the first song I released on everything, because I was able to record it at school before I graduated, so I wrote this song over the course of a couple years. 01;21;25;09 - 01;21;44;17 Laura Switzer After a pretty big breakup with somebody I thought I was going to be with for a very long time. And it's just about coming to terms with who you are after that relationship and rediscovering who you are. And I found out that when I was alone, I actually really kind of dig who I am is kind of cool. 01;21;44;19 - 01;22;04;07 Laura Switzer So that's what this song is about. Thank you. 01;22;04;09 - 01;26;08;02 Laura Switzer I forgot who I was. Looking through your lens, lying in a pile of dust. Woke up in a kingdom I rule all on my own. Built upon dreams and hope. Glittering rays of constant sun. Maybe I don't need the one. I can do it all on my own. Rekindling the girl I know. Despite the journey and the mess. All I did was my best. It's never entirely. Perfect. But it's entirely worth it. (hm) (hm). I'm a jewel toned kind of girl. Heart of gold and head full of curls. Phoebe boo-face muse, a sitcom. Very clean. I have a friend crush on you. A wilting flower that somehow grows (hmm) even through dark I glow manifestations in my sleep. All I ever really needed was me. Despite the journey and the mess, all I did was my best. It's never entirely perfect, but it's entirely worth it. Despite the pain and all the guilt, I'm still that girl under my quilt. I think that she would be proud of the life that I pave now forget it all. Hold me I'll be my own trophy I don't need anyone to tell me how I shine. I've brushed it all off. Then no nails in my coffin. And if I ever slip up, I'll be fine. Despite the journey and the mess. All I did was my best. It's never entirely perfect, but it's entirely worth it. Despite the pain and all the guilt, I'm still that girl under my quilt. I think that she would be proud of the path that I pave now you entirely perfect. If I ever slip up, I'll be fine. (Yeah.) 01;26;08;04 - 01;26;19;21 Laura Switzer Thank you so much. I can't thank you. Oh. You're all are sweet. 01;26;19;23 - 01;26;24;27 Michelle Kinsey That was Laura Switzer with her original song, “Entirely Perfect.” 01;26;25;00 - 01;27;43;21 Cari Cambridge Okay, so my name is Cari Cambridge. I'm from Alexandria, and, this is my newest song. I, it's, inspired by going through the same thing many times and just saying what lesson? What lesson am I not learning? Why do I have to keep facing this? And for me personally, that was cancer. My mom passed away when she was 47 from cancer, and then my daughter was born with cancer and then my father just died, Father's Day this year of cancer. So when he was diagnosed, I said, what's the lesson? I'm not learning. But it's also more of that because being a cancer mom, a term I never wanted to say, let alone be everyone's like, you're my hero, you're so strong. And it just got to me some days where I'm like, I'm, I'm not. I want to be weak. And so I tie entitled there's Nobody's Hero. So it just touches on both of those. 01;27;43;24 - 01;32;31;05 Cari Cambridge It's just a day on the calendar. It's just a. Day I'd like to forget. It's just a day. On the calendar. Oh, why. Does it bring so much. Pain with it? I never thought I'd be here again. I never thought I'd be here at all. How much can one heart take? How much can one heart break? What's the lesson? I'm not learning. Why am I hurting? Facing this burden. Again? Again? What's the. Lesson? I'm not learning. Why am I hurting, facing this burden again? Again? No, no. I'm nobody's hero. I never claim to be. I'm nobody's hero. Take that off of me. I’m nobody’s hero. Are you listening? Are you listening? Your words. And phrases. Started out soft. Became abrasive. Yes. I was given more than I can handle. Yes. The door slams shut and the window never opened. Yes. You say I”m strong. You couldn't be more wrong. I didn't have a choice. What's the lesson? I'm not learning. Why am I hurting? Facing this burden? Again. Again. What's the lesson? I'm not learning. Why am I her. Facing this burden. Again? Again? No. Oh! I'm nobody's hero. I never claim to be. I'm nobody's hero. Take that off of me. I'm. Nobody's hero. Are you listening? Are you listening? What can. I do? What do you need? What do you need? What can I do? What can I do? What do you need? Let me be weak. Let me be weak. Let me fall at your feet. That's what I need. Let me be weak. It's just a day on the calendar. It's just a day I'd like to forget. (hm) Thank you. 01;32;31;07 - 01;32;53;02 Jen Blackmer You are now hearing another local artist, Foxxy, accompanied by Cari Cambridge. 01;32;53;05 - 01;37;38;23 Foxxy Love travels the road. You could think of. But my mind. Still not sure. Where to go. And I've tried every brand of make up . To Hide the. Bruises before the Show how I'm gonna be okay. I gonna see the light of day. I know, I know, I know I get quiet, can’t speak, get scared. So I hide behind my hoodie. And, I know you can't see what's going on with me. I'm gonna be okay. I'm gonna see the light of day. ooo, some people they don't recognize. I'm broken. Smile. You keep picking. Up and go on the road for a while. Don't be scared, darling. don't you know. It’s all part of the show.. So. I’m gonna be okay. I'm gonna see the light of day. And. And I don't need no make up to cover up these scars. I keep picking up, picking up. Back to where you are. I don't need. I don't need no make up for these scars, I just keep picking up back to where you are. Gonna be okay. I'll be, Who? I'm gonna see the light of day.. The light of day.. And I, I I'm gonna be. Okay. Yeah. No, I. I I I'm. Gonna see the. Light of day if I have it my way. Have it my way. And I'd (jazz notes), (jazz notes). (jazz notes), (jazz notes) (jazz notes), (jazz notes). (When did you write that?) I just made that up right now. 01;37;38;25 - 01;37;57;19 Cari Cambridge Okay, okay. Did you catch that? That she wrote that right now. Like it was just off the cuff. Yeah. And, you know, before she started, she was like, I said, what are you doing? She's like, I just wrote it. And I'm like. Okay, I will follow you. 01;37;57;22 - 01;38;01;13 Jen Blackmer Foxxy and Cari recorded live for Pop of Culture. 01;38;01;15 - 01;38;16;25 Michelle Kinsey Story Behind the Song comes from the Songwriter Sessions created by the Fierce and produced by Josh Eisenhardt. Full disclosure I'm a member of The Fierce and the host of the sessions. 01;38;16;27 - 01;38;25;11 Michelle Kinsey This week for What Are You Working On? Our co-host Maya Doss sits down with an actor you might recognize from the stage. 01;38;25;14 - 01;38;40;05 Maya Doss My name is Maya Doss, and today on WAYWO, I am having Zeus Curry in the hot seat. Zeus is a musical theater enthusiast, actor, performer, singer, you name it, and he's a security guard. How are you. Doing? 01;38;40;06 - 01;38;45;03 Zeus Curry Howdy. Howdy, everybody. How's it going? I'm good, I'm good. How are you? 01;38;45;10 - 01;38;50;10 Maya Doss I'm great. And I'm happy to have you here. So, Zeus, what are you working on? 01;38;50;10 - 01;39;03;13 Zeus Curry I'm currently working on Frozen auditions. Just finished working on Groundhog Day with a wonderful, cast and crew. Fantastic production. But, yeah, I'm currently working on Frozen. At Muncie Civic. 01;39;03;16 - 01;39;04;26 Maya Doss What part are you hoping for? 01;39;05;01 - 01;39;11;04 Zeus Curry Kristoff. And then I'm also auditioning for Olaf and, Oaken as well. 01;39;11;07 - 01;39;15;11 Maya Doss What do you like about certain characters when you aspire to play them? 01;39;15;18 - 01;39;55;26 Zeus Curry I like the depth that certain characters go to such as Judas, such as Shrek. I can identify with certain aspects of the roles, certain character traits that they share, you know, of aspects of my life, like certain tragedies they may have gone through certain thoughts that we might have had, you know. Like when I was Shrek, maybe, maybe when he was confused, when Fiona was talking about herself and he thought it was directed towards him, he was dealing with self-doubt, something that we're all dealing with. 01;39;55;26 - 01;40;02;03 Zeus Curry You know, in certain times of our lives, certain connection points, with in all characters. 01;40;02;05 - 01;40;06;03 Maya Doss So when you were working on Groundhog Day, tell us a little bit about that. 01;40;06;06 - 01;40;15;04 Zeus Curry Well, I was Ralph, which was a very fun character. Ralph was one of the the town drunks. 01;40;15;06 - 01;40;16;21 Maya Doss Oh. 01;40;16;23 - 01;40;36;21 Zeus Curry And he was one of the characters that helped the lead realize that this is a repeating cycle and nobody really cares what you do, really, except for you. And I took that kind of role a little bit more literal than everybody else, because I was one of the only one of the town drunks that kind of stayed throughout all of the scenes. 01;40;36;24 - 01;41;04;23 Zeus Curry And so in my repeating role, there was another character, old man Jensen, who I made a personal connection with. And so I would make this connection with old man Jensen constantly. And there's a scene when he dies, and in that death, I would make it known that I was the only one who recognized it, because nobody else seemed to really notice them besides me and Phil. 01;41;05;00 - 01;41;26;17 Zeus Curry But I would make that constant change because my flask, something that I would use all the time as a constant prop in that scene, was empty, you know, and so I make these, like, little small connections, you know, through, through life, like missing people and what's, what's what's this daily change, what's this daily difference. And of the only difference, you can make sometimes in life is in yourself, you know. 01;41;26;24 - 01;41;36;25 Zeus Curry And we said backstage that every time old man Jensen would talk to, Phil, he's say, “change, mister?”. And he was really telling and he was really telling him to change. 01;41;36;27 - 01;41;55;04 Maya Doss I see, so Ralph had a story of getting sober through grief and that's a very impactful role that I think like you were saying, you you enjoy empathizing with the character and the way you relate it to yourself. Other people do that as well. So what was your favorite role to play? 01;41;55;06 - 01;42;21;05 Zeus Curry Judas, Judas and Shrek. They share a very loving space in my heart. Judas was a dream role. First time I ever saw Jesus Christ Superstar, Carl Anderson was I was like, man, I, I could only ever dream to be half as good as that man. Like, I aspire to do everything and anything, as a quarter as good as he did. 01;42;21;07 - 01;42;29;20 Zeus Curry And, Shrek was just like being. I'm six foot seven for people who don't know me. And if you see me, he's like, wow, he's huge. 01;42;29;23 - 01;42;32;20 Maya Doss Hence the security guard. 01;42;32;23 - 01;42;50;09 Zeus Curry And so I, I really connected with like his instant, like, whoa, he's off putting. And I don't mean most people don't understand. Like, I'm really a nice guy. I do have layers, you know, and they don't understand. I'm really a gentle giant, you know? And, 01;42;50;11 - 01;42;52;28 Maya Doss I can attest to this. 01;42;53;00 - 01;43;01;21 Zeus Curry It was, it was a role I could really understand and and felt a true connection in. And vibed with, if you will. 01;43;01;28 - 01;43;15;01 Maya Doss What do you feel like you, as an actor and a performer, bring to this community theater that really gives a, you know, how the way you empathize with these other performers, how do you feel like you are that in the community? 01;43;15;03 - 01;43;47;05 Zeus Curry When I was a kid, I grew up seeing actors and performers that didn't look like me, you know? And, it made me feel like I could do those things, too, you know? And so representation is a very, very important thing for all people. Seeing that something as attainable in all aspects and cultures, I feel that it connects us all, especially in a world that's feels so divided. 01;43;47;07 - 01;43;50;15 Zeus Curry We need to come together, especially in the arts, you know? 01;43;50;17 - 01;43;51;12 Maya Doss Absolutely. 01;43;51;14 - 01;44;25;06 Zeus Curry One of my favorite shows, One Piece, it it truly teaches that in, in very real ways. And that's my, my favorite part about that show, the cultural diversity and even the inclusiveness as well. Because when a kid or even a teenager or even adults sees someone that looks like them on TV or, or even on the internet and says and sees that they're like, man, I can do that one day, you know, I can be like that person. 01;44;25;06 - 01;44;35;18 Zeus Curry And and it's a huge impact on them, and it truly shows them more rather than tells them that I can be anything that I want to be. You know. 01;44;35;20 - 01;44;41;22 Maya Doss You are such a positive role model at Civic. I know that you work with really everyone. You're super involved. 01;44;41;28 - 01;44;58;10 Zeus Curry And I try, I try my best, you know, I, I've been through a lot in my life, and, you know, it's it's very important to be very forward in making sure that people have a place where they can feel safe and they can be who they are. 01;44;58;17 - 01;45;16;00 Maya Doss I've always admired that about you, that you make everyone around you feel so safe. It's beautiful to see. I wanted to bring you on the show because I've witnessed your talent. When I saw you in High Fidelity. That was a super fun role. How long have you been involved in musical theater? 01;45;16;03 - 01;45;22;09 Zeus Curry So musical theater? I my first show was actually Oklahoma in sixth grade. 01;45;22;11 - 01;45;27;05 Maya Doss I started in sixth. Grade, too. I haven't done it since my senior year, but that's amazing. 01;45;27;08 - 01;45;46;15 Zeus Curry So my I hadn't done a show since my senior year either, and my first show was Shrek and I was Shrek. So like, don't ever be discouraged to come back out and do anything. You know, where. No matter where it is when, no matter where life takes you, it's always for me. Very therapeutic to do, to do a show. 01;45;46;18 - 01;46;20;28 Zeus Curry It and I truly started on a stage when I was even younger. My grandmother has, like a little fireplace. It's like my grandmother. My grandfather built this house from my grandmother. And, it has this, like, little platform that we all used to perform on. And so whether it be me playing guitar, whether it be like coming up with jokes or like little stuff or like little skits with me and my cousins, I, I, I really like fell into it, you know. One of my friends, Stephen, that was really one who pushed me to be in Shrek. 01;46;21;00 - 01;46;25;23 Zeus Curry And I'm very grateful for that. And, because I found my home at Muncie Civic. 01;46;25;23 - 01;46;28;24 Maya Doss Well, I've really appreciated having you on the show today, Zeus. 01;46;28;25 - 01;46;30;15 Zeus Curry Thank you for having me. 01;46;30;17 - 01;46;34;20 Maya Doss And I can't wait to see you in a future production at Muncie Civic. 01;46;34;22 - 01;46;37;05 Zeus Curry Absolutely. Thank you so much. 01;46;37;07 - 01;47;08;14 Michelle Kinsey It's time for the arts calendar, Jen. (Yay! )We're off. Opening this weekend at the new Contemporary Art Museum of Indianapolis, or CAMI, is the Speedway's Attic by Wil Higgins, which explores the lesser known stories surrounding the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Drawing from newspaper archives, oral histories and overlooked accounts, Higgins brings these stories to life through objects, photographs, illustration and text. More info at Cam indy.org. 01;47;08;15 - 01;47;10;06 Jen Blackmer Great timing for that one, huh? 01;47;10;06 - 01;47;14;21 Michelle Kinsey Gee, I wonder if it was planned that way? 01;47;14;23 - 01;47;28;16 Michelle Kinsey The Youth Symphony Orchestra will have its spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 3rd at Sursa Performance Hall. This concert will feature the Suzuki class for five and six year olds. It's a it's adorable. 01;47;28;16 - 01;47;29;07 Jen Blackmer It really is 01;47;29;07 - 01;47;35;06 Michelle Kinsey The Prelude Orchestra. Overture. Strings. The Intermezzo Orchestra and the Youth Symphony Orchestra. 01;47;35;08 - 01;47;39;10 Jen Blackmer My kids used to participate in that, and I loved this concert every time. 01;47;39;15 - 01;47;40;15 Michelle Kinsey It’s so cute. 01;47;40;16 - 01;48;07;05 Jen Blackmer It was great. Friday, May 1st is first Friday in Anderson. Check out all the new art downtown and meet A Town guest artist, Ray Parker. The new Artist Alley artwork will be unveiled at 5 p.m.. Pendleton will also have a First Friday event on May 1st. The Pendleton Artist Society will host exhibits at Gallery 119 and Gallery on Fall Creek from 6 to 8 p.m.. 01;48;07;05 - 01;48;35;10 Michelle Kinsey Lots of art. Night Fever, described as the most authentic tribute to the Bee Gees in the world, will perform at Richmond's Civic Hall Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 2nd. And Rumors, the ultimate Fleetwood Mac tribute show will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2nd at the Honeywell Center in Wabash. Two complete ends of the spectrum there. Kinda loving that. 01;48;35;11 - 01;49;07;27 Jen Blackmer I know, right? Yeah, yeah. Orchestra Indiana and Marion Philharmonic Orchestra will perform together on May 9th at Taylor University in Upland. The concert, titled In Search of Destiny, will take the audience on a soul stirring journey with music that weaves together visions of fate, hope and human striving. The concert will feature guest artist Doctor Laura Lee Songer, an accomplished mezzo soprano, conductor and celebrated recital host. Orchestra. Indiana.com is a place to go. For more info. 01;49;08;00 - 01;49;32;05 Michelle Kinsey And you can go to Indiana Public Radio .org slash contact, then click Pop of Culture, to tell us about your upcoming arts and culture events. 01;49;32;07 - 01;50;03;07 Luke Jones Support for Pop of Culture comes from Stallings Wealth Management and from you. You may have heard about large gifts to NPR. Those donations are important, but they don't bring back the funding to IPR. Your support pays for the programs you rely on, especially local programs like this one and the people like me who create them. Pop of Culture exists for you and because of you. Give today at Indiana Public Radio.org. 01;50;03;09 - 01;50;08;28 Jen Blackmer And that's our show. Our fact checker and ethics curator is Stephanie Wiechmann. 01;50;09;00 - 01;50;18;21 Michelle Kinsey This week was produced by Luke Jones, who thought we were doing a completely different type of fencing. So his backyard is still wide open. 01;50;18;23 - 01;50;28;16 Jen Blackmer This week was produced by Luke Jones, who thought it was a different kind of fencing, and now the other wall is covered with some really expensive art. 01;50;28;18 - 01;50;31;13 Michelle Kinsey We had production assistance from Andrew Montavon. 01;50;31;17 - 01;50;36;20 Jen Blackmer Our audio fellow is Maya Doss. Our show is hosted by me, Jen Blackmer. 01;50;36;20 - 01;50;46;22 Michelle Kinsey And me, Michelle Kinsey. Pop of Culture is a production from IPR on the campus of Ball State University. 01;50;46;24 - 01;50;55;29 Kara DuQuette Sorry, I must say that again. We are speaking with Tracy Davidson, an Indiana artist who works with metals. 01;50;56;01 - 01;50;56;25 Luke Jones Was that you? 01;50;56;26 - 01;51;05;00 Kara DuQuette That was me. I'm so sorry. I turned it all the way off, but clearly it's not. Hold on. Sorry. 01;51;05;03 - 01;51;09;00 Tracy Davidson Well, I don't have to ask if this is live or not. 01;51;09;02 - 01;51;12;13 Kara DuQuette I guess we've proven that over and over again.