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