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. Kara DuQuette (00:16): This week on Pop Up Culture, we get all Cs. Michelle Kinsey (00:19): We catch up with Curtis L. Crisler, Indiana's Poet Laureate. Curtis Crisler (00:24): What is the Indiana Chitlin' Circuit? Why are you talking chitlins? And it's like, well, we'll break it down for you. Kara DuQuette (00:32): We'll converse with the cast of Ball State's production of Cats. Michelle Kinsey (00:37): And we'll hear our latest story behind the song. Kara DuQuette (00:41): That's an S. Michelle Kinsey (00:43): Oh, okay. Yeah. Well, you know what does start with C? Coming up. Luke Jones (00:49): 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 (01:13): From IPR, this is Pop of Culture. I'm Kara DuQuette. Michelle Kinsey (01:17): And I'm Michelle Kinsey. If you're a regular pop listener, you've heard Indiana's Poet Laureate, Curtis Crisler, before. Kara DuQuette (01:24): He's been selected for a second term as the state's Poet Laureate, and he was on Ball State's campus recently, so we asked him to come into the IPR studios for an update. Curtis, thank you so much for making the time. Curtis Crisler (01:38): Oh, thank you for having me, Kara. I love being here. Kara DuQuette (01:41): Excellent. Well, I know how the Indiana's Poet Laureate is selected by a committee through the Indiana Arts Commission, but you've been selected for two consecutive terms. Congratulations. Curtis Crisler (01:55): Thank you. Thank you so much. Kara DuQuette (01:55): Oh, yeah. And for those of us who aren't exactly sure, will you share with us what does a poet laureate do? Curtis Crisler (02:06): We spread poetry throughout Indiana, basically looking to address creative endeavors throughout the state and helping people understand what poetry's all about. So I'm all around northwest, south, all parts of Indiana, trying to connect with them through what I call the pop-up Indiana chitlin circuit, which is this thing from my urban Midwestern sensibilities aspect of how black people have come to the Midwest. So it's been working really well. And so I think that's why I got the second term. Kara DuQuette (02:47): Excellent. Well, I love the idea of spreading poetry throughout Indiana. And I know you've reimagined Indiana's chitlin circuit. Curtis Crisler (02:55): Yes. Kara DuQuette (02:56): And so can you take a minute to tell us what chitlins are for people who don't know and also what the Indiana chitlin circuit was now and your re-imagining of it today. Curtis Crisler (03:10): So the chitlins are the intestine of the pig. And in slaves were giving the leftovers of what the masters and stuff ate. So most of the stuff they got were the guts and things of that nature. And somehow it became this thing where they used it and now it's one of those things where you put your hot sauce on it and all that kind of stuff. They really stink when you're cooking them, but it became a delicacy in a sense, and it's part of a soul food thing. So the chitlin circuit happened for... It's kind of like the green book (03:54): Where for blacks to be safe, there are places on the map that there's a book for them and go to this house, go to this person, that kind of thing. And so the chitlin circuits where the [inaudible 00:04:07] joints and stuff were, the after hour joints. So what they would do is they would have a circuit and people would come on the circuit and they fed you chitlins and things of that nature. Soul food, they paid you a little money. They let you sell your wares if you had a record out or something like that. Then you jammed with them. You would do solos, you would jam with the host and stuff like that. They might put you up for the night and then you went to the next stop in the circuit. And so this was before people started getting big and going to Carnegie Hall and things like that. (04:46): So when they were going to Carnegie Hall and stuff like that, the chitlin' circuit got turned on itself and got a bad rep. And people are like," You doing that chitlin' circuit? "But when it started out, that was all we had. So what I did was do this with poetry. You can do it with just three poets and we have a round-robin wh ere each person feeds off of the... We feed off of the first person. The first person sets the tone. They read a poem and the other two are feeding off of, and we're just going to the mic for 20 minutes off of what that first person did. So you don't know what's going to happen. It's upsetting for a lot of poets because we're like musicians, we come with a set list, we're going to read this, this, and this. (05:35): That blows that to hell. But it's fun, but the people who are really anal-retentive it's harder for them. Until they do it, they don't understand it. So it's that. Then we have the second set, which is each of us do a solo, a 10-minute solo. And then third set, we read a poem line by line, each person reading a line until we get to the end and we read the line together and the food would be like whatever the local fairy is. So some people have aspects of food trucks and things like that. So the whole thing like that is the big culmination of it, food, entertainment and music and bringing it together. And so I didn't want it to be, "Oh, it's the Indiana Poet Laureate and he's coming to Paul State and blah, blah, blah." Yeah, but you have poets there and I want you to know you have poets there. (06:33): So when I leave, I left with everything. So when I come, some people don't know that the other two poets that I'm doing this with are there. And then, "Oh, we got poets here too." And then the scene opens up. So I'm just trying to build it up so that it's like what the chilling circuit was at the beginning. Kara DuQuette (06:53): Well, it's pretty great that you're calling back to that community building time and re-imagining it for poetry. I actually had the pleasure of being at one of your chitlin circuit events two Octobers ago, and it was in a backyard of Cole Smith and Emma Dregue. Curtis Crisler (07:12): Oh, yes, yes. Kara DuQuette (07:13): It was a magical evening. (07:16): What you were saying about the round-robin was pretty great. You did a poem and that inspires the next person's poem and... Curtis Crisler (07:30): This has been something I didn't know how this was going to go. People were like, "What is the Indiana chitlin' Circuit? Why are you talking chitlins?" And it's like, "Well, we'll break it down for you." But like you said, you have to see it. And if you're a participant in it, you have to be a participant in it to understand what it is. And the thing is, you just have to have enough material. You have to have enough material for one, the round-robin, but then you're going to do a 10 minute individual set. So some people come in and they're like, "This is my 10 minute set and I'll just use..." And they're using something from their 10 minute set in the round-robin because of the poems the way they go. So that's what's so crazy about it. Kara DuQuette (08:16): You talked a little bit about how it feels. Can you talk a little bit more about how it feels to be a part of this? You referred to it as magical round-robin experience as a poet. Curtis Crisler (08:30): I'm kind of a person in the sense that nothing happens until it happens. I wait for it to happen. So I'm not putting myself too far ahead of the cart or behind the cart. I'm just like, "I'm just going to roll with it." And then when we get there, we're going to see how it goes. And each one is different. Well, you could do the same round-robin with the same three people and each time it's going to be different because the poem that first person does sets off everything and you don't know where you're going to go with that. (09:02): I love that. I love that. And I love seeing their faces when they're getting it, when they're in it. And we've been all over Indiana and you have country folk, city folk, urban folk, farmers. It's amazing to see how people feel after this, especially the people. I don't like poetry. I thought poetry had to rhyme. I thought poetry had to be this. It's like, well, poetry can rhyme. There are rhyming poems, but for the most part, it doesn't. It's you're playing on the five sensory attributes and the figurative language of things, metaphor. Kara DuQuette (09:48): So talk about the fives and three attributes a little bit. Curtis Crisler (09:50): Just smelling, touching, hearing, tasting, those auditory things. So if I say what is... I always tell my students, if I ask what is love, we're going to have 15 different people say love is this. But if I say love is Sunday afternoon, back porch, grandma's peach cobbler and vanilla bean ice cream, melting in the sun. You may hate peach cobbler, but if you like pie or you like cake, you can replace that and fill that in. So those five sensory attributes get you next to the person and you can put them in that space. Kara DuQuette (10:36): Love is supporting Indiana Public Radio and a poet's words. That's what we might say during the love fest. Curtis Crisler (10:47): Exactly. Oh, that's right. You got the love fest going on. Exactly. Kara DuQuette (10:48): Well, I really would like you to talk a little bit about your semastic poetry since you've pioneered this expression. Curtis Crisler (10:56): So a semastic is taking a persona poem and a frastic poem and putting them together where you're taking on the embodiment of the narrator. Sometimes everybody thinks that we're the narrator, but the eye is not necessarily us. Most of the time, I mean, it is, but it's not. We can be talking from the perspective of someone feeling like this. And you can do your grandfather, you could do an actor or a singer or something like that. And then in frastic is when you see a picture and you write a poem to that picture. Kara DuQuette (11:38): Like a painting or a photograph. Curtis Crisler (11:39): A painting... Yeah. Like O2 and Greece and urn, that kind of thing. And you're giving life to that painting. So I put those together and my thing is you're able to do this with anything. I'm doing it with Stevie Wonder. You could do it for the radio station. You could do it. I can be David Letterman. And the thing is to put myself in his position, we know the things that he's done. So putting yourself in his position at that time and trying to give credence to what he's addressing at that time through his sensibility. So the personification is me being David and Ekphrastic is me addressing what he's doing and putting those together. So you're marrying those two and the research is finding out as much as you can about who you're talking about. And I think with Stevie Wonder, I just looked in my CD collection and album collection and just read the... What is it called? Kara DuQuette (12:53): The liner notes. Curtis Crisler (12:54): The liner notes and stuff like that. Kara DuQuette (12:56): Stevie's given us. Curtis Crisler (12:56): Yeah. And Stevie's been around since... So what happened was Michael Jackson died and for some reason I said, "No one's written anything about Stevie." And in doing that, I realized that Michael and Stevie and Motown were the soundtrack of my life. There had not been a day in my life Motown was not there. So I had to write something about Stevie and then all the semastic stuff came. Kara DuQuette (13:29): Well, can I be so bold as to ask you to share one short poem with us? (13:34): That would be... Curtis Crisler (13:35): So this is called Aisha Life and I'll read it first and then I'll tell you where it comes from. (13:43): Aisha, life. (13:45): I lightly place my daughter down in a song just like two before me place their son down in a manger. (13:54): It is also tiresome, but sometimes a child must rest her head, her eyes, before she masters this about this love. Kara DuQuette (14:06): Beautiful. Curtis Crisler (14:06): And if you ever heard, Isn't she lovely? << Life is Aisha the meaning of her name. I can't believe what God >> Kara DuQuette (14:21): Oh, yeah. It came to mind as you were reading. Curtis Crisler (14:26): Exactly. And so it's trying to capture where they are in that moment and bring it out. Kara DuQuette (14:31): Well, thank you so much, Curtis. Curtis Crisler (14:34): Thank you for having me. Kara DuQuette (14:35): I very much appreciate you talking to us today. Curtis L. Crisler is Indiana's poet laureate through 2028. He was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, and is currently a professor of English at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Every month during first Thursday in DWNTWN Muncie, visitors can catch the songwriter sessions. A singer, songwriter showcase build as an intentional listening opportunity. It lets songwriters share the meaning behind their words and it exposes listeners to local talent. Michelle Kinsey (15:19): We're bringing you part of one of those sessions in our segment, Story Behind the Song, recorded live exclusively for IPR. This month, we have lifelong musician, Annette Miller. Annette Miller (15:34): Hi, everybody. I'm Annette Miller. Thanks for sticking around. Okay, so I never do original songs like ever, but I write lots of them. So whenever I'm out and about, numerous relatives make me sing this song. I actually wrote the song when I lived in Arizona. I'm from Indiana originally. So I wrote this song, I lived in Arizona, but I am from Fortville, Indiana. We lived just outside that town line, and I was fortunate enough to live across the street from a very nice old couple that I spent a lot of time with. Just ride my bike down the lane and that kind of thing. But it's called Wall to Wall. It'll bring a tear to a glass eye if you're hanging on the words just in case you're listening to the words or anything. (16:36): << She sits swinging on the front porch of her Indiana farm, just outside the Ford build town like there's a pillow there beside her where he used to be. They'd sit here together each night. There's a pipe in on a table by a warm John Deere camp and there are pictures down every hole. Though she loves to be with him, she knows she's not alone. He's with her. Here now wall to wall. Wall to wall, his memory surrounds her. Wall to wall, no, he's not really gone. When she gets feeling lonely, she won't shed a tear. She knows he's here, wall to wall. She invites friend neighbors for dinner to eat. No, she's never cooked dinner for one. It's that lingering cement of tobacco infant that somehow keeps her going on. They're clothes, in the closet, she'll never take down. Though his only good suit is never going. Though she gets feeling lonely, she just has looked around and he's with her, again, wall to wall. Walk to her, his memory surrounds her. Wall to wall, no, he's not really gone. When she gets me lonely, she won't shed a tear. She knows he's here. Wall to wall. Wall to wall, his memory is around her. Wall to wall, no, it's not really gone. When she gets feeling lonely, she won't shed a tear. She knows he's here. Wall to wall >> (19:20): Thank you very much. Thank you. Kara DuQuette (20:49): That was Annette Miller with their original song, Wall to Wall. Now, here they are with Not My First Time in Love with You. Annette Miller (20:56): And I might say that the inspiration behind this song came, I was in a bar. You guys, there was this guy singing at a bar and he was singing all these songs. He was singing all this meat. He was talking about meat and the punchline was, and I'm walking out the door and he's singing about, "It's not my first time at the barbecue." And I was like, "What the holy heck?" But I misheard it the first time and I went, "Did he say, is that my first time in love with you?" And then it pretty much wrote itself before I even got to the parking lot. And it's nothing like the other one. (21:36): << Cleaning your eye gets me right from the star that the [inaudible 00:21:50] smile on your face warms my heart. Makes me forget what we're doing apart, but it's not my first time in love with you. You say that she's left and you're coming back home to build back the family lived here love. Why don't I believe you'll be staying here long? It's not my first time in love with you. It's not the first time she's left him. You've come back to me and I've welcomed you back in my heart and it won't be the last time you come back, you see. Our love just grows stronger apart. How shall could come to my sense as before? You tire of my kisses and leave me once more, but you miss me and come back my own door. It's not my first time in love with you. It's not my first time in love with you. No, it's not the first time in love with you >> (24:13): Thank you. Kind of a doormat of a girl [inaudible 00:24:17]. Kara DuQuette (24:18): That was Not my first time in love with you by musician and radio DJ Annette Miller. Michelle Kinsey (24:24): 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. Ball State Theater and Dance is producing the iconic musical Cats for one weekend only. Kara DuQuette (24:45): We are in the IPR studios talking with Vivian VerHulst and Avery Nienhuis. Vivian will be playing Grizabella and Avery will be playing Rum Tum Tugger. And I want to ask, what was your reaction when you first got cast? Whoever wants to go first. Vivian VerHulst (25:04): The audition process was a special one. We have a terrific team who are very professional and to be in that room, I'm so grateful for. It's a gift, honestly. And so being in that callback room was a great gift and I was terrified because they treated it like a professional audition. Kara DuQuette (25:25): Oh, yeah. Vivian VerHulst (25:25): And so I love cats, like the species. So like the idea of like, this feels like... This sounds a little silly, but it feels like a spiritual thing for me too. And like I probably could not have played this. I know I could not have played this role without the training that I've gotten from Ball State too. So it just felt like a really good full circle moment of like, wow, I get to do this and I feel spiritually connected to it. And yeah, so super grateful and shocked. Kara DuQuette (25:53): Excellent. Avery Nienhuis (25:54): No, I definitely less of a connection to Cats as a species, but definitely- Kara DuQuette (26:00): Are you really? Vivian VerHulst (26:00): I'm weird. Avery Nienhuis (26:01): I've just always been a dog person. Kara DuQuette (26:03): That's fair. Vivian VerHulst (26:04): That's embarrassing actually. Avery Nienhuis (26:05): I'm basically living with a cat and they're great. I love that. But definitely more of a, I grew up on Cats, the musical, there's a pro shot and like- Kara DuQuette (26:14): What's a pro shot? Avery Nienhuis (26:15): So a pro shot is basically just like a movie of a live performance. Kara DuQuette (26:18): Oh, okay. Avery Nienhuis (26:20): And so it's not quite the same thing of like what we do, but it still gives you an essence. And so there are a few from my childhood that I remember of like Fan of the Opera, Joseph and Technicolor Dreamcoat of just like pro shot/movies that like my mom would show me that definitely led me towards theater and a career of performance. And Cats was one of them, even though it terrified me as a child because I mean if you come see the show and it's kind of intimidating. But Rum Tum Tugger was definitely such a character and a very magnetic presence, I would say, that just like getting the opportunity to recreate that character for my childhood was just an awesome opportunity. And that's something I've discovered now through the rehearsal process of like, wow, I really connected to this as a child and just enjoyed this so much. And now getting to recreate that and bring it to life has been so fun and that's just, I was ecstatic when I saw. Kara DuQuette (27:24): Well, how did you develop your character? Was it totally based on this pro shot or? Avery Nienhuis (27:29): Yeah, there's a lot of that. It's one of the difficult things about theater and just creating a lot of things constantly, different theaters are doing the shows over and over. Broadway is constantly reviving places. So you have to be able to create that character without just copy pasting of what other people have done. And that's a common trap that I think a lot of us fall into of like... And that's how a lot of people learn. I mean, it's just mimicry of seeing what other people do and being like, "I want to do that, so I will do what they're doing." So there is an element of that of just watching and recreating, but there's also- Vivian VerHulst (28:04): Bringing yourself to the world. Avery Nienhuis (28:05): Bringing yourself is a huge part. Vivian VerHulst (28:07): A huge thing at Ball State is like we don't do like museum theater. And I think that should be a huge thing everywhere, because why would you want to see the same thing twice? And I think also when taking on a character, it will inherently be different because you are different and that's a beautiful thing. Avery Nienhuis (28:23): But I mean, there's a lot of different elements of that, of finding what you know and bringing into it. And that is so beautiful. Rum Tum Tugger is very much based off of a lot of like '80s pop rock icons. So we were looking... Even in the costume design, we're looking at Freddie Mercury, David Bowie. A big thing that we emphasize a lot, one of our professors, Veronica Santoyo, we take a movement class with her of really learning how to use your body and articulate a lot of story through body movement. And so figuring out how does my character walk through the space? Vivian VerHulst (29:00): Yeah. Avery Nienhuis (29:00): How are they perceived? How would I pick up this item, but then how would my character pick up this item? Vivian VerHulst (29:06): Well, the funny thing is we all had to fill out a character form, if that makes sense. And actually Avery and I were together when the form came out- Avery Nienhuis (29:14): We were driving home. Vivian VerHulst (29:15): We were driving back to Michigan because we're both from Michigan. And so the form came out and so we were like, okay, looking at these questions and something just hit me. I was like, okay, if the show is set in 1930s London, our production of it in a theater, I started doing some research on, okay, if it's Grizabella's the glamour cat and what does that mean? And to me that meant like, oh, she was a performer. And I started researching British actresses and I came across Vivien Leigh, who's actually the actress that I was named after. So a lot of my interpretation of Grizabella comes from the inspiration of Vivien Leigh, the actress. So yeah, and it feels like a personal thing as well. And she's a queen, so I love it. Kara DuQuette (29:58): What did you find most challenging or have you found most challenging about preparing for the role? Vivian VerHulst (30:04): Yeah, I think the biggest thing that's the most challenging thing is just the pressure of it all. I mean, that's the song that a lot of people know from the show and also a lot of my story happens- Kara DuQuette (30:16): [inaudible 00:30:16] know nothing else. Right? Vivian VerHulst (30:17): Yeah. A lot of my story actually happens off-stage. And so as an actor, I think I've been really practicing how to find that arc within my 15 minutes of stage time. And with going in with a really big intention every time I walk on that stage, it has to be within my arc and move forward. It can't be the same thing every time. So I think preparing the character and watching it go on a journey has been the thing that I've focused on the most. Kara DuQuette (30:47): Excellent. And we were referring to memories, the song. Vivian VerHulst (30:50): Yeah. Kara DuQuette (30:51): That's maybe the one thing that you know about Cats, if nothing else. Vivian VerHulst (30:54): Yes. Yeah. Avery Nienhuis (30:54): Absolutely. Kara DuQuette (30:55): And Avery, so I'm curious, what has been the most fun thing that you've done when you've been developing Rum Tum Tugger and the Rockstar Cat? Because I know Cats is more about, it's more character driven than anything else. Avery Nienhuis (31:10): Well, I mean, I'm glad you feel that because it's a very common understanding from a lot of people of like, oh, Cats is just spectacle. Cats is just dance. And that's- Vivian VerHulst (31:20): Like what's the story? I don't know... Yeah. Avery Nienhuis (31:21): There's so many people who still today very much believe that, but our director and choreographer, Anne Beck, who is- Vivian VerHulst (31:27): Brilliant. Avery Nienhuis (31:28): ... queen and just all things Cats and has done it for so many, is very focused on the character of it. And she's very emphasizing on, we want them to be able to take a story from it, not just great dancing and singing, which there will be. I'm not... Kara DuQuette (31:46): So you're both triple threats. I saw a little pet right there. Vivian VerHulst (31:52): That's what we're training to be here for. Yes. Avery Nienhuis (31:54): Of course. Vivian VerHulst (31:55): Yes. Avery Nienhuis (31:57): I know you asked me what's been the most fun part and that's a double-edged sword. The most fun has also been the most difficult for me is the choreography. I've come a long way in my dance ability, but I'm still long way to go. And this Cats is very much not necessarily in my wheelhouse and it's pushed me so much, not only just to like getting steps, but like we said, portraying story through movement because I mean, a very common phrase in theater is you start to sing because the emotions are too overwhelming to talk and then you start to dance because the emotions are too overwhelming to sing. And so it's that idea of just like we dance for more of a reason than just to dance. And so figuring out how to articulate all of that emotion and bring all of that into the movement and then also being able to keep that up every night. Kara DuQuette (32:51): Did either one of you find any hidden talents as you were preparing? Vivian VerHulst (32:57): A lot of the times when I watch Cats, like when I watch other Grizabellas or whatever, she stands a lot of the show and she does whatever. And I was like, "I don't want to do that." I want to explore what that... Sounds weird, but what that crawling feels like. And this whole idea of what... The feeling of what she used to be and how she still believes that she can be that. And I think I've had a really fun time with like eye movements and connection. I think I found a secret talent in just like cat-isms. I don't know if that makes sense. It sounds so silly. Avery Nienhuis (33:36): No. I mean- Kara DuQuette (33:37): Me either. I'm on board. Vivian VerHulst (33:42): I think because I love cats and I just feel like they're like my spiritual animal and they've always been like my guardian angels my whole life, I just feel like when I'm able to connect with that, it's like a little secret hidden talent that I've found of like, oh, I feel comfortable in this space. I understand them and they understand me. Kara DuQuette (34:02): That's a little jewel we can look for when we go to see it. Vivian VerHulst (34:04): Yes, [inaudible 00:34:06]. Kara DuQuette (34:05): And where can we see Cats? Your performance. Vivian VerHulst (34:09): [inaudible 00:34:09] auditorium. Yes. Kara DuQuette (34:12): What day? Avery Nienhuis (34:13): March 20th through the 22nd. Vivian VerHulst (34:14): Yes. Kara DuQuette (34:15): And is there anything else you wanted to tell us about Cats? Avery Nienhuis (34:18): Leave your preconceived notions at the door. Vivian VerHulst (34:20): I agree. Kara DuQuette (34:20): Nice. Avery Nienhuis (34:21): There's so much more to take away from Cats than just singing, dancing and Cats. Vivian VerHulst (34:25): Yeah. It's a story of redemption and hope and forgiveness. Yeah. And I think our production does a really wonderful job at that. Kara DuQuette (34:33): Well, thank you both so much for talking to us today. We've been speaking with Vivian VerHulst and Avery Nienhuis. They are Grizabella and Rum Tum Tugger, respectively. And they're going to be in the upcoming performance of Ball States Theater and dance Cats. I'm Kara DuQuette. Michelle Kinsey (34:53): And I'm Michelle Kinsey. If you need something to entertain your cats, how about local arts and culture coverage? Paw your way over to the Pop of Culture Podcast on Indianapublicradio.org, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Kara DuQuette (35:19): This week for What Are You Working On, we're going to listen back to an uplifting interview with balloon artist Samantha Rowe. Here's our co-host, Maya Doss. Maya Doss (35:29): Today on WAYWO, I have Samantha Rowe, a balloon artist who owns Blank Space Balloon Art in Modoc, Indiana. What are you working on, Samantha? Samantha Rowe (35:38): Oh, great. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Maya Doss (35:41): Of course. Samantha Rowe (35:42): So right now, we are planning graduation open houses for people. I've got some Valentine's Day specials. Maya Doss (35:49): So sweet. Samantha Rowe (35:51): So I made a bouquet out of heart balloons. If you can imagine flowers in a bouquet, but switch the flowers out with heart balloons. Maya Doss (36:00): That's adorable. Samantha Rowe (36:02): I added little butterflies in one of them and they're wrapped in floral paper. We're also doing some senior night options for people. So it's just a small little stack of balloons on top of each other with a basketball, for example. I have the cutest little foil number balloons that go on the basketballs, just to add a little pop to the senior night tables. Virtually anything that anybody asks me to do, I am 100% up for the challenge of making new things and creating art out of balloons. Maya Doss (36:35): That's awesome to hear that you're willing to push yourself and expand new horizons with balloon art. Samantha Rowe (36:39): Yes. Maya Doss (36:41): Balloon sculpture is your specialty. What is your favorite sculpture you've ever made? Samantha Rowe (36:45): Oh, my goodness. So the hair salon that I go to, their name is Deep Roots Salon. And my mom was like, "It would be really cool if you figured out how to make a tree out of balloons." (36:55): And I was like, "I don't know if I can do that, but we'll see." So I did. So she recently celebrated a big milestone in her business and so I made a tree out of balloons. I would say that was my first time actually sculpting something. And then from there it took off. So since that point I've made a palm tree, I made a giant diamond ring, which was one of my favorites. The biggest one that we just wrapped up last November was an Eiffel Tower with a water fountain in front of the Eiffel Tower. And then we had streetlights that were around the room. It was incredible. Maya Doss (37:35): Was that a project that made you feel really proud of being a balloon artist? Samantha Rowe (37:39): Yes. It was something that challenged me. It was something when the organization came to me and asked if I could do it, I was like, "Yes, I will figure it out." What started small in my head ended up being about 15 feet tall. Maya Doss (37:57): Wow. Really the Eiffel Tower. Samantha Rowe (37:59): Yes. It was much bigger than I imagined it would be, but it also needed to fill the space in the room. So I was very happy with how it turned out. Maya Doss (38:08): That's amazing. What would you say were some challenges you faced while trying to do something so large? Samantha Rowe (38:14): I think figuring out the framework is maybe not my strong suit. So I have family that helped me. So my dad helps me transport, especially with the Eiffel Tower. I took my idea to my husband and he can basically weld anything that I want. So he was like, "Okay, let me think about this." And he built my frame bigger than I needed it to be, but it ended up working out because then I could just wrap the frame with the balloons. And once I got going and figured out my method, then it's super quick in my mind for somebody that works with balloons all the time. Now, somebody that didn't work with balloons, they would be like, "No, thank you." But it's an art definitely. And it's a learning curve because you have to have the right balloons and you have to have them inflated to the right amount. So if they over inflate, they'll pop. So you have to under-inflate everything to give room for expansions. I've definitely learned a lot of things along the way that I did not know before. Maya Doss (39:14): So when it comes to installing such a large sculpture, do you bring in the base and then you build it there or do you transport it with the balloons on it? Samantha Rowe (39:22): Kind of both. So if I can transport everything made ahead of time, I try to do that as much as possible just because it saves me time on site. So the Eiffel Tower, for example, I had four separate legs and then I had a top. So I had five pieces. So I had my top completely ready to go. I had my legs maybe 75% of the way prepped. So all I had to do when I got there was assemble and then I was able to finish it once it was assembled. Maya Doss (39:50): That's really cool. It's something that I've really never heard about before. So when I saw your website and saw the huge eye full time, I was like, "Wow, she means business." Samantha Rowe (40:00): Yes. I don't do anything halfway. I like to go above and beyond for people because I don't want them to be disappointed. I like setting that up and then going and getting them and being like, "Okay, I'm done. I'm ready for you to see it." Because I want to step back and watch their reaction to what I've promised. Maya Doss (40:21): That's really cool. I've also seen that you do things like arches, tabletops, and you mentioned your senior stacks. How do you decide how to arrange the balloons, what colors to use? Samantha Rowe (40:31): I work with the customer, first of all, and I ask them, "What are your preferences? Do you have color choices? Do you have ideas that you've liked?" And I have them send me those ideas. Some people will say, "Here's what I've seen," and I'll mock something up so they have some sort of visual before they see the final product. Other people will say, "You know what? I don't care. Here's the theme. I trust you. Do what you want with it." Maya Doss (40:55): I bet that's fun. Samantha Rowe (40:56): I love those because then I get to play and I'm blessed. I work out of my home, so I'm very blessed that we have a full basement that has turned into my studio. Maya Doss (41:06): Oh, nice. Samantha Rowe (41:07): So I can just go downstairs anytime. And I like to call it therapy because it has turned into therapy, but I just play with balloons and I figure things out. It took me a couple days to figure out how to do the balloon fountain. So that was trial and error a few different times, but I'm fortunate enough that I can do that and not mess it up the first time. Maya Doss (41:27): What led you to making with balloons in the first place? I'm curious. Samantha Rowe (41:31): Oh, my goodness. So it was by accident. I have one daughter and I always have gone over the top for her birthdays. And so she was turning 16. We're big Taylor Swift fans in our house. So we did an eras tour birthday party. Maya Doss (41:45): Oh, nice. Samantha Rowe (41:46): And I got this wild idea. I was like, let's make a balloon arch. Never done it before. Ordered the cheapest stuff. It took me three days to build half an arch and I was like, "This is wild. Why did I decide to do this?" Well, then people came over and they loved it. Maya Doss (42:03): I'm sure. Samantha Rowe (42:03): And then my neighbor was like, "Hey, that's amazing. If I order the supplies, will you do my graduation open house?" Because she was graduating that year and I was like, "Yeah, no problem." So we did that. I posted a picture on my Facebook and it just went wild from there. People started messaging me. They were like, "Hey, we don't like working with balloons. We would seriously pay you to do this for us." And I was like, "Okay, could I do this as a thing, as a side hustle?" And it's expanded from there. I've been able to meet so many people, been able to create so many things, bring so much happiness and really up people's photos when they're taking them and they fall in love with their backdrops and those memories. It just has spiraled. Maya Doss (42:51): I think that's really touching, like the way you've made it a community support as well. So what I'm hearing is balloons are your love language. Samantha Rowe (42:59): Kind of, yes. Maya Doss (43:02): What's a balloon sculpture you would love to build in the future? Do you have a dream sculpture you'd like to make? Samantha Rowe (43:08): A rainbow. Maya Doss (43:10): Oh, that's so cute. I would love to see that. Samantha Rowe (43:12): I keep seeing them. That's something I have been wanting to try to make. A birthday cake. A giant birthday cake is also something that I want to try to make. Maya Doss (43:22): Would you make it with like a out of it or would you make it like a decora? Samantha Rowe (43:26): I would make a decora, like a three tiered. Maya Doss (43:28): Wow. Yes. Samantha Rowe (43:29): A three tiered birthday cake, maybe even with a hole in the middle for somebody to jump out of. Maya Doss (43:34): That would be fun. Samantha Rowe (43:35): Yes. Maya Doss (43:36): And like it has a little top. Samantha Rowe (43:37): Yes. Maya Doss (43:38): Where could listeners find your balloon art if they wanted to check it out themselves? Samantha Rowe (43:41): So I am on Facebook. If you go to Facebook and you search for Blank Space Balloon Art, my business page should pop up. I also have an email that's blankspaceballoonart@gmail.com. Maya Doss (43:54): Thank you so much. I've been so happy to have you pop up on the show today. Samantha Rowe (43:58): Thank you so much for having me. This is so exciting. Kara DuQuette (44:01): Michelle, it's time for the arts calendar. Michelle Kinsey (44:04): It is. First, we're going to talk about something that's very important. Kara DuQuette (44:09): Yes. Minnetrista Museum & Gardens will present shared stories, legacy and community with Joshua Harris-Till at 1:00 PM. Sunday, March 15th. Harris-Till will lead a community conversation connected to the current Minnetrista exhibition, Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. Let the world see. As a cousin of Emmett Till, Joshua brings a deeply personal lens to the history and its continued relevance today. To hear more about the exhibit, check out episode four of this season of Pop of Culture. Michelle Kinsey (44:45): Okay. Last week we promised some St. Patrick's Day shenanigans. Kara DuQuette (44:49): Ooh, shenanigans. Michelle Kinsey (44:51): So here we go. On Tuesday, March 17th, St. Patty's Day, Prairie Creek Sirens will perform at the Guardian Brewing Company in DWNTWN Muncie. The sirens bring out the best jigs each year, and this year is no exception. The music begins at 6:00. Kara DuQuette (45:08): Muncie St. Patrick's Day Parade is 6:00 PM Tuesday, March 17th. The parade route will travel down Walnut Street, downtown, go round the roundabout and head back down Mulberry Street. Michelle Kinsey (45:22): I'm ready for the candy. New Castle Main Street in partnership with Indiana On Tap will present the fifth annual New Castle on Tap St. Patty's Day Festival on March 14th at the Arts Park Pavilion. You got to be 21 or older for this party, my friends. If you're looking for some fitness, the St. Patty's Day 5K is Saturday, March 14th at Summit Lake State Park in New Castle. Kara DuQuette (45:46): That is an interesting St. Patty's choice. Michelle Kinsey (45:50): It is. Kara DuQuette (45:50): That's great. Michelle Kinsey (45:51): Got to get that fitness in when you can. Kara DuQuette (45:52): Heck yeah. You can do multiple things. Michelle Kinsey (45:54): Yes. Kara DuQuette (45:55): Gas City Performing Arts Center is having a Celtic Magic St. Patrick's Day party on Tuesday, March 17th at 6:00 PM. Join magician, Daniel Greenwolf for an evening of Celtic Magic, interactive comedy and thrilling danger. Michelle Kinsey (46:12): Thrilling danger. Kara DuQuette (46:14): I mean, that's what it says. Michelle Kinsey (46:16): I don't know. Kara DuQuette (46:16): It said thrilling danger. Now I'm like, what [inaudible 00:46:19]. Michelle Kinsey (46:19): Do you want to go and see what this thrilling danger is? Kara DuQuette (46:23): I think I do. Michelle Kinsey (46:25): The Phil Collins experience is performing Friday, March 13th at Anderson's Paramount Theater. Against all odds, the music begins at 7:30 PM. Chirp Up is Friday and Saturday, March 13th and 14th at Ball State. The annual improv comedy festival features more than 11 college and professional troops from across the Midwest. The kickoff show is 7:00 PM Friday in the Arts and Journalism Auditorium. The big show is 7:00 PM Saturday at [inaudible 00:46:55] Hall. That's a lot of suggestions from the audience. Isn't it? Kara DuQuette (47:00): Yes. Michelle Kinsey (47:00): I need a place. I need a food. I need... Kara DuQuette (47:06): We also take suggestions from the audience. Send us your events. Go to Indianapublicradio.org/contact, then click Pop of Culture. Speaker 5 (47:20): 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 (47:43): And that's our show. Our digital content god is August Wilde. This week was produced by Luke Jones, who... Sorry, Cats, is a dog person. Michelle Kinsey (47:54): We had production assistance from Andrew Montavon. Our audio fellow is Maya Doss. Our show was hosted by me, Michelle Kinsey. Kara DuQuette (48:02): And me, Kara DuQuette, who loves cats and dogs. Michelle Kinsey (48:05): Love it. Kara DuQuette (48:07): Pop of Culture is a production from IPR on the campus of Ball State University. Michelle Kinsey (48:12): That was so good. That was so good. Kara DuQuette (48:14): Send us your events and go to Indianapublicradio.org/contact, then click Pop of Culture for sharing your ideas with us. Michelle Kinsey (48:27): Okay, try that again, [inaudible 00:48:28]. You think?