Jonny interviews Dr. Joe Hassert who was a resident of Carbondale from 2000 to 2012 and was remarkably active in making community art projects happen here. Joe now lives in Las Vegas where he is a professor of Communication Studies at the College of Southern Nevada. He is the current president of the queer faculty and staff advocacy group there and works with students in the student LGBTQ organization to bring about positive, material change in their institution. Jonny and Joe talk about life in the desert, the queer scene in Las Vegas, what Joe learned from his time in Southern Illinois, LGBTQ advocacy, mass shootings, politics, and pragmatic activism. 

Jonny talks with Tara Bell of Pride in Action, Southern Illinois about the pre-Pride festivities this coming weekend (6/2-6/3). Events include a gallery showing of art titled “Seen” at The Varsity Center on Friday at 5:00, the County-to-County Pride Run starting at 8 am Saturday at the Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, and the Pride Kickoff Fundraiser trio of bands at Hangar 9 at 9 pm on Saturday (doors open at 8). In the back half of the show, Jonny reviews likely Supreme Court decisions that are likely to fall during Pride, noting how the recent decision re: EPA sets precendents of concern for all of us.

Jonny talks with visiting artist Dr. Jade C. Huell about two upcoming presentations on the SIU campus about storytelling based on skin. They discuss how performance and storytelling create spaces for conversations about shared and sometimes charged expereicnes related to how we “read” skin. In the back half of the show, Jonny interviews Sarah Dubach, the assistant director of the upcoming Stage Company production of Qui Ngyuen’s “She Kills Monsters” at the Varsity Theatre in Carbondale.

Jonny and Dr. Shannon Green, both Beloved Puppetistas, discuss the beginning of public puppet making workshops in anticipation of the All Species Puppet Parade on Earth Day (April 22) in Carbondale, IL. Along the way, they discuss the challenges of public pedagogy, especially for queers. They note smilarites in resistance to environmental reform and LGBTQ rights advancement. But mostly, they celebrate their joy of art, education, and environmental advocacy.

2022 PS 06

Probably a controversial one today. This one was made in collaboration with the Artist[dot]AI app during a three day free trial. I entered the words, in many different combinations. I picked the image I liked out of the many options the app provided. I heavily modified and added to the one I liked in other apps. I acknowledge that process here.

AI technology isn’t going away. Like the digital filters (some of them AI driven, too) I’ve used on many PS images over the last 10 years, it’s probably more realistic to figure out how to work with the technologies than to imagine we can protest them away. I’ve learned a lot of my skills by studying and imitating other artists over the years; I don’t begrudge an AI’s enhanced ability to do the same. And at the end of the day, my creative eye (such as it is) is making the decision about what I share online. Which, when you think about it, is how we got here in the first place.

(For what it is worth, I didn’t keep the app after the free trial. And that, too, is part of the technology, art, and the marketplace dynamic.)

#penguin #santa #santaclaus #penguinsanta #xmas2022 #christmas2022 #xmas #christmas #AI #art #filter #app (at Makanda, Illinois)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmW1m3DJVAw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

2022 PS 02

Penguin Santa welcomes “stealing” this art. They are owned by no one. They embrace relational exchange, sharing, and collaboration. It is a great holiday season when Penguin Santa is made and shared by many! #penguin #santa #penguinsanta #xmas #xmas2022 #christmas #christmas2022 #art (at Makanda, Illinois)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmMehH_rUBc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

So this image came up in a conversation. You know how metaphors and animal totems can get “mixed.” But sometimes the best mix ups make the best illustrations! #art #spider #bananaspider #drawing #illustration #cartoon #comic
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DGsITlrKW/?igshid=7p4enb3prlwm