Bhakti Baxter - Into The Unknowing - Fine Artist Finds Himself Swan Dive podcast

1:02:38

Eric Gottesman teaches, organizes, writes, and makes artworks with other people that address nationalism, migration, structural violence, history, and intimate relations. His work is always collaborative; he has never made an artwork alone. One of Eric’s creative superpowers is his ability to take his time and gently notice the delicacy and hard edges of his subjects, without judgment, before capturing their images. The resulting pictures are remarkably soulful and honest. He is a John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, a Creative Capital Artist, a Fulbright Fellow and a co-founder of For Freedoms , an artist-led organization that centers art as a catalyst for creative civic engagement and was named the "largest creative collaboration in United States history" by TIME Magazine . He co-created the books Sudden Flowers (2014) and For Freedoms: Where Do We Go From Here? (2024). Gottesman is a mentor in the Arab Documentary Photography Program in Beirut, Lebanon, and the W.W. Corcoran Visiting Professor in Community Engagement at George Washington University. TedX talk Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Robert Sinclair - "Speculative World Builder" - An artist writes the future he wants to live in 1:02:15

11 weeks ago1:02:15

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Robert Earl Sinclair is a Future Architect & Speculative World-Builder striving to make sense of our rapidly changing world and co-create bold futures. Born in "the hood" of Los Angeles and challenged with dyslexia, Robert became a successful international hip-hop recording artist in his teens and went on to graduate from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Now, this multicultural, classically trained artist, actor and writer uses storytelling to activate the idea that if something is broken, we can fantasize about what it looks like unbroken, and that exercise, in and of itself, can help us to find our way to a solution. This is speculative world-building. In this pursuit, Robert’s dyslexia has become an asset, because dyslexic people experience information as story and possess a much higher retention of facts which allows Robert, a voracious reader, to draw from a vast store of resources and disciplines. Dedicated to beauty, justice and inclusive imagination, Robert designs at the crossroads of art, culture and technology and has created original content and world-building workshops for: NYU, Google Creative Lab, Sundance Film Festival, The Guggenheim, the Rockefeller Foundation, Pop Culture Collaborative, The Doris Duke Foundation and For Freedoms, where he co-created For Freedoms News and its month-long residency at the Brooklyn Museum. Robert is an original member of the Guild of Future Architects ' celebrated Futurist Writers Room, a diverse community of visionary artists, intellectuals, engineers and technologists. Working with Dot Connector Studio , Robert is working to shape alternative economic models of sustainability and thrivability for everyone. Most recently, Robert has lectured at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and the ASU Center for Science and the Imagination. He is currently teaching Emergent Expressions at the Harvard Divinity School. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

Swan Dive

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David Garfunkel - "Building Community" - From Peace Corps to re-building a forgotten neighborbhood 53:59

19 weeks ago53:59

53:59

How does one claw their way out of the deep hole of generational poverty and income inequality if the walls are too steep and slippery to climb? David Garfunkel has tackled this problem with meaningful results in his hometown of Jacksonville, FL. As President & CEO of the non-profit LIFT JAX , David has created meaningful and measurable community revitalization initiatives in Jacksonville’s Eastside, less than a mile from downtown. And it’s not just lofty talk and abstraction. "OutEast" is widely considered to be one of Jacksonville’s most important historically African-American neighborhoods dating back to the mid-1800s. LIFT JAX seeks such culturally rich, generationally inclusive, and economically diverse neighborhoods, where social connections across socioeconomic and racial demographics are commonplace. Instead of gentrification and displacement, legacy residents feel valued and part of the fabric of the growing community with newer residents. David's team is working to activate parks and green spaces and upgrade schools to better support activities for families. Home improvements and other investments in physical infrastructure support the ability for the community to thrive. These basic lifestyle improvements make a house a home and a neighborhood a village. This way, all residents feel welcomed, valued, and integral to the composition of their neighborhood. Their Purpose Built Communities model , grounded in the foundational beliefs that race and place matter, makes it possible for residents to experience greater racial equity, improved health outcomes, and increased upward mobility in their neighborhoods. For example, the beloved Debs Store was a neighborhood staple for more than 90 years until its closure left the Eastside a food desert. LIFT JAX reopened this community wellness anchor that now, once again, provides easy access to healthy food. David spent 3 years in the Peace Corps in community economic development in the Dominican Republic and then, following the 2010 earthquake, he moved to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to lead a rural loan and education program. David received a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Nate Monroe - "How do you Know?" - USA Today Columnist Speaks Truth to Power 54:01

24 weeks ago54:01

54:01

Nate Monroe writes a column about Florida for USA Today, exploring how power works in the gilded, strange human heart of the modern Republican Party. His intrepid irony and rapier wit have made him a reader favorite but have also ruffled some significant feathers. Previously an investigative reporter for Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union, Nate focused on covering Jacksonville City Hall, the largest municipal government in Florida. His most notable deep-dive exposed a massive, nefarious scheme to sell Jacksonville's city-owned power company to Florida Power & Light ... and led to an indictment and jail time for the local CEO, an enormous win for justice and transparency. For this excellent work, he was surveilled and threatened . Nate says, “It was obviously surreal to open a batch of records that I had some sense was about the controversy and to actually discover that there was stuff about me in there” - his full Social Security number, driver’s license and a list of friends dating back to childhood — information not readily available as a public record. Nate's lived experience as a target of attack on the media and honest reporting is emblematic of the challenges facing democracy today. Still, Nate loves his job; he's built for it. An old school journalist who came up through the ranks, Nate remains undaunted about speaking truth to power . Prior to arriving in Jacksonville in 2013, he was a small town beat reporter for newspapers in the Deep South, where he wrote about hurricanes, small-town corruption, oil spills, Army Corps screw-ups, Mardi Gras, and bingo nights at the senior citizens center. Nate's work is absolutely critical to keeping our democracy healthy and alive. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Samantha Rose Williams - American Patriot - From Opera Singer to Activist 1:00:11

26 weeks ago1:00:11

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The Stanford Arts Review described Samantha Rose Williams as a “Mezzo-Soprano with ‘jaw-dropping vocal power.” This opera singer and arts activist is committed to creating space for critical discussion about art, culture, and social change. Her latest project is American Patriots, an opera she created that seeks to examine patriotism from four vastly different perspectives: African-American, Native American, New American and white Working-Class American. For this piece, Samantha asked 50 Americans from diverse racial, socio economic, political, cultural and gender backgrounds to answer the question, “What is a patriot?” Their verbatim answers became the lyrics for her newest opera, which she sings magnificently. She hopes that through sharing nuanced stories of people of all backgrounds and beliefs, she can be a part of breaking down the walls of “us and other” and help to create a more sympathetic and equitable world. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Daniel K Forkkio - "Healing & Reconciliation via Storytelling & Filmmaking" - CEO, Represent Justice 1:03:13

33 weeks ago1:03:13

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Daniel K. Forkkio is CEO of Represent Justice , building a critical mass of “system-impacted storytellers” using film and media to mobilize audiences to take action and transform the legal system. Because, those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. About this transformational approach to filmmaking, Daniel says, “What I started to learn about these (grassroots) films is that the films themselves were part of the reconciliation process for the person that had gone through a (traumatic) experience. And so, the act of writing down what had happened, thinking about their audience, the different characters ... and what were the myths around those characters. And what did they want the audience to do and think and feel concerned about, allowed for a reconciliation of all of the different frames that they had been told about their story … and allowed for a different level of control and empowerment around their story. And then, with the film screening, they could go to their local community, their local council members, their local community partners and they could just gather people differently. When you learn together, and when you learn someone’s story and see how it connects to yours, it just creates this inspiration and this understanding that allows you to tell your story more effectively.” In the 5 years since inception, RJ now has people in 20 different states producing films & campaigns about their own lived experience, learning and growing from one another in ways that are completely transformative. RJ provides training, support, compensation and mental health resources ... all of which culminates in folks being able to produce a campaign about their unique personal experience rather than relying on whatever Hollywood has produced most recently. For this exceptional work Daniel was recently named a 2024 Elevate Prize winner , chosen alongside 9 other nonprofit leaders from across the globe for leading some of the most impactful missions to change our world for the better. RJ began as part of the impact campaign for the highly acclaimed Hollywood film, Just Mercy , starring Jamie Foxx and Michael Jordan, about the life of acclaimed public interest lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, and the civil rights work he does helping the incarcerated and the condemned. A policy expert conversant in the film's core issues, Daniel witnessed something remarkable at the screening and advocacy events he organized for Just Mercy - the unexpected impact of the people present connecting with each other through their own real life stories of similar lived experience. Says Daniel, "It got me thinking … what about this power of firsthand storytelling should extend beyond a campaign? What if we we were constantly working with folks who were impacted by this issue and, in fact, what if they were the ones producing the film? What if it wasn’t a matter of a Hollywood actor? What if it wasn’t as much a matter of a studio release? What if impacted folks, in their communities, had these skills of convening and using film as a medium? And, that became really the blueprint for Represent Justice." Learn more and watch some of these magnificent films at RepresentJustice.org @danielforkkio @werepjus Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

Swan Dive

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Matt Hartley - "DEI Criminal" - Incredible Educator Becomes Guiltless Victim of Culture War 50:23

49 weeks ago50:23

50:23

Matt Hartley is an Interfaith expert and "DEI Criminal." He's an educator and ordained minister, a dad, a cellist, a high school running coach .... In other words, one of the good guys. Yet, after 5 years leading the University of North Florida Interfaith Center, Matt’s job was eliminated last year by draconian anti-DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) laws initiated by Gov Ron DeSantis. To keep his interfaith work alive, Matt joined OneJax, a local diversity organization supporting Interfaith work on multiple campuses. In a 2023 New York Times article titled, What It Is Like To Teach In The Crosshairs of Ron DeSantis , Matt said, “When people think about diversity and inclusion, they generally think of race, not faith. That is by design. The G.O.P. branding gurus intentionally turned “woke” into a racist dog whistle.” Matt now works independently. His website, Faith in Diversity , features a weekly subscription newsletter and explores the landscape of DEI, religious diversity, war and human rights. Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Suz Howard - "Designing Creative Leaders" - IDEO Industrial Design Legend Goes Solo 54:57

51 weeks ago54:57

54:57

Trained as an anthropologist, Suz Howard spent 20 yrs as a partner at IDEO , one of the world's leading design and innovation companies, playing a critical role in growing IDEO from 200 employees to 1000 in 9 locations around the globe. Focused on building creative leadership within organizations, she founded IDEO U , a digital learning platform that has served over 80,000 students through various forms of cohort-based learning since 2014. In effect, Suz has dedicated her life’s work to building out-of-the-box thinkers and enhancing the future of work itself. Now, out on her own, Suz continues her work with individuals and organizations, bringing human-centered design to develop strategy, deploy rapid prototypes, and align multiple stakeholders around a common vision for a brave new future. In addition, she teaches entrepreneurs at the Aspen Institute and advises startups on climate tech. Her writing has been published in Inc Magazine, Fast Company and many other places over her illustrious career. SuzHoward.com Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

Swan Dive

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Jeff Kollath - The Soul of a Story - Exec Dir of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music 59:34

1 year ago59:34

59:34

As Executive Director of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis, TN, Jeff Kollath oversees the world’s only museum dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of Stax Records and American soul music. Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, John Lee Hooke, Booker T & the MGs and the endless Stax roster of musical icons produced songs that stirred our souls and shared our collective story, a story born of pain and glory, rags and riches, love and lust. Stax liberated our hearts and freed our hips to move like nobody was watching. Kollath, brandishing a BA and Masters in History, shares the complex STAX story everday, highlighting the granular details of each artist and the revolution they created. And overseeing magnificent installations that capture the moments when musical and cultural magic happened in a beaten up corner of Memphis. Kollath has researched and written extensively about soul music and Black culture during the Civil Rights and Black Power eras. Prior to arriving in Memphis in 2015, Kollath created dynamic public programming and exhibitions for the UW-Madison Center for the Humanities, the Milwaukee County Historical Society, and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Memphis Magazine Interview Photo Max Gersh / The Commercial Appeal Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Clark Butcher - Victory Bicycles - Bike Lover Revolutionizes the Bike Shop Game 54:48

1 year ago54:48

54:48

Clark Butcher will be the first to tell you he is addicted to endurance athletics. He started running age 7, completed his first half marathon at 11 and discovered triathlons at 14, where he naturally excelled in cycling. By 16, Clark was competing in the Junior World Cup in Canada, National Championships and pro-caliber events throughout the US. This culminated in 2002, when Butcher spent a summer racing throughout Europe with the German National Team. Clark founded Victory Bicycle Studio in Memphis in 2010 and has grown it from a part-time project to a national industry leader in bicycle retail. Victory is to bike shops what the Apple Store is to electronics. And his " Couch to 50 " program has changed the way a community finds both fitness and friendship on a bicycle. One of his many satisfied customers said it best, "No matter what you do, every time he gives some information, something sticks that didn’t stick before.” Couch to 50 video ! Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Dr Scott Morris - "Fine and Blessed" - Doctor/Minister Opens Largest Faith-based Hospital in US 57:02

1 year ago57:02

57:02

As a teenager, Dr. Scott Morris became deeply interested in two things: his religion and the practice of medicine. He's spent his entire life creating a way to connect the two to serve humanity. Now 70, Morris is the founder and chief executive officer of Church Health in Memphis, TN . A leading voice in the field of faith and health and a passionate advocate for the poor in U.S. society, Morris opened Church health in 1987 to provide quality, affordable health care for working, uninsured people and their families. It has now grown to become the largest faith-based, privately funded primary care clinic in the country w over 60,000 patient visits per yr. Morris holds a Masters in Divinity from Yale Divinity School and an MD from Emory. The current issue of Fortune Magazine did a stunning feature on his incredible journey. And , Stuart had the privilege to join Morris on his inspiring Mystic Podcast episode on a recent visit to the Church Health facility in Memphis. We are honored to welcome this righteous champion of "doing well by doing good" to Swan Dive. "Fine & Blessed" - Short video clip from Swan Dive interview with Dr. Morris Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Chris Jenkins - "Being There" - Documentary Filmmaker Turned Educator & How He Listened to "The Signs" 1:09:09

1 year ago1:09:09

1:09:09

Chris Jenkins is Head of Production in University of California, Santa Barbara’s Film & Media Studies Department. He has been behind the lens of many notable and award-winning documentaries. His work has aired on Netflix, PBS, Discovery, The History Channel, Sundance Channel and on and on. Prior to receiving his Masters in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford, Chris was in East Africa as a United Nations Volunteer working with and capturing on film tribal cultures, animals, the plight of refugees and much more. Before that he bicycled to southern Chile on assignment for National Geographic en route to a year as an Ambassadorial Scholar. His harrowing adventures and riveting stories are endless! http://cjpictures.com Check out “Vera Cruz” from CJ on Vimeo at https://vimeo.com/121515049 Photo by Steve Glass Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Gary Adler - "Right Time, Right Place" - Life as a Hollywood Creative Director 50:58

2 years ago50:58

50:58

Hollywood Creative Director and Graphic Artist, Gary Adler, has a blackbelt in branding on a global scale. He moved to LA in 1986 to chase his dream and, after decades designing for the film industry’s best, from Disney to Dreamworks, Warner Bros, Sony and Fox, he’s seen it all. If you watched Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ve seen Gary's work. He sold a wonderful screenplay to Harold Ramis but, like so many Hollywood dreams, bad timing kept it on the shelf. Still, Gary lived well off his creative chops in the take-no-prisoners world of movie making. And is now exploring new avenues on his creative journey. Contact - https://vimeo.com/163206699 http://linkedin.com/in/gary-adler-3852579 Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Taylor Keen - "Living Red" - From Ivy League to Sacred Seeds ... Indigenous Leader Finds Home 58:06

2 years ago58:06

58:06

Taylor Keen has an astonishing resume: Golden Gloves boxer, Dartmouth undergrad, Harvard MBA and Masters in Public Administration. Business man. Indigenous leader, Strategy consultant and full-time instructor in Corporate Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Creighton University. But at his core, Taylor is a storyteller. And the stories he tells are those of his tribal people. Harvard did a magnificent feature on Taylor last Dec titled, Singing To the Corn, where they wrote: “Corn thrives when sung to and spoken to—something Taylor Keen does in the language of his mother’s Omaha Tribe, where he is known as Bison Mane. Keen is also an active member of the Cherokee Nation, his father’s people, where his tribal name is Blackberry. He grew up between Omaha and the Cherokee reservation in northeastern Oklahoma ..." IN 2014, Taylor founded Sacred Seed whose goal is preserving Native American heritage in history through collecting, growing and spreading the seeds of corn and other traditional Native American foods. This incredible polymath has seen a great deal and gained much wisdom, which he generously shares on Swan Dive. Watch Sacred Seed video Recommended books on Indigenous Culture: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Custer Died for Your Sins God is Red Corn Among the Indians of the Upper Missouri Braiding Sweetgrass Have a Swan Dive to share? Text us! We are always looking for Swan Dive Stories to share so hit us up, send an e mail to Ron: Ron@artbikesjax.com or Stu: Stuart@stuartsheldon.com…

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Lolo Reskin - "Sweat and Vinyl" - Iconic Record Store Pioneer 51:06

2 years ago51:06