AC23 - Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge
Arts Council of Baton Rouge
23 Minutes about the Greater Baton Rouge Area's Arts & Culture
Episodes
AC23 James Fogle - Musician and Arts Industry Business Owner
Mike Esneault converses with James Fogle, for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s AC23+ Artist Legacy Series podcast. James is the owner of Mid City Ballroom, Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Pop Shop Records. Through these ventures as well as his work as a musician/performer, James has greatly enriched the Baton Rouge arts community. They discussed this as well as other topics related to being an artist in the Greater Baton Rouge area for over the last 40+ years.
AC23 Chris LeBlanc - Louisiana Hall of Fame - Performer/Song Writer
Mike Esneault talks and plays music with Louisiana Music Hall of Fame performer and song writer Chris LeBlanc. They discuss Chris' formative years growing up in a musical family in South Louisiana as well as being influenced by the blues and many other genres of music that he heard and played in his hometown of Baton Rouge. In addition, they play three of Chris' original songs.
AC23 Rob Payer - Radio Personality, Educator, Musician
Mike Esneault talks with radio personality, educator and musician, Rob Payer. They discuss Rob's history in radio, particularly as it relates to Baton Rouge Magnet High School and their long-standing radio educational program and his role as program director. In addition, they discuss many other topics including the rich musical heritage of South Louisiana, preserving that heritage through education, as well as Rob's work as a performing musician.
AC23 Sr. Sean Joffrion - East Baton Rouge - Director of Fine Arts
Mike Esneault converses with East Baton Rouge - Fine Arts Director, Dr. Sean Joffrion. They discuss the artistic environment and support of Joffrion's formative years and how this helped instill his deep love of the arts moving forward. They also converse on various topics including the importance of arts education as well as arts integration and the role it can play in a person's artistic and academic development.
AC23 Callie Smith - LSU Museum of Art
Mike Esneault converses with Callie Smith, Educator and Programs Manager, for the LSU Museum of Art. Callie has a PhD in English as well as degrees in Creative Writing and English Secondary Education . They discuss how her background has helped play a role in her work at LSU MOA, touching on museum education, artistic programming within the museum or with outside organizations partnering with LSU MOA as well as various other topics.
AC23 Harry Anderson and Darrell Roberson with Southern University's Digital Media Arts Program
Mike Esneault talks with Southern University Professors Harry Anderson and Darrell Roberson about the launch of SU's Digital Media Arts Program. This new degree program features the following concentration tracks: Digital Screen Arts Production, Digital Performance Fusion, Visual Arts and Motion Graphics, Digital Sports Production and Recording Arts. They discuss the origins and the vision of this exciting new degree program!
AC Mike Weary
Mike Esneault talks with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's Artist in Residence and Artist Liaison, Mike Weary. They discuss various aspects of being a professional freelance visual artist as well as Mike's experiences working as an arts administrator, educator and gallery curator.
AC23 BJ and Kim Smith
Mike Esneault speaks with visual artist BJ Smith, and his mother Kim Smith. 20 years ago, BJ arrived at the hospital as the result of an ATV accident and given a 10% chance of survival because of a severe brain injury. They talk about the power of the arts as a healer and how creating visual art has had a profound impact on BJ's ongoing road to recovery.
AC23 Chris Adams
Mike Esneault talks with Chris Adams, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's "Director of Technical Operations", about the Bridges Project. This is a program featuring the debut of the theater production "Soundscapes" in which Chris will be directing and administering. The production will bring 14 students from 6 LA parishes to Scotland's Edinburgh Arts Festival to perform theater in front of an international audience.
AC23 Victoria Cave
Mike Esneault talks with dancer and vocalist Victoria Cave about her Red Stick Dance Project being offered on Saturdays at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Her and Mike also converse about her growing up in an artistically rich family environment. They discuss her experiences as a professional dancer and vocalist in New York for 30 years working with artists such as Steely Dan as well as actors Hugh Jackman, Ralph Macchio and others.
AC23 Charlie Rauh - Guitarist and Composer
Mike Esneault talks and performs with New York based guitarist Charlie Ruah about his performance career as well as his residency at Louisiana State University composing music for the LSU Veterinary School.
AC23 Doug Stone - Jazz Saxophonist and Educator
Mike Esneault talks and performs with saxophonist and LSU Associate Professor of Jazz Studies Doug Stone about his career as an international performer as well as his extensive career as an educator around the United States.
AC23 Gino's 80'-90's Jazz Music Scene Roundtable Discussion
Mike Esneault sits down with Gino Marino, Larry Sieberth, Dr. Bill Grimes, Johnny Vidacovich and Ben Williams to recall the rich jazz musical tradition of Gino's restaurant during the 80's and 90's.
AC23 Ed Perkins - Jazz Vocalist
Mike Esneault talks and performs with New Orleans jazz vocalist Ed Perkins about his extensive performance career with artists like Branford Marsalis, Wes Anderson, Alvin Batiste and others as well as the influences of growing up in the musically rich environment of New Orleans. He also talks about being part of the blues and jazz music scene for many years in Baton Rouge.
Ac23 Don Evans - Jazz Saxophonist and Educator
Mike Esneault talks and performs with jazz saxophonist Don Evans about his performance and teaching career. Don reflects on growing up in the New Orleans and learning music in that rich environment and being part of the blues and jazz music scene for many years in South Louisiana.
Ed Ruzicka, poet, author and president of the Poet Society of Louisiana
Emmy award winning host, Mike Esneault interviews poet, author, and president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, Ed Ruzicka today. Listen to their great conversation discussing his fourth book, "In the Wind". This is a collection of Ed's poems inspired by travel experiences throughout Europe, South America and other places.
Meet Karen Soniat, LASM's new executive director
Join host Pam Bordelon as she visits with Karen Soniat, the new executive director of the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, who is now back in Baton Rouge after several years in New Orleans working with the National World War II Museum. She's excited about her first LASM Gala -- Party in the Valley of the Kings, which takes place Oct. 4.
Actor Louis Herthum
Join host Pam Bordelon as she talks with Baton Rouge native Louis Herthum about his upcoming role in the Netflix hit, The Night Agent, which is supposed to hit the screen in early 2025. They also talk about growing up in Red Stick and his 50-plus year career as an actor.
River City Jazz Masters
Join jazz aficionados, Arts Council CEO Jonathan Grimes and Mike Esneault, our director of arts education as well as an award-winning composer and jazz pianist, for an insider's glimpse and listen into the upcoming River City Jazz Masters Series! You don't want to miss this one!
Willis Delony & Bill Grimes: 40 years of making music
For the September Alvin Batiste Jazz Society Listening Room, two Baton Rouge jazz greats are celebrating 40 years of making music together. Join host Pam Bordelon as she visits with pianist Willis Delony and bass player Bill Grimes as they take a stroll down memory lane and talk about this special anniversary collaboration.
LSU Museum of Art's Clementine Hunter oral history project
Host Pam Bordelon sits down with Callie Smith and Sarah Nansubuga on the project they're conducting in conjunction with the LSU Museum of Art's Clementine Hunter exhibition. They have been conducting oral history interview with members of Hunter's family, the results of which will eventually become part of LSU's T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History’s digital library.
Film recounts life of Olympic winner Mondo Duplantis
In honor of Lafayette native and former LSU great Mondo Duplantis’ gold medal-winning pole vault in the just completed Olympics in Paris, we’re replaying host Pam Bordelon’s conversation with filmmaker Brennan Robideaux about his film, Born to Fly, the intimate story of Mondo and his rise to fame from child prodigy to the greatest pole vaulter of all time. His jump of 6.25m (that’s more than 20 feet!) was the ninth time he's broken the world record.
George Bell & Mike Esneault
In a very special iteration of the Alvin Batiste Jazz Society, local bass great George Bell, trumpet; Mike Esneault, piano; Bill Grimes, bass; and Jonathan Grimes, drums, serve as the house band for any musicians who want to join them for what promises to be an amazing gig.
The Little Girl in the Bottom of the Picture
The Little Girl at the Bottom of the Picture is the heart-warming, immersive story of college sweethearts Edie and Jeremy White’s transformational journey to meet her biological family after a submission to Ancestry.com drops a bomb in her lap. The two sit down with host Pam Bordelon and share more of this epic in this episode of AC23
Meet BR Ballet's new co-artistic directors
Meet the two new co-artistic directors of Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre as host Pam Bordelon visits with Rebecca Acosta and Jonna Cox, both of whom started dancing at a very young age and have big plans to carry out the legacy they've inherited.
Arts for Everybody
Original Air Date: 07/21/2024 - Arts for EveryBody project director Mike Weary and participating artists, dancer/choreographer Shamira Gatz and mandala artist Aruna Modgill visit with host Pam Bordelon about their respective Arts for Everybody projects. Arts for EveryBody is a day-long, national art-making campaign demonstrating how the Arts can lead to healthier people and communities.
Harlem 9
Original Air Date: 7/14/24 — This week, host Pam Bordelon sits down with Harlem 9's Garlia Cornelia Jones to talk about their 48 Hours in Baton Rouge project that anchors Arts for EveryBody July 27 in the Manship Theatre's Hartley/Vey Studio.
Thras Kalaitzidis
Original Air Date: 7/7/24 — This Sunday, AC23 host Pam Bordelon gets the skinny on sculptor Thras Kalaitzidis’ interactive 3-D soft sculptures that double as board game pieces -- one of the first Arts for EveryBody projects taking place July 27. How do you play? How many can play at once? And find out how this Greek native ended up in Baton Rouge.
Keidrick Alford & Rick LeCompte
Original Air Date: 6/30/24 — Host Pam Bordelon is joined by Keidrick Alford, cofounder of ellemnop, and photographer Rick LeCompte, participants in Arts Council's Arts for EveryBody day-long celebration of the Arts and the role they play in our overall health. Theirs is one of 12 projects taking part across all of our Metro-Council Districts on July 27. Find out what they have on tap at the Healthcare Gallery and how they became members of the Arts world.
Filmmaker Jason Furrate & actress Jenny Hogan
Original Air Date: 06/23/2024 - This Sunday, host Pam Bordelon is joined by Jason Furrate, creator/writer/director of Spillway, a one-hour pilot for a crime series set in south Louisiana and featuring a cast and crew entirely from the state, and actor/casting director Jenny Griffin Hogan. Tune in and find out how to attend the June 30 premiere at Manship Theatre.
Producer/actor Joe Carleton
Original Air Date: 06/16/24 —Fresh from his trip to the French Riviera for the Cannes International Film Festival, local actor, singer and producer Joe Carleton stops by for a visit with host Pam Bordelon. He talks about this amazing experience, the exciting response Beware the Box Folk received and his journey to making his first full-length movie with three of his best friends.
Theatre Baton Rouge's 'Cinderella'
Original Air Date: 06/09/2024 - Paige Gagliano has been a member of the Theatre Baton Rouge family since she was 18; this summer, she’s returning to the fold to direct its summer musical, Cinderella (Enchanted Version). Paige and TBR board President Beth Bordelon visit with host Pam Bordelon about the production, their TBR experiences over the years and what’s in store for the theatre’s upcoming 79th season.
Michael Crespo Fellowship recipient Judi Betts
Original Air Date: 06/02/2024 - Internationally renowned watercolor artist Judi Betts was the 2024 recipient of the Arts Council's Michael Crespo Fellowship. This past fall AC23 host Pam Bordelon visited with Judi, who was in the spotlight with an exhibit celebrating her 60 years as a working artist. Catch this replay and get to know this remarkably talented and witty 88-year-old as she recounts her amazing career.
Besty Braud
Original Air Date: 05/19/2004 - Host Pam Bordelon talks with Betsy Braud, aka the Jazz Nurse, about how she incorporates her music into her work as a nurse.
Jason Langlois & Sarah Nichols
Original Air Date: 05/12/2024 - This Sunday, host Pam Bordelon sits down with Manship Theatre's new executive director, Jason Langlois, who's been on the job for five months now, and marketing coordinator Sarah Nichols to get the scoop on what all's planned in the next few months. They duo also share some of their favorite memories of concerts past.
African Safari
Original Air Date: 05/05/2024 - Former Baton Rouge Zoo director Phil Frost returns from another African safari. He’s joined by two of his fellow travelers, Rannah Gray and Gracella Simmons, to discuss this amazing experience.
Denise Gallagher
Original Air Date: 4/21/24 — Louisiana has a new specialty license plate dedicated to the Arts. Join host Pam Bordelon as she visits with Acadiana artist Denise Gallagher, who created the winning design in the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts competition. A portion of the proceeds from sale of the plate benefit LPA, which works to ensure that culture is recognized as indispensable to a healthy society.
Lauren Tompkins & The Brosfresh
Original Air Date: 4/14/24 — Lauren Tompkins gives you the deets on the Baton Rouge Blues Festival, while THE BROSFRESH, appearing as part of Sunday in the Park, talks about their career and playing before a hometown crowd.
Shawn Williams
Original Air Date: 3/31/24 — Spring in South Louisiana means festival time! This Sunday, host Pam Bordelon sits down with Shawn Williams, who kicks off ACGBR's Sunday in the Park concert series on April 7.
Jazz musician Bill Grimes
Original Air Date: 03/24/2024 - Host Pam Bordelon sits down with Dr. Bill Grimes, founder of the LSU School of Music's jazz program, as he talks about his life and career. Now retired, he's planning an amazing night of jazz with his long-time friend Byron Stripling to celebrate his 70th birthday.
Chris Jeansonne & Talent Advancement Program (TAP)
Original Air Date: 3/17/24 — This April, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge kicks off the second session of its Talent Advancement Program (TAP) focusing on video production. Host Pam Bordelon talks with facilitator Chris Jeansonne and one of his featured instructors, Dierdré Peterson, who share what participants can expect to get out of the 10-week session.
Renee Chatelain: A look back
Original Air Date: 03/10/2024 - Host Pam Bordelon sits down with former ACGBR President/CEO Renée Chatelain to talk about her eight-year stint as leader of the organization as well as her time at Manship Theatre, Mid-City Dance Project, and as a practicing attorney. Find out what’s up next on her agenda.
Everette Powers Creativity Grant recipient Mat Keel
Original Air Date: 2/25/24 — Mat Keel, 2024 recipient of Everette Powers Creativity Grant, talks about his winning project - Cannibal Singles Club, which has him recording and releasing a series of 45 rpm vinyl singles featuring artists from Baton Rouge or somehow associated with Yes We Cannibal, an art project space he founded with wife Liz Lessner.
WBR Museum & LASM's -- Jazz exhibits
Original Air Date: 02/11/2024 - Things are jazzy in the Capital Region this February. Host Pam Bordelon sits down with Tracey Barhorst, curator & public programs manager for LASM, and Amanda Moak, curator of collections for the West Baton Rouge Museum, to talk about their current exhibits — Improvisation: The Art & Healing Power of Jazz and Shutter & Sound: The Jazz Photography of Bob Willoughby, respectively.
Artist Nanci Charpentier
Original Air Date: 2/4/24 — Baton Rouge artist Nanci Charpentier, whose recently commissioned painting graced the cover of InRegister magazine’s “Women with a Cause” cover, joins host Pam Bordelon to talk about her career. You’re going to love hearing about Plein Air!
Community of Note & BR Arts Market
Original Air Date: 1/28/24 — Jena Vanjgel sits down with host Pam Bordelon to talk about Community of Note, a project that brings music to the unhoused throughout the Baton Rouge area. Then Luke Lognion pops in to talk about plans for a re-imagined Baton Rouge Arts Market, which he is now managing for ARGBR.
Brennan Robideaux, director 'Born to Fly'
Original Air Date: 01/21/2024 - Brennan Robideaux joins host Pam Bordelon to talk about his film, Born to Fly, which recounts the intimate story of Mondo Duplantis and his rise to fame from child prodigy to the greatest pole vaulter of all time. The movie is being screened at the Manship Theatre Jan. 25
LSU Museum of Art - Andy Warhol: Friends & Frenemies
Original Air Date: 1/14/2024 - LSU Museum of Art’s Chief Curator Michelle Schulte and Executive Director Mark Tullos visit with host Pam Bordelon to share details of its exciting current exhibit, Andy Warhol/Friends & Frenemies: Prints from the Cochran Collection, which runs through March 31.
MPAC 2024 & River City Jazz Masters
Original Air Date: 12/17/2023 - Erin Douget shares the details on ACGBR’s 2024 MPAC Gala while Jonathan Grimes gives us the scoop on the upcoming River City Jazz Masters concert with jazz percussionist Bobby Sanabria.
Writers' Workshop - Louisiana Short Stories
Original Air Date: 12/10/2023 - Facilitator Rannah Gray and alumni from our most recently completed Creative Aging Writers’ Workshop, which includes host Pam Bordelon, share the exciting journey of writing and compiling the short stories they wrote into a book – Louisiana Short Stores: An Anthology from America’s Most Storied State. You can also find out how to get your copy!