Sunday, October 12, 2014

Where It All Began, First a Meeting, an Interview and Then, Conversations on Creativity

It began as a simple email inquiry from the Southern Shore Art Association. SSAA was looking for new artists for a spring art show. Being the budding artist I responded. It was through that correspondence that I met one of the most delightful women I have ever met, Susan Block. Susan graciously agreed to be interviewed by myself and 2 of my co-hosts with ArtSees Diner Radio. How excited I was to bring to ArtSees Diner Radio a Poet Laureate from my new hometown. The first interview took place in April of 2014. Diane Blanchette an artist from Kankakee Illinois, and Michael Urbano, a musician from Northwest Indiana joined me for this exploration into the world of Susan. Subsequently,Susan joined me, Mary E. LaLuna as a co-host for a show featuring Garsot, a surrealist painter from Greece. From those encounters came Susan Block's series, Conversations on Creativity. Please enjoy the first 2 interviews and then be certain to follow up with 7 outstanding artists, thinkers, dreamers, poets and playwrights.

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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Susan Block Welcomes Husband & Wife Artists, George and Connie Kassal To Conversations On Creativity

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ArtSees Diner Radio welcomes Susan Block back for Week 6 of Conversations On Creativity. Her special guest are husband and wife artisans, Connie and George Kassal of Long Beach, IN. Music is provided by jazz guitarist John Moulder of Chicago.

The Kassals met at the University of Wisconsin, married and have been longtime residents of Michigan City each accomplished in their own artistic fields. Connie, a painter, holds a BA and Masters in painting. She has exhibited widely in the Midwest including Chicago, South Bend and the Governor’s Mansion in Indianapolis. She is an art professor at Purdue North Central. Connie is also a faculty member of Prairie State College in Illinois and teaches at the LCA In Michigan City. George has a MA in photography and digital imaging. His work has been exhibited across the Midwest. He teaches at Purdue North Central and Prairie State College in the disciplines of photography, art appreciation, art history and the history of photography and often presents workshops in photography at various locations in the region. They have exhibited their work in tandem at various venues and operate under Kassal Studios.

Susan Block brings with her a vast knowledge of the arts and creativity. She is LaPorte County Poet Laureate Emeritus, playwright, writing workshop leader, art exhibition curator and cultural arts advocate. "Conversations On Creativity" is the brainchild of Block.

Series co-producer is Mary E. LaLuna, executive producer/creator of ArtSees Productions and host of “ArtSees Diner,”

Susan Block Welcomes Donna Blue Lachman To Conversations On Creativity

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Donna Blue Lachman is a lover of all things theater. She has worked as a playwright,actor, director and teacher for more than 25 years. She was the founder and Artistic Director of the Blue Rider Theater Company in Chicago for 14 years where she wrote and performed 9 one-woman plays, leading to two Joseph Jefferson awards for best performance, several Playwright Fellowships and awards from the Chicago Artist’s International Program which allowed her to research and tour her production to Venice, Italy, Berlin and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Her numerous awards include an Emmy for a television show for the City of Chicago. Her teaching credits include the School of the Art Institute, master degree programs at Chicago’s Columbia College and has served as Dramatist-in-Residence for the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs.

Susan Block brings with her a vast knowledge of the arts and creativity. She is LaPorte County Poet Laureate Emeritus, playwright, writing workshop leader, art exhibition curator and cultural arts advocate. "Conversations On Creativity" is the brainchild of Block.

Series co-producer is Mary E. LaLuna, executive producer/creator of ArtSees Productions and host of “ArtSees Diner,” Music for today's show was provided by Keenan Baxter.http://keenanbaxter.com

Susan Block Welcomes Sculptor Richard Keibdaj To Conversations On Creativity

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ArtSees Diner Radio is pleased to bring you week 4, of Conversations On Creativity, with guest host Susan Block. Week 4 brings you Richard Keibdaj. Keibdaj is an exceptionally versatile sculptor. He carves stone and wood and fabricates with cast metals, bronze, steel and other alloys. His varied mediums have been appreciated by an equally diverse audience. Kiebdaj’s clients include Roger Ebert, Hugh Hefner and former Chicago Bear Willie Gault. Keibdaj has been a working artist for 40 years. His public sculptures have been on exhibition in Chicago neighborhoods and in Northwest Indiana including Southern Shore Art Association gallery in Michigan City and the campus of Purdue North Central. Keibdaj is a multi-talented craftsman. He has worked in bronze, steel, stone, and wood.

Susan Block brings with her a vast knowledge of the arts and creativity. She is LaPorte County Poet Laureate Emeritus, playwright, writing workshop leader, art exhibition curator and cultural arts advocate. "Conversations On Creativity" is the brainchild of Block.

Series co-producer is Mary E. LaLuna, executive producer/creator of ArtSees Productions and host of “ArtSees Diner,”

Susan Block Welcomes Classical Guitarist Michelle Qureshi To Conversations On Creativity

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Conversations on Creativity explores the mind of the Creative. Tonight is Week 3 of a 6 week series. We welcome Classical Guitarist/composer, Michelle Qureshi. Michelle Qureshi is a classically trained guitarist who writes,performs and publishes music in a number of styles and genre.In 2010 she created Music As Metaphor, an artistic identity that encompasses all her work. She has performed her musicat festivals,concerts, art galleries and other venues. Her music has been broadcast throughout the world and licensedon a global platform for use in commercials, films, apps and other media. She lives in Indianapolis with her husband and daughter.

Susan Block brings with her a vast knowledge of the arts and creativity. She is LaPorte County Poet Laureate Emeritus, playwright, writing workshop leader, art exhibition curator and cultural arts advocate. "Conversations On Creativity" is the brainchild of Block.

ArtSees Diner Radio, is an ArtSees Production, under the direction of Executive Producer Mary E. LaLuna

Susan Block Welcomes George Kalamaras Poet Laureate To Conversations on Creativity

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ArtSees Productions welcomes Susan Block for a 6 week series, "Conversations On Creativity." Tonight's special guest is Indiana Poet Laureate George Kalamaras. George Kalamaras was born in Chicago and grew up in Cedar Lake, in Lake County. He has published six books of poetry and one of scholarship including Kingdom of Throat-Stuck Luck, winner of the Elixir Press Poetry Contest, The Recumbent Galaxy, co-authored with Alvaro Cardona-Hine and winner of the C&R Press Open Competition, and The Theory and Function of Mangoes, winner of the Four Way Books Intro Series; six poetry chapbooks; numerous articles in scholarly journals; and more than 725 poems in anthologies and magazines in the U.S and abroad. His work has received numerous honors, including a Creative Writing Poetry Fellowship Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and two Individual Artist Fellowship Grants from the Indiana Arts Commission. In 1994, he received an Indo-U.S. Advanced Research Fellowship to India. Since 1990, he has served as professor of English at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Susan Block brings with her a vast knowledge of the arts and creativity. She is LaPorte County Poet Laureate Emeritus, playwright, writing workshop leader, art exhibition curator and cultural arts advocate. "Conversations On Creativity" is the brainchild of Block.

ArtSees Diner Radio, is an ArtSees Production, under the direction of Executive Producer Mary E. LaLuna

Susan Block Welcomes Dr. Paul Smith_Conversations on Creativity

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ArtSees Productions welcomes Susan Block for a 6 week series, "Conversations On Creativity." Susan welcomes Paul Smith for week 1, "the psychology of creativity." Paul is a Professor of Psychology at Alverno College in Milwaukee. His background is in cognitive educational psychology, and he holds an MS in Learning Sciences, an MA in Philosophy, and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology (Urban Education). In that work he focused on belief formation and the barriers to belief change. His current academic interest is in how adults learn new skills in areas such as programming, foreign languages, and music. In addition to Paul's many talents, he is also a musician currently serves on the Board of the Badgerland Bluegrass Music Association.He is active in local music as a guitar and mandolin player and singer.

Susan Block brings with her a vast knowledge of the arts and creativity. She is LaPorte County Poet Laureate Emeritus, playwright, writing workshop leader, art exhibition curator and cultural arts advocate. "Conversations On Creativity" is the brainchild of Block.

ArtSees Diner Radio is a Production of ArtSees Productions

Special thanks to Jefri Clark Payne for contributing his music for this special series.