Shows
An Infinite LanguageIs Art Always Human Centered?Is art always human centered? The notion of the antropomorphic, the idea that art is always human centered, to what extent is that idea valid? Is the landscape the ultimate example of art that humans can create that isn't human centered? Is there something in the fingerprint of human creation that always leave a telling trace? Or is it possible for humans to create art with no trace of the human? And what does such an exploration prompt in the course of explanation?2025-07-2828 minAn Infinite LanguageThe Life Beyond the Light in the WindowWe have this phenomena of artistic creation of the life beyond what’s shown to us This is a symbolic representation of said phenomena How does this work in fiction, in non-fiction, in visual conveyances? The light is also placed there for us, as we are our first audience but modally different. We are the audience to a creative process, with the need to sense that more needs to be said. So we reach to say, to tell about the life beyond the light in the window.2025-07-2409 minAn Infinite LanguageCrossroadsTwo topics at once in this episode: the crossroads and the newcomer. A consideration of the meanings of the crossroads as a hybrid place unto itself. The newcomer is a role that individuals take on, a contextual role. Like the crossroads, the newcomer is intensely aware of then and what's ahead. A consideration of the painting by Emily Shanks, "The Newcomer at School," and an interpretation of what each of the people in the picture represents.2025-07-2213 minAn Infinite LanguageThe temporary and the preservedDoes art celebrate the temporary by trying to preserve it? Or is it an exultation of permanence? Is there such a thing? Is memory the only mold humans have to preserve? Perhaps recycling is the ultimate perpetuity, the collective embrace of reconstitution. When does a moment begin and end?2025-06-3012 minAn Infinite LanguageWho's There?What is pervasive? What is elemental? What is contained within demarcations and what runs the gamut of existence? From the first two words of Hamlet to the self portrait and the fruits of or as destruction, to the assertion of the artist as inextricably bound visionary with the talent. Diego Velazquez and the portrait of the self via the portrait of the powerful other. Francis Bacon, the scream, the mouth, the difference between expression and communication. The artist as declarer of what art is, Marcel Duchamp. The critiques of conceptual art, art that does not respond to current events. Invictus...2025-06-0819 minAn Infinite LanguageThe Black BoxFrom Ilya Repin’s paintings in the 1800’s to what our descendants might make of our lives in hundreds of years: the black box and the unknown. Expectations, moments, questions, sketches, input, output, what happens in the process? The procession can’t be witnessed. Kahlil Gibran “On Children,” and how the present cannot decide the future. Who were the secondary English teachers of the 1700’s? Perhaps the intellectualizing was in the everyday ways of being in various professions. The black box of the past and the future. How storytelling can cultivate awareness of self.2025-05-2617 minAn Infinite LanguageThe Black BoxFrom Ilya Repin’s paintings in the 1800’s the what our descendants might make of our lives in hundreds of years: the black box and the unknown. Expectations, moments, questions, sketches, input, output, what happens in the process? The procession can’t be witnessed. Kahlil Gibran “On Children,” and how the present cannot decide the future. Who were the secondary English teachers of the 1700’s? Perhaps the intellectualizing was in the everyday ways of being in various professions. The black box of the past and the future. How storytelling can cultivate awareness of self.2025-05-2625 minAn Infinite LanguageWhat makes a costume real?Costumes, cosplay, derivative imaginative experiences. When does a costume become real? Is a persona a mask? Can it become real? The pathway on the stage becomes real when the audience walks through it. How fiction can vibrate to the frequency of real. The audience decides that this is an enactment experience. We put on the costume and align with another form of being self. Synesthesia and the experience of becoming; self to character. Not necessarily synthesis. Derivative imaginative play. Solidly not real. Beyond the cover of the song. The notion of the influence. Costumes as a scaffolding technique of becoming...2025-05-1214 minAn Infinite LanguageTapestries of meaningThe public good, the fallout shelter, we’re having an assembly today. The wonderful ruckus of it all. Thrown together, pieced together, stitches and seams all showing. From Victory Gardens to Patrick Henry, to Giuseppe Pitrè and Guiseppe Arcimboldo; from Great Wave immigrants to rainy day assemblies. Furnari Sicily, tailors, weaving, and the tapstries of meaning in story construction: storytelling as contextual. A story means what we convey it to mean.2025-05-0415 minAn Infinite LanguageThe Universe End to End; Art and the Scale and Scope of ConveyanceWhen do the measures of the universe meet in a tight corner? Is the universe of artistic conveyance large enough to embody contrasting notions of validity? Considering Whitman’s “When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer.” Reaching to the ends of a natural ethic from Robert Burns’s “To a Mouse.” Are we reaching to the stars or to the earth right in front of our feet with our artistry? The universe of referentiality from the still life to the landscape. Considering Helen Frankenthaler and Clara Peeters. Considerations of my own works including symphonies in the sink and people of the fork. This...2025-04-2726 minAn Infinite LanguageA New GorgonWhy were there so many toy guns when we were kids? At what point does a work of art become a form? When does an artist create a kind of phraseology that other artists build on, play with, and speak into? When we’re in the world of pretend, is there an ethic for consumption? Why do authors or artists choose to portray the horrific? And how do they choose to portray it? What is realism? Is it the way the artist plays on the very real yet hidden contexts that we are walking through life perceiving with? Works referenced an...2025-04-1521 minAn Infinite LanguageThe Reaches of Artistic TestimonyIn this pilot episode, the foundation of the notion of “An Infinite Language” is explored. From the process of painterly seeing to Ozymandias and the enduring voice of the arts and the artist.Some highlights:Can you paint with words?The artistic voice is more enduring than absolute power. The everyday person has the power to tell, to convey and sculpt our notions of what happened.What voice carries on?Creative output is an infinite language, it cannot be relegated to, cannot be limited to solving the world’s problems. Art is not a for-hir...2025-04-1325 min
Literacy LandscapesSn.1. Ep 8: Discussing "Consider the Volley:" A Conversation with Dr. Adam TramantanoIn this episode, Johanna interviews Dr. Adam Tramantano about his new book, Consider the Volley: How We Make Sense of Things. You can access his book on Amazon at this link. You can also learn more about Adam, and his artwork, at his website https://tramantano.com/
You can also access the article Adam references, Constructing a Pedagogy of Apparentness, at the following link. 2023-04-1025 minLiteracy LandscapesSn. 1. Ep. 7: Why Literacy Matters to MeIn this brief episode, I discuss my "Why" as Simon Sinek would say, for why literacy matters to me. I'm excited about future episodes I'm planning, including: The connection between mathematics and literature, the importance of print rich environments in early literacy practices, interviewing Dr. Adam Tramantano about his newly released book, and planning a series on bilingual education. Stay tuned and please subscribe!2023-04-0607 min