S2, Ep 3: Should I or Shouldn't I Address Political/Social Issues in my Work?

Artists can do many things with their work to combat injustice: begin or contribute to larger conversations affecting people; bring light to an issue not being addressed by society; conceptualize a solution to a problem in a new way; etc. But some issues are so vast and large that even addressing it presents its own series of issues. One could enter a conversation with generations of artists having already laid the groundwork, requiring research and participation before engagement. A good question for artists to ask themselves is: am I the right person to bring this issue up? We will have two guests discuss the work it takes to address political and/or social issues in their practice and what considerations artists should do before entering new conversations with their work. 

Shayna Schlosberg is the Director of Operations + Strategy at Women of Color in the Arts. Before joining WOCA, Shayna was the managing director of The Catastrophic Theatre, a highly acclaimed experimental theatre companyvin Houston, TX. From 2017-2021, she led the organization’s administrative and producing operations. Prior to her work at The Catastrophic Theatre, Shayna was the Associate General Manager at the Alley Theatre, where she played an integral part in expanding the theatre’s international programming, with a focus on Latin American theatre. Ms. Schlosberg has a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MM in International Arts Management from Southern Methodist University and HEC Montreal. She has served on grant panels for organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts (2018) and Houston Arts Alliance (2017)(2019). She is a graduate of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture’s Advocacy Leadership Institute, Women of Color in the Arts’ Leadership Through Mentorship program, and a 2020 New Leaders Council Fellow. She is a member of Arts Accountability Houston and sits on the Advisory Committee for the Houston BIPOC Arts Network Fund. Ms. Schlosberg served in the Peace Corps in Armenia from 2010-2012.

Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an internationally-known writer, educator, activist, performer, and the first Black Poet Laureate of Houston, Texas. Formerly ranked the #2 Best Female Performance Poet in the World (PSI), Her recent poetry collection, Newsworthy, garnered her a Pushcart nomination, was named a finalist for the 2019 Writer’s League of Texas Book Award, and received honorable mention for the Summerlee Book Prize. Its German translation, under the title "Berichtenswert," was released in Summer 2021 by Elif Verlag.  The opera, Marian’s Song, for which she wrote the libretto, debuted in 2020 to roaring reviews. 

Honored by Houston Business Journal as a part of their 2021 40 Under 40 class, D.E.E.P. has been a finalist for Texas State Poet Laureate, a Kennedy Center Citizen fellowship, and the prestigious Breadloaf Retreat. Her work has been highlighted and studied in Canada, England, New Zealand, and Germany. She performed as a part of the Kennedy Center's Arts Across America event. Named a Houston Artist Commissioning Project award winner by the Society for the Performing Arts Houston,. her second book, Black Chameleon, is set to release in 2023 by Henry Holt & Co. A storybook opera, entitled "Lula, the Mighty Griot", which reinterprets one of the stories from Black Chameleon is set to debut in Fall 2021 with the Houston Grand Opera. Currently, she is a Resident Artist at the American Lyric Theater and Rice University. She lives and creates in Houston, TX. For more information visit www.LiveLifedeep.com

Music: "Ike is Gone" by Nick Gaitan

Support the show