Deb Polich

After years as development director at the Yankee Air Museum, Elisa Guyton is charged with taking the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti to new heights.  Guyton began work as the center's executive director on December 2nd of last year and is becoming fully ingrained in the center’s offerings and its potential for the future.  She talks community, engagement, art, and passion in this "creative:impact" conversation with WEMU’s David Fair and Deb Polich of The Arts Alliance.

Deb and David don’t have New Year’s resolutions themselves, but they can get behind The Arts Alliance’s 2020 project goals.  In addition to ongoing programs and services, Deb gives David the highlights on a few projects for the year, including Creative Washtenaw Counts, an Arts + Creative Advocacy Training program, and a Board Matching initiative on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

The impact of arts and culture can truly be felt during the holiday season, but it can also lead to isolation for those are visiting for a far-away land.  International House Ann Arbor (IHAA) was formed to make such visitors feel more at home in the U.S., and it gives them a chance to spread their own holiday celebrations.  The house's executive director, Lauren Zinn, and one of its current residents, Raju Ahmmed, talk about IHAA's accomplishments for this week's "creative:impact" with WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance president/CEO Deb Polich.

A holiday favorite, The Nutcracker Ballet, fills the stage with boys and men dancing in roles as familiar as the music by Tchaikovsky.  What is it like to be a male dancer in the ballet?  On this week’s edition of "creative:impact," David Fair and Deb Polich find out when they chat with dancer and actor Michael Wecht, who is appearing in Ballet Chelsea’s production of The Nutcracker, presented with the Jackson Symphony Orchestra this weekend at the Potter Center in Jackson.

Better yet, let Steve Daut tell you a story about storytelling.  Steve is a member of the Ann Arbor Storytellers Guild.  He knows that there are stories inside of everyone waiting to be told and people always eager to listen.  David Fair and Deb Polich are all ears on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

Are you someone who claims to do the Sunday crossword puzzle in ink?  That’s impressive, but how about constructing it in the first place?  Meet Peter Collins, a crossword constructor who has had more than 200 crosswords published – 100 in the New York Times.  He joins David Fair and Deb Polich to talk about the creative art of puzzle making on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

As the owner and artistic director of Motawi Tileworks, Nawal Motawi has been playing with clay and fire for decades.  To this day, Motawi art tiles are still handcrafted.  Hear how she started her business in her garage and sold her tiles at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market and now sells in more than 300 locations across the country and Canada when Nawal joins David Fair and Deb Polich on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

All was on track to find the next executive director to succeed Mary Steffek Blaske who, after 25 years leading Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (AASO), was retiring at the end of 2019. Then, unexpectedly, the AASO found itself in search of a music director, too.  Mary tells David Fair and Deb Polich how the AASO has adapted to manage two major leadership changes simultaneously on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

They set out together to stage a few excellent and accessible children’s theater shows.  One by one, those shows added up to 40 years and the award-winning Wild Swan Theater.  Co-founders and artistic directors Hillary Cohen and Sandy Ryder charm David Fair and Deb Polich on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

David Gier, Dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater and Dance, is on the team selected by Mark Schlissel, U-M president, to lead his new arts initiative. The goal?  To make the university a leader in arts research, creation, education and presentation.  Dean Gier tells David Fair and Deb Polich about the vision on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."

For years, the University of Michigan's Penny Stamps Speaker Series has brought in astounding lecturers of all walks of life, from artists to authors to filmmakers.  But what does it take to make these events possible?  In this week's "creative:impact," WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich go behind the scenes of the Penny Stamps Speaker Series with its director, Chrisstina Hamilton.

Jodie Randolph joins David Fair and Deb Polich to talk about the art of dance on this week’s edition of "creative:impact."  As the artistic and executive director of Jodie Randolph Dance in Ann Arbor, she is making connections through the power and beauty of dance.

Meet Sophie Grillet, one of the originators of Westside Art Hop .  Twice a year, she and a handful of indispensable colleagues manage to organize one of Ann Arbor’s unique neighborhood-based arts events.  She gives WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich an insider view on this edition of "creative:impact."

Noah Kaplan, artist, musician, and creative entrepreneur meets up with David Fair and Deb Polich to talk about Leon Speakers, the Ann Arbor company he founded that is revolutionizing audio technology.  Hear about this group of artists, designers, engineers, and craftsmen who are dedicated to producing the finest quality benchmade American audio on "creative:impact."

There is a whole group of professionals, tradespeople, elected officials, and even stay-at-home parents who transform themselves at night and on the weekends into…MUSICIANS!  David Fair and Deb Polich meet one of them, Alan Harris, vice president and general counsel at Atwell, Inc. by day and drummer and vocalist for the bands Naked Ace, Four Roses, and the Harris Jazz Quartet by night, on this edition of "creative:impact."

Meet Anne Mondro, an artist whose creative practice is at the intersection of art and health and, specifically, memory loss disease.  She talks with David Fair and Deb Polich about how engaging in art can create meaningful experiences for people with memory loss and their caregivers on this edition of "creative:impact."

Susan Guszynski and Greg Mazure are theater production professionals who have seen the world over the last 30 years as members of national theater touring companies.  Join WEMU's David Fair and The Arts Alliance’s Deb Polich to take a trip with this couple to get the behind-the-scenes look at the behind-the-scenes life.

Fashion is cyclical in nature--what is tacky now is retro later.  But what about the fashions from long ago with the flouncy hats and pointed shoes you might see in a Shakespeare play?  Melanie Schuessler Bond, EMU professor of costume design, knows.  WEMU’s David Fair and The Arts Alliance’s Deb Polich talk with her to explore the craft of costume design and her recently published book "Dressing the Scottish Court, 1543-1553 Clothing in the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland" on "creative:impact" this week.

Ilana Houten and Jessica Tenbusche, two of the three co-founders of Ypsi Alloy Studios, chat about how a business born of each artist’s need for studio space developed into a cooperative and supportive business model serving other “dirty” artists in Ypsilanti.  On "creative:impact,"  WEMU’s David Fair and The Arts Alliance’s Deb Polich  learn about what makes Ypsi Alloy Studio’s model work.  

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the awe-inspiring view of the universe from the seats of the Planetarium and Dome Theater at the new U-M Natural History Museum, but have you ever wondered what goes into designing these programs?  Planetarium manager Matthew Linke takes us into his stratosphere where imagination has no bounds on this week’s "creative:impact" with WEMU’s David Fair and The Art Alliance’s Deb Polich.

The 2019 Ann Arbor Art Fairs are coming up this weekend, and, each year, an "emerging artist" is featured at the event.  This year, the artist is Jon Van Eck, owner of Van Eck Pottery & Tile Works and an instructor at the Ann Arbor Art Center.  Van Eck talks about his artistic journey leading up to this honor with WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich in this week's "creative:impact." 

Special education teacher and author Patti Smith is one of the most passionate Ann Arbor residents you'll ever meet.  She sees her hometown as an ongoing project, especially when it comes to preserving its history.  Smith talks about her latest book, "Vanishing Ann Arbor," with WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich in this week's "creative:impact."

Ann Arbor resident Dave Coverly loves to draw.  In fact, he has taken that love of drawing to the rest of the country with his one-panel print cartoon, "Speed Bump."  Coverly talks about his journey with WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich in this week's "creative:impact."

It has been three years since a gunman entered the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida and opened fire.  Recently, a new arts exhibition was unveiled in Orlando to honor those lost in the tragedy, and Ann Arbor artist John Gutoskey's work is prominently featured.  In this week's 'creative:impact,' Gutoskey discusses that work, life as an artist, and the role of social conscience in the creative process.  

Reading comics has been a popular youth activity for decades.  In some cases, it inspires youngsters to seek out a career in the comics industry.  The youth organization "Kids Read Comics" was founded to encourage kids to get their creative juices flowing.  The organization's founder, Chelsea librarian Edith Donnel, discusses the project and latest engagement opportunities with WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich in this week's "creative:impact."

Jazz historian Dr. Karl Koenig has built one of the world's most extensive collections of jazz and ragtime music.  Recently, he selected the River Raisin Ragtime Revue, or R4, in Tecumseh to maintain and preserve his collection.  R4 founder and executive director William Pemberton joins WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich to talk about this amazing undertaking in this week's "creative:impact."

We often talk about how art makes a difference in the quality of our lives.  Imagine if that life was playing out in a prison.  The Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan began exploring that reality nearly three decades ago, and, as WEMU’s David Fair and Deb Polich from the Arts Alliance found out, it is changing lives.  They speak to two of the project's instructors, Vanessa Mayesky and Cozine Welch, Jr., in this week's "creative:impact." 

If you’ve ever wanted to learn blacksmithing or timber-framing, you don’t have to go far.  The Michigan Folk School is serving Washtenaw County residents right now.  In fact, it has been expanding since its inception in 2012.  In this week’s "creative:impact," with WEMU’s David Fair and Deb Polich of The Arts Alliance, you’ll hear the personal and professional story of the school’s director, Jason Gold.

Meet the Eastern Michigan University graduate, Ann Arbor resident, and Venezuelan immigrant who has produced a documentary making waves around the world.  Juan D. Freitez's “Salud Sin Papeles: Health Undocumented” will be playing at the upcoming Cinetopia Film Festival.  On "creative:impact," Juan will take you on his journey in a conversation with WEMU’s David Fair and the president and CEO of The Arts Alliance, Deb Polich.

Every homeowner wants his/her house to really stand out, and well thought-out landscaping can make that possible.  Traven Pelletier is lead designer of Lotus Gardenscapes in Dexter, and he and his team have turned the craft into extraordinary works of art.  Pelletier talks about his work with WEMU's David Fair and Arts Alliance CEO Deb Polich in this week's "creative:impact."