Sustainability Now! | Marlesha Woods | Art Embodied | April 12, 2021

This week on Sustainability Now!, we feature the eye-opening perspectives of Marlesha Woods, a Louisville native visual & teaching artist who recently collaborated with the Root Cause Research Center on a community research project around the issues of systemic racism, gentrification, and misrepresentation in Louisville's public art scene. An associated Story Map: Art Embodied: Immeasurable Paint. Louisville, KY, a city Plastered in Paint... What does it reveal about the Racial Wealth Gap? was released December 4, 2020 at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/6cc3f6b51f2d493b8a32496b797588c0

"Artists from every backdrop can be engaged in communicating their narratives with a tangible, barrier-breaking aesthetic. Consider this concept as not to rewrite the metaphorical playbook but scrap the game all together. People that were once voiceless are collecting and interpreting data not primarily through case studies, but acknowledging that most often, they have been historically the “case study” and it’s time to school institutions with chapters that do not include Anti-Blackness."

Louisville art funders, like Louisville Metro Government, need to be accountable for locking out Black artists. Black artists don't need training, so stop requiring it when they apply for grants. They need well-paid projects and recognition. Furthermore, Black narratives that have been co-opted for gentrification or misrepresented (like the Smoketown breastfeeding mural at 900 S Shelby, which is reportedly in violation of copyright law and basic consent practices) need to be addressed publicaly and not just swept under the rug.

Follow the Work: https://linktr.ee/Marleshart
Learn more at http://rootcauseresearch.org
Reclaim Research: https://www.taunt.me/reclaming-research

As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW!

Sustainability Now! airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org

The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com