Episode 44, ACT 2: Dennie Palmer Wolf - Oxygen in the Bloodstream

Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie

We're back with the second part of Episode 44: "Oxygen in the Bloodstream." If you listened to Act 1, you'll know that this episode features a truly thoughtful conversation between Courtney and Dennie Palmer Wolf, a researcher with cross-disciplinary consulting firm, WolfBrown. If Act 1 focused on teaching artists and advocacy for the field of arts education, Act 2 builds on that with a focus on the potential power the arts can wield and takes a personal turn for both participants in the conversation. For Dennie, we get a more in-depth examination of how and why she became a researcher and arts advocate. Courtney talks about her very personal connection to the arts and how music brought her parents together. The heartbeat of this conversation can be heard when the two discuss the role of the arts as a disruptive force and change-maker in dismantling deeply oppressive systemic issues in the ways we approach education in this country. Dennie hits the nail on the head when she states that education can help us “talk about the world that needs to be created, not the world as it is,” inspiring Courtney to dive into the concept of imagination justice, a term coined by Wolf, which Dennie says should be the aim not only for arts education, but for all disciplines. As a reminder to our PODience, Ms. Wolf is a recent recipient of the Teaching Artist Ally Award, which was given to her by the Association of Teaching Artists (ATA) for her work in the field.