Ron Wilbur, ACTivate Music Director, the professional performing arts training program for high school and middle school aged children that is part of the broader organization Voices Amplified, a collective dedicated to empowering artists and creating equitable spaces in arts education and theater performance, is proud to present Make Them Hear You, a musical theater cabaret series that celebrates the extraordinary contributions of African American artists through powerful performances of songs and spoken word.
"Make Them Hear You is a vibrant tapestry of artistry and resilience,” says director, Ron Wilbur. “Through every note sung and every word spoken, we illuminate the boundless beauty and depth of Black artistic expression, inviting our community into a shared celebration of unity, empowerment, and the transformative power of storytelling."

Ron is a native of Atlanta Georgia, and he studied at University of Kentucky, focusing on vocal music education.
While studying there, he broadened his knowledge, diversely, in many areas of music, ranging from classroom management to effective stylings of vocal jazz. Mr. Wilbur has had the opportunity to perform several titular characters such as: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd), Ragtime (Colehouse Walker, Jr.) and The Wiz (Lion). Ron was also a featured vocalist on NBC’s hit television series, “The Sing-Off” (Season 4) with the University of Kentucky “acoUstiKats.”

​Vanessa Becker Weig is Co-Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Voices Amplified (formerly known as The Girl Project) and is on the Part-Time Music and Theatre Faculty at Eastern Kentucky University. She trained at the professional actor B.F.A. training program at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and most recently trained with Anne Bogart and the SITI Company at their summer institute through Skidmore College. She has over 100 directing, choreography, and performance credits. Since moving to Lexington 15 years ago, she has directed or choreographed numerous productions for Voices Amplified, Woodford Theatre, Leeds Center for the Arts. the School for the Creative and Performing Arts,, and many more including several award-winning productions for the Itheatrics Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta. She was the Education Director for Woodford Theatre from 2015-2019 founding the Woodofrd Theatre Young Artist Program, and served as Artistic Director for the theatre in 2019 and 2020. Prior to moving to Lexington, Vanessa served for ten years as the Education Director and Resident Director/Actor for the Phoenix Theatre (now CATCO). At the Phoenix, she directed, choreographed, and appeared in more than fifty productions and designed and implemented classes, camps, workshops, and in-school residencies. Vanessa specializes in movement theatre and theatre styles such as Kabuki, Commedia Del ‘Arte, Laban, Puppets and Masks, and Musical Theatre. She was in the regional tour of the musical The Secret Garden, which incorporated both deaf and hearing actors and won several Central Ohio artistic excellence awards. Vanessa is a proud recipient of a Bluegrass Alliance for Women Impact Award and the prestigious Freddie G Fellowship from Music Theatre International. When she has a spare moment, Mrs. Weig appears on stage. Some of her favorite local roles include Gynecia in Head Over Heels with Voices Amplified, Morticia in The Addams Family with Leeds Theatre, Paulette in Legally Blonde with KCT Summerfest, Madame De La Grande Bouche in Beauty and the Beast and The Warden in Holes with Lexington Children's Theatre.

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Sylvia Lovely, a restaurateur and author, shares insights about her new book, "My Family Tree Food and Stories." The book combines Sylvia's passion for food and storytelling, encouraging families to preserve their culinary traditions through personal anecdotes and recipes. Sylvia, with co-author Nancy May, has crafted a unique culinary journal filled with engaging narratives and spaces for readers to add their own. During their conversation, Kate and Sylvia examine the overlooked art form of food presentation, exploring its role in creating memorable dining experiences. Through heartwarming stories from her years in the restaurant business, Sylvia highlights the intersection of food, art, and community, underscoring how independent restaurants foster innovation and personal connection. This episode is a delightful exploration of culinary arts as a vital and expressive form of art that brings people together through shared traditions and creative flair. You can find the book at Amazon.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html

KATHARINE ERICKSON is the Museum Manager at the 21c Museum Hotel in Lexington. She worked previously as an educator at a number of museums including the National Gallery of Art, the Washington Nati0nal Cathedral, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and for the majority of her prior career, at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles, where she managed the Gallery Teaching program.
She joined 21c in her current role in the fall of 2023.

The current temporary exhibition installed in November 2024, is titled:
Still, Life! Meaning and Mending in Contemporary Art.
As the punctuation suggests, this is a play on the recognized art form of the "still life" genre - flowers and fruits in various stages of ripeness and decay for example, but also a more subtle reference to the fact there is still life post pandemic albeit still with all its turmoil and controversies.

Isolation fosters loneliness and disconnection, but also generates introspection and reflection and many of the works in this show attempt to capture this swing of thoughts and emotions experienced by many during the pandemic. But they also bear witness to resilience and hope, as for example Valerie Hegarty's monumental and complex work FRESH START would infer.
Katharine discusses this new show, shares her thoughts on several of the works and talks about her first 18 months as Museum Manager at 21c Museum Hotel.

For more and to connect with us, visit https://www.artsconnectlex.org/art-throb-podcast.html