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.

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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.

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ADAM TAYLOR BROWN better known as ATB, is a metamodern artist.
In his work — a lifelong vocation titled SOULED, he conspires with his audience fusing performance and visual art through time to explore the universal truths: how perception creates reality, how mortality gives life its urgency, and how time, finite yet immeasurable, becomes the ultimate measure of meaning.
Grounded in the artist's personal history - witnessing his father's paralysis while celebrating his eighth birthday - SOULED began as a meditation of finiture. It has since grown into a profound and universal invitation: to confront the fleeting nature of our days, to question how we assign value, and to reflect on what we leave behind.

ATB releases his work in a WAVE which is a series of 12 identical works sold consecutively for up to 12 days.
The price of the first WORK is determined by the number of its WAVE.
The price of each subsequent WORK doubles sequentially.
WAVE #12 titled SMOKE will be released on January 4, 2025.
WORK not sold by the end of the WAVE is burned at a WAKE.

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In this episode of ArtThrob, host Kate Savage engages in a riveting conversation with Ave Lawyer, the visionary co-founder of the site-specific theatre company "On the Verge." Celebrating 16 years of transforming unconventional locations into immersive stages, Ave discusses their upcoming production of the historical drama "The Lion in Winter," set to premiere in late January at the storied Luigart Studios. Kate and Ave explore the unique appeal of site-specific theatre, from performing in eclectic venues like historic homes and vibrant gardens to the tactile challenges of lack of changing rooms and maneuvering audiences through intricate settings.

Ave provides a captivating glimpse into the complexity and intimacy of producing such immersive experiences, sharing an amusing anecdote of an audience member's spontaneous involvement in a previous production. They delve into the rich history of Luigart Studios, a venue that transitions seamlessly from its past as a hemp factory and jazz nightclub to its current role as an artistic hub, ready to host the dynamic narrative of "The Lion in Winter."

The discussion brings forth the modern relevance of the play, likening its power dynamics and family intrigue to contemporary figures such as Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Ave also emphasizes the flexibility of the script's anachronisms, allowing for a contemporary interpretation that resonates with today's audiences. Adding layers of depth, the episode touches on the seasoned cast, including Missy Johnston as Eleanor of Aquitaine and Kevin Hardesty as Henry II, who bring a familial atmosphere both on and offstage.

Ticket urgency is a recurring theme, with production popularity leading to quick sell-outs, and the consideration of providing refreshments at their current venue adds to the full immersive experience for the audience. Kate and Ave conclude with a broader discussion on the state of local theater in Lexington, mutual gratitude for each other's contributions, and a hint at a future episode dedicated to this topic.

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Don Ament made his first photographs at the age of ten with a Polaroid Big Swinger camera, and has been photographing professionally since high school in the 1970’s. From 1995 to the present, he has worked full-time as a Fine Art photographer.

He was born with cataracts in both eyes, and, beginning at age three, had several surgical operations in the early 1960’s to save his vision. However, he remains legally blind in one eye, and experiences visual challenges in his other “good” eye. He does not have normal 3-D vision.

Ament has studied under, and worked with, some of America’s leading contemporary photographers, including John Shaw, Bill Fortney, Charles Cramer, and Bill Atkinson. He is a recipient of the Kentucky Al Smith Fellowship award, as well as numerous other financial grants and awards, and has led many workshops on photography and the art of seeing.

His work has been collected by over 5000 patrons throughout the United States and Europe. He talks about his work and his recent commissioned installation of 12 photographs in the Lexington Senior Center titled: FAYETTE COUNTY: NATURE'S RADIANCE, a deep dive into the natural areas of Fayette County spanning a 12-month period.

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​Jill Schinberg has worked for music promoters, agents, international festivals, and performing arts centers in various capacities both on the road and in venues large and small. She started her career at Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa and subsequently held positions with San Francisco Bay Area music promoter Another Planet Entertainment, Festival Internacional de Videodanza in Buenos Aires, Rena Shagan Associates in New York, and Cal Performances in Berkeley. Along with producing and directing, she has served as a consultant to emerging arts organizations, venues, professional associations, and dance companies in the United States and South America.
An ‘expat’ from a 20+ year career in arts management, Jill is currently an Associate Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. She researches arts management consulting, programming as an artistic practice, and workplace equity issues and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Leadership and Management, Arts Programming, and Arts Entrepreneurship. She is a founder of Demographic Trends (www.demographic-trends.com), a startup dedicated to collecting and analyzing demographic data for organizations in the arts, culture, and entertainment industries.
In this interview Jill talks about a pitch competition that her Arts Administration students will present. This will be the seventh year for FISH TANK: Emerging Entrepreneurs in the Arts. Students work in teams and present an arts innovation. Each presentation is fleshed out with a budget . There will be a panel of three judges and after a questioning opportunity they will determine the best new idea.

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LESA AKER IS a self-taught artist hailing from the beautiful rolling hills of southern Kentucky near Somerset. She has lived on a farm from the time she was born and has seen many circles of life which led her to appreciate the short time we have with our animal friends and our human ones as well.
Her medium of choice is pastel, as she find it allows for a vibrant and detailed expression of her love for animals. Her inspiration comes from the natural world and the incredible creatures that inhabit it.
She sees the beauty and magic that surrounds us, from the delicate flutter of a butterfly’s wings to the powerful presence of a majestic horse and the awesome rushing of a waterfall. She strives to capture the spirit and essence of each subject in her artwork, using color and texture to bring life to them on the paper. Each piece is a representation of her deep connection to nature where the beauty of the animal kingdom is celebrated, and the wonders of our surroundings are appreciated.

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