Stay Connected***No longer adding new episodes*** On The Record was co-hosted by Sheilah Kast and Ashley Sterner. Sheilah and shared conversations with audacious artists, intrepid scientists, community leaders and more. And of course, tales from the beloved Stoop Storytelling Series.
On The Record was produced by Melissa Gerr. Jon Ehrens created the theme music. Louis Umerlik designed the logo.
Copyright: © 2024 WYPR Baltimore
With hundreds of acres to exercise, bike, stroll or gather, Druid Hill Park is a green oasis in Baltimore. But getting to the park requires crossing up to ten lanes of traffic. We speak with Monalisa Diallo, who lives in the Mondawmin neighborhood, and John Kwamya, who serves as Green Space Coordinator forthe New Auchentoroly Terrace Association.
Plus, artist Graham Coreil-Allen is president of the New Auchentoroly Terrace Association and one of the founders of The Access Project for Druid Hill Park. He describes methods for making intersections and crosswalks safer for all.
Links:
Short film series: Stories for Change
Maryland's Crash Data Dashboard
Baltimore City DOT Druid Park Lake Drive Complete Streets Design Effort
Baltimore City’s 2022 Complete Streets Annual Report
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
What’s your poultry preference? Soon, options will go beyond just roasted or fried. Upside Foods received USDA approval to sell its cell-cultivated chicken: no animals harmed, grown in a lab. We hear from Eric Schulze, Upside's vice president of Global Scientific and Regulatory Affairs. Plus, a group of Hopkins students is raising awareness about alternative protein production.
Links: Upside Foods, JHU Alternative Protein Project.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
The recent headlines are alarming. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, shortened as PFAS, have been found in our rivers, drinking water and our bodies. The human-made "forever chemicals" do not easily break down, and pose a lasting health risk to humans and the environment.
A report from the U.S. Geological Survey published last week found that the drinking water coming out of faucets in nearly half of American homes contain these chemicals, also called PFAS.
But how persistent are so-called, “forever chemicals?” And what can we do to reverse the contamination?
Tasha Stoiber, Ph.d., is a senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group, with a focus in PFAS. We're also joined by Melanie Benesh, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Environmental Working Group, where she is an expert on toxic chemical regulation.
We also hear from scientists coming up with the next-generation of filters to remove these chemicals from our drinking water. Dr. Danielle Nachman, Ph.d, is senior scientist and project manager for the ‘Applied Chemistry and Physics Group’ at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Disability Pride Month started as a celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act--signed into law in July 1990. It marked a significant milestone for the civil rights of Americans with all kinds of disabilities. For people and advocates in the disabled community, Disability Pride month also means celebrating the full breadth of experience of those with disabilities. Make Studio in Baltimore City is hosting Disability Pride Arts Fest on July 15. Jill Scheibler, cofounder of Make Studio, joins the show. Also joining are two of the artists featured in the Disability Pride Arts Fest, Tyrone Weedon and Louis Middleton.
Later in the show, we take a look at a new art exhibit featuring the work of Judith Scott. She is a celebrated artist whose work has been shown at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Brooklyn Museum in New York City, and other prestigious museums. Scott started honing her craft only in her mid-40s.
Scott was born with Down syndrome in 1943, then rendered deaf by an attack of Scarlet Fever in her infancy. But her deafness went undiagnosed for years, and was interpreted as low IQ. She was considered ineducable and spent the next 36 years institutionalized.
Now the American Visionary Art Museum is featuring Scott’s work in a new solo exhibition, open through June 2024. The exhibit, “The Secret Within: the Art of Judith Scott,” includes the artist’s intricate sculptures, as well as personal perspectives on Scott’s life from some people close to her.
Gage Branda, a Curatorial and Development Coordinator at AVAM, joins us to describe the exhibit he helped assemble.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
At the Peale, Baltimore’s Community Museum, two exhibits, worth a look: One explores the synergy between the work of Steven, Alexandra and Zac Posen, a father and his daughter and son. The other features local cartoonist Barbara Dale, not at all afraid to speak her mind, as she makes people laugh.
Jeffrey Kent, chief curator, gives us a preview of the two exhibits, which he hopes will inspire visitors to realize their own creativity that lies within.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Here is a Stoop Story from Jeffrey Kent about following his dream even when his family advised him otherwise … and how art saved his life.
Now, a quick turn to another local artist who has had the courage to follow his dreams. Landis Expandis, former lead singer of the rock-and-soul quintet The Almighty Senators; Also a DJ, a surreal and abstract painter. Landis Expandis’s music, energy and art bring joy and inspiration to many -- and now he is in a tough place. Expandis, who is immunocompromised, encountered a series of health challenges and has kidney and liver failure, the latter due to lymphoma.
The Baltimore arts community has rallied to offer support. Here’s part of the Go Fund Me page set up to help cover costs for him and his family:
“For the past 35 years, Landis Expandis has dedicated his soul to Baltimore crossover music, bringing us immense joy through music, painting, dance parties, and all around magic. Now it's time to ask for support for Baltimore's Best and his spouse in their time of need.”
We at On the Record send Landis our hopes for his continued recovery.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
What’s next at selective colleges in Maryland, now that the U.S. Supreme Court has said they can’t consider race when they choose students? We ask Professor Julie J. Park of the University of Maryland and Scott Jaschik of Inside Higher Ed: What’s the value of diversity? And how can schools achieve it?
Links:
What the Supreme Court Rejection of Affirmative Action Means
What Could Colleges Do Without Affirmative Action?
Affirmative action's end spells more isolation for students of color
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Parts of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future are starting to show up in families’ lives: like thousands of new slots in pre-K. Tutoring to help pupils read at grade level. We speak with Maryland Matters reporter William J. Ford and to Brit Kirwan, chancellor emeritus of the University System of Maryland, who led the charge for the Blueprint.
Links:
Blueprint board could approve ‘majority’ of school system plans next month
Breaking down the Blueprint: Major changes ahead as Maryland plans dramatic expansion of early childhood education
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Growing up, children learn about the Underground Railroad. The secret route of hideouts and hidden pathways enslaved people used to claim their freedom. But it turns out that a part of the Underground Railroad network was actually… a real railroad.
The B&O Railroad Museum has a permanent exhibit showing how 27 enslaved people used the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to escape, or try to escape. Some stowed away, some disguised themselves, some walked the tracks.
We’re marking Independence Day by revisiting our conversation in October about the people who sought freedom along the B&O tracks. This episode recently won an award for Outstanding Public Affairs programming from The Chesapeake AP Broadcasters Association.
We’ll hear the risks they took from the museum’s executive director Kris Hoellen and Chris Haley of the Legacy of Slavery project at the Maryland archives. Learn more about Mt. Clare Station.
Plus, Julia-Ellen Craft Davis, recounts her great-great grandparents' brave mission to escape slavery in Georgia, traveling by train in a daring disguise.
The railroad museum is set to host Music for Mankind on July 14. Recording Artist Wordsmith will play music inspired by those who took the perilous journey to freedom along the Underground Railroad.
(Original Airdate, 10/11/22)
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
Got plans for the Fourth? We get a preview of the Dundalk Independence Day parade, which features giant balloons, bagpipes and more! Plus, we speak with an archeologist about a recent discovery: the unearthed remains of one of Maryland’s first colonists, a teen-ager.
Links: Dundalk Parade info, St. Mary's archeological finds, Historic St. Mary's City.
Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers mharvie@wypr.org 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers mgerr@wypr.org 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his sbdawes@wypr.org 410-235-1472
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