Interview with Caron Atlas, October 19, 2017

Partial Transcript: We're rolling.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses what it was like growing up in the suburbs outside of Chicago, Illinois. She talks about being surrounded by art during her childhood and getting interested in theater in high school.

Keywords: Chicago Art Institute; Creativity; Elementary schools; Happy Time Train; High schools; Hometowns; June Atlas; Leon Atlas; Neighborhoods; Paintings; Physics; Streets; Susan Atlas; Teachers

Subjects: Art; Artists; Chicago (Ill.); Childhood; Education; Theater.

Partial Transcript: I'm thinking here too about, um, the time period of, of, of, of all of that.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses her awareness of social injustice as she was growing up. She talks about seeing the poverty that surrounded Chicago, Illinois as well as the segregation within her high school compared to present day.

Keywords: English as a Second Language (ESL); Fred Hampton; High schools; Housing projects; Martin Luther King Jr.; Oak Park High School; Poverty; Social injustice; Theater groups; University of Chicago; Vietnam War

Subjects: Chicago (Ill.); Childhood; Communities.; Injustice; Transportation

Partial Transcript: I'm curious though, in light of how theater was cathartic or how it saved you, uh, and then those years, if there was a certain production that really meant a lot to you...

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses how theater saved her as a high schooler. She talks about her role as director on "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" and her all-female cast.

Keywords: "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds"; "Waiting for Godot"; All female cast; Assistant directors; Cast; Dee Davis; Mamie Yokum; Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio; Rebels

Subjects: Directing (Theater); Injustice; Political activists.; Theater.

Partial Transcript: That's a natural transition and you already mentioned University of Chicago, so, uh, I'm curious to know, uh, what changed for you that you did become an activist in, in, in col--at the university...

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses her education at the University of Chicago. She talks about getting involved in political matters, studying abroad, and teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in a park.

Keywords: Anthropology; Anti-Apartheid Movement; Cross-cultural engagement; Cultural Dimensions of Social Change; English as a Second Language (ESL); History; Mexican Revolution; Museum of Science and Industry; Perspective; Radicals; Study abroad; University of Chicago

Subjects: Culture.; Education; Education, Higher; Mexico City (Mexico); Political activists.; Politics and government

Partial Transcript: Um, so, th--where I was about to get ahead of myself 'cause I wanted to ask that, but I did.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses the various jobs that she held after graduating from the University of Chicago. She slowly found her way to her connections with Appalachia through Roadside Theater and Highlander while working for the Dance Theater Workshop. She also briefly discusses why she decided to leave New York.

Keywords: "Chicago Boys"; AIDS; Alliance for Cultural Democracy; Appalshop, Inc.; Argentina; Arts community; Associate producers; Brazil; Brazilian puppet company; Chile; Cultural Dimensions of Social Change; Dance Theater Workshop; Dudley Cocke; Exile communities; Festivals; Free Southern Theater; Funerals; Highlander; Impact; Influence; Joe Connorson; John O'Neil; Katherine Pierson; Latin American Theater; Metaphors; Narrative; New York; Nuclear Disarmament Movement; Opportunities; Opportunity; Production; Roadside Theater; Spanish; Tapestries; University of Chicago

Subjects: Artists; Communities.; Culture.; Jobs & careers; Latin America.; Political activists.; Theater.

Partial Transcript: I'm really interested also in, in drilling down a little further into your recollections of Highlander.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses her experiences with Highlander and how those experiences nudged her in Appalshop, Inc.'s direction. She talks about visiting Appalshop, Inc. on vacations and eventually realizing she did not want to stay in New York.

Keywords: Alliance for Cultural Democracy; Dance Theater Workshop; Dee Davis; Dudley Cocke; Free Southern Theater; Highlander; Kentucky; Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition; Responsibility; Rural; Social justice; Urban; Vacation

Subjects: Appalachia; Appalshop, Inc.; Urban people

Partial Transcript: And they were obviously recruiting you enough that it, it all came together.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses the way her career at Appalshop, Inc. evolved throughout the years, as well as some of the specific work she did to help the organization develop culturally.

Keywords: "RFK in EKY"; "Tell Me a Story, Sing Me a Song"; American Festivals Project; Big picture; Bob Martin; Core mission; Cross-cultural engagement; Dance Theater Workshop; Dee Davis; Development directors; Fundraising; Influence; John Malpede; Junebug Productions; Katherine Pierson; New York; Phone calls; Ray Moore; Responsibility; Roadside Theater; Travelling Jewish Theater

Subjects: Appalachia; Appalshop, Inc.; Culture.; Development.; Jobs & careers

Partial Transcript: One more follow up and then a few things you've talked about and--elsewhere a, and, uh, I want to ask about.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses her involvement with the American Festivals Project and the memories that she has of helping put the festivals on.

Keywords: American Festivals Project; Civil rights movement; Exchanges; Highlander; Mississippi; Narrative; New York; Nya Watkins; Opportunities; Oral histories; Perspective; Projects; Roadside Theater; Trust

Subjects: Appalachia; Appalshop, Inc.; Artists; Communities.; Organizations

Partial Transcript: You wrote that your time at Appalshop shaped your, your values, strengthened your analysis, and deepened your grounding in grassroots culture and arts.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses the concept of being an ally at Appalshop, Inc. as an outsider. She talks about not trying to fit in and just letting them accept her for how she was.

Keywords: "On Our Own Land"; "Stranger with a Camera"; Ally; Anne Lewis; Community; Connections; Filmmakers; Footage; Funders; Grassroots culture; Jewish; Kentucky Educational Television; Mission; New York; Outsiders; Purpose; Roadside Theater; Strength; Strip mining; Vision

Subjects: Appalachia; Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; Art; Identity (Psychology); Radio.; Theater.

Partial Transcript: Um, okay, so that you have a break, I want to invite you to guide me.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses how Appalshop, Inc. has influenced her as a person and in her career. She talks about how she uses the lessons she learned at the organization in her work that she did at the time of the interview.

Keywords: Alternate ROOTS; American Festivals Project; Anne Lewis; Appalachian Regional Commission; Arts & Democracy Project; Civil rights movement; Cultural districts; Helen Lewis; Integrity; Media; New York; Ron Penn; Strikes; Values

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Music; Organizations; Political activists.

Partial Transcript: This is Jeff Keith.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses her work as director of the Arts & Democracy Project. She talks about how she deals with being in a leadership role.

Keywords: Ally; Arts & Democracy Project; Bangladesh; Culture; Expertise; Influence; Kentucky

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Jobs & careers; Leadership.

Partial Transcript: Um, but when we started speeding up, uh, because o, of the time was right when we were getting to this discussion also of, of, uh, "Not On Our Land" and the KFTC...

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses the effect that Anne Lewis's film "On Our Own Land" had on Appalshop, Inc. as an organization. She talks about the negotiations that Dee Davis had in order to lift the censorship placed on the film. She also tells a story about a hotel cracking because of being built on an abandoned strip mine.

Keywords: "On Our Own Land"; Censorship; Dee Davis; East Kentucky Leadership Group; Eastern Kentucky; Holiday Inn; Kentucky Fair Tax Coalition; Negotiations; State wide referendum; United States Constitution

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Culture.; Film.; Organizations; Political activists.; Strip mining.

Partial Transcript: Someone we haven't mentioned, I mean, among many because we only have so much time, is, is Robert Gipe.

Segment Synopsis: Atlas discusses her work alongside Robert Gipe on the Higher Ground Project. She talks about teaching individuals involved with the project how to write grant proposals in order to obtain funding for the project. She also discusses the people that influenced her and Gipe at Appalshop, Inc., as well as her experience with helping out during Hurricane Sandy when it hit New York.

Keywords: Community colleges; Dee Davis; Dudley Cocke; Elizabeth Barret; Evacuation shelters; Floods; Grant proposals; Herb E. Smith; Hurricane Sandy; Influence; Mimi Pickering; Network of Ensemble Theaters; Outsiders; Robert Gipe; Rockefeller Foundation; The Higher Ground Project

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Art; Communities.; Education; Theater.