Ep. 1: Are We Going to Be OK? Rethinking art and education during Covid-19

April 09, 2020 / 12:00 am

caption: A mural at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in the Central District of Seattle.

"Art comes out of pain," says Seattle's Youth Corps director James Miles. What we do with that art once the pandemic passes is up to us.

Is art a basic need? How can art bring us together while we’re isolated in our homes? What programs are available to our youth during this lockdown? And what can families learn about surviving quarantine together from the Netflix’s show Ozark?

In this hour, KUOW's Are We Going To Be OK? explores resilience and creativity during this Covid-19 crisis with the executive director of the Seattle-based Youth Corps, James Miles.

James Miles is originally from Chicago and moved to Seattle from Brooklyn, New York where he worked as an artist and educator for the past 20 years. Before joining Arts Corps as Executive Director, he was the Director of Education at Urban Arts Partnership, in New York City. James also facilitated workshops and designed curriculum for the New Victory Theater, Roundabout Theatre, Disney Theatrical Group, and others. James is a former accountant, model, and actor. He can be frequently found on social media as @fresh_professor, writing about arts education, educational policy, and academic inequity.

caption: James Miles, executive director of Arts Corps

To check out all of our Are We Going to Be OK? episodes, visit our series page at KUOW.org/OK.

Our Are We Going to Be OK? hosts are Jeannie Yandel and Zaki Hamid. This show is produced by Kristin Leong. Our events team is Charlotte Duren and Bridget Anderson. The show's graphics designer and tech guru is Teo Popescu. Our marketing manager is Michaela Gionnatti and our social media strategist is Juan Pablo Chiqiza.

This episode of Are We Going to Be OK? originally aired live on Facebook and YouTube on Thursday, April 9, 2020. This web story was originally published on June 26, 2020.