Episode 40, ACT 2: Russell Granet - Striving Towards Belonging

"Kids have a lot of teachers. They don't have a lot of artists in their lives." That quote, taken directly from this week's episode, frames the second part of Courtney's conversation with Russell Granet—New 42’s President and CEO! In Act 2 of Episode 40: “Striving Toward Belonging,” Courtney and Russell take a deeper dive into Russell's historical knowledge of teaching artistry. They dig into its evolution over the past few decades and discuss their hope that the profession as a whole leans into amplifying and highlighting the artistry of the extraordinary people in the field. This episode also delves into New 42's ongoing antiracism work, including the continued development of an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) ecosystem which calls in multiple perspectives in order to make accountability, equity and liberatory practices essential parts of the fabric of New 42's systems. If you missed it, be sure to listen to Act 1 of this great interview. In that episode, Russell talks about his journey from childhood class clown, to artist, to teaching artist, to his current role as arts administrator. Russell’s time as a teaching artist, over 30 years ago, is of particular significance in this discussion, and his career, as this is the point during which he saw the systemic inequities—in terms of access to the arts and in regards to racist and discriminatory practices—built into the New York City school system. Russell also gives some great insight into the evolution of teaching artistry from its humble beginnings to its highly respected role in the arts education field.