169: Joni Doherty: ART IN ACTION Is Fueling Free Expression & Democracy

What happens when artists step forward not just to create, but to defend the freedom to create?In this opening episode of a new Art in Action series produced with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, Bill Cleveland speaks with Joni Doherty, Senior Program Officer for Democracy and the Arts. Their conversation begins with a rediscovered 1964 speech by Martin Luther King Jr. in Dayton, Ohio, and unfolds into a powerful exploration of how artists today are confronting censorship, recovering buried histories, and expanding the civic imagination.As Doherty explains, the arts are not merely decoration for democracy—they are one of its most powerful engines.Through stories of collaboration between artists, poets, dancers, and community leaders in Dayton, the conversation reveals how creative work can become a living civic process, one that helps communities reflect on their past, confront their present, and imagine new futures.In this episode we explore:How an almost forgotten Martin Luther King Jr. speech sparked a multi—disciplinary arts movement in Dayton, Ohio.How artists are confronting censorship and cultural erasure by reclaiming hidden histories and expanding the frame of what we see.Why artistic creativity may be one of democracy’s most powerful tools—what Cleveland calls a kind of “creative cold fusion.”Listen in as Joni Doherty shares how artists, community leaders, and cultural institutions are working together to defend freedom of expression, and why the work of imagination is essential to the future of democracy.Notable MentionsPeopleJoni Doherty – Senior Program Officer for Democracy and the Arts at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, working to build collaborations between artists and civic institutions that strengthen democratic life.Bill Cleveland – Artist, writer, and host of Art Is Change, known for documenting the role of community-based arts in social transformation.Martin Luther King Jr. – Civil rights leader whose philosophy of nonviolent resistance and moral courage continues to inspire movements for justice and democratic freedom.Bing Davis – Dayton based visual artist and community arts leader whose work explores African American history, identity, and cultural resilience.Sharon L. Davies – President and CEO of the Charles F. Kettering Foundation, leading initiatives focused on democracy, civic engagement, and innovation.Debbie Blunden-Diggs – Executive Director and Artistic Director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, one of the nation’s leading modern dance organizations.Sarah Lewis – Art historian and author whose work explores perception, race, and representation in visual culture.Sierra Leone -Governor’s Award winner, poet and writer Sierra Leone is the president, artistic director and cofounder of OFP Theatre and Production Company. For more than a decade, Ohio has benefitted from Sierra's vision of creative urban arts as a powerful artistic medium to bring communities together across racial, cultural, ideological, and economic divides.OrganizationsCharles F. Kettering Foundation — A nonpartisan research foundation focused on affirming and advancing inclusive democracy and countering authoritarianism..Democracy and the Arts at the Kettering Foundation — One of the Kettering Foundation’s five focus areas. The Democracy and the Arts program integrates the unique power of the arts into the foundation’s and partners with Art Is Change for the Art in Action podcast series.Dayton Art Institute A major regional art museum that hosts exhibitions and community arts programming.Dayton Contemporary Dance Company – One of the nation’s premier modern dance companies, known for work rooted in African American cultural traditions.EboNia Gallery — A gallery owned by Willis “Bing” Davis that exhibits contemporary African—American artwork. Located in the Wright—Dunbar District in Dayton, it co—hosted the Visual Voices exhibition discussed in the podcast.Smithsonian Institution – The United States’ national museum and research complex, referenced in the conversation in relation to debates over cultural representation and censorship.Events & Historical ReferencesCold Fusion Announcement (1989) – A controversial scientific claim made by chemists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons that nuclear fusion had been achieved at room temperature.The Third Reich – Nazi Germany (1933—1945), referenced as an example of authoritarian regimes suppressing artistic freedom.Stalinist Russia – Period of Soviet rule marked by strict political control and censorship of artistic expression.Cambodian Genocide – Under the Khmer Rouge regime (1975—1979), artists,intellectuals, and cultural practitioners were systematically persecuted.PublicationsThe Unseen Truth: When Race Changed Sight in America – A book by Sarah Lewis that examines hos visual culture and perception shape racial understanding and historical memory.Visual Voices: An Exhibition of African American Artists Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 1964 Dayton Speech — A catalog that includes all of the works in the exhibition discussed in the podcast.Visual Voices: Storytelling Through Poetry — An anthology of ekphrastic poems created in response to the artwork in Visual Voices: An Exhibition of African American Artists Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 1964 Dayton Speech..*******Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change.Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact.Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.