TRT 1:07:40 // ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 11/2/19
In this episode, we go beyond and back with artist Matthew Bede Murphy & the artists at LAND Gallery.
LAND studio & gallery is a unique nonprofit day habilitation program that teaches life skills through the modality of art. Located in Brooklyn, NY, LAND was founded in 2005 by the League Education and Treatment Center (LETC) and serves as both studio and gallery for 16 adult artists with developmental disabilities.
In February 2019, I visited LAND and spoke with six of the artists there, and then I visited the co-founder Matthew Bede Murphy at his home in Brooklyn.
This is an episode for close listening. You’re going to hear 7 different voices and 7 different manners of expression.
[L to R]: Myasia Dowdell, Rudy Bansraj, Robert Latchman,
Robert Latchman’s bridge, Michael Pellew, Kenya Hanley
Matthew Bede Murphy at home in Brooklyn
In my conversation with Matthew, we discuss how art can have a role in our discovery of Self. He shares his struggles in understanding his own identity as a young gay man, and how art therapy helped him to know his whole self. Trigger warning, there is a very brief mention of suicidal thoughts, but the bulk of our discussion explores the healing potential of having a creative practice and a safe space to express yourself. I’m so grateful for Matthew’s candor and inspired by his empathy, and I was truly honored to visit with these six artists at LAND: Rudy Bansraj, Michael Pellew, Kenya Hanley, Stephon Bryce, Robert Lachman and Myasia Dowdell.
I’m so grateful for Matthew’s openness in sharing his metamorphosis as a natural art child who had a long journey to meet his destiny as a free thinker. I’m inspired by how he survived his own traumatic struggles with identity, to continue on to create a safe space for sixteen artists to be exactly who they are. My own creative practice has been a healing force in my life, and in many ways it has introduced me to a deeper knowledge of myself. Where ever you are in your creative practice, I hope you set up a safe space for your own self to express and explore. To follow your creative obsession, your arrow, and to mine your own gold. To have confidence, and to keep going.
Thank you, Matthew Bede Murphy & the artists at LAND Gallery, for talking with me.
Below images by Krissy Teegerstrom, L to R: LAND’s front door; Myasia Dowdell at work; Stephon Bryce;
Kenya Hanley; Michael Pellew’s work; Kenya Hanley
EPISODE SPONSOR:
TOURISTS
This episode is brought to you by TOURISTS!
This episode is brought to you by TOURISTS, a hotel and riverside retreat set on the banks of the Hoosic River in the Berkshires city of North Adams, Massachusetts. The 48-room property is a union of design and nature, home to woodland trails and riverbank vistas. Using common, organic materials, your room is both haven and trailhead, connecting you with your vacation self and serving as a basecamp for exploration and adventure. Head out to see art at The Clark and MASS MOCA and then return to the property for world class food, drinks and entertainment. Book your stay at www.touristswelcome.com .
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the Beyond + Back podcast.
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THEME MUSIC BY DAVÍD GARZA