On October 28th, the Gaillard Center released the first three episodes of “Raising the Volume,” a series of conversations on music, race, art, activism, and more. The series was curated by Artists-in-Residence Marcus Amaker, Charleston's Poet Laureate, and Charlton Singleton, the Grammy Award winner from Ranky Tanky.
In “Raising the Volume,” Amaker and Singleton explore issues through open, honest dialogue. The series begins with the pair examining their own experiences with racism as artists. Each subsequent conversation is led by either Amaker or Singleton having in-depth conversations with local Black leaders, educators, business owners, and artists.
Each video will also be accompanied by a lesson plan for both middle and high school students. The Gaillard Center's on-staff educator, Sterling deVries, will facilitate cross-school virtual meetings for students in different areas to discuss the content of the interviews. The first three lesson plans are now available at gaillardcenter.org.
You can watch the episodes and download the plans here. All lesson plans are available for free as part of the Gaillard Center's Education and Community Program.
The lesson plans will highlight the following interdisciplinary themes: global awareness; civic literacy; working creatively with others. Students will explore additional resources such as Marcus Amaker's poetry, John Coltrane's “Alabama,” and programs such as the Charleston Area Justice Ministry and the YWCA's Racial Equity Institute.
Available to view now:
- Episode I – A conversation on music, racism, art, activism, and more with Marcus Amaker & Charlton Singleton.
- Episode II – A conversation on Charleston activism, past and present with former Municipal Court Judge for the City of Charleston for 33 years, Judge Arthur McFarland.
- Episode III – A conversation on awareness and action with the Executive Director of YWCA, LaVanda Brown.
Additional episodes and lesson plans will be released in Winter 2021:
- Dr. Thaddeus J. Bell, Founder of Closing the Gap in Healthcare
- Dr. Karen Chandler, Director of the Graduate Certificate in Arts and Cultural Management at the College of Charleston
- Andrea Davis, Founder and Owner of Motherland Essentials
- Herb Frazier, Charleston-based author
- Dr. Kylon Jerome Middleton, Senior Pastor at Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
