On tap this week is a holiday roundtable of friends Cindy Gerlach Managing Director of Lafayette Master Chorale, and Brittany Rees, of the Frank Muffin band and engineer at Rec Room Recording Studio. We talk over a wide range of topics from the local cultural landscape, from both the current year and the next!…

On tap this week is a husband and wife team, and members of the band Frank Muffin, the wonderful Brittany and Hans Rees, who are also part of the staff at Rec Room Recording. Joining us is Tiffany Palacio, Director of Family Promise of Greater Lafayette. Frank Muffin is presenting its annual tribute show on November 4th and 5th, a cover-to-cover pe…

On tap this week is a pair of directors preparing to bring a thought-provoking program to the area stage. Marking 25 years since the tragic death of Matthew Shepard, Lafayette Master Chorale is joining with Purdue University Choir to present a contemporary oratorio on October 29th. Joining us are the Artistic Director of Lafayette Master Chorale, M…

On tap this week is a trio of performers preparing to bring what is now a modern classic to the area stage. We have three singer/performers, the female leads of “9 to 5: the Musical,” coming to Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette… Caitlin Cotten, who is a previous guest on ART TAP, Kate Martin, also a previous guest and, by chance, my daughter, and …

On tap this week is Dave Bangert, of Based in Lafayette reporting project, an online news subscription he’s established for local news. Dave has transitioned from daily newspaper coverage to daily online substack coverage, all with an eye to highlighting local happenings without judgement or political stance. Dave talks about his growth as a report…

On tap this week is Chris McCauley, Executive Director the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette. Chris has been with the Art Museum coming up on one year now – and he is wholly committed to making the museum’s programs a vital part of the community. Chris talks about his experiences, progressing from an upbringing in the upper peninsula of Michigan, thr…

On tap this week are Annalyse Ewing and Emily Nolan, co-hosts of another local podcast, called “We Can Do Pod Things.” Here at ART TAP, we are all about the arts, but more accurately culture, and we want to encourage talking about the talk of life and culture. Annalyse’s and Emily’s “work” is a genuine and honest and funny effort to talk about yet …

On tap this week is Sean Lutes, president of the Lafayette Historic Preservation Commission. Sean’s work is preserving and protecting noteworthy buildings and sites that represent our history in this town. And his posts on Facebook, under the group “Preserve Historic Lafayette,” are very revealing of the nature of the growth and history of Lafayett…

On tap this week is Bai Rosa, professional lighting director, product of Lafayette, Indiana, and now technical director for Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette. Bai talks about the role of a lighting designer in theatre and the challenges of getting started as a freelance creative person, traveling many miles each week to contribute to various proje…

On tap this week is Monica Shaeffer, a private piano and voice instructor, occasional music director for shows at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, and now Music and Artistic Outreach Director at Trinity United Methodist Church. We spoke about her background as a performer, youth instructor/music director, and now artistic consultant for Trinity …

On tap this week is a Pre-Show look at "Flanagan's Wake," coming to Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette on March 16th, 17th, and 18th. I'm talking with Sarah Mishler, who plays Fiona Finn, the grieving fiancé of the deceased Flanagan, and Helen Coats, who plays town eccentric and mystic, Kathleen Mooney. Interestingly, Sarah played the part of Kathl…

On tap this week we’re kicking off a new series of the ART TAP podcast called “Pre-Show.” Pre-Show will offer early looks at upcoming MainStage productions at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette. We’ll talk with directors, performers, planners, and designers and get a preview of what’s about to take the stage at the historic Monon Depot Theatre. The…

On tap this week are the artists known collectively as Frank Muffin Band. Joining me are Brittany and Hans Rees, and Jerome Hemersbach. The Muffin group have gotten active again, in light of eased restrictions on gatherings, and recently enjoyed a DC-area trip to visit other musicians they met online during the pandemic. Their schedule is picking u…

On tap this week is a local artist who is a steady presence on the gallery and art festival scene. Rena Brouwer is a watercolorist, instructor, gallery director, and arts collaborator who is about as "Hoosier" an artist as one can get.By Craig Martin

On tap this week are a pair of local singers/songwriters who are enlivening the area music scene. Justice Fuller, is a singer/songwriter who has performed throughout the Lafayette region and the Washington DC area, and who is previous Mike Lane Horizon songwriting award winner – and Lauren Grace is an 17-year-old Lafayette-area songwriter who won t…

On tap this week is director, set designer, painter, performer, and also Assistant Director of Economic Development for the City of Lafayette, Indiana, John David Collier. We talk about the thrills and challenges of participating in community theatre. John’s experience with Civic Theatre has run for 35 years and 93 productions now.…

On tap this week… is one of my most fun friends, singer and performer Caitlin Cotten Benner. Caitlin is perhaps the closest living embodiment of an actual Disney princess I know, keeping that spirit of discovery and joy alive in the air around her. We talk about the challenges of social distancing when working with students as a representative of P…

On tap this week… is one of my most valued creative friends, playwright Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos. She was, oddly enough, on the last episode of ART TAP in April of 2020 – the one that convinced me it was too hard to conduct a podcast that way. It wasn’t her fault – it was the logistics that proved too interruptive to me. We talk about the challe…

On tap this week are two of my most valued arts friends, ceramist and sculptor Siggy Zahner and playwright Kelly McBurnette-Andronicos. Both are deeply insightful and inventive artists, both bring unique and confrontational imagery to their work, and both are outspoken feminists. We talk about the experiences and challenges of women in the arts, th…

On tap this week is an assessment of what we’re going to be missing, in light of Coronavirus concerns that are forcing cancellations of arts and culture events, as well as all other public gatherings and activities, throughout our region and across the country. Notifications from Lafayette-West Lafayette cultural groups are shared.…

By Craig Martin

By Craig Martin

By Craig Martin

By Craig Martin

By Craig Martin

By Craig Martin

On tap this week are some thoughts on the Art Biz, from the perspective of an artist new to the commerce of social media art sales.By Craig Martin

On tap this week are members of the cast and crew of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, by Sarah Ruhl, presented from November 1st through 16th at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette. I sat down with my castmates (I played the titular dead man) on closing night of the production to get their thoughts on community theatre and reactions to the show. We talk about…

On tap this week are members of local band Frank Muffin. With me are Brittany Rees, Hans Rees, and Jerome Hemersbach. The Muffin group will be presenting the next of their annual album tribute concerts, this time celebrating Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, to be staged on Saturday, November 9th at 7:30 pm at Lafayette Theatre. The band plays a number fro…

On tap this week is Tippecanus Rex, with guest author and reader, local arts supporter, and yarn-spinner extraordinaire Shelley Lowenberg-DeBoer. Shelley and I read a couple of stories from Lafayette’s earlier and wilder days, highlighting more of the background of Ginger Wigglemann and a new discovery, the enigmatic Percy Hare.…

On tap this week is local teacher, actor, and improv performer Stephanie Bosma. Stephanie works with young people in the classroom and now in the theatre, as well as being a terrific comedic performer herself. And she’s directing a Civic Youth Theatre show, The Phantom Tollbooth by Susan Nanus, based on the book by Norton Juster, opening this Frida…

On tap this week is local artist Craig Whitten. Craig works in watercolor, henna, and acrylic from the Bindery Artist Studios in downtown Lafayette, and he’s a regular at art fairs thoughout the region. Craig will be exhibiting at Art on the Wabash, an art fair in West Lafayette, this coming Sunday, September 22nd. And he’s part of a special projec…

On tap this week is a conversation with two people working to develop "To Kill a Mockingbird" at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette. First up is local musician, accomplished singer-songwriter Jeff Anderson. Joining him is musician, performer, actor, and director TJ Rosa, who is directing the show. The two talk about Jeff’s contributions to the prod…

On tap this week is my first beyond-Lafayette guest in a while, Terre Haute, Indiana artist Rachel Hellmann. She talks about coming home to Terre Haute and living and making it work as a contemporary artist in middle America.By Craig Martin

On tap this week is Shelley Lowenberg-DeBoer, who has played the Tippecanus Rex game with me before. She has a creative work she shares, “A Short Biography of Ginger Wigglemann,” as inspiration for the upcoming Tipp. Rex project of creative stories of (un)natural history of the Tippecanoe County region.…

On tap this week are my first husband and wife guests, David and Thea Strand, local performers and arts supporters. We talk about shared experiences with local arts, including the Jefferson High School music program, and the dual roles of performers and parents of performers.By Craig Martin

On tap this week is Zach Medler, local muralist/graffiti artist and more. Zach’s got an exhibit opening soon at Artist’s Own titled “Squint.” It runs July 18 through August 17, with an opening reception during Gallery Walk on July 19 from 6 – 9 pm. We talk about the nature and challenges of graffiti and being a public artist as well as the wide ran…

On tap this week are friends from the Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering, coming this weekend, June 28th– 30th in Battle Ground, Indiana. With me are Karah Rawlings, Executive Director of Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering, and board president Cliff Harrison, as well as members of the Bum Ditty Barn Dance Band, who will be performing at the festival. Included in…

On tap this week are improv and podcasting buds who contribute to the “Adventures in Videoland” podcast, Doug Pruim and Gary McFall. The boys share their early experiences with acting and singing, a fascinating discussion of reading imaginatively, developing artistic skills through Photoshopped nipple work, and their shared experiences with improv.…

On tap this week is TJ Rosa, Purdue University student, local musician, and volunteer at Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette as an actor, director, and educator. TJ talks about taking on the directing challenges of the American classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee this fall at Civic Theatre, and three shows at the upcoming 7th Annual 10-Mi…

On tap this week is an introduction to a special project in which ART TAP is encouraging, and will play host to, creative storytelling from the community. Today ART TAP is announcing “Tippecanus Rex,” a community-wide story projectcelebrating the (un)natural history of Tippecanoe County, Indiana through mythical beasts, imagined histories and fake …

On tap this week are friends from Lafayette Citizens Band, promoting itself as "Music that Brings the Community Together Every Summer". With me are Jenn Tordil and Krista Steinmetz. Jenn is Vice President of the Board and Krista is a board member on the PR community – “the face of the band.” We talk a bit about the history of the band, the aspects …

On tap this week are friends from CHiPS, or Community Historic Project Support, which highlights the City of West Lafayette's heritage through the identification and acquisition of significant historic properties throughout the West Lafayette community. With me are Shelley Lowenberg-deBoer, Kay Conner, and Amy Harbor, talking about a Cemetery Walk …

On tap this week (again) are my friends Amy Long and Cindy Gerlach, from the Live765 arts section of the Lafayette Journal and Courier. We meet occasionally to review and discuss the things we’ve seen and experienced in the area, and to recognize the efforts that are not getting much formal recognition. So what's happened since December...?…

On tap this week is John Clare, music director at WBAA Public Radio from Purdue University. John is a classical music host, a videographer, and an accomplished violinist. John surprisingly talks a lot about art (visual) while describing music (classical).By Craig Martin

On tap this week is Amy Lynn Budd, Visiting Assistant Professor at Purdue University Theatre. Amy was our guest in episode 011 and she’s back to discuss a new project, “She Kills Monsters,” opening April 12th. Amy also talks about a recent course in which she collaborated, designed to explore the musical “Hamilton” from very creative perspectives.…

On tap this week is Jake Wood, scenic artist and properties manager for Purdue University Theatre. Jake talks about getting into scenic work, some of the challenges of painting for theatre as part of a technical team, and presenting theatre in a university system.By Craig Martin

On tap this week is a James Taylor Fan tribute. No guests, but it’s short. Singer-songwriter James Taylor was born on March 12, 1948. No matter what his music means or where it stands in the great American music canon, it will always hold a special place in my heart. This is for Ron.By Craig Martin

On tap this week is a group of my friends, that I’m calling the Comics Guys, gentlemen from various walks of life I’ve called together to talk about something near and dear to our hearts – comic books. On hand are writer and editor and previous guest on the ART TAP podcast, Brian K. Morris; Keith Long, Vice President of W. H. Long Companies; and ac…

On tap this week is Mark Ruschman, senior curator of art and culture for the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis. Mark went from managing his own art gallery in downtown Indianapolis, which featured Indiana creatives, to curating exhibits of Indiana artists for the State Museum. He shares a number of historical and contemporary Look-up links that …