Coping 101: The Fresh Professor

Coping 101

“As artist Yasiin Bey said, ‘the arts are something we forget we need, until we need them.’ In this episode of Artist Mental Health Stories we're joined by one of Seattle's cultural thought leaders James Miles, fondly known as the Fresh Professor. Miles is an Assistant Professor at Seattle University and former Executive Director of Third Stone, the nonprofit known for reviving the Bumbershoot Arts and Music Festival in 2023 to widespread acclaim. James has worked internationally as an artist and educator, and was inspired to foment change after seeing so many children who looked like him being disregarded and treated like criminals by our educational systems. James sits with Nathan Hale High School Junior Gavin M. to discuss his evolution from accountant, to actor, to professor and cultural activist using “arts as a tool to navigate the systems of educational inequity.” In New York City, he was the Director of Education at Urban Arts Partnership, where he created the Fresh Education program that used original hip-hop music and theater to boost academic success in middle school ELA and social studies classrooms. The arts-infused and standards-aligned curriculum guide he designed has been used around the world and has inspired many educators and adults to shift how they teach, work with, and speak to students of all ages. A graduate of Morehouse College and Brandeis University, James has provided professional development to teachers across the world, and has presented at SXSW EDU, NYU’s IMPACT Festival, New York Creative Tech Week, Ted Talks, EdTechXEurope, Google Educator Bootcamp, and more. He's on the Board of the Frye Art Museum, MoPOP, on the Advisory Board for SXSW EDU, and was recently appointed as the City of Seattle's Creative Economy Manager.

Co-presented by 4Culture, Coping 101's Artist Mental Health Stories amplify voices from King County's cultural sector to empower individual artists, uplift the creative community and destigmatize mental health from a teen's perspective. No matter our age or background we all face challenges, and there are many healthy ways to find balance. Get started with more episodes and resources hosted at c895.org/coping101

• More about James Miles: https://freshprofessor.com/
• James Miles' Seattle University profile: https://www.seattleu.edu/artsci/about/directory/profile/james-miles.html
• Leaders Don't Lead: https://www.leadersdontlead.com/