One World. One Idyllwild. The Series Pamela Jordan

Pamela speaks with Steven Lavine about the recent release of his biography: Steven D. Lavine – Failure Is What It’s All About. A Life Devoted to Leadership in the Arts. Steven also speaks about leading CalArts through a crisis following the Northridge Earthquake of 1994 and why art, the artistic process and the artists are so important today. Pamela will also speak with Joseph Davis, a senior in the Music Department who was unable to travel from Jamaica to the US to complete his senior year due to the pandemic. Joe performed at the Inauguration celebration for Vice President Kamala Harris with the California State Society and since the pandemic began, his YouTube channel has climbed to 733 subscribers.

Rebecca Chew was Founding Principal of School of the Arts, Singapore, the first secondary art school in the nation. She speaks with Pamela about the role that art now plays in the educational system in Singapore and what the arts are teaching tomorrow’s generation of leaders in her country. Pamela also speaks with Marie Catherine (MC) Payen about growing up in a bi-racial family in Haiti and the lessons she has learned from watching her mother work with Beyond Borders, a non-profit organization committed to ending child slavery and preventing violence against women and girls in Haiti and the U.S.

Jason Patera, Head of School at Chicago Academy for the Arts, speaks with Pamela about the misconceptions surrounding drugs and artmaking, how being an endurance athlete has shaped his views on educating students, and his popular Ted Talk “Life at the Intersection of Excellence, Purpose, and Passion”. Pamela will also speak with Azul Serrano, a senior in the Creative Writing Department who shares her experiences of a childhood fraught with illness and how writing brought her solace, hope and healing.

Trung Le and Sam Chaltain, founders of 180 Studio, speak with Pamela about their latest venture Seed + Spark  that uses nature as a model to reimagine the future of school. Pamela also speaks with Sedona-Sky Duffy, a senior at Idyllwild Arts about growing up in Bermuda, her passion for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and choosing Idyllwild Arts to pursue her dream to one day perform in London’s West End Theatre District.

Reveta Bowers has mentored hundreds of school leaders during her 42-year tenure as Head of School at the prestigious Center for Early Education in Los Angeles, CA. She speaks with Pamela about her career, Diversity and Inclusion in independent schools and her family’s experience during the Black Wallstreet Massacre in 1921. Pamela also speaks with Aminta Skye, a senior in the Music Department and co-founder of Idyllwild Arts’ Black Student Union. We will hear an excerpt from Ivory Is Normalcy, an original song that Aminta performed at the Inauguration celebration for Vice President Kamala Harris with the California State Society.

Pamela Jordan interviews Thanh Bui, an award-winning Australian-Vietnamese singer-songwriter, who chose to leave his parents and his homeland in order to pursue a career that led to numerous gold records and Number 1 hit songs. Pamela also speaks with Wyatt Rosenthal, a senior in the Idyllwild Arts Film & Digital Media Department, who is pursuing his dream of becoming a professional filmmaker.

idyllwildarts.org/theseries