City of Dreams: Unveiled

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This is a K und studios original program. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jazz and more the University of Nevada Las Vegas or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

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Good morning dreamers and creators. You're tuned in to the City of Dreams unveiled. Your monthly deep dive into the pulsing heart of Las Vegas is art and entertainment scene. I'm your host, Jeff Lowen. Here to peel back the layers of creativity and inspiration that fuel our city's most innovative minds.

Unknown Speaker 0:43
Today, we're honored to host a trio of remarkable guests, each contributing uniquely to the tapestry of art and community support in this dynamic city of Las Vegas. First, we welcome back Ruben permille, a local Las Vegas artists. Reubens art is not just about creating visual stunning pieces. It's also about storytelling, emotion and connecting with the community on a deeply personal level. His work embodies the spirit of Las Vegas, bold, colorful and full of life. Joining Ruben we have a dynamic duo Cathy the founder and president and Joey the executive director behind the Lincoln City fellowship at the speranza Foundation, though not based in Las Vegas, Kathy and joy have made a significant impact on the local art scene through their support and empowerment of artists like Reuben and Shannon Cal cut. The speranza foundation stands as a testament to the commitment to nurturing talent and fostering artistic expression. In today's episode, we'll explore the intersection of art and philanthropy, the journey of the artists in the bustling city of Las Vegas, and how external support from figures like Kathy can illuminate the path of local talents. We'll dive into the vision behind the speranza Foundation, and the transformative power of art in building and uplifting communities. So sit back, relax. And join us for an inspiring journey through the stories of these remarkable individuals, each painting their own unique stroke on the canvas of the Las Vegas thriving artistic community. Welcome, everybody.

Unknown Speaker 2:15
Thank Thank you.

Unknown Speaker 2:17
Great to be back.

Unknown Speaker 2:18
So Ruben, let's start with you. You're on the first episode. For listeners who might not have heard that episode, just give us a little background of how you became an artist.

Unknown Speaker 2:27
Well, I have been in show business my entire life. I started when I was in teenager, in on the East Coast in Virginia, and I hit the road. So I was on the road touring with Broadway musicals working on stage and off stage for many, many years. And somehow I ended up here in Las Vegas 20 years ago, Cirque to slay, found me and said, Hey, come here, out here. And it's been 20 years. So I've been with circus Olay for 20 years. And I've also been a huge part of the community in the arts community, I do a lot of the local theater that's here and any kind of event or any kind of organization, I just kind of jumped in. So it's made this my new home. And I have to say Las Vegas has become, you know, my hometown now, because I've spent more time here than anywhere else. And I love being here and I don't want to leave. And I'm really excited about what's happening to the city. It's great to be back here on UNLV campus. And just seeing the students around here and they're just it's very inspiring. The city does a lot for me, not only district but beyond downtown in the arts district. So that all inspires me in the work that I do. Not only with you know, I show downtown in the art galleries with my work and anytime there's kind of a gallery opening or anything like that I'm a part of it. So it's kind of molded me who for who I am and what I discovered recently with the speranza Foundation and the fellowship that I was so grateful to to be a part of last year, I discovered how much of a storyteller I am. You mentioned storyteller and and I realized I do it with my costumes. I do it with my writing. I do it with my painting. I even do it with the quilts that I make. So I just want to explore that more. And thanks to these two here, I have the opportunity to just grow even more and bring it back to Vegas.

Unknown Speaker 4:21
Amazing. Let's talk about how did you how were you introduced to the speranza foundation in the Lincoln City fellowship.

Unknown Speaker 4:29
I will tell you I didn't know what a fellowship was until this came along and I got nominated by another another artists so I had to go through you know a kind of a review process I had to play I had to write and just say what you know who I really am and it was a good chance for me to stop and think about what I want and where I wanted to go. And over a year ago they announced that I got the fellowship and it hit me like like a boulder just coming down because I was so excited that somebody saw something into me, saw something in me and wanted to explore it, the best thing about it. And I would tell you, it was very nervous about joining this group of incredibly talented people from all over the United States, as they just said, I didn't have to do anything. Yeah, and that to an artists or to anybody working in the business, it's always a hustle. And for someone to say you can relax, you've done it, you've put the work in, and we just want you to breathe, we want you to kind of discover who you are. And we're going to show you a lot of other people who are doing what you're doing. And it became such a big motivating factor saying that people have the same problems that I do people feel these different ways. And they also get celebrated. And that's the great thing about speranza.

Unknown Speaker 5:43
Yep. What I love is you're a local artist actively working in the Las Vegas community, when you heard about this brand new foundation, which, you know, it covers the entire country. Were you apprehensive? Like, why would they why would they look at me here in Las Vegas? Or what was your response to like, why would they pick me? I

Unknown Speaker 6:03
asked that question many times to myself. And then through the workshops that we have the monthly meetings I was ever to set, I was able to kind of answer this question saying like, you know, what I have to say matters, what I do matters, and people respond to it. And they just gave me the freedom and the space to do that. So the great thing about this is I started exploring with my writing I did really well during the pandemic and I wrote a script, and Soho Playhouse from New York, gave me a grant for it, and I got to do presentations. But beyond that, the fellowship allowed me to do to continue those kinds of things. So last year, I was able to do a reading at the Majestic Repertory Theatre. And through the support of the company, I was able to pay local actors to come in and a director to come in, and I got to see my work on stage and do like a workshop with it. And it's a perfect example of how they help develop local people in the town that they're doing and just say, Hey, we're here. We're on, we're on board with you, and we want you to thrive. And that's what happened here. So, um, so I'm very grateful for this, this opportunity. And the great thing is, I get to continue this next year. Yep.

Unknown Speaker 7:16
I love it's just a celebration of, you know, a foundation coming together to help someone local in Las Vegas, which is amazing. So, Kathy, yes, the founder of speranza Foundation, what's your background? And like, what is your passion in the arts community? Well,

Unknown Speaker 7:33
I studied theater. That's what I studied in college, and all my friends were artists and theater makers and writers. And it's where my passion always was. I was brought up in a philanthropic family. So I also was brought up kind of learning about what it meant to give back to your community or to people who needed it. And I, you know, I started the foundation, kind of that intersection as a young adult with all of my friends doing projects that I wanted to help support and think, Well, I've never seen that done in my upbringing. But is there a way that I can do this and that I can help my friends it all started just to help the people I knew. And it's been lovely to see how it's spread out to people all over the country that I've never met before.

Unknown Speaker 8:21
How many years has the spreads a foundation been around? Um, I

Unknown Speaker 8:25
founded it in 2008. I think that's when we we got all the IRS approvals all the paperwork, yeah.

Unknown Speaker 8:34
Why a foundation? And would you recommend that to someone else who's like, How can I support the arts community Foundation's

Unknown Speaker 8:40
really complicated, I only did it for one reason, because I wanted to give support to individual artists. And you can't just give money to people without paying gift tax to the IRS. And so I set up the foundation and got approval from the IRS specifically for gifts to individual people that had all kinds of criteria to be met and it had to be approved and the IRS approved that. I don't usually recommend starting a foundation because there are a lot of different avenues to support artists. There's Fiscal Sponsorship through other organizations or you know, to give a gift to a theatre company or to a museum. You don't need to have any kind of foundation. It's it's complicated. But I did it specifically to be able to do the types of gifts that I wanted to give.

Unknown Speaker 9:37
Did you have expectations when you first started it that have maybe turned a corner or you know, it's just evolved over time?

Unknown Speaker 9:45
It has completely changed. It started with just a group of professional artists that I knew on a selection committee and we would review projects and then give money Based on that artists budget of what they wanted to do, and however much money we had, that was as many projects that we could support. And it was really driven by what the artists told us, they needed to complete a project and completely hands off. And then partway through these intervening years, Joey, who's here with me, he and his wife, Lauren started working with me. And Joey has such a history of working with artists to help them achieve things that they want to do. And everything became much more hands on. And so we really shifted to a program a programmatic style, and we actually changed our operating structure to become an operating foundation to be able to create our own program programs for artists. And so we no longer give a grant like you need $10,000 To make this movie or something. We provide programs to support artists in their lives. And hopefully, that work gets done because of that support. Yep,

Unknown Speaker 11:09
absolutely. That's great. And it's, it's like everything evolves, right, we all start with a mission or an idea of what it's going to be. And then as you start to grow, it just evolves into something else. And it's so great that you've recognized that through the artists, and now you're probably offering completely different products, so to speak. And it's enriching their lives in many ways that you never even thought of at the beginning.

Unknown Speaker 11:33
Absolutely. And it's been very organic. And it's it's been a change both in the personnel we've had and the talents, they have Joey's specific talents, Lauren's specific talents, and then what artists need. And so as those things change, and we get new information, or the world changes, or there's a pandemic, or things like that, our programs can change based on what we feel like we can offer.

Unknown Speaker 11:58
Amazing, Joey?

Unknown Speaker 12:02
Yeah, I mean, ditto to all that, you know, sitting at this table. First, I think I mean, I'm hearing Ruben talk about how grateful he is for the opportunity. And I'm in my head I'm I'm I'm so we're so grateful that you said yes, like there was, there was no hesitation from when Shannon who had nominated you, first of all, you came extremely, you know, that is recommended. And that's been a part of I think the organic nature of this program been able to evolve, because it's been happening from within the artists are the ones that are nominating the next, you know, group of cohorts that are coming in. So it really, it really feels cohesive in a way they still go through a selection process. But there's a, you know, the level of of entry is coming from a real trusted network. And for Kathy and I, it that was really important that this was created from the artists themselves and not some top down film, you know, philanthropists who had a specific idea of what they wanted things to be. So our goal has always been how can we create the conditions for artists to come in, feel really supported and feel ownership and what's being created. And that's really what is one of the most exciting parts that I sense now is that it's alive. And we get to, I get to be invited into the lives of people like Ruben with who has much, you know, more experience and colorful life than I've ever been privy to. So it's just as much as an honor for us to get to meet Ruben and to see the community grow that way.

Unknown Speaker 13:36
And this is what's so unique about springs. And the fellowship is because, you know, you don't know what you don't know. And I've been had opportunities where people give me grants. But what do you do with the money, I don't even know, do it. What I learned this year was that I could, they could connect me with people, you need to talk about budgets, you need to do a budget for production of a show here, this is someone to do it. This is someone who wants to create music, let's connect you to somebody who knows about music who've done this. And that's the best thing about it. Because you don't know what to ask or sometimes and then you you're standing here and you're just kind of making making your way where I felt, I have learned so much about how I can make the connections and how important it is to communicate and to open up to community and to ask for help and say, Hey, I really don't know how to, you know, to do a write a bid for a theater, can you help me and all sudden, there's somebody there, connect up with this person, talk to them. And then you realize at the same point, they turn around, say, Hey, can you tell me about costumes? I'm doing a show. How can I can help me out some and I'm like, I'm excited. I know all about that. So that's the unique I think the new diamond in this whole process is that the connections the people have all come together and that's more I think it's more valuable than us handing somebody some money and say go do this.

Unknown Speaker 14:59
Yep. And the The key word is community. That's what you said.

Unknown Speaker 15:02
That's a big change, too, from the beginning, you know, and just supporting an artists project. Well, from the very beginning, I never wanted to have that kind of ownership of somebody's artwork, like there are a lot of organizations out there they like we'll give you money. And we want a piece of this, or we want to showcase that we want to, and I never wanted that. But what's beautiful is it's just become more and more clear through the years. What where's the party supporting our people? I mean, look at Rubin, Rubin is going to create, no matter what he's doing, and it's beautiful. And so we come along, and we're like, what does Ruben need? How can we encourage Ruben? How can we let Ruben know that he's needed in this world that we need to hear his voice whichever way he wants to create? And that's just such a much more fulfilling way to live and run this foundation

Unknown Speaker 15:56
dome? That's why we're celebrating this today, with all of us here. What do you feel is the next vision for speranza? Foundation? Like, I feel like you've gotten it to this community part, like do you have anything that you're thinking about, or you're seeing or, you know, that could help the arts community,

Unknown Speaker 16:17
I feel like the moment I say that we'll have something like a pandemic. That we don't know, I think more is somewhat like, we'd like to do more retreats, we found we've done some retreats, and that those have been absolutely beautiful this year, we are transitioning a bit to offer different tracks based on what an artists might need. So some are doing a retreat, some are working on new production, some, some need a performance space. So we're changing that up a little like that, but we always just look at each other each year going, we're so lucky, and let's just keep doing this. So I think

Unknown Speaker 16:57
even being here is a testament to I think the evolution of the trajectory of where this is going, you know, I think, to our hypothesis, if you invest in the people and trust artists like Rubin to, to utilize the resources and the what the opportunities available, they will they will take it and run with it. And now I think what's happened because we've been operating that way and really deciding to invest into people. Now that investment, they're doing amazing things. I mean, Ruben here in Vegas, in different states around the country. So our what I foresee also is now instead of trying to uproot Ruben from his community that he's so invested in, how can we bring people to Rubin? How can we bring people to Vegas, and actually see his show at the majestic and show up for what he was, you know, developing during our time together, that's exciting for us to be able to celebrate him. And how awesome is it to be able to look out into the crowd. I mean, tonight, we're gonna go see a show of Shannon, who had nominated Rubin, the, you know, directing it at the atomic saloon and to see her in her natural habitat, like that's such a, a great thing for us all, I think, to experience together. And my goal is for Ruben to look out in the audience and to see a group of people that you know, are supporting him and got his back and just excited to see him in his glory.

Unknown Speaker 18:24
And the great thing about this year, I am part of the production fellowship. So a new, a new creation is going to be created right here in Las Vegas, with the local talent with the local actors with me. And they've just branched out by just having one connection with me with Shannon and two other people in here. And there's so much talent here. And I want to nominate other people in the community who do things here to be a part of this, because I think that's the important part here. It's not just going to go somewhere else, it's going to go here, and then move somewhere or move out to the world. But it can all rooted right here from Las Vegas talent. I

Unknown Speaker 19:01
don't think people can hear the excitement and energy from us. Enough. I'm super glad that you're here. So we can showcase our amazing city here in Las Vegas, Ruben as well. And it's only taken 10 years to make that happen. So thank you for coming to Vegas to do that. Joey with the artists that you've worked with over the years. Is there is there like an evolution from when they start the program to when the fellowship is done? And what does that look like?

Unknown Speaker 19:31
Yeah, it's really different for each artists and that's what we want to set up in a way where their first introduction to us and it takes some time to build that rapport and trust and get to know it so we don't want to force any of it. Part of the invitation in you know, by application the first entry is, is come in get to meet everybody see if you vibe if this is something that you really want, like we don't want none of this is a blue gets worry. And then out of that, how can I help really guide each artists to create their own path within the larger network? So yeah, I think what was really valuable to Rubin last year when we met you coming in might be you're in a different phase of your career, you're at a different phase of where you are creatively. So how can we stay current with where you are now, and what's going to support you this year that would have been different from from last year. So that's really fun for me to be part of that co creation with the artist and, and stay current with them and meet those those current needs.

Unknown Speaker 20:34
Ruben, when you're in the fellowship, What's the best advice that you've got somebody or give to somebody that, you know, really is going to make the most out of the experience?

Unknown Speaker 20:43
For me, they gave me permission to just breathe, to just not have to rush into anything, not just let it flow and let the croute creativity happen. I you know, Vegas is crazy busy. This is a 24 hour town, and I work for one of the biggest entertainment companies in the world. For someone to say I can stop and think about what I want to do and have good intentions and going to it. That's the biggest lesson I've learned. It took me a little while to just kind of breathe and, and enjoy the fact of being of artists and celebrate me and go on a retreat and just discover who you are. Because I'm going to bring that into my next work. I'm going to bring that into my painting. I'm going to bring it into my costuming. I'm a different person today than I was a year ago.

Unknown Speaker 21:27
One thing we also noticed about getting to learn more about Rubin was that he spent so much time investing in local artists here in Vegas and making people look beautiful and gorgeous. And he did. And a lot of people have been empowered by what he's been able to how he's been able to serve them truly the costuming through just your generous nature of showing up in the world and just your spirit. And so for somebody else to see that and Reuben and say, Hey, for all the amazing things are doing for so many other people, can there be a place where we get to now pour into you, and a place where you can receive and actually be the one that gets, you know, the spotlight for a second and beautify because there's so much that this artist has to share. And I could see getting so busy, you know, your energy can only go so far and investing in so many other people. So for us, it was to be able to identify, hey, if we invest in this one individual, we know it's going to pay off dividends to so many others. And so that's been such a honor is to be able to provide a you know, the small platform that we have for somebody like Ruben to shine him his own glory. Oh, my

Unknown Speaker 22:39
God, you're making me cry here. Good. Both of you just being in the room. Kathy,

Unknown Speaker 22:43
the selection process. So you get many applicants every year? Why? What would give someone who's apprehensive, or you know, might not have the self confidence to like, go for it? What advice would you have for an individual like that?

Unknown Speaker 22:58
Um, you know, it's it's such a shame that so much of the time artists are pitted against each other for resources, and it's competitive all the time, everywhere they're done. I mean, especially like actors, you hear about that, that audition, after audition after audition, but painters ever, you know, museums, space, dollars to do their projects and things. And so my advice for, for ours is to just breathe, we're looking for people, and we want to know about you. And it's hard for people to trust that that's actually the case. And like Ruben said, when we said you just have to be here. It took a while to actually believe us that what we were saying was what we meant. So in that application, it's it's not a competitive environment on on your work. It's a it's, it's we're trying to not be competitive. We want to know who you are as a person. And do you want to know other artists? Do you want to spend time with them? Do you want to collaborate and relax and get to know your fellow artists and give to them and listen to them and support each other? So that's what we're looking for. Rather than, you know.

Unknown Speaker 24:17
I'm okay. Paul is shining application. Yeah. Or a lot of accolades,

Unknown Speaker 24:22
or compete, compete, compete. It's not that kind of environment. So we're really looking for people who can relax into that. And people who aren't is their vocation. It's not a hobby. It's not something they do on Saturday afternoon to fill the time. And

Unknown Speaker 24:40
that's just the opposite of what people think you know what I mean? Like, it's not competitive, and I've noticed that with the other fellows that I've met, that it's come as you are, bring yourself, you don't have to be anybody else. There's one of you in the world and that's all you need to present basically. Um, Joey, as far as like, disciplines are different mediums do you look at you know, when they apply? Like, you don't want a bunch of painters or a bunch of sculptors like how do you determine what might make a good group? Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 25:15
that's a good question. I think a lot of that comes back to what Cathy's referring to is the person that the discipline is important. But to be honest, it's kind of secondhand to what you're saying through your discipline. And what are you questioning through your discipline? And what are you exploring through your discipline? I mean, Reubens a great example of that being a multidisciplinary artists, you know, he's a painter, photographer, costumer, performer, writer, actor, he can do it all. And so we want to leave space for that and be diversely disciplined, because we feel like each of our artists in very specific disciplines can learn from each other in ways maybe that would be different if they were in a room full of just just musicians. And maybe you could speak to that to how you've experienced, you know, being in a room with I don't know, poets, or people that you wouldn't maybe normally come across your your purview, but being able to learn from somebody who's a visual or found objects, or I don't know, like a right like, informs I think, no matter what your whatever medium you're working with, they can inform each other in different ways. Would you say that? Absolutely.

Unknown Speaker 26:25
And I think the transformation of the fellowship is that we all come in there, and we're trying to sell our work, our poetry, or music, everything that we do, and that's what I was doing. You have a website, this is all the costumes that I make. This is the play there. And what we, I think, as a group learned is like, no, it's just about you. It can be about an artist, it's for artists, but it's also for the artists discover who they are. And then when you learn a little bit more about a colleague, who, who, who writes music, which I don't write music, the only thing I don't do is write music. I want to write a musical. But we have so many things in common. And again, it's always an end product, what can I sell? What can I get out there? What gallery I can get in? So now we can say like, you know what, maybe my ideas and maybe what I think and how I feel about things are just as important. And I found that even from this recently, I got a consulting job. All they want to know is about what I think. And that's very unusual. It's

Unknown Speaker 27:25
a it's a community of creatives, talking about what it is to live a life of creativity. And they all have that in common, no matter the discipline. That's

Unknown Speaker 27:34
amazing. Way to wrap it up, Kathy, thank you. In this engaging episode of City of Dreams unveiled, we were privileged to host an incredible lineup of guests, artists, Reuben, the founder of the speranza Foundation, Kathy, and the executive director, Joey, thank you again, Ruben for your insights into your artistic journey and current endeavors in Las Vegas. Thank you, Kathy and Joey for your vision in the inspiring story behind speranza Foundation, emphasizing the profound impact of your work on the arts community. Your contributions not only enrich cultural tapestry of Las Vegas, but it also inspires others to pursue their dreams in the arts. This episode was a beautiful reminder of the transformative power of support and collaboration in the creative world. Remember to join me on the next episode may 26 at 9am. Until then, keep embracing the creative community around you and support your local artists. This is Jeff lon See you next time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai