Flickering light and the clickety-clack of 24 frames of film per second running through a projector have kept projectionist Frank Uhle company for decades. Inside the booth high above the audience, he has been witness to Ann Arbor’s cinema culture since the 1980s. Join Deb Polich, your "creative:impact" host, to meet Frank and get a sneak preview of his new book "Cinema Ann Arbor" before it hits the stands in June.
March is Arts Advocacy Month, which gives those in the arts and political fields a chance to come together and discuss how the arts can better our quality of life. Creative Washtenaw CEO Deb Polich and WEMU's David Fair are back together for a special episode of "creative:impact" to talk about the upcoming Cultural Advocacy Day and what it means for the state of Michigan.
Teachers William and Verna Hayes turned their vocation into their passion. Identifying a void in Ypsilanti, a school district absent of an orchestra program, Bill and Verna stepped up to start the Ypsilanti Youth Orchestra and began changing lives. They will be honored with an Outstanding Service Medal on February 27 at THE pARTy!, Creative Washtenaw’s signature benefit event. Bill and Verna join "creative:impact" host Deb Polich.
Peter "Madcat" Ruth and his harmonica have delighted music fans here and across the world for decades. A Grammy Award winner, Madcat includes Dave Brubeck and his sons Chris and Danny Brubeck, as well as his longtime partner Shari Kane, on the list of those with whom he’s made music. Madcat receives a Lifetime Achievement Medal on February 27 at THE pARTy!, Creative Washtenaw’s signature benefit event. He joins "creative:impact" host Deb Polich and they talk about his life and career.
Mat Hopson has worn many hats here at WEMU. Fresh out of Central Michigan University, he started out as the board operator for All Things Considered and worked his way up to becoming David Fair’s producer and board operator during Morning Edition (and fills in for David occasionally). Mat also does on-air announcing on Saturdays during Weekend Edition Saturday, This American Life, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me, and Travel with Rick Steves. Plus, Mat puts together web pages for all of the news stories and features right here on wemu.org, has engineered live in-studio performances for The Roots Music Project with Jeremy Baldwin, and, since October 2021, has been Deb Polich’s producer for creative:impact (in case you haven’t heard the last few episodes, Deb does mention that). Yet, despite all of this work, Mat still doesn’t use the coffee maker!