Season 3, Episode 5 with Jessie Cox, composer, percussionist, scholar, and Assistant Professor in the Harvard Department of Music.

Jessie Cox has performed and created with ensembles including the Sun Ra Arkestra, LA Phil, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, and the International Contemporary Ensemble.

In this episode, Jessie and ArtLab director Bree Edwards dive into his course Music, Technology, and Ecology and the instrument-making workshops held at ArtLab. Together, they explore how sound shapes belonging—and how making new instruments can open new ways of understanding the world.

https://www.jessiecoxmusic.com/

Listen via the ArtLab website or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Visible through the windows of the ArtLab, the construction site for the American Repertory Theater’s new Goel Center for Creativity and Performance bustles with activity. This new home for the A.R.T. promises to accommodate public gatherings and community activities alongside the typical slate of theatrical works, weaving itself into a thriving arts community in Allston.

In Season 3, episode 4 of “Works in Progress,” ArtLab director Bree Edwards speaks with Dayron J. Miles, Associate Artistic Director at the American Repertory Theater, about the power of theater to bring communities together.

Dayron’s belief in theater as an artistic experience that helps exercise skills of democratic thinking grounds much of his practice. This ideal draws back to the early days of Western theater in Ancient Greece — a source of inspiration for Dayron. With anecdotes stretching from his time in high school to his current work with the A.R.T., Dayron shares his experiences connecting with local communities and building empathy through theatrical exposure.

Looking forward to the Goel Center’s opening, we discuss how this new space turns many of these ideals into a reality. Join us for a thoughtful conversation that reminds us to keep listening and playing throughout our lives.

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston

Works in Progress Season 3 Ep 3– Episode: Every Child is an Artist with Dr. Louisa Penfold

In this episode of Works in Progress, ArtLab Director Bree Edwards talks with Dr. Louisa Penfold, Faculty Co-Chair of Arts and Learning at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and faculty resident at the ArtLab during 2022 and 2025.

Dr. Penfold is the project director of Project Zero’s Art/Play, an NEA-funded study exploring how modern and contemporary art practices can be integrated into public schools. This groundbreaking project brings together partners from the Boston Public Schools Department of Early Childhood, the Smithsonian Learning Lab, MoMA, and the Harvard Art Museums to reimagine how children and teachers learn through creative engagement, curriculum design, and professional development.

During her ArtLab residency, Louisa has led numerous hands-on studio workshops where students from the Graduate School of Education have explored New Materialism as a framework for enhancing creative learning and research.

Bree and Louisa also discuss Louisa’s new book, Every Child is an Artist, a guide for parents of young children that bridges her interdisciplinary work in contemporary art, early childhood education, and play.

Listen in to learn how Dr. Penfold’s research and practice inspire new ways of thinking about creativity, learning, and the role of art in education.

https://louisapenfold.com/

Thanks for joining us for Works in Progress. We hope these conversations give you a glimpse into the creativity, collaboration, and experimentation happening at ArtLab. To learn more, visit artlab.harvard.edu.

The podcast is recorded in the Mead Production Lab at the ArtLab in Boston, Massachusetts.

Hosted by Bree Edwards
Audio by Luke Damroch
Production by Kat Nakaji
Research by Sadie Trichler & Ria Cuéllar-Koh

Design by James Blue & Sonia Ralston