Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Feldman.
Ann, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I lost my singing voice, I found my true career. After singing as a cantorial and church soloist for decades, my singing voice became damaged. I decided that instead of putting myself before the public, I wanted to showcase the artistic and civil achievements of others, especially women and minorities. In 1989, I founded nonprofit Artistic Circles, whose mission is “collaborative media for the common good.” Through our nearly 30 year history, I’ve created partnerships with individuals and communities whose voices are not normally heard in mainstream media. I showcased those voices and stories in video and radio documentaries, musical CDs, public programs, books and articles.
The video documentaries are “Water Pressures,” where I built a partnership between a desert community in Rajasthan, India and students and faculty at Evanston’s Northwestern University. The United Nations Development Programme helped us bring students and faculty to Rajasthan, and brought the water leadership of Rajasthan to the U.S. (Please see www.waterpressures.org) At the events of 9/11, I decided to build a partnership between Chicago’s Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Latino and African American communities – through their women religious leaders. That resulted in “Ties That Bind,” which was broadcast nationwide and used for dozens of interfaith events across the country. The UN, PBS Learning Media, and Bono’s ONE.org use the documentaries and discussion guides for educational outreach.
I also traveled to China in 1997 on a fellowship from the City of Chicago and Shenyang, China government to create a 12-part radio series for PRI Public Radio International. That series featured the stories and music of women and girls in leading cities in China. I also created one of the first radio series about women and music, called “Noteworthy Women.” Please visit our website www.artisticcircles.org to see the programs.
The programs I created and produced were broadcast in the U.S., China, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and India. My current project is “The Copyist,” a historical novel about a Jewish woman who faced danger and community censure to save a sacred text in Poland in the 1580s.
As with all my other projects, the theme of this book is reclaiming an important “lost” voice in order to inspire audiences to find their own voices and share their stories.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Hardly! Raising $500,000 per documentary and getting in-kind donations was a true challenge. Building partnerships between communities that knew little of each other and had a healthy distrust took all my diplomacy and patience, but was worth it in the end. There wasn’t a single project I produced that didn’t appear to fall apart in the middle or near the end. However, I have tenacity and a clear vision of the social change I want to create.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Artistic Circles story. Tell us more about the business.
We’re a tiny nonprofit that has created media projects that are broadcast worldwide.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I’m lucky every day in the fascinating people I meet, partner with, and learn from – in my life and business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artisticcircles.org
- Email: artisticcircles@gmail.com
- Facebook: waterpressures@me.com
Image Credit:
Artistic Circles
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