Talking Art: Conversations from the Melting Pot of NY Creativity
Let’s talk about the ART!
Too often, the professional aspects of being an artist, like funding and marketing, dominate our thoughts and conversations. This panel discussion recenters the meaning and creativity behind the actual art through conversations with a diverse group of artists.
On Thursday, July 17th, artists across mediums will get together at The Protagonist Festival – a monthly melting pot of NY creativity that’s part indoor street fair, part surprise variety show. From crafters, painters, writers, and collectors, to songwriters, comedians, poets, and dancers, audiences are immersed in a lively bazaar of artistry, where something new happens every 15 minutes.
On Friday, July 18th, a group of artists from the festival will head to the Brooklyn Public Library for Arts & Culture to talk about the art they shared the night before. Join us for a deep dive into the stories behind the songs, paintings, dances, jokes, and more!
Reasons to join:
- Hear directly from a unique mix of NYC-based artists about what drives their work
- Explore the personal, cultural, and emotional layers behind the art
- Connect with fellow creatives and art-lovers in the new Library for Arts & Culture, a public space dedicated to supporting the arts in an open, celebratory space
- Get inspired by the unexpected intersections of different forms of art
- Be part of a growing community that champions artistic expression
- Leave buzzing with fresh ideas, new connections, and maybe even a new favorite artist or two
Moderator
Alex Gallinari
Alex is a Brooklyn-based community builder, marketer, and most importantly, art lover. Despite growing up a musician, he didn’t seek the stage, but made it his mission to support music’s unique and vibrant communities. After getting his start as a concert promoter and music writer in New York, he moved out to the Bay Area to lead music marketing and community initiatives at Eventbrite. Alex returned to New York and is focusing on his passion for local art, working to create a community platform that uplifts artists and inspires audiences.
Panelists
LA-born, NYC-based singer-songwriter Eliza Spear writes cinematic indie-folk music that invites listeners to cast themselves as their own hero. Her sophomore album, PROTAGONIST, combines the intimacy of the singer-songwriter canon with the immediacy of the best pop. The lyrics tell the story of a particularly intense period of her life and, where other songwriters might settle for easy cliches, she reaches for the sorts of vulnerable truths that can bridge the divide between her and the listener. The album has taken physical form at The Protagonist Festivals, as Eliza uses her platform to bring together artists of all kinds, encouraging audiences to discover art in all of its depth, and their protagonist within.
Shelby is the artistic director and choreographer of Yaroque Dance Theatre, a company they founded to unite diverse artistic voices into a distinctive movement language. Their works have been showcased internationally, including in Tel Aviv, Israel, New York and Ohio, and at the Royal Conservatoire of Dance in The Hague, Netherlands, as well as in four dance-for-film projects. "Yaroque" ("ya-rok"), meaning "green" in Hebrew, reflects both Shelby's surname and their commitment to puns. Their choreography combines drag, mime, and clowning with Graham and Balanchine techniques. Fusing old-fashioned showmanship with an avant-garde movement language, Shelby’s work explores perception, contradiction, and facade in a package that is both high concept and high camp. In their heightened world, absurdity becomes a vehicle for vulnerability, satire an invitation for dialogue, and laughter a Trojan horse that unleashes the question of what we find funny and why.
Nory is a Miami-born, New York-based musician known for blending experimental electronic, jazz, and rock sensibilities with hip-hop, often performing with a live band. He started his musical journey as a dancer inspired by Michael Jackson, which sparked his curiosity about music production. He taught himself music production using GarageBand and later moved to New York to immerse himself in the music scene, finding his true performance style in live music.
Fareeha Khan is a comedian, writer, and performer known for her offbeat charm and sharp, stoner-tinged humor. She’s performed across NYC with her solo show I Actually Don’t Feel That Good, featured on Comedy Central’s Tight Five hosted by Ilana Glazer, and toured her stand up with Man Repeller. Her writing has appeared in Reductress and the book Every Body. You can see her in the movie Babes (2024) starring Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau. Her self-published zine about art and capitalism has been distributed around the country (and sometimes world), building community through comics and honest takes on life’s current conditions. Born in Karachi and raised in the American South, her outsider perspective shapes a comedic voice that’s both distinctive and deeply relatable.
Information for the The Protagonist Festival
