State Of The Arts NYC Celebrates Third Year

November 13th marks the third anniversary of the radio show now podcast, State of the Arts NYC. Hosted by Savona Bailey-McClain, public art curator and local historian, the show offers a behind-the-scene look for listeners. According to McClain, "I am very proud that the show has covered the creative arts in all five boroughs. I am also proud that we have diverse guests that speak to our current times and how we can be more caring to one another".

That became real for McClain this past April when her radio show was stripped of its prime time evening slot with WBAI FM Radio. She just had the Resistance Revival Choir which performed at the Grammy's singing live on her show as well as other women impacted by the #MeToo Movement like Tanya Selvaratnam on her show to honor Women's History Month.

The station sited financial concerns but none of the producers are paid. They all volunteer. In addition to hosting their shows, radio producers handle all research, scheduling and social media. Because the station is listener supported, producers are also expected to help raise funds on top of producing without marketing or advertising support.

The weight of that situation was too much to bear and the treatment of women producers at the station was too much to bear. Now State of the Arts NYC records at BRIC Radio in Downtown Brooklyn on Fulton Street. In addition to her new relationship with BRIC Media, McClain can be heard on several audio platforms like iHeart Radio, Radio Public, Castbox, Tunein and FM Players. She even formed a relationship with Pacifica, the parent company to WBAI and their podcasting platform Audioport. She will create a new show for that platform this coming spring.

State of the Arts NYC can now focus on producing quality shows. To celebrate their third anniversary, the host chose to talk with Esther Adler, Associate Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints at The Museum of Modern Art on Charles White.

This is the artist's first major retrospective by an American Museum. Charles White had a four-decade long career and felt that the artist must be pro-active in shaping the struggles of his or her times. He was a multi-disciplinary artist, a master draftsman, printmaker and painter. McClain talks with Esther Adler on how the show developed and why this artist is so important to America at this time. Hear the broadcast tomorrow online -- iTunes, BRIC Radio, Tunein, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, Radio Public, Youtube and Soundcloud -- and read the post, which offers more background on the show.