Levi Landis in conversation with Sophia Stopper
Published: May 1, 2024
SS: Here at The Neighbors News, we would like to welcome Levi Landis to the community. Landis is Executive Director at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts and an Educator at Villanova University and Albright College. Levi, it's wonderful to speak with you.
Tell us about your journey through life. Where are you from and where have you traveled in the past? How did you go from High School Graduate to Executive Director and Educator?
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LL: The maker and thinker GK Chesterton said that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
When I was very young, I was quite poor and I was born with a very concerning genetic disorder (all my internal organ are on the opposite side!). Doctors studied my condition to help treat me and also to better understand how to treat patients with cystic fibrosis, a very similar genetic condition, but with much more concerning effects. Several of my brilliant, vibrant friends early on weren’t lucky enough to live into their 20s or to have an unencumbered life free from the constraints of their health concerns. I also saw the way that many fell through the cracks of the healthcare system. I was grateful for my own health, and later my privileges, and determined to make a difference with my life. In high school I helped start an organization called Mars Hill in Chambersburg Pennsylvania that was equal parts punk rock/hip-hop venue, and a sort of social enterprise designed to inspire youth engagement and creativity. I continued this work in college helping several nonprofits get started, developing my own music career, and eventually launching a community arts center called Emmaus in downtown Gettysburg, a music and arts venue, school of music, and community center. Throughout my journey as a touring musician and a fledgling arts leader I maintained my gratitude for the creative beautiful people around me, and I learned that I could apply my curiosity and hunger to help other creative people sustain their work and thrive. I became a music manager and producer, a leader of the Philadelphia Folk Fest and the (now called) Museum for Art in Wood before coming to GoggleWorks. My gratitude extends to a city of incredible leaders and my happiness is doubled in wonder of a community of artists and makers, committed to a unified vision for downtown Reading, PA centered on arts, equity, and personal transformation.
SS: GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, whose mission it is to transform lives through unique interactions with art, is based in Downtown Reading, Pennsylvania. Please share with us how you feel GoggleWorks serves the city. What local public benefit does GoggleWorks have for the Reading communities?
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LL: Reading is a vibrant, diverse city with a rich history, tremendous community assets and anchors, and one of the largest and fastest-growing Latino populations in the country. But we also face tremendous challenges. In 2011 Reading was reported widely as the “poorest city in America” (Tavernise, NYT, 2011). While committed city leaders have worked tirelessly to shed this moniker and exit PA Act 87 Distressed City distinction, our community continues to face some of the most comprehensive and acute social challenges including food insecurity, lack of jobs and affordable housing, lack of access to education, gang violence, domestic violence, and more, along with all of the disinvestment and self-limiting beliefs that arise from these challenges.
That's where GoggleWorks comes in. A former goggle factory turned cultural center, we use art, creativity, and community engagement as a vehicle to change some of our society's biggest problems and challenges facing our community.
We've made tremendous strides. Annually, we welcome 250,000 to our campus and serve some 20,000 more through mobile programs. We serve 20,000 students and 15,000 schoolchildren as well as 250 artists, educators, and others who are developing their respective careers. At 145,000 sq. ft., our campus boasts 16 communal teaching studios, 35 artists studios, four urban gardens, a store, a theatre, a forthcoming restaurant and 3-acre Art Park, and dozens of on-site partners. Our programs break down into categories of education, visitor engagement, outreach, and artist development. We have successfully piloted programs tackling some of our largest challenges by engaging neighbors and using public programs as a vehicle for growth. We have seen students' lives change, careers launched, and our community transformed.
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SS: Please expand on the ASAP Program at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. Who comes to participate in these programs? What kind of activities do they do?
LL: The After School Arts Program (ASAP) offers students, ages 7-17, residing in the Reading School District and beyond, the opportunity to explore, experiment, and develop their creativity through hands-on, collaborative projects at no cost to their families. Taught by professional artists and educators within the safe, dynamic studio environments at GoggleWorks, ASAP runs three terms per year (fall, winter, and spring), Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:30pm. Students, some of whom face significant challenges to access and education, can choose to attend one or more classes per week offered in their respective age bracket. All ASAP students with a perfect attendance record will be invited to attend a free glassblowing workshop upon completion of the program. Each term, the program culminates with a Family Arts Night to showcase the students’ completed work.
In 2018, we expanded the program to deepen the impact for students interested in furthering their learning or potential career pathways in the arts. The Student Ambassador Fellowship Program at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts offers high school students the opportunity to explore their artistic skills and expand their portfolios within a professional studio environment, under the guidance of professional artist-mentors. Fellows are selected based on their artistic merit, academic achievement, teacher recommendations, and interest in pursuing higher education and/or professional careers in the arts. The seven-week program includes 20 hours of mentor time, a communal Fellow Studio, access to GoggleWorks’ teaching studios, one free summer course, professional development, and a materials stipend. Final projects will be displayed in a culminating exhibition at GoggleWorks.
For more information click here.
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SS: What exhibitions are up right now? Who are the artists behind the works? How can people come and visit these shows at the art center? Are tours available of the exhibitions to assist with interpretation?
LL: GoggleWorks is open daily 9am-9pm with free admission and parking.
Apr 26-Jun 16, 2024
Homage: Painting and Sculpture by Susan Morrison
COHEN GALLERY EAST
The language Morrison speaks is the language of line, shape, and color moving in space. These elements construct a composition of positive and negative space – the presence and absence, the yin and yang of the visual world. The relationships inherent in the interaction of these elements tell a story – the story the artist speaks and the story the viewer interprets. The literal narrative is not a limit I impose on this process. Morrison engages the viewer in a dialogue that is both personal and universal, working with oil on canvas and on paper in two dimensional work. In her three dimensional work, she works with steel and fiber, sometimes with the addition of hardware cloth for support or as part of the design.Unfortunately, gender roles often separated the welders from the seamstresses. Morrison explores a fluidity in both media – an intersection that provides new possibilities for both.
Apr 26-Jun 16, 2024
Cynthia Hron: Terrain
COHEN GALLERY WEST
Cynthia Hron’s work seeks to encompass the social and cultural history of landscape and place, which has served as a catalyst for many drawings, sculptures, and public projects. Hron’s more recent venture into landscape architecture has led to a significant shift providing an opportunity to blend aesthetic interests with the function of landscape in the built environment.. Magic Mountain is a group of drawings inspired by the form and function of landfill spaces. The series attempts to capture the atmosphere of the effluvial processes of landfill function.
Apr 12-May 19, 2024
Mia Fabrizio: A Seat at the Table
ROLF & RENATE SCHMIDT GALLERY
A Seat at the Table presents themes, materiality and processes related to Fabrizio’s overall body of work by honing in on one household item: The Chair. Through re-creation and deconstruction, attention is aimed at the physical chair with a sharp focus on the idea of “a seat” and the broader definitions assigned to both. A Seat at the Table is a visual examination of occupying a space that grants power. Power to be seen, power to be heard and power to contribute to the framing of a society. Within the individual pieces, construction and material choices subvert the basic understood function of a “seat” and reveal illusions of available space. These seats are invitations in name only, token representations. Other pieces reference historical context and the Western idea of upright posture relating to elevated position and appropriate behavior. A Seat at the Table is meant to evoke discussion, so pull up a chair and take your place.
SS: Please tell us about the open call for the LGBTQ+ Art Showcase. Who is Reading Pride Celebration and why the partnership? This is the second annual; what led to the success and rescheduling of this event?
LL: The exhibition reflects our commitment to inclusivity and community engagement. This partnership highlights the intersection of arts and advocacy, leveraging art to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community. The success of the inaugural event encouraged the continuation of this showcase, which serves as a platform for LGBTQ+ artists to express their experiences and stories.The exhibition is open to all artists (ages 16+) in Berks County (and its surrounding counties) who design and produce their own artwork. This juried exhibition aims to showcase local LGBTQ+ artists as a way to celebrate the beauty and resilience of our diverse community. The show is open to all forms of displayable art.
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SS: When visiting GoggleWorks myself to see The Boy and the Heron, Poor Things, and Fallen leaves at the Boscov Film Theater, I’ve noticed the main entrance is closed and that GoggleWorks plans to build an Art Park. Please tell us about this project. What is the projected opening date? How can we support GoggleWorks plans to offer free creative public space to the community to help them meet their opening date?
LL: The GoggleWorks Art Park is a transformative placemaking project aimed at creating a dynamic outdoor cultural hub in the heart of Reading, Pennsylvania. The project will reimagine roughly 100,000 square feet of neglected city spaces into publicly-accessible, culturally-vibrant greenspaces designed to creatively and equitably engage residents and visitors, advance safety and comfort, catalyze downtown revitalization, connect city assets, build community resilience, and drive cross-cultural dialogue and civic pride.
The project expands on our outreach, public art and programming, and mobile programs. Phase 1, as you mention, is under construction planned for substantial completion by the end of the summer. It will bring a new farm-to-table restaurant, expanded gardens, artist demonstration space, a new farm market, and an outdoor music venue and cafe to the campus. Phase 2, targeting a 1 acre plot and with more ambitious goals, will require more community co-design and input, but we think we can use the project to enrich the quality of life for those that don’t even know GoggleWorks exists, bringing an amphitheatre, sculpture garden, mini-golf, splash pad, and launching creative interactive programs that activate the space with art, design, and music. Anyone interested can join our email list for more information or get involved as a volunteer, artist, donor, or member.
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SS: To wrap up, do you have any closing thoughts? Anything you’d like to mention about your passions and interests as a professional in the arts?
LL: Make something every day. Learn to draw, no matter what your field. Open yourself up to the wonder of the world, never limiting yourself or others, always learning. Overcome collective challenges by bonding together with those closest to you in love and creating a shared vision for your future.
Tell us about your journey through life. Where are you from and where have you traveled in the past? How did you go from High School Graduate to Executive Director and Educator?
LL: The maker and thinker GK Chesterton said that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.
When I was very young, I was quite poor and I was born with a very concerning genetic disorder (all my internal organ are on the opposite side!). Doctors studied my condition to help treat me and also to better understand how to treat patients with cystic fibrosis, a very similar genetic condition, but with much more concerning effects. Several of my brilliant, vibrant friends early on weren’t lucky enough to live into their 20s or to have an unencumbered life free from the constraints of their health concerns. I also saw the way that many fell through the cracks of the healthcare system. I was grateful for my own health, and later my privileges, and determined to make a difference with my life. In high school I helped start an organization called Mars Hill in Chambersburg Pennsylvania that was equal parts punk rock/hip-hop venue, and a sort of social enterprise designed to inspire youth engagement and creativity. I continued this work in college helping several nonprofits get started, developing my own music career, and eventually launching a community arts center called Emmaus in downtown Gettysburg, a music and arts venue, school of music, and community center. Throughout my journey as a touring musician and a fledgling arts leader I maintained my gratitude for the creative beautiful people around me, and I learned that I could apply my curiosity and hunger to help other creative people sustain their work and thrive. I became a music manager and producer, a leader of the Philadelphia Folk Fest and the (now called) Museum for Art in Wood before coming to GoggleWorks. My gratitude extends to a city of incredible leaders and my happiness is doubled in wonder of a community of artists and makers, committed to a unified vision for downtown Reading, PA centered on arts, equity, and personal transformation.
SS: GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, whose mission it is to transform lives through unique interactions with art, is based in Downtown Reading, Pennsylvania. Please share with us how you feel GoggleWorks serves the city. What local public benefit does GoggleWorks have for the Reading communities?
LL: Reading is a vibrant, diverse city with a rich history, tremendous community assets and anchors, and one of the largest and fastest-growing Latino populations in the country. But we also face tremendous challenges. In 2011 Reading was reported widely as the “poorest city in America” (Tavernise, NYT, 2011). While committed city leaders have worked tirelessly to shed this moniker and exit PA Act 87 Distressed City distinction, our community continues to face some of the most comprehensive and acute social challenges including food insecurity, lack of jobs and affordable housing, lack of access to education, gang violence, domestic violence, and more, along with all of the disinvestment and self-limiting beliefs that arise from these challenges.
That's where GoggleWorks comes in. A former goggle factory turned cultural center, we use art, creativity, and community engagement as a vehicle to change some of our society's biggest problems and challenges facing our community.
We've made tremendous strides. Annually, we welcome 250,000 to our campus and serve some 20,000 more through mobile programs. We serve 20,000 students and 15,000 schoolchildren as well as 250 artists, educators, and others who are developing their respective careers. At 145,000 sq. ft., our campus boasts 16 communal teaching studios, 35 artists studios, four urban gardens, a store, a theatre, a forthcoming restaurant and 3-acre Art Park, and dozens of on-site partners. Our programs break down into categories of education, visitor engagement, outreach, and artist development. We have successfully piloted programs tackling some of our largest challenges by engaging neighbors and using public programs as a vehicle for growth. We have seen students' lives change, careers launched, and our community transformed.
SS: Please expand on the ASAP Program at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts. Who comes to participate in these programs? What kind of activities do they do?
LL: The After School Arts Program (ASAP) offers students, ages 7-17, residing in the Reading School District and beyond, the opportunity to explore, experiment, and develop their creativity through hands-on, collaborative projects at no cost to their families. Taught by professional artists and educators within the safe, dynamic studio environments at GoggleWorks, ASAP runs three terms per year (fall, winter, and spring), Monday through Thursday from 3:30-5:30pm. Students, some of whom face significant challenges to access and education, can choose to attend one or more classes per week offered in their respective age bracket. All ASAP students with a perfect attendance record will be invited to attend a free glassblowing workshop upon completion of the program. Each term, the program culminates with a Family Arts Night to showcase the students’ completed work.
In 2018, we expanded the program to deepen the impact for students interested in furthering their learning or potential career pathways in the arts. The Student Ambassador Fellowship Program at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts offers high school students the opportunity to explore their artistic skills and expand their portfolios within a professional studio environment, under the guidance of professional artist-mentors. Fellows are selected based on their artistic merit, academic achievement, teacher recommendations, and interest in pursuing higher education and/or professional careers in the arts. The seven-week program includes 20 hours of mentor time, a communal Fellow Studio, access to GoggleWorks’ teaching studios, one free summer course, professional development, and a materials stipend. Final projects will be displayed in a culminating exhibition at GoggleWorks.
For more information click here.
SS: What exhibitions are up right now? Who are the artists behind the works? How can people come and visit these shows at the art center? Are tours available of the exhibitions to assist with interpretation?
LL: GoggleWorks is open daily 9am-9pm with free admission and parking.
Apr 26-Jun 16, 2024
Homage: Painting and Sculpture by Susan Morrison
COHEN GALLERY EAST
The language Morrison speaks is the language of line, shape, and color moving in space. These elements construct a composition of positive and negative space – the presence and absence, the yin and yang of the visual world. The relationships inherent in the interaction of these elements tell a story – the story the artist speaks and the story the viewer interprets. The literal narrative is not a limit I impose on this process. Morrison engages the viewer in a dialogue that is both personal and universal, working with oil on canvas and on paper in two dimensional work. In her three dimensional work, she works with steel and fiber, sometimes with the addition of hardware cloth for support or as part of the design.Unfortunately, gender roles often separated the welders from the seamstresses. Morrison explores a fluidity in both media – an intersection that provides new possibilities for both.
Apr 26-Jun 16, 2024
Cynthia Hron: Terrain
COHEN GALLERY WEST
Cynthia Hron’s work seeks to encompass the social and cultural history of landscape and place, which has served as a catalyst for many drawings, sculptures, and public projects. Hron’s more recent venture into landscape architecture has led to a significant shift providing an opportunity to blend aesthetic interests with the function of landscape in the built environment.. Magic Mountain is a group of drawings inspired by the form and function of landfill spaces. The series attempts to capture the atmosphere of the effluvial processes of landfill function.
Apr 12-May 19, 2024
Mia Fabrizio: A Seat at the Table
ROLF & RENATE SCHMIDT GALLERY
A Seat at the Table presents themes, materiality and processes related to Fabrizio’s overall body of work by honing in on one household item: The Chair. Through re-creation and deconstruction, attention is aimed at the physical chair with a sharp focus on the idea of “a seat” and the broader definitions assigned to both. A Seat at the Table is a visual examination of occupying a space that grants power. Power to be seen, power to be heard and power to contribute to the framing of a society. Within the individual pieces, construction and material choices subvert the basic understood function of a “seat” and reveal illusions of available space. These seats are invitations in name only, token representations. Other pieces reference historical context and the Western idea of upright posture relating to elevated position and appropriate behavior. A Seat at the Table is meant to evoke discussion, so pull up a chair and take your place.
SS: Please tell us about the open call for the LGBTQ+ Art Showcase. Who is Reading Pride Celebration and why the partnership? This is the second annual; what led to the success and rescheduling of this event?
LL: The exhibition reflects our commitment to inclusivity and community engagement. This partnership highlights the intersection of arts and advocacy, leveraging art to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community. The success of the inaugural event encouraged the continuation of this showcase, which serves as a platform for LGBTQ+ artists to express their experiences and stories.The exhibition is open to all artists (ages 16+) in Berks County (and its surrounding counties) who design and produce their own artwork. This juried exhibition aims to showcase local LGBTQ+ artists as a way to celebrate the beauty and resilience of our diverse community. The show is open to all forms of displayable art.
SS: When visiting GoggleWorks myself to see The Boy and the Heron, Poor Things, and Fallen leaves at the Boscov Film Theater, I’ve noticed the main entrance is closed and that GoggleWorks plans to build an Art Park. Please tell us about this project. What is the projected opening date? How can we support GoggleWorks plans to offer free creative public space to the community to help them meet their opening date?
LL: The GoggleWorks Art Park is a transformative placemaking project aimed at creating a dynamic outdoor cultural hub in the heart of Reading, Pennsylvania. The project will reimagine roughly 100,000 square feet of neglected city spaces into publicly-accessible, culturally-vibrant greenspaces designed to creatively and equitably engage residents and visitors, advance safety and comfort, catalyze downtown revitalization, connect city assets, build community resilience, and drive cross-cultural dialogue and civic pride.
The project expands on our outreach, public art and programming, and mobile programs. Phase 1, as you mention, is under construction planned for substantial completion by the end of the summer. It will bring a new farm-to-table restaurant, expanded gardens, artist demonstration space, a new farm market, and an outdoor music venue and cafe to the campus. Phase 2, targeting a 1 acre plot and with more ambitious goals, will require more community co-design and input, but we think we can use the project to enrich the quality of life for those that don’t even know GoggleWorks exists, bringing an amphitheatre, sculpture garden, mini-golf, splash pad, and launching creative interactive programs that activate the space with art, design, and music. Anyone interested can join our email list for more information or get involved as a volunteer, artist, donor, or member.
SS: To wrap up, do you have any closing thoughts? Anything you’d like to mention about your passions and interests as a professional in the arts?
LL: Make something every day. Learn to draw, no matter what your field. Open yourself up to the wonder of the world, never limiting yourself or others, always learning. Overcome collective challenges by bonding together with those closest to you in love and creating a shared vision for your future.
Levi Landis is an artist and nonprofit leader with 20 years of experience in management, administration, arts, and education. He is currently the President and Executive Director of GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, where he has launched over two dozen major programs; opened five new studios on the campus as well as a makerspace with Penn State; and raised over $10m in new operating revenue and secured the first endowment of $12m. In September, the nonprofit broke ground on Phase 1 of the GoggleWorks Art Park, a dynamic placemaking initiative to expand the center's outreach and redesign neglected city spaces as a greenspace and cultural hub. Before joining GoggleWorks, Landis was the COO at The Museum for Art in Wood, which has been recognized internationally as one of the most valuable resources in the field of wood art. Prior to his work in the visual arts, he was a touring musician and the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Folksong Society (PFS), the parent nonprofit of The Philadelphia Folk Festival, the longest continuously running festival of its size and scope in the country. Landis is an adjunct professor at Villanova University - where he also holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration - as well as Albright College in Reading, PA. He is the founder of Floating Festivals, a community-centered arts and events production company, and volunteers regularly in the community, including current service as a board member of Penn State University-Berks, PA Americana Region (Visitors Bureau), and the Reading Film Office.
@levilandis
@goggleworks
goggleworks.org
@levilandis
@goggleworks
goggleworks.org
Sophia Stopper is a visual artist, poet, and curator. They received their MFA in Performance from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and their BFA in Studio Art from New York University. Sophia has held positions as Curator at the Bridgeport Art Center (Chicago, US) and Exhibitions Coordinator at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (Reading, US). Exhibiting internationally, Sophia has shown in the NYUAD Project Space Gallery (Abu Dhabi, UAE), Kalerie s čupr uměním Saigon (Ostrava, CZ), and the Water Tower Art Festival (Sofia, BG). They were an artist in residence at De Liceiras 18 (Porto, PT). Sophia has had their writing published by HeadwayLit, in a car on a road going to a place, and Pen Street: City of Poems. Their spoken word poetry has been featured by Old Ways New Tools (Chicago, US), IMPACT: Performance Festival (Chicago, US), and Signal to Noise (Brighton, UK). Traveling by bookstore, Sophia has lived on four continents and cherishes flying in a hot air balloon above a field of poppies in the Turkish countryside as one of their fondest memories.