The Art of Mass Gatherings Podcast
The Art of Mass Gatherings Podcast explores the intersection of festivals and community resilience, focusing on the powerful role that arts and events can play in climate and disaster preparedness. Since 2017, we’ve turned festivals across the country into classrooms for sharing practical knowledge across diverse fields such as arts, city and disaster planning, culture, and food. The podcast features dialogues with event producers and emergency experts, emphasizing the four pillars of resilient gatherings: safety, sustainability, accessibility, and community engagement. It delves into the role of cultural traditions and festivals as platforms for social change.
Ep. 1 Emma Stuart on Crowds, Civil Disruptions & Climate Change
Join hosts Matthew Kowal and Tom Clareson, with special guest Emma Stuart, an event and crowd safety expert, for an insightful look into festivals as a force for good in our rapidly changing world.
Ep. 2 The Walk & Talk
Majestic Collaborations colleagues Bert and Matt explore how art and empathy become the tools for mutual aid and social change, and why preserving cultural events is essential for a city’s soul and preparedness.
Ep. 3 Festival Safety from Santa Barbara’s Emergency Manager & Route 91 Festival Survivor
In this episode, emergency management expert Kelly Hubbard shares wisdom about how communities can both prepare and recover from disasters, using her very personal experience of the mass shooting at the Route 91 music festival as a key case study. Kelly emphasizes the crucial role of clear communication, shares examples of how to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, and suggets savvy ways emergency responders and the arts community can collaborate, including when it comes to the particular challenges and opportunities of pop-up events. Discover how art therapy can aid in community recovery and how lessons learned from this tragedy can inform future preparedness strategies.
Ep. 4 What Festivals Can Teach Us About Accessibility During Disaster
Learn more with us about the need for creative and practical solutions for people with disabilities, such as alternative methods of accessing elevated areas and adapting mobility equipment for different terrains. Featuring insights from Heather Lafferty, Burning Man’s Rat Lady, and Irene Navis in conversation with Jessica Wallach during a panel at the Nevada Preparedness Summit hosted by Majestic Collaborations.
Ep. 5 Fire Safety for Arts & Events with Chris Soliz
Collaboration between emergency planners and the creative community is essential for effective disaster preparedness. We talk with Chris Soliz, fire safety expert and current TITLE, about how arts and events organizations can protect the safety of their audiences and strengthen resilience in their entire communities. Don’t miss an episode packed with practical insights and advice about hosting safe, accessible events!
We're thrilled to be partnering with the Association of Performing Arts Professionals in an act of mutual aid this season! Don't miss the latest episodes of their award-winning podcast ARTS. WORK. LIFE, featuring bold, untold stories from arts workers about what it's like to work in the performing arts. We love their behind-the-scenes look at how fellow professionals are navigating industry challenges and thriving in the field, sharing both moments of failure and heartbreak as well as triumph and success.
Other Resources
Other Resources
The intro & outro music is written & performed by podcast host Matthew Kowal with his band The Reals. Listen to the original song, "Fairly Natural."
