LEO, March 13, 2024

EDITORIAL

Editor in Chief - Erica Rucker

Digital Media Editor

Sydney Catinna

Culture Writer - Aria Baci

Contributing Arts Editor

Jo Anne Triplett

CREATIVE SERVICES

Creative Director - Haimanti Germain

Art Director - Evan Sult

Graphic Designer - Aspen Smit

BUSINESS MANAGER

Elizabeth Knapp

DIRECTOR OF SALES

Marsha Blacker

CONTRIBUTORS

Robin Garr, Jeff Polk, Tracy

Heightchew, Dan Savage, Marc Murphy, T. E. Lyons, Rob Brezsny, Deborah Yetter (Kentucky Lantern), Elizabeth Kramer and Arts Angle

Vantage

Chief Executive Officer

Chris Keating

Vice President of Digital Services

Stacy Volhein

Digital Operations Coordinator

Elizabeth Knapp

Director of Operations

Emily Fear

Chief Financial Officer

Guillermo Rodriguez

YOU ARE CAPABLE

BY ERICA RUCKER

Erica Rucker is LEO Weekly’s editor-in-chief. In addition to her work at LEO, she is a haphazard writer, photographer, tarot card reader, and fair-to-middling purveyor of motherhood. Her earliest memories are of telling stories to her family and promising that the next would be shorter than the first. They never were.

Women need to stop being concerned with likeability.

It is Women’s History Month and I’ve been thinking a lot about being a woman in a position of authority. My role is small in the scheme of women at the head of organizations but there are times when I realize that my being a woman makes my interactions with men a source of comedy and unnecessary tension.

Men can be comical when confronted by strong women, but as a somewhat assertive woman who will ask for what is necessary — and needed — for my team to be at its best, I am amused when men seem even remotely put out by something I’ve said. Add to that being a Black woman, and I’m sure that the “angry Black woman” trope comes across really big to some guys.

I am what I am, and what you will get is always honest and true to what I believe. I take my job seriously in that I feel a duty to my community to offer the best version of LEO that I can, and though there have been difficulties in doing that, I’m more focused than ever on returning LEO to its place of being a strong voice in Louisville.

Since the LEO readership leans female, I’m writing this, in particular, to other women to say something very simple. You are capable. Trust yourself.

One, if you are in a position where you make decisions, make them without apologies, and make them without the need to take care of other adult’s feelings in the process. I’m not saying to be cold and heartless but know that your decision can be and should be for the health of your role, your company, or your family — and you should never second guess or doubt your ability to make the best decisions.

Too often, I find myself questioning why I’m in this role and nitpicking myself about everything I do. In the last few months, big decisions are so much of what I have been doing that I’ve learned something big about myself. I’m capable.

I’ve picked a team, so far, that is also capable and I hope that as I grow in feeling empowered in my role that I can lift them up and help them feel that way too.

LEO has such a legacy in this city as well, that I’ve hesitated to change aspects of the paper even if I found them tedious or outdated. But, just because something has always been doesn’t mean that it should always be. LEO needed to grow up with its years and someone had to be there to make that happen.

It’s funny that this seems like such a simple thing to say to other women — “you are capable and trust yourself” — but sisters, we do need to hear it. We need other women to tell us and we need to tell other women because there are days when the “boys” club certainly doesn’t take us seriously and underestimates our skills and decision-making abilities.

I’ve realized that the more I get stung by the slight sexist comment or response — even when the person doesn’t realize what they’ve said has crossed a line — the stronger and more “in-your-face” I tend to grow. It becomes a challenge and instead of feeling defeated, I do what men do. I puff out my chest and dig in my heels a bit more. Maybe it’s the right thing to do, maybe it puts me in the crosshairs, or the unemployment line but if I feel something is right, I’ll stand up for it. I learned from a long line of really amazing and stubborn women.

You with me?

HB 9 & SB202: ANTI-DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION BILLS PUT KENTUCKY (AND INDIANA) STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND EDUCATORS AT RISK

These bills put federally-protected rights in danger while letting state schools collect federal dollars.

BY ERICA RUCKER

Anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion legislation in Kentucky and Indiana’s state legislature is putting higher education at risk for educators, families and students.

Across the U.S., the race to end necessary Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs — including scholarships and

educational programming — is heating up in states with Republican-led legislature. This puts student access to education at risk while undermining the work of faculty members of color. The bills seek to end any discussions of diversity, along with educational instruction or debate about race.

This week, it was reported that Indiana governor Eric Holcomb refused to meet with civil rights and education leaders in Indiana over the proposed Senate Bill 202 (SB 202). Similar to other DEI bills across the nation, SB 202 focuses on the tenure of university hires

and replaces the term “diversity, equity, and inclusion” with “intellectual diversity.”

According to Indianapolis’s MirrorIndy, the governor’s spokesperson said the governor did not refuse to meet and that the group was connected with the legislative director on Friday, as is the typical process for the office.

“Proponents of SB 202 and copycat legislation in other states argue that they are protecting the rights of DEI opponents in danger of being silenced in university communities that value diversity,” The Indiana Capital Chronicle reported. “But those who have lost their jobs and been driven from their communities as a result of the anti-DEI campaign have not been opponents of Critical Race Theory (CRT), but advocates for cultural diversity and racial justice.”

The repercussions of these bills are being felt across the country from Florida to Texas where educators have come under fire and lost their positions for supporting diversity and actively speaking out against these measures.

These measures seek to protect a very specific class of anti-diversity talking head who fears their antiquated colonialist rants aren’t being heard — the death knell of a dying majority.

Republican legislators across the United States are trying to push legislation to silence students, workers and programs that support diversity, equity and inclusivity in higher education.

SB 202 was sent to Governor Holcomb’s desk this week for signature. On Wednesday, Mar. 6, faculty at Depauw University made a formal opposition statement to SB 202, marking the first time a private university has entered the debate on this bill.

Faculty stated that, “In solidarity with our colleagues at public universities across Indiana, DePauw University faculty oppose Senate Bill 202: dangerous legislation that limits academic freedom, undermines tenure and promotion policies, chills campus speech across the political spectrum, and defunds crucial DEI initiatives.”

At the time of this writing, Governor Holcomb had yet to sign SB 202 and other universities have joined Depauw in opposing it.

Kentucky has House Bill 9 (HB 9) which more blatantly states its purpose in the fight against diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In Kentucky HB 9 would prohibit

postsecondary educational institutions from:

• “Providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual’s religion, race, sex, color, or national origin;

• From influencing the composition of the student body or scholarship recipients on the basis of religion, race, sex, color, or national origin; from implementing a student housing assignment plan on the basis of religion, race, color, or national origin with designated exceptions;

• From expending any resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion, the promotion of discriminatory topics, or bias incident investigations;

• From soliciting statements on an applicant’s experience with or views on religion, race, sex, color, or national origin;

• From requiring a course or training on diversity, equity, and inclusion or discriminatory concepts as a program requirement;

• From permitting credit from a course dedicated to the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion or discriminatory concepts to count towards the total number of credits required for a degree or certificate, or disseminating or profiting from any research, work product, or material that promotes or justifies discriminatory concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion; establish exclusions...”

Kentucky is another state with a Republican supermajority in the state houses making passage of these bills likely even with a veto by the governor. Kentucky seeks to institute these measures by the end of June.

Republican shenanigans continue to cloud the people’s government houses with bills that work only to soothe the egos of tender non-ethnic men and women who are afraid that a diverse country renders them obsolete. Instead of realizing that it is their narrowminded vision of a nation that makes them useless, they are attacking marginalized groups from all spaces using the cloak of “lawmakers” under which to hide. They aren’t working for us, they are creating laws to salve their exposed racist, homophobic, transphobic and backwards underbellies.

For students, educators, parents and other workers in Kentucky and Indiana’s educational systems, these bills present a very dangerous precedent. The federal dollars that are being spent in these institutions, the parents funding, should have all stakeholders furious. At no point should the taxpayer money be used to protect the wrong feelings of cowards who want to keep our country in a state of intellectual and moral decline. We certainly hope that Holcomb will say no to SB 202 now that it is sitting on his desk. If he doesn’t, he should certainly be man enough to answer to the people that are requesting his time to discuss the damage this bill will do. If HB 9 makes it to Beshear’s desk, we hope he will veto and force Republicans to stand in front of the people of the state and lay out how they hope to destroy programs that protect federal rights while hoping to collect federal monies. If ever there was a time that fear and fraud were at work, it is now, across America, throughout the Republican party and Republican-led legislatures.

Anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion legislation in Kentucky and Indiana’s state legislature is putting higher education at risk for educators, families and students.

Alexey Stiop/Fotolia

IS IN VITRO FERTILIZATION UNDER THREAT IN KENTUCKY TOO? LAW MATCHING

ALABAMA’S DEEPENS CONCERNS

Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman says IVF is not prohibited, calls on state officials to safeguard ‘incredible blessing

BY DEBORAH YETTER

Disclaimer: This story is by the Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. More of Kentucky Lantern’s work can be found at kentuckylantern.com. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Kentucky,” said Aaron Kemper. “We’re in trouble.”

protection as human life, allowing likely further legal disputes.

For Lisa Sobel and her husband, being able to have a child through in vitro fertilization, or IVF, was “a dream come true.”“For us, this really is a joy,” Sobel, of Louisville, said. “We want for there to be other families to be able to have this joy.”

He and lawyer Benjamin Potash represent Sobel, the lead plaintiff of three Jewish women suing over Kentucky’s abortion laws, in part because of the potential impact on IVF. They also allege the laws violate their rights under the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act because the abortion laws state life begins at the moment a human egg is fertilized, a Christian religious belief not shared by Jews.

But the recent state Supreme Court ruling in Alabama defining frozen embryos as live children — effectively suspending IVF in that state — has sent shock waves through the IVF community nationwide.

That includes Sobel and her lawyers, who believe Kentucky’s laws on abortion — one virtually identical to Alabama’s — jeopardize IVF here because they define life as starting at fertilization.

“We read the laws and saw that what happened in Alabama could happen in

In Alabama, several clinics, including one at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, stopped IVF services after the Feb. 16 ruling that frozen embryos are “extrauterine children” and thereby are entitled to protection as a human life.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey late Wednesday signed a measure the Republicancontrolled legislature rushed unto law meant to shield health providers from prosecution or lawsuits, which could allow IVF services to resume. But critics said the measure  fails to address the state’s Supreme Court finding that frozen embryos are children and merit

Sobel and her lawyers say the Alabama ruling heightens the urgency for a ruling in their lawsuit which was submitted to Jefferson Circuit Judge Brian Edwards nearly a year ago for a decision. The lawsuit, asking the judge to find the laws violate Kentucky’s Constitution, was filed in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ending the federal right to abortion.

“We’re waiting on a decision, that’s where we are,” Kemper said.

Claims ‘hypothetical’

The Kentucky Attorney General’s office, which is defending the abortion laws, agreed to seek a decision, or summary judgment, from the judge in a May 2023 filing, asking Edwards to rule in its favor.

It argues the laws are constitutional and said the women’s claims of harm are “hypothetical.”

The filing, under former Attorney General Daniel Cameron, a Republican, also argues the laws have no impact on IVF. Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman, who took office in January, is now handling the case.

Coleman, in a statement, called on state officials to focus on “safeguarding access to IVF,” which he described as “an incredible blessing for so many seeking to become parents.”

Under IVF, a woman’s eggs are extracted and fertilized in the lab to be implanted in the uterus; unused embryos may be frozen for future use, donated for research or “adoption” by other parents or discarded.

“The plain language of Kentucky’s laws makes it clear that neither IVF nor the disposal of embryos created through IVF and not yet implanted are prohibited,” the attorney general’s filing said.

The women’s lawyers disagree, saying that Kentucky’s laws explicitly state human life begins at fertilization, leaving the door open for a challenge to IVF for the potential loss or destruction of embryos.

“The previous attorney general said until he was blue in the face that IVF is not illegal,” Potash said. “It’s come to pass.”

That leaves health providers scared of lawsuits or prosecution, they said.

That’s what happened in Alabama after three couples whose frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed in a fertility clinic filed a

Lisa Sobel

The Kentucky Lantern

lawsuit under the state’s “wrongful death of a child” law. The high court ruled in their favor, saying state law “applies to all children, born and unborn, without limitation.”

The Sobel lawsuit challenges a pair of Kentucky laws that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 struck down Roe v. Wade, ending the federal constitutional right to abortion. One, the “trigger law,” ended abortion upon such a decision; the other bans abortion after about six weeks, once embryonic cardiac activity is detected and before many women realize they are pregnant.

Both laws permit very narrow exceptions, allowing abortion only to save the life of or prevent disabling injury to a patient. The laws have no exemptions for rape or incest.

“Word for word, the law in Alabama is identical to the law in Kentucky,” Potash said, referring to the trigger law.

The Alabama law banning abortion even has the same title as Kentucky’s “trigger” law, the “Human Life Protection Act,” and both were passed in 2019, Potash said.

“In all likelihood, this is part of a larger concerted effort by conservatives,” Potash said.

Sobel and plaintiff Jessica Kalb both had children through IVF after struggling with fertility. A third plaintiff, Sarah Baron, was considering the procedure, said the lawsuit filed in October 2022.

A ruling in their favor would protect IVF — as well as restore the right to abortion, Potash said.

“We’re hoping we can get a ruling here in Kentucky,” he said.

The lawyers said they don’t know why Edwards hasn’t yet ruled.

Lawmakers scurry to save IVF

The potential threat to IVF has sent lawmakers scurrying to protect the procedure.

Three Kentucky lawmakers have filed such bills.

Senate Bill 373, filed by Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, would protect health care providers from liability or prosecution over the loss of a human embryo.

Westerfield is a staunch opponent of abortion and has supported state laws pushed through by the legislature’s Republican supermajority that ban the procedure in almost all circumstances.

But he is an outspoken supporter of IVF.

Westerfield’s filing comes as he and his wife are expecting triplets, he announced in January. He said on the Senate floor that they adopted and transferred embryos for the pregnancy. His 6-year-old son is an “embryo adoption” baby, he said.

Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, filed Senate Bill 301, which would protect from “criminal liability” IVF health care providers who meet a “professional standard of care.”

And Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, filed House Bill 757, which would prohibit state or local authorities from trying to limit or interfere with reproductive technology.

It also calls for a new provision in state law declaring that a fertilized human egg or

“I don’t see how they’re ever going to be able to enact a law that protects IVF while maintaining that a fertilized embryo is a human being.” – Aaron Kemper, lawyer for three Louisville women challenging Kentucky’s abortion bans.

embryo in any form outside the uterus “shall not be considered an unborn child.”

The bills follow a recent flurry of action in the Alabama legislature which has advanced bills meant to shield IVF providers following a public outcry over that state’s Supreme Court decision.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican who opposes abortion, said she supports such legislation.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat and supporter of abortion rights, last week blasted Republicans for the current predicament over IVF.

“This is what happens, though, when you embrace extremism,” Beshear said.

In the U.S. Senate, a bill to establish national protections for IVF was blocked by Republicans last week.

Potash and Kemper, the lawyers for the women seeking to overturn Kentucky’s abortion ban, said the problem with most such efforts at the state level is that they try to sidestep laws that say human life begins at fertilization.

“These people want to pass an IVF law while maintaining that a fertilized egg is a human being and I don’t see how that’s possible,” Kemper said. “I don’t see how they’re ever going to be able to enact a law that protects IVF while maintaining that a fertilized embryo is a human being.”

The best outcome to clarify things in Kentucky would be a ruling in the pending lawsuit, the lawyers said.

“We’re hoping we get a decision on our case before someone sues for wrongful death in Kentucky,” Kemper said.

Sobel said the delays are frustrating for her and others in her position considering IVF. The procedure is expensive — costing couples tens of thousands of dollars — and takes an emotional toll, she said.

It’s especially frustrating that the decision rests largely with male officials including a judge, she said.

“Women can only have children for so many years,” she said. “The older you get the more complicated your pregnancy is.”

From Black Mirrors to Midjourney

Piercing through the cacophony of opinions about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its use in the production of art, three Louisvillebased artists present their perspectives. Mary Carothers, Tiffany Calvert, and Josh Azzarella share their processes, their concerns, and their hopes for the use of AI in artmaking.

It Started With An Invite

The daughter of a 6th-grade science teacher and an architect, artist Mary Carothers was encouraged in her childhood to pay attention to the world around her, think for herself, and be creative. After an undergraduate program at Pratt Institute and a graduate program at the Rhode Island School of Design, she began working as an interdisciplinary artist with a particular interest in sculptural and photographic forms. She has been teaching at the Hite Institute of Art + Design at University of Louisville for 26 years and says, plainly yet passionately: “I love teaching!”

Her current practice examines “the trends of the picturesque through historic and contemporary times to present an alternative

By Aria Baci

engagement with landscape representation.”

Carothers recounts that during the 18th century, privileged travelers would turn their backs on nature scenes, and hold a small black mirror called a Claude glass over their shoulders to view softened, idealized scenes behind them. The device reflected scenery that resembled the landscape paintings of Claude Lorrain, a French painter renowned for his sunset-colored depictions of ancient Roman ruins. She says this created “an effect like many do today when making a cellphone selfie with a stylized filter.”

Carothers created her own version of a Claude glass, with which she produces “paradoxical photographs.” The rectangular photographs are captured with a cellphone camera by facing a landscape and positioning the device either in her hand or on a tripod. She then applies filters to intentionally romanticize the image. These photographs are then

Three Louisville-based artists share their perspectives on art and artificial intelligence

used to create “circular idealized content as a collaboration with Artificial Intelligence generators.”

When her friend Jerome Miller invited her to beta test the AI software for Midjourney, she was more skeptical than enthusiastic, “but I played along, prompting the program to deliver the most impossible challenges I could muster.” Most of her initial prompts were related to the concept of infinity, which often produced illustrations reminiscent of science fiction book covers and film posters.

“Working around Valentine’s Day I also prompted Midjourney to imagine Fyodor Dostoevsky vomiting Sweethearts candy and was sternly warned that my privileges would be revoked if I continued to use words such as vomit.”

Cautious Optimism About Possible Futures

“AI simultaneously fascinates and terrifies me,” Carothers said, citing the advances in medical science and improved access to education, yet acknowledges that she soon

starts imagining “a dystopian world where robots replace nurses and shortcuts in education ultimately lead us to short-circuit.”

Carothers thinks that Midjourney is unethical.

“I question structural inequality and the many artists’ images that are stolen unbeknownst to them. At the same time, I am also aware that AI can democratize.”

One of her former students now works for the city of Hazard and uses AI generators to propose design solutions that can help revitalize the city. “Less than a year ago, she would not have been able to make the same headway. Hazard has quickly become an increasingly progressive city that hosted the first DEIB conference in Appalachia.” Carothers attributes some of this success to AI.

Her series “Beyond the Frame” prompts AI generators using only her own photographs with no text. She submitted two images at a time and asked the AI to blend the contents. Her intention was to allow her personal work to commingle with the imagery scraped by commercial AI platforms to create an

Left: Self as Wolf, 2023, by Mary Carothers. Right: Self as Wolf — AI Version.

idealized image. “I imagined myself standing at the mouth of a cave inhabited by a hungry monster that gobbled up my artwork and coughed up something new from the depths of its lair. I found this approach far more fascinating than text prompting.”

She now has a collection of AI-generated images that she pairs with non-AI images and says she is looking forward to the continued exchange between old and new technologies, such as “reclaiming my images by using historic printing processes after being blended in AI.” She plans to continue the “Beyond the Frame” series. “I’ve really only just begun!”

Curating A Personal Data Set

Tiffany Calvert is a Louisville-based painter and Associate Professor at the Hite Institute. She has a particular interest in still life paintings from the Netherlands from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries.

The Dutch interest in objects and their symbolic meaning informed her own painting when, in the late 2010s, she started repainting images of still lifes and then painting abstractly on top of them. “I only did that a few times before I realized,‘this is silly. That takes forever.” So she began to make reproductions of paintings and paint on top of them. This was her way of engaging with some of the most representational paintings in Western art history as if they were abstraction: “to literally paint abstractly into them and try to confuse the two things.”

A problem developed when she enlarged images and could see the remnants of the reproduction. Anyone who has looked closely at a vintage book or magazine will recognize Ben-Day dots, the small dots of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black used to reproduce color in ink on paper. “When you blow it up, you can see them, so that got me thinking about reproduction and digital media. And I started glitching those images.”

During this exploratory time, Calvert had a conversation with a digital media artist who challenged her to try AI. At first, she was unsure if she knew enough coding to be able to play with AI, but the artist introduced her to beta software. “This was before DALL-E came out to the world,” she says. When she realized she had already been manipulating images, only with a different method, she was inspired to create her own data set for the AI, “which was as many still life paintings as I could gather and ask it to try to learn how to make a new one.” Those were her first steps into her current body of work. She has now been using that software for four years.

Many platforms claim that a user can input one to 15 images and the AI will learn, but what actually happens is that the AI has already been trained in an algorithm, and users are simply adding a style on top of it — not entirely unlike what Calvert had been doing manually. “When I was putting in over a thousand images, I had more influence over the data set.” So the next logical step for her was to work with a computer engineer to develop her own machine-learning algorithm without anyone else’s data in it, only hers, and to see what she could do.

A Uniquely 21st Century Approach to Painting

Describing both her process and her finished paintings, Calvert says, “As much as I can abstract them and mutate them, the general public will still recognize the still life-ness of them,” Calvert says. “I’ve always wanted my work to draw someone in and then repulse them, that it be sort of beautiful and enticing and attractive and then its wrongness would come second. That’s what painting has always done.”

Artists have continually looked to paintings like Édouard Manet’s “Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe,” the picnicking painting with a female nude and a half-dressed female bather among two fully-dressed men. Generations of painters have returned to this painting to remake it, Calvert says, “recognizing the abstraction inherent in the original … then abstracting it further.” Painters understand this idea, and then intentionally “mess with space, mess with color, mess with painting,

mess with abstraction.”

Calvert’s still life paintings are “quite distorted, and kind of mutant or gothic,” which she hopes will point out the ugly side of AI. “Obviously, the biological content is also in my work. These are organic forms that look mutated.” Her use of AI to produce these abstractions is deliberate and it will be continual: “I want more people to try using AI because to have a critical eye on it, you need lots of artists’ perspectives.”

The Question of Ethics

“I’m hugely concerned with the ethics of AI,” Calvert says. “But not in the way you would think.” Many artists, from comic book creators to editorial illustrators, are concerned that AI platforms like Leonardo.Ai and Midjourney scrape data from their work without any consideration for their copyrights. Commercial AI platforms have been unapologetic about their use of the intellectual property of multitudinous creatives for their own data sets, which they claim are proprietary, and do not disclose. This practice is not only unethical but also illegal. “They design packets of millions of images and that’s what they train their machine algorithm on, and then they don’t reveal to the public where that imagery came from.” But copyright issues do not bother Calvert much. “I like the idea of my images going back into the feed. I don’t really mind that.”

Her concern is that the general public might not completely understand what is in the data sets that companies are not sharing. If entire social groups and their histories are not included, the data sets that teach AI will begin engaging a new kind of natural selection. She says “the data sets overall skew overwhelmingly toward Western white culture. If you’re going to use those data sets to, for example, solve medical problems, then you are skewed towards solving that medical problem for a white Western genetic makeup.”

The possibility that AI might privilege the health and survival of the dominant culture, to the detriment to others, is a bigger concern to Calvert than intrusion on intellectual property rights because, she says, “I think there’s much bigger implications.”

AI as an Unreliable Narrator

Calvert’s husband Josh Azzarella is also a digital media artist. A recent recipient of the Artist Professional Development Grant from the Great Meadows Foundation, he works especially within the medium of photography. The introduction of AI into his image-making has already presented him with new complexities.

“Photography, since its inception, has

often been perceived as a reliable index of reality,” he says. “However … photography has always been subject to interpretation, bias, manipulation, and alteration.” The same can be said about the rapid expansion of AI image generation. Azzarella wants to examine the ways AI might change the criteria of authenticity that have long been associated with photography.

His piece Untitled #310 was conceived during “a confluence of personal circumstances and response to societal unrest.” Azzarella is immunocompromised, so physical participation in the Breonna Taylor protests in Louisville during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was not possible for him. Nevertheless, he did want to contribute to the discourse around institutional anti-Blackness, police violence, and social justice. The result was his interpretation of gunshot detection technology, a response to “not only the events that unfolded in Louisville but also a resonant commentary on the pervasive gun violence in the U.S.”

Unlike conventional security cameras that passively record their surroundings, Untitled #310 is coded to listen, interpret, and make decisions based on pre-specified auditory stimuli. The AI is trained to recognize the sound of a gunshot, and when it is identified, the AI communicates with a camera to capture an image of the sky directly above it—all within 0.25 seconds. “This positions the AI not as the unflinching eye of a surveillance camera,” Azzarella says, “but as an active agent in the act of recording and indexing.”

The AI was trained on a Google AudioSet of more than two million sounds across more than 500 acoustic categories. The AI runs on a computer processor Raspberry Pi 3B+ with Azzarella’s own custom audio processor and a single microphone, all powered by a rechargeable battery pack maintained by a second battery pack with a solar cell. The electronic components of his piece are housed in a weatherproof case.

While the images produced by Untitled #310 are poetic snapshots of the skies above violent scenes, they raise questions about how AI and technology can amplify human error. AI does more than create imagery—it also crafts narratives. “Because AI is driven by algorithmic selections,” Azzarella says it is “poised to curate our personal memory, emphasizing certain events while potentially overshadowing others.” This selective narration of the human social sphere could eventually alter “the way collective experiences are remembered and understood.”

Art reflects the customs and values of the culture that creates it. Technology reflects not only our aesthetic preferences, but also our belief systems. The incorporation of emergent technology within traditions of visual art has the ability to reinforce existing power structures or dismantle them. If the artists who use AI understand this idea, and then— as Calvert says, “mess with it”—the possibilities are as constricting or as liberating as our prompts.

Calvert’s #414, oil on water based latex print on canvas, 55x68 inches, 2023. Photo by Mindy Best

Becoming

Brave

Kentucky Derby Festival poster artist RICHARD SULLIVAN is looking for something deeper

When Richard Sullivan was named Kentucky Derby Festival poster artist, he fulfilled another goal that he’d set for himself as an artist: following in the steps of famed Kentucky artists like Janean Barnhart.

Sullivan returned to Louisville in 2016, after a career in baseball with the Atlanta Braves. Since moving back home and beginning his professional art career, his work has been acquired by museums and companies across the country. Sullivan’s work can be found at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Yogi Berra Museum and shown at The Louisville Slugger Museum and Kentucky Derby Museum alike. His work decorates walls and baseball parks as well.

But this is only one side of Richard Sullivan. It’s the side that’s been written about, shared with the world, and the side that most people think of when they hear that Sullivan is creating a new work.

“I think I’ve created this image of what I want people to see me as,” said Sullivan. “Whenever I was getting done with baseball and starting to create art, it wasn’t about creativity or imagination. It was like, this is what I think people will like. And that’s because I think, for me… growing up, I always had a lot of positive feedback. I was so afraid. It was almost like my sense of self was attached to being somebody else, or being what people thought I was. Does that make sense?”

Yes, it does.

By Erica Rucker

In case it isn’t clear, there is another Richard Sullivan. ***

When I met Richard Sullivan, I remember it being at a friend’s birthday party, a brief introduction on a makeshift dance floor, and I didn’t see him again until we were both made Hadley Creatives, a fellowship for mid-career artists, in 2018.

His introduction as a Hadley was much like the one that his artist bio shares but the Richard Sullivan I came to know is a person of great depth and tenderness that renders him so much more than the sum of his “public” parts.

So when Sullivan (have to keep decorum since this is written in a professional capacity) was named the Kentucky Derby Festival Poster artist for 2024’s Derby season, I knew that I wanted to write about him in a way that felt more authentic to the artist I knew.

Yes, his Pegasus for the Kentucky Derby Festival stands out from some of his usual work because the creature is fantastical but it still is another piece of “that” Richard Sullivan.

Who then, is the real person?

Well, baseball and all that we know about him as an artist is very much part of who he is. His career as a baseball player was central

Richard Sullivan’s Kentucky Derby Festival Poster, ‘Liberated.’ PHOTO

to his personality for years before he played in the professional capacity. It was a place that kept him safe.

“I think growing up, like I was telling you, I don’t have memories in my childhood. My parents got divorced, and I woke up and I was in this whirlwind and baseball was my savior. I felt like myself. It was something I was good at. So I attached to that. But everywhere else, and I was always in art class, whenever I would pick up a pencil, I would draw, but I didn’t express myself.”

That expression is something that Sullivan is actively seeking in his life as an artist, but perhaps more as a human being searching for his most authentic self.

“I think the work I’m doing now, outside of my commercial work, is going back to my inner child and being like ‘It’s safe to play. It’s safe to create.’ I think that’s scary because I’ve never done that before. I don’t know what’s gonna come out. I think the scariest part is like, ‘What if somebody doesn’t like this?’”

In Sullivan’s studio space, his work and play are separate. Where he creates for business feels very much like a savvy creative — a

Hadley Creative who listened during class. There is a space for discussing his work, planning with clients and answering his business emails and there is workspace for painting. It is bright and organized.

His play space is more spare. The lighting isn’t as even, and like the part of Sullivan that is still wild and walking on new legs, it’s less polished and tamed.

“It’s really scary to be, to be myself,” Sullivan said. “I think all my commercial work and all this stuff I’ve done has always been the Richard that I thought people wanted to see — the Richard that was this person, but that’s not really who I am deep down… I think it’s taken 37 years to be ‘The Richard that has attached to all these different things, is it really the authentic Richard?’ And I’m just in the beginning stages of figuring that out.”

As we talk, he shows me some photos of him as a child — the child that he has no memory of. The face of a blonde child stares back from the images, lost somewhere behind dark eyes. His twin brother beside him, seemingly unaware of the disconnect young Sullivan is experiencing.

“I’ve devoted like an hour a day to purely just whatever happens. The goal is to see what’s next in my journey. And also feeling connected to a community and connected to other artists that are doing the same work.”

We detour into what it means to discover one’s self and to care for that young self that’s been hurt. It’s a human story that, if we are lucky, we’re able to tune in and heal from.

For Sullivan, like so many others, the COVID19 pandemic gave him a pause he needed.

“I feel so much more safe with myself. I’m not seeking anything anymore,” he said. I was doing so many destructive things. Getting into relationships I shouldn’t be getting in — all those things you just do because you think, ‘Oh I have to feel safe.’”

When Sullivan is in his ‘play’ space, he paints from the photographs he’s shared, and from things he does recall or sense about his childhood. Sometimes they are free, maybe a bit dark but some are just the face of his young self, looking back at him, begging for understanding.

“I’ve devoted like an hour a day to purely

just whatever happens. The last three weeks I haven’t done it because I’ve had a busy work schedule. The goal is to see what’s next in my journey. And also feeling connected to a community and connected to other artists that are doing the same work.

“I think Louisville is such an amazing space to be a creative person. I bought this house/ building in Portland and could never have done it in any other city. I’ve been able to be a full-time artist for almost 10 years now.”

Richard Sullivan is blooming. He’s made a creative life for himself in Louisville while staying connected to his past solace — sports. Now, he’s reaching for something deeper and manifesting who he wants to become. In many ways the name of his former pro sports team is emblematic of the person emerging from a chysalis. Brave.

Richard Sullivan looks at paintings from his ‘play’ space.

PHOTO BY ERICA RUCKER

Richard Sullivan talks who he is beyond his commercial work.

PHOTO BY ERICA RUCKER

EAT, DRINK AND SEE IN THIS WEEK’S STAFF PICKS

FRIDAY, MARCH 15

The Blind Shades, The Char and Andy Matter

Vernon Lanes | 1579 Story Ave | vernonlanes.com | $5 | 7:30 p.m.

The Blind Shades bring their brand of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll to Vernon Lanes. Also along for the ride is The Char, whom LEO Weekly had previously described as “quite possibly the most fun punk rock band in town.” And kicking things off is Andy Matter doing his original instrumental music. Bowl upstairs, rock downstairs.

—Jeff Polk

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

NuLu Bock Fest & Wurst Fest

600 to 800 block of E. Market St. | nulu.org/ BockFest | Free | 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. | All ages

This family-friendly festival includes locally crafted bock beer, the Kentucky Proud “Best of the Wurst” sausage cooking competition, live music, kid’s activities, local vendors, and the star of the show: the adult and baby goat races, (eight races in total). The fun kicks off at noon with the Blessing of the Goats and Bock Beer and runs until 6 p.m.

—Jeff Polk

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, MARCH 22 AND 23 LDBBB Fest

Triple Crown Pavilion | 1780 Plantside Dr. | ldbbbfest.com | $150 for both nights, or $75 single night | All ages

This year’s LDBBB Fest brings 34 of the world’s best hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore bands to the stage for two daysfeaturing: Hatebreed, SUNAMI, Obituary, Twitching Tongues, Angel Du$t, Anxious, Fiddlehead, Harms Way, and many more. Watch for sets from Louisville bands Gates To Hell, xWEAPONx, Inclination, Surfaced, and Two Witnesses.

—Jeff Polk

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

Partners & Pals Podcast Presents: The 2nd Annual Spooky Springtime Spectacular

Mag Bar | 1398 S. 2nd St. | magbarlouisville. com | $10 | 8 p.m.| All Ages

Once you’ve had your fill of goat races, head over to Mag Bar and work off that wurst sausage and bock beer in the pit as Louisville old-school punk rockers The Response and Louisville melodic horror punks Pumpkin Guts team up with Milwaukee street punks Murder Generation and Indianapolis horror punks Pretty With The Lights Out for a hell of a show mere blocks away from the NuLu Bock Fest.

—Jeff Polk

FRIDAY, MARCH 22

In The Pines with Routine Caffeine and The Ego Trippers

Zanzabar | 2100 South Preston | zanzabarlouisville.com | $15 - 8 p.m. | All Ages

Cincinnati psych rock/Americana band In The Pines return to Louisville in support of their third album Painting By Numbers. Also on the bill are two of Louisville’s finest: indie dream pop trio and former LEO Readers’ Choice Awards winners Routine Caffeine, and garage power pop rockers The Ego Trippers.

—Jeff Polk

FRIDAY, MARCH 29

91.9 WFPK Presents: Appalatin with Dewey Kincade & The Navigators

Headliners Music Hall | 1386 Lexington Rd. | headlinerslouisville.com | $15 | 8 p.m. | All ages

For the first time in 17 years, Dewey Kincade brings The Navigators back to the stage with an all-new, all-star Louisville lineup in support of the new record Standing on a Rock , which was referred to in this very paper as the “new gold standard” for Americana music. The amazing indigenous Latin music meets American folk sounds of Louisville’s own Appalatin headline in what is sure to be an absolutely stellar night of incredible music.

—Jeff Polk

STAFF PICKS CONT’D

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

A Punch of Color with Kaviya Ravi

Speed Art Museum | 2035 S. 3rd St. | speedmuseum.org | free | 10:30 a.m.

Register for an adult workshop led by Kaviya Ravi, the local artist who designed the photobooth installation at the exhibition “India: South Asian Painting from the San Diego Museum of Art.” Create your own punch embroidery and learn about the technique of tufting with yarn in a palette of bright saturated colors.

—Aria Baci

THROUGH MARCH 17

‘Silence In A Moment Is Imagination’

By Donna R. Charging

Capacity Contemporary Exchange  |  641 W. Main St.  |  capacitycontemporary.com  |  Free

This exhibition lets viewers into a world most of us in Louisville have not experienced. Donna R. Charging’s art reflects her “personal experiences from having lived on the Reservation.” As an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara), she grew up on the Wind River Indiana Reservation in Wyoming. “It is not important for me to communicate either one literal personal narrative or identifiable political message to my audience because Native people do not exist in the mainstream of American consciousness in an open, direct way,” she said.

—Jo Anne Triplett

FRIDAY, MARCH 22-24

2024 Gallopalooza Collection Preview and Unveiling

First Turn Club, Churchill Downs  |  700 Central Ave.  |  kdf.org  |  Free with Pegasus Pin  |  10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Gallopalooza, “Louisville’s Sidewalk Derby,” is ready to run again. The latest round of painted fiberglass horses will be unveiled at Churchill Downs as part of this year’s Kentucky Derby Festival. The public will be able to see all 150 statues (75 full size and 75 tabletop size) at one time before they’re placed throughout the community. Admission is free with Pegasus Pin ($7 in advance or $10 at the event).

—Jo Anne Triplett

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

Racing Louisville Home Opener Lynn Family Stadium | racingloufc.com | $18+ | 4 p.m.

It’s time to bust out your purple gear. Louisville’s top-tier professional women’s soccer team takes on the Orlando Pride in the opening game of the 2024 season. Don’t forget to cheer on new recruit Emma Sears in the first of 13 regular season home games.

—Sydney Catinna

THROUGH APRIL 1

‘Tigray’s Resilience & Hope’

Revelry Boutique + Gallery  |  742 E. Market St.  |  revelrygallery.com  |  Free

The people of the Tigray region in Ethiopia are under attack. To raise awareness of the genocide, the Tigray Art Collective holds various events, including exhibitions. Money raised goes to humanitarian assistance, such as S.O.S. International Inc. in Louisville. This show features work by 13 Tigrayan artists in various media including painting, photography and sculpture.

—Jo Anne Triplett

SATURDAY, MARCH 23

Psychic Faire

Raven’s Roost | 201 E. Market, New Albany | Free for event, Readings are paid | noon- 6 p.m.

If you want to know what the next week, month, year might hold for you, the Raven’s Roost Psychic Faire is for you. Meet some of the best local tarot, palm, and numerology pros who will offer a bit of insight into your present, past and maybe even your future.

—Erica Rucker

MUSIC

LISTEN LOCAL: NEW LOUISVILLE MUSIC

LEO now has playlists for Listen Local! Search Spotify for LEO Weekly and have a listen!

MUSIC BY JEFF POLK

Stuart Wicke Band

Decade Diaries - album

While we wouldn’t normally do music reviews for bands/artists out of Cincinnati, Lydia Shae is certainly an exception. A former Louisvillian, Shae was the female vocalist, keyboardist, and a founding member of Hawks, (along with ex-My Morning Jacket keyboardist Danny Cash), and appeared on their first album “Truth Will Out” in 2019, (credited as Lydia Tissandier), before moving to Cincy to pursue her solo career. Having spent the last ten years writing and performing throughout the Midwest, her aptly-titled debut album, Decade Diaries, is laced with personal stories and experiences of life, loss, love, and family told through her straight-forward, heartfelt, emotional lyricism. Shae has found a sweet spot in the Americana sound where the elements of rock, pop, country, bluegrass, and folk all flow smoothly together and give the listener just enough of each without too much of any one singular style. Her vocals ranging from sweet and soothing to all-out powerhouse rocking, while her acoustic guitar playing remains solidly in-the-pocket with her band. Standout tracks like “Comfort Queen,” “Gold Ring,” “West End,” “Something I Knew (I Understand),” “Confession,” and the absolutely beautiful “Borrowed Time” showcase Shae’s outstanding singer/songwriter talents. This is not a person looking to find their sound, this is someone who has already found and mastered it. Fans of Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, and honest, emotional Americana music in general are absolutely going to need to hear this!

lydiashae.com

Most musicians tend to seek out and find a certain musical niche they’re good at and stick within in. Maybe skirting the edges a little bit, but never truly exploring outside of it. Nick Teale is not one of those musicians. There are no boundaries for him to push musically because he never created any for himself. Teale is seemingly fearless as a musician; not only taking on any genre that inspires him, but digging in, putting his own spin on it and making it his own. Rock, folk, jazz, bluegrass, pop, Americana, adult contemporary, hip-hop, even heavy metal, Teale has done it all. His latest single from the upcoming fulllength Glitterfingers, (to be released this summer), “Half Genius” sees him teaming up with local jazz legends The Java Men and going in yet another direction he’s not been in before: yacht rock. The result is a catchy, jazzy, light rock earworm that would be right at home on Steely Dan’s Aja. This also sees Teale stepping out from his normal big baritone vocals and taking on more of a smooth jazz tone while at the same time pushing them to be the best they can be, as always. As a musician and songwriter, Nick Teale is the real deal, (excuse the pun); someone who loves crafting songs for the sake of the art, genre be damned. And with “Half Genius,” the Teale Appeal is in full effect!

tealeappeal.com

Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám - album

Calling Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám an ambitious project is an understatement. Only two songs, but clocking in at nearly 40 minutes in length, (kinda makes it hard to label this as an EP). Both tracks are inspired by historical poems - the first, “Song on the End of the World,” is based on two works: Czesław Miłosz’s 1944 poem of the same name, and William Blake’s “America: a Prophecy” (1794). The second song and title track, “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám,” is composed of 24 stanzas from the work of the same name by 12th century Persian astronomer-poet Omar Khayyám, as translated by Victorian English poet Edward FitzGerald in 1859. Wicke goes all out unabashedly prog rock here, resulting in a soundscape that fully encompasses the listener in Wicke’s vision. Comparisons to Pink Floyd, King Crimson, and Blue Oyster Cult are certainly warranted. Wicke and band are at the top of their game here, leading a master class in songwriting and musicianship abilities. Both songs are broken up with enough musical changes to keep either of them from becoming boring or predictable, keeping your attention focused on each song the entire time. And it doesn’t end with the music, as even the artwork, (done by Wicke’s mother, Meg Wicke), incorporates elements of the artistic movements in the latter-19th century inspired by FitzGerald’s version of the Rubaiyat. Wicke came out of nowhere with this one, delivering an amazing piece of musical art for the ages.

stuartwicke.com

Tin Zelkova

“No Apathy” - single

Tin Zelkova might be the last true rock band in the world. No subgenre, no bullshit, just straight up rock. A young band with an old soul, if you will, Tin Zelkova effortlessly combines the raw power of classic rock with a modern rock finesse that sets them apart from the crowd. They are one of those bands who would fit in on any bill regardless of who else was playing, as their sound offers a little something for everyone. Their latest single, “No Apathy,” is a mid-tempo, groove-oriented, driving song with big hooks that sink in and captures the listener’s attention. I’m hearing a mesh of Smashing Pumpkins, Rush, Kansas, Blackberry Smoke, and Three Doors Down, and somehow this Louisville-based power trio makes it all work and flow incredibly well. Their ability to craft a song that is simultaneously nostalgic and modern is amazing. The lyrics weave a poignant tale of someone who, despite their love, grapples with the feeling of not doing enough to save a self-destructive soul, and is delivered with emotive vocals that convey a genuine sense of heartache and reflection via bassist/vocalist Steven Thompson. With its mid-tempo drive, powerful hooks, and emotionally charged lyrics, this track is one of Tin Zelkova’s best yet. The band is heading out to the west coast this summer with a gig already lined up in Los Angeles, so the future is looking good for these guys!

tinzelkova.com

Lydia Shae

Nick Teale featuring The Java Men “Half Genius” - single

IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LENT TO ENJOY SHARKS SEAFOOD

BY ROBIN GARR

You probably didn’t even notice that I didn’t bother to talk about fried fish for Lent this year. Everyone else was doing it, it seemed, including our pals at LEO Weekly, so why add another voice to the chorus?

Why would this clean, modern, corporate-looking storefront that’s held down a corner spot in the shopping center for seven years have no website, no social media, not even a published telephone number?

Flip to the back of the menu and you’ll find a baker’s dozen fried-chicken wings and tenders.

Plus, to be frank, with more than one-fourth of Americans now describing their religious affiliation as “nothing in particular,” and no more than one-tenth of the remaining religiously affiliated strictly observing abstinence from meat during Lent, it felt like the pressure was off.

On the other hand …

Who doesn’t like fried fish? We’ve all heard the intriguing if difficult-to-verify assertion that Louisvillians eat more fried mild white fish than many coastal cities, and we recognize a simple truth: We can enjoy fried fish any time of year.

What’s more, I recently ran across an outstanding place for fried fish, and when I say “ran across,” I mean just about the only way you’re going to discover Sharks Seafood is if someone tells you about it or you happen to be in McMahan Plaza at Hikes Point and notice it on your way to Kroger or Feeders Supply.

“We don’t do publicity,” said the otherwise friendly guy behind the counter. And that was all there was to say about that.

Oh-KAY then. I’ll just say I’m glad we found it, finally, and if you make your way out to Hikes Point for a memorable fried fish (or chicken) repast, you can thank me later. This fish fry doesn’t shut down when Lent ends on Easter Sunday, March 31 this year. It’s here all year!

What makes Sharks Seafood’s fare so good? Simple, well prepared food for one thing. Appealing variety, for another. The menu reminds me a bit of an Indi’s, if Indi’s flipped from mostly chicken with some appetizing fish options to mostly fish with some appetizing chicken options.

Let’s count: Among the starters, seafood dinners, sandwiches, and combo meals that can serve a family, the menu lists 30 fish and seafood options vs. exactly seven starters and one sandwich that are land-based fare.

Pricing is more than fair, with starters priced from $4.29 to $10.99 and most seafood dinners $12.99 and under. Only the fancy grilled salmon dinner rises to $17.99. Sandwiches are $6.99-$8.99, and most of the chicken items in portions for one are under $10. This is affordable eats, and if you want to feed a crowd, you’ll find it hard to beat the oversize box of 50 whole wings for $69.99. Standard sides such as fries, hush puppies, potato salad, cole slaw and green beans are affordably priced from $1.50 for small orders and $5.99 for large.

There’s no beer, wine, or liquor; soft drinks, bottled tea and bottled water are on sale, and Louisville Water Company’s finest is free.

The cod fillet dinner ($12.99 cash, $13.51 paid by card) comes in three pieces plus your choice of three sides. We were a little surprised by their appearance at first: They were shaped as neat cylinders tinted yellow cornmeal color. They were white, wonderfully flaky, and delicious, fried crisp and not

Left: Oddly shaped but perfectly shaped and delicious, Sharks’ fried cod comes in three crunchy, tubular portions.

Right: We want all the fried things! Outstanding onion rings, tasty fried okra bites, and mild fried cauliflower make a box full of crunchy delights.

Robin Garr

at all greasy.

A side of three hush puppies were just what hush puppies should be: Neat spheres of cornmeal, flour, and onions, deep-fried until crunchy to the bite and seared dark chocolate brown. A side of green beans came simply, just about au naturel with little sign of seasoning, simmered until very tender.

Speaking of veggies, I always try to include an attractive vegetarian or vegan main dish in every review, but that’s hard to do at a fried-fish eatery. I went for variety with a trio of fried crunchies from the starters menu: onion rings ($5.19), breaded cauliflower ($4.46), and okra ($4.46). The rings were among the best I’ve ever had: Thicksliced and juicy within a textured breaded exterior fried light golden brown. Skill in the frying department made treats of the okra and cauliflower bites, too. I’ll bet you can’t eat just one!

More fish? Don’t mind if we do! To try another kind of fish, we asked for a whiting fillet to go. It’s $11.99 on the menu for two fillets with two sides, but they were happy to box a single fillet without sides for $4.99 cash, $5.19 with credit card.

The large, thick fillet was not batterbreaded but lightly dredged in what appeared

Sharks Seafood

3099 Breckenridge Lane, Suite 101

No published phone.

No website

No social media pages

Google information page: https://bit.ly/ Sharksforfish

to be a cornmeal-flour blend. It was expertly fried — no surprise there — and fresh, with a more assertive fish flavor than cod. “When you eat whiting,” my wife says, “you know you’re eating fish.”

A first-rate lunch for two was $29.28 plus a 25 percent tip. A takeout order of whiting added $5.29.

Noise Level: Decibel levels weren’t out of normal range during a Saturday lunch with several other diners in the room.

Accessibility: The shopping center space appears accessible to wheelchair users.

Robin Garr

A sizable fillet of whiting, lightly dredged and competently fried, was just as good reheated the next day.

TIME TRAVEL AT THE MOVIES: RETROSPECTIVE FILM AT THE SPEED CINEMA

BY TRACY HEIGHTCHEW

Sure, you can escape into the future with tent pole movies like “Dune 2” and “Borderlands,” but if you want to step back in time, you don’t need a new “Downton Abbey” movie, just get thee to an arthouse theatre to watch a remastered classics. The Speed Cinema is bringing three highly regarded films back to the screen for limited runs in March.

The Music Room (Jalsaghar) 1958

March 17

$12/$8 for Speed members

As the Speed Art Museum hosts its first ever exhibition of Indian art, the cinema is bringing genius director Satyajit Ray’s “The Music Room (Jalsaghar)” out for a one time screening. Remembered as the mastermind behind the now classic “Apu Trilogy,” it may be surprising to learn that the second film “Aparajito” was a box office failure. Rather than follow it up with the third film in the

series, Ray tried to recover his earlier success by adapting a beloved Bengali short story with music at its center. The Music Room focuses on aristocrat Biswambhar Roy as he avoids his responsibilities to the people and land he lords over, escaping into music despite his inability to pay for his many lavish concerts. The film opens with a steady shot on a candle chandelier that hangs in Roy’s palace. A beautiful work of art from the heyday of the family fortune, it, along with the Indian classical music that fills nearly every moment of

screen time, represents a time that Roy longs to return to. As India changes and modernizes around him, his inattention leads to a tragic downfall. “The Music Room” itself is an escape into the past, a time capsule of Indian life in the early 20th century, and a lovely showcase of Indian classical music.

Pandora’s Box (Die Büchse der Pandora) 1929

March 29 & 30

$12/$8 for Speed members

A Woman of Paris 1923

March 30 & 31

$12/$8 for Speed members

www.speedmuseum.org/cinema

While it is optimal to see all film in a theatre setting, seeing silent film in a cinema is the only way to truly appreciate it. At home, it is too easy to check out, especially when generic scores do not engage the ear, and title cards are few and far between. Silent films demand

immersion to be affective, the big screen casting a spell that reveals the specific language of the art form. The Speed will show two classic silent films that defined early cinema, though it would take years for the public to appreciate their influence.

It has been 101 years since Charlie Chaplin hit the screen with his second feature film, “A Woman of Paris.” This follow-up to “The Kid” is the first film in which he did not feature, despite his superstar status. A worried Chaplin even went so far as to insert a title

card warning the audience that he will not be on screen, despite a small cameo that must have influenced Alfred Hitchcock. In this melodramatic tale, a woman scorned must make her way in the wider world, despite betrayals on all sides. The public rejected “A Woman of Paris,” and Chaplin pulled the film from distribution. The film was restored in 2019 along with a score that Chaplin finished late in life, and which stands as the final completed work of his long, illustrious career.

Two years after Chaplin’s mature and psychologically realistic film was released and then banished, G.W. Pabst delivered the highly anticipated “Pandora’s Box.” Coming during a bridge moment in cinema history as silent films were being overtaken by talkies, star Louise Brooks became emblematic of those left behind by the changes as her tough dealing ways got her ousted from Hollywood. An adaptation of Weimar Republic playwright Frank Wedekind’s “Lulu” cycle, “Pandora’s Box” follows a fiery showgirl who cannot help but lure men into a web of indiscretion and sexual desire. Lulu leads the men (and at least one woman) down a dark path, but unlike the femme fatales featured in film noir, she is not manipulative and conniving, but rather a free spirit and promiscuous with her affection, inspiring murderous jealousy and possession in those around her.

Heavily censored upon release, the film was a box office flop. Though it had a number of underground screenings from 1925 on, it wasn’t officially rediscovered until the 1950s, and not released on home media until the 1990s. The inability to easily see this classic Weimar film meant that generations of film fans had seen Louise Brooks’ iconic look long before they were able to see the film. Mysterious and beautiful with a dancer’s grace, Brooks the actress more than lives up to the promise the stills present. The new remaster of this film digitally erases blurs that have dogged every transfer, presenting a crisp black and white palette. Louise Brooks is a marvel, her effortless style and easy, magnetic presence is a must-see.

Breaking News: Kentucky Made Films

Tickets for “Wildcat,” the Flannery O’Connor biopic shot in and around Louisville, are now on sale. The screenings will come to the Speed Cinema in May 2024, including one CINEMA+ screening with director Ethan Hawke in person. Tickets available at www.speedmuseum.org/cinema

On Left: “Pandora’s Box”

On Right: A Woman of Paris

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Discovering identity. We might try to do it by seeing or developing an ideal, then taking the steps that best match up with the path as we see it. But often — even if the end result is satisfying or liberating — there’s a rougher process. It could be foisted upon us by family or community — which themselves go through changes. It might all take odd turns due to circumstance. Or catastrophe. Or something beyond the pale. Two Kentucky writers are coming to town to talk about their new prose works which range far from the usual coming-of-age.

Tuesday, Mar. 19 at 7 p.m. Carmichael’s Bookstore hosts Lee Mandelo, whose new novella is “The Woods All Black.” This is a tale of post-World War I in the hollers of eastern Kentucky. Protagonist Leslie Bruin, a veteran who nursed the wounded near the trenches, is sent by Frontier Nursing Service to a very different kind of front lines. He arrives at a small tobacco-farming community that’s near-uniformly of pious to the point of treating misfits with viciousness. The gossipers start up immediately because Leslie wears trousers instead of the skirts the locals expected. But they don’t know nearly the whole story, and Mandelo exercises his skills at storytelling that can blend the smooth and the shocking.

Leslie knows the risks of giving vaccinations and contemplating (but never getting around to) teaching birth control in this ever-suspicious small town. And the local patronizing, abusive preacher has already had his fill with an adolescent whom Leslie recognizes as a kindred spirit. Surprises follow, the tale’s pace escalates, and implied threats soon explode… including episodes that leap over the top. The author indulges in queer erotic scenes and celebratory revenge. Layering of carefully-placed but wildly crafted folk-horror might be the line that some readers won’t cross — or maybe they’ve already put the book aside. Or maybe they’ve found it an exciting breath of fresh air. Mandelo is in a mood to challenge here — this is a significant (but not complete) turn from last year’s more-contemplative-than-visceral novella “Feed Them Silence.”

Thursday, Mar. 28 at 7 p.m., Carmichael’s hosts Ellen Birkett Morris, who’ll speak about her just-in-print prize-winning “Beware the Tall Grass.” This is a novel written in alternating chapters, with point-of-view handed off between a young man coming from Montana and ending up in Vietnam of the 1960s; and currently in the D.C. suburbs with a wife who’s a new mother. The mother,

CHARACTERS NOT WHAT THEY SEEM

BY T.E. LYONS

Eve, carries some extra narrative weight, as she finds herself considering, “Memory is a tricky thing... I had gotten to the point where I didn’t know if the memories came from dreams or were real.”

The very basic structure of Morris’ chapters and prose belie the power of what’s delivered here. It’s probably not giving away much to say that when the first words of Eve’s child include “napalm,” there’s going to be some confusion and tension. But the Twilight Zone-like considerations of pastlife memories — a documented but certainly controversial and very certainly under-understood phenomenon — are only part of this book’s opening up of a wealth of

dimensions including generational reckoning, plus parental stresses that might not be exclusive to the current day. We all may be forever reconstructing ourselves through our relationships, over and over. But as we mature, and reflect (and refract) on a past of our minds’ ideal, we might be building on a foundation that is also susceptible to influences beyond our understanding. This author cleanly captures a complex scenario that carries some devastating depth — especially those ready to open their minds to wonder.

Carmichael’s Bookstore (502-896-6950) is at 2720 Frankfort Ave.

On Left: Author of Beware the Tall Grass , Ellen Birkett Morris Tom Eblen

On right: Author of The Woods All Black , Lee Mandelo

Sarah Jane Sanders

WEIGH IN ON A NEW STORY TO THEM: THE COUPLE BEHIND LOVING VS VIRGINIA

There has been a glowing buzz among arts patrons who saw last month’s production of the play Loving and Loving at Actors Theatre of Louisville. For months, Arts Angle Vantage suspected young reporters from our program would find inspiration in this story of the couple behind the landmark United States Supreme Court decision Loving vs. Virginia.

So we reached out to local teens Trinity Mahaffey and Brayden West to come see the play and asked them to think about writing about it. Right after the curtain call, both said yes. Here is what they had to say.

Thank you to Trinity and Brayden and to Actors Theatre of Louisville for hosting us. The theater had no influence on these articles, as Arts Angle Vantage practices journalistic ethics and standards.

As always, we deeply appreciate LEO Weekly and Editor Erica Rucker for helping us elevate youth voices and the arts by practicing the values of collaborative journalism.

— Elizabeth Kramer, Executive Director, Arts Angle Vantage

This love letter about an interracial couple was an inspiration for me

By Trinity Mahaffey | Arts Angle Vantage Reporter

JEFFERSONTOWN HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2025

“I’m gonna miss this place, my first home. My only home. Our first home,” says Mildred Loving to her new husband, Richard. “I’m not gonna cry. I am not gonna cry. Not today.”

Mildred and Richard are leaving Virginia in 1959, the year after they were married, being told by a judge that they can’t come back for 25 years. It’s a scene in the play “Loving and Loving.” You can feel how heartbroken she is to leave everything she’s known. But she tries to stay strong. This is the only way she and Richard can be together.

I saw Loving and Loving in early February at Actors Theatre of Louisville. It ran from

Feb. 7 through 18. The play charts the couple behind the U.S. Supreme Court case Loving vs Virginia.

But, if you were to ask me before then, “Who are the Lovings?” I would have told you, “I don’t know.”

The play taught me about the Lovings, and how their courageous love for each other helped legalized interracial marriage in the US. This was eye-opening to me as a biracial kid. It has made me appreciate what others have gone through for me and many others like me. Their journeys, and others like them, make me proud to be multiracial.

I’ve always known my mother is white and my father is Black, and I was different compared to some other kids and families. Around the age of five to seven years old, I first remember fully understanding this difference.  It was summer, I was running around on the playground, and I heard a girl yell from her window telling me how I was adopted. I was upset and ran to my mom asking her if it was true. To be fair, I don’t look similar to my mom at all, but the girl knew I wasn’t adopted. She kept telling me this for weeks and I would go crying to my mom asking, “Am I adopted?!” a million times. That’s just one

Shane Kenyon and Nemuna Ceesay in Loving and Loving at Actors Theatre of Louisville.

Photo by Yunier Ramirez and Actors Theatre of Louisville

When theater shows hard-won change, often hard to see in the present, as a source of celebration

By Brayden West | Arts Angle Vantage Reporter

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF

2024

The play Loving and Loving has just ended. Lights begin to strobe. Dance music starts to play. And the audience is invited to the floor to celebrate with the cast and the creative directors. People pour onto the dance floor of the black box Victor Jory Theater at Actors Theatre of Louisville. It becomes a celebration.

Today, the approval rating for interracial marriage in the U.S. is at a high of 94%. This wasn’t always the case.

On July 11, 1958, just five weeks after their wedding, Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple from rural Virginia, were arrested in their home for being illegally married. This and the rest of the Lovings’ emotional and thought-provoking story was portrayed in the play, directed by Acosta Powell, written by Beto O’Bryne, and developed by Meropi Peponides.

The play Loving and Loving, which ran from Feb. 7 through 18, gives people like the Lovings their recognition for their part in working towards milestones concerning interracial relationships. It’s important we appreciate these trailblazers who risked the status quo, their family and many other things so we could be where we are today. They were part of the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court case Loving v.

Virginia, which made laws banning interracial marriage illegal under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment.

When I was invited to see this play, I was not familiar with the Lovings’ story. My mother, surprised, said, “All interracial couples know about the Lovings.”

The production’s innovative format used video interviews that introduced me to the story and incorporated other interracial points of view. These interviews were of local residents who were children of interracial couples of all ages and from many different backgrounds including African, Asian and Hispanic.

The performance also put the Lovings’ lives and marriage regarding other events in the lead-up to their case before the Supreme Court, including President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and NASA’s first trip to the moon in 1969.

Just 11 years earlier, in 1958, when the Lovings married, only 4% of Americans approved of interracial marriage. Comparing that to today’s statistics and knowing stories like the Lovings and others told with this production serve as a beacon of hope and celebration for me, and other interracial children and couples.

Brayden West, a senior at Central High School, plays on his school’s tennis and wrestling teams. He participated in the spring 2023 Community Arts Reporting Lab at South Louisville Community Center. The workshop was part of the citywide HeARTS Initiative supported by the Fund for the Arts and Metro Louisville Parks and Recreation. In September 2023., West’s writing appeared in LEO Weekly’s inaugural Under 21 issue.

of the times where I felt I didn’t fit in on my white or Black side.

Many biracial people go through the whatam-I identity crisis. In a scene in “Loving and Loving,” the couple’s son (Morgan Anita Wood) is curled up next to his mom, Mildred Loving (Nemuna Ceesay), and asks, “If I’m not yellow, then what am I?” I shivered during this scene recalling how I felt being called adopted, and other experiences.

Mildred and Richard Loving (Shane Kenyon) mention how people look at them and their kids and say sly comments. Not only did the Lovings go through this during the ‘60’s, but so did my mom and her Black boyfriend in the ‘90’s in Alabama. My mom received threats for having two biracial kids in the south and moved up to Kentucky for a safer place to live. This was similar to Mildred and Richard wanting to move out of D.C. and back home close to family.

Family and home were the topics many people touched upon during interviews that were part of the play. In videotaped interviews,

multiracial people in the Louisville area shared their ideas of home. Althea Allen Dryden said, “Home has always been the place that I created on my own.” Dryden isn’t from Kentucky, same as my mom, but they both found ways to create a home for themselves. She has worked ten years in the nonprofit industry and is the program director of the Louisville Story Program. Another interviewee, Bryan Warren, executive director for Educational Justice, is not from Louisville, but has grown a community here for the past 23 years and says “Louisville’s home now.”

These histories and the Loving’s history taught me how different and similar we can be. I got to see how being an interracial couple and having a mixed family was during the ’50s and ’60s. It also shows people outside of the biracial community this important history.

Trinity Mahaffey, a Jeffersontown High School junior, sings in her school’s choir, Bella Voce. Trinity is in her school’s Academies of Louisville program studying under its health pathway and

is a President of Health Occupations Students of America. She has experience in dance and theater and sometimes holds a one-person show in her room. Trinity wants to keep being involved with the performing arts and sharing the magic of theater.

Brayden West. COURTESY PHOTO

Trinity Mahaffey. COURTESY PHOTO

freewillastrology@freewillastrology.com

BrezsnyAstrology@gmail.com

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of March 13

ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): I will never advise you to dim the flame of your ambition or be shy about radiating your enthusiasm. For the next few weeks, though, I urge you to find ways to add sap, juice, and nectar to your fiery energy. See if you can be less like a furnace and more like a sauna; less like a rumbling volcano and more like a tropical river. Practically speaking, this might mean being blithely tender and unpredictably heartful as you emanate your dazzling glow.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Some spiritual traditions tell us that the path to enlightenment and awakening is excruciatingly difficult. One teaching compares it to crossing a bridge that’s sharper than a sword, thinner than a hair, and hotter than fire. Ideas like these have no place in my personal philosophy. I believe enlightenment and awakening are available to anyone who conscientiously practices kindness and compassion. A seeker who consistently asks, “What is the most loving thing I can do?” will be rewarded with life-enhancing transformations. Now I invite you to do what I just did, Taurus. That is, re-evaluate a task or process that everyone (maybe even you) assumes is hard and complicated. Perform whatever tweaks are necessary to understand it as fun, natural, and engaging.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Do you have a relative your parents never told you about? If so, you may find out about them soon. Do you have a secret you want to keep secret? If so, take extra caution to ensure it stays hidden. Is there a person you have had a covert crush on for a while? If so, they may discover your true feelings any minute now. Have you ever wondered if any secrets are being concealed from you? If so, probe gently for their revelation, and they just may leak out. Is there a lost treasure you have almost given up on finding? If so, revive your hopes.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian poet Pablo Neruda wrote this to a lover: “I want to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees.” That sounds very romantic. What does it mean? Well, the arrival of spring brings warmer soil and air, longer hours of sunlight, and nurturing precipitation. The flowers of some cherry trees respond by blooming with explosive vigor. Some trees sprout upwards of 4,000 blossoms. Maybe Neruda was exaggerating for poetic effect, but if he truly wanted to rouse his lover to be like a burgeoning cherry tree, he’d have to deal with an overwhelming outpouring of lush beauty and rampant fertility. Could he have handled it? If I’m reading the upcoming astrological omens correctly, you

Cancerians now have the power to inspire and welcome such lavishness. And yes, you can definitely handle it.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Speaking on behalf of all non-Leos, I want to express our gratitude for the experiments you have been conducting. Your willingness to dig further than ever before into the mysterious depths is exciting. Please don’t be glum just because the results are still inconclusive and you feel a bit vulnerable. I’m confident you will ultimately generate fascinating outcomes that are valuable to us as well as you. Here’s a helpful tip: Give yourself permission to be even more daring and curious. Dig even deeper.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Unexpected mixtures are desirable, though they may initially feel odd. Unplanned and unheralded alliances will be lucky wild cards if you are willing to set aside your expectations. Best of all, I believe you will be extra adept at creating new forms of synergy and symbiosis, even as you enhance existing forms. Please capitalize on these marvelous openings, dear Virgo. Are there parts of your life that have been divided, and you would like to harmonize them? Now is a good time to try. Bridge-building will be your specialty for the foreseeable future.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Many of you Libras have a special talent for tuning into the needs and moods of other people. This potentially gives you the power to massage situations to serve the good of all. Are you using that power to its fullest? Could you do anything more to harness it? Here’s a related issue: Your talent for tuning into the needs and moods of others can give you the capacity to massage situations in service to your personal aims. Are you using that capacity to its fullest? Could you do anything more to harness it? Here’s one more variation on the theme: How adept are you at coordinating your service to the general good and your service to your personal aims? Can you do anything to enhance this skill? Now is an excellent time to try.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist Carl Jung said, “One of the most difficult tasks people can perform is the invention of good games. And this cannot be done by people out of touch with their instinctive selves.”

According to my astrological assessment, you will thrive in the coming weeks when you are playing good, interesting games. If you dream them up and instigate them yourself, so much the better. And what exactly do I mean by “games”? I’m referring to any organized form of play that rouses fun, entertainment,

and education. Playing should be one of your prime modes, Scorpio! As Jung notes, that will happen best if you are in close touch with your instinctual self—also known as your animal intelligence.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Can Sagittarians ever really find a home they are utterly satisfied with? Are they ever at peace with exactly who they are and content to be exactly where they are? Some astrologers suggest these are difficult luxuries for you Centaurs to accomplish. But I think differently. In my view, it’s your birthright to create sanctuaries for yourself that incorporate so much variety and expansiveness that you can feel like an adventurous explorer without necessarily having to wander all over the earth. Now is an excellent time to work on this noble project.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You picked Door #2 a while back. Was that the best choice? I’m not sure. Evidence is still ambiguous. As we await more conclusive information, I want you to know that Door #1 and Door #3 will soon be available for your consideration again. The fun fact is that you can try either of those doors without abandoning your activities in the area where Door #2 has led you. But it’s important to note that you can’t try *both* Door #1 and Door #3. You must choose one or the other. Proceed with care and nuance, Capricorn, but not with excessive caution. Your passwords are *daring sensitivity* and “discerning audacity.”

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): My second cousin has the same name as me and lives in Kosice, Slovakia. He’s a Slovakian-speaking chemical engineer who attended the Slovak University of Technology. Do we have anything in common besides our DNA and names? Well, we both love to tell stories. He and I are both big fans of the band Rising Appalachia. We have the same mischievous brand of humor. He has designed equipment and processes to manufacture products that use chemicals in creative ways, and I design oracles to arouse inspirations that change people’s brain chemistry. Now I invite you, Aquarius, to celebrate allies with whom you share key qualities despite being quite different. It’s a fine time to get maximum enjoyment and value from your connections with such people.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): My Piscean friend Jeff Greenwald wrote the humorous but serious book *Shopping for Buddhas*. It’s the story of his adventures in Nepal as he traveled in quest of a statue to serve as a potent symbol for his spiritual yearning. I’m reminded of his search as I ruminate on your near future. I suspect you would benefit from an intense search for divine inspiration—either in the form of an iconic object, a pilgrimage to a holy sanctuary, or an inner journey to the source of your truth and love.

Homework: See a compendium of my Big-Picture Forecasts for you in 2024: https://tinyurl.com/BigPicture2024

Hey Dan: I have a history of dating men I’m not attracted to physically or emotionally. I always found it weirdly comforting to know my boyfriend was obsessed with me while I had minimal feelings for him. I have explored this in therapy and chalk it up to lack of self-confidence. But a month ago I started hanging out with this guy and it’s the first relationship I’ve been that isn’t one sided. It’s also the first relationship I’ve been in where the guy wasn’t pushing me to “define the relationship” after a month. This has led to me feeling quite vulnerable and afraid. For the first time in a long time, I’m dating a guy that I not only like but find very attractive and now I’m terrified it will end. This fear has led me to keep my feelings to myself. In previous relationships where I was the one with the upper hand, I found it easier to speak up because I felt in control and didn’t really care if it ended. I am now in a place where I’m afraid to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing. I want to know what his intentions are, but I don’t want to place undue pressure him either. I’m craving more validation than I’m getting from him because I got used to being smothered with validation in all my previous relationships, but I don’t know how to bring this up without making it seem like I am trying to DTR. Any advice?

–Naked And Afraid

I wouldn’t chalk up the choices you’ve made in the past — only dating men you weren’t attracted to, only dating men you could take or leave, only dating men you held in what sounds like contempt — to a lack of self-confidence. Frankly, I’m a little mystified that your therapist endorsed that interpretation. You either had one of those therapists who thinks it’s their job to help clients construct self-serving rationalizations for their shitty behavior — explanations that center their client as victims — or you came up with that rationalization on your own and your therapist never got around to challenging you on it.

So, I’m going to challenge you.

I don’t think you have self-confidence issues, NAA, I think you have control issues. You only dated men you didn’t care about — you only dated men you weren’t attracted to physically or emotionally — because you wanted to have “the upper hand.” You wanted all the power, all the leverage, and all the control. You not only dated only men you could take or leave, NAA, you seemed to go out of your way to find men who couldn’t leave you. That is not the weak-ass move of a person who lacks self-confidence, NAA, that’s a cold-hearted power play executed by

a control freak. I’m glad you got into therapy and it seems to have done you some good — you’re currently dating someone you’re attracted to and for the first time experiencing feelings most human experience when we meet someone we like — and if that shallow pseudo-epiphany you had in therapy (“I lack self-confidence!”) helped you make different and better choices, NAA, then it did you some good. But I think you have more to unpack, perhaps with a different therapist.

Zooming out for a second: Lots of us have been there. We were dating someone we could take or leave and realized that person was falling in love with us. When that happens — when someone we could take or leave is a lot more invested in the relationship and wants to have those DTR convos — we need ends things as quickly and considerately as possible. But if we only date people we could take or leave, one after another, then we’re leading people on and, even worse, we’re stealing from them. We’re stealing time and energy they could’ve invested in finding a person who cared about them and wanted to take them. A good person doesn’t do that sort of shit — not to people they care about, not to people they don’t care about, not to anyone.

Alright, NAA, what’s going to happen this new guy? It’s only been a month, so you don’t know him that well, and most new relationships peter out after a month or two. So, there actually isn’t that much at stake here, at least not yet. Most of what you have is hope: you like this guy and you’re hoping you continue to like him as you get to know him better and you’re hoping he likes you too. But if it doesn’t go anywhere — if you have that DTR convo a month or two from now and you learn he’s not as into you as you are him — you may wind up with a broken heart. But getting your heart broken is proof you have one.

Whatever happens, NAA, don’t return to your old, shitty, and heartless modus operandi. It wasn’t good for the men you dated, and it wasn’t good for you either. Being open to love means being open to pain. You’re open now. Stay open. It’s better this way. You’re better this way.

Hey Dan: My boyfriend, who is a 72-year-old man, wants to gift our personal trainer, who is younger and hotter than me, an expensive piece of jewelry. I felt jealous and insecure when he brought this up and I voiced my concerns to her. She told me that she sees the gift as a token of friendship and nothing more and then

added that, as her friend, I should want what’s best for her. My boyfriend is a multimillionaire many times over and maybe I don’t understand how rich people give gifts, as I’m not “from” money, but it seems strange. My boyfriend told me to think of it as a bequest — he’s making bequests in his will to fifty or so people after he dies — but the thought of him asking for her permission to give this gift to her without first asking me makes me uncomfortable. It makes me wonder how long he was fantasizing about giving her this gift and why exactly he wants to give it to her so badly. I need a second opinion here.

–Girlfriendly Instinct Flagging This

This man is not your husband, he’s your boyfriend; his millions are not your millions, they’re his millions. I can certainly see why thinking about this gift makes you uncomfortable, GIFT, but I don’t see an upside for you in trying to talk your boyfriend out of giving his personal trainer a gift he’s already promised her. The only leverage you have over him is the threat of a breakup, GIFT, but where will issuing that threat get you? Best-case scenario, your boyfriend rescinds the offer but resents you and your personal trainer, who you consider a friend, feels jerked around by both of you and distances herself; worst-case scenario, you wind up single and written out of the will — assuming you’re among the fortunate fifty or so — and your personal trainer gets that expensive piece of jewelry and possibly more.

If I may, GIFT, I’d like to address the elephant in the room/question/gym: you’re worried your boyfriend is only making this gesture — he’s only giving this woman this extravagant gift — because he wants to fuck her. I can confidently assure you that your boyfriend absolutely, positively, without a doubt wants to fuck his personal trainer. Because no one in the long, sordid history of personal trainers has ever hired a personal trainer they didn’t wanna fuck. But just because someone wants to fuck their personal trainer doesn’t mean they would fuck their personal trainer. Your boyfriend can wanna fuck his personal trainer and give her a gift that essentially says, “I would if I could,” and still wanna honor the monogamous commitment he’s (presumably) made to you. While legitimately concerning, these two things — your boyfriend signaling to someone else that he would fuck them if he could and your boyfriend remaining faithful to you — are not mutually exclusive.

While personal trainers sometimes

QUICKIES

BY DAN SAVAGE

ingratiate themselves to clients by engaging in a little harmless flirtation, very few personal trainers actually wanna fuck their clients — especially their elderly and/or monogamously partnered clients — and vastly fewer actually do fuck their clients. And based on what you shared about that gift-block convo you had with your personal trainer, GIFT, it doesn’t sound she’s interested in your boyfriend sexually, gift or no gift. So, while your boyfriend may get a little thrill out of giving this woman a piece of jewelry, she almost certainly regards this gift — a gift that, again, was already promised to her — as a very generous tip from a very well-off client that she doesn’t wanna see naked.

Hey Dan: My GF and I are great in the sack together—andthefloor,andthestairs,and the lawn, and the tent, and the fireside — anditfeelslikewe’vebeendoingthisallour lives, since the moment we took our first breath, and by the time we finally drift off we’re tranced out in a post orgasmic love bubble of such cosmic-eternal elasticity it feels as though our connection has no beginning and no end. The other night in the shower she said I have a “Rolls Royce cock.” Can I put that on my anonymous Feeld profile with her permission? I mean, she’s right. It works a treat. But I bit weird braggingaboutmyowndicklikethis.Partly becauseformanyyearsIhadwhatwemight kindly refer to as a rapid climax problem. NowthatI’vegottenalittleolder,thosedays are behind me, and everything is coming together. So, can I put “Rolls Royce Cock” in my Feeld profile? I got as far as typing it in but then I thought, ugh, seems a bit self-involved. What do you think?

–Rapturously Received Compliment

There are places a man shouldn’t brag about his cock — on Zoom calls, on international flights, on main — but a man can brag about his cock on his anonymous Feeld profile. Go for it.

Got problems? Yes, you do. Send your question to mailbox@savage.love!

Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

2011 Chevrolet Cruze with VIN number 1G1PC5SHXB7132613 belonging to Kentuckiana Finance and Ronesha Tandy

2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with VIN number 2G1WW12E339199927 belonging to Financial LP Alamo and John Sanders

2007 Pontiac Grand Prix with VIN number 2G2WP552171211482 belonging to Byrider Finance LLC and Aisha Cash and Kenyata Cash

2001 Nissan Pathfinder with VIN number JN8DR07Y61W505921 belonging to Automax of Louisville and Miles Saintil

2007 Cadillac DTS with VIN number 1G6KD57Y57U237594 belonging Michael Castle and One Main Financial

2003 Dodge Ram 2500 with VIN number 3D7KU26D93G717716 belonging to Robert Burnett and State Farm Mutual

2005 Honda Accord with VIN number 1HGCM826X5A013200 belonging S&S Towing and auto sales

2018 GMC Terrain with VIN number 3GKALREU1JL340200 belonging to Solomon Hodo and Westlake Financial Services and Republic Finance LLC

2002 Ford F-250 with VIN number 1FTNX20F42ED68253 belonging to Root Insurance

2007 Lincoln MKZ with VIN number 3LNHM26TX7R650674 belonging to Automotive Choices LLC

2012 Ford Focus with VIN Number 1FAHP3M29CL396420 belonging to Credit Acceptance Co and Mikka Cathey and Monica Huerta

2015 Hyundai Tucson with VIN number KM8JT3AF3FU039470 belonging to Americredit Financial and Stephanie Sweezer

2018 Chevrolet Camaro with VIN number 1G1FB1RX6J0115478 belonging to Cristy Younce and Lisa Diaz and YouDrive Finance LLC

2010 Nissan Sentra with VIN number 3N1AB6AP0AL691440 belonging to Jeannette Emedi

2015 Infiniti Q50 with VIN Number JN1BV7AP1FM335237 belonging to BBB Auto Sales and State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins CO

2008 Dodge Nitro with VIN Number 1D8GU28K08W246318 belonging to Abdul Jenam and Ford Motor Credit

2014 Dodge Dart with VIN Number 1C3CDFBB6ED907911 belonging to Joseph Kuchel and Exeter Finance Corp.

2017 Dodge Grand Caravan with VIN number 2C4RDGCG1HR625411 belonging to Randle Penn and Carvana LLC

2014 Ford Taurus with VIN number 1FAHP2D80EG115793 belonging to Capital One Auto Finance and Alena Miller / Gabrielle Enoch

2018 Cadillac XT5 with VIN number 1GYKNDRS2JZ100386 belonging to Acar Leasing Ltd. and Wellsfrgo AS Clt Agt.

2005 Honda Accord with VIN number 1HGCM826X5A013200 belonging S&S Towing and auto sales

2018 GMC Terrain with VIN number 3GKALREU1JL340200 belonging to Solomon Hodo and Westlake Financial Services and Republic Finance LLC

2002 Ford F-250 with VIN number 1FTNX20F42ED68253 belonging to Root Insurance

2007 Lincoln MKZ with VIN number 3LNHM26TX7R650674 belonging to Automotive Choices LLC

2012 Ford Focus with VIN Number 1FAHP3M29CL396420 belonging to Credit Acceptance Co and Mikka Cathey and Monica Huerta

2015 Hyundai Tucson with VIN number KM8JT3AF3FU039470 belonging to Americredit Financial and Stephanie Sweezer

2018 Chevrolet Camaro with VIN number 1G1FB1RX6J0115478 belonging to Cristy Younce and Lisa Diaz and YouDrive Finance LLC

2004 Hyundai Sonata with VIN number KMHWF35H14A001999 belonging to Americredit Financial and Roberta Arnold

2015 Infiniti Q50 with VIN Number JN1BV7AP1FM335237 belonging to BBB Auto Sales and State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins CO

2009 Ford Focus with VIN number 1FAHP36N09W268615 belonging to Safi Nyiramutozo and Titlemax of Tennessee

2011 Subaru Outback with VIN number 4S4BRCKC9B3371291 belonging to Mata Auto Sales LLC

2011 Nissan Maxima with VIN number 1N4AA5APXBC828820 belonging to Andy PL Autos LLC

2004 Pontiac Vibe with VIN Number 5Y2SL628X4Z442470 belonging to Adam Gilbert and Lendmark Financial

2002 Saturn S-Series with VIN number 1G8ZP12842Z116824 belonging to Stephanie Aldridge and Ethington Auto Sales

Production Supervisor

Directs and manages production. Responsible for working with Quality, Maintenance, Shipping/receiving, and Human Resources. Develops and maintains a highly motivated plant organization capable of achieving production goals and objectives. Must have a Bachelor’s degree, or its foreign degree equivalent, in Electrical Engineering, Automotive Engineering or related field, and 3 years experience in manufacturing, industrial production or related. Send resume to Human Resources, Yamamoto FB Engineering, 7331 Global Drive, Louisville, KY 40258 or email hdean@yamamotofb.com.

HEAD CHEF sought by HEART & SOY LLC restaurant in Louisville, KY. Candidates must have a min of 2 yrs of documentable exp as Head Chef, Head Cook, Executive Chef or related field. Int’l cuisine training in food & beverage operations or similar areas beneficial but not reqd. Send resumes & work references to HEART & SOY, LLC, 1216 Bardstown Rd, Louisville, KY 40204, Attn: Van Nguyen, Managing Partner.

A sale will be held on April 3rd 2024 of a 2017 Mercedes Benz. VIN# WDCTG4GB3HJ336152 Sale location is 132 Shelvis Ct. Louisville, Ky 40229. Seller reserves right to bid. Phone number 502-767-3455.

SPECIAL TREATMENT

BY SCOTT HOGAN AND KATIE HALE

Puzzles Edited by Will Shortz

Katie Hale, of London, is a freelance crossword editor. Her co-constructor, Scott Hogan, is a patent attorney from Midland, Mich. This is their second Sunday collaboration for The Times. This puzzle’s genesis is owed to Scott’s wife, Edith, a podiatrist who came home one day with the joke you see at 120-Across.

ACROSS

1 Favors

5 Slathered in sauce, in restaurant-speak

8 Letters on security camera footage

12 Big flings

18 ‘‘Pet’’ you wouldn’t take to the vet

19 Cosecant’s reciprocal

20 Cookie with its name on it

21 One of four on a diamond

22 I visited the cardiologist, who . . .

25 Bull-headed?

26 Club assistant

27 Apt letters that complete this word: P__RPO__ __

28 Nailed

30 Partner of Hoda on ‘‘Today’’

31 I visited the dermatologist, who . . .

35 ‘‘The greatest as well as the most elegant of Roman philosophers,’’ per Voltaire

38 Rob in Hollywood

39 Fashion something fashionable,

maybe

40 Uninspired

41 Revealing word

45 Like a money-back guarantee

47 I visited a dentist and now I . . .

51 Otis of elevator fame

55 Set forth

56 Prattle

57 Sorry ass?

61 Equivalent of 32,000 ounces

62 Pinches

64 Scenario before a two-run home run, say

65 Lived (in)

67 Alternative to foil or saber

69 I visited the anesthesiologist and now I’ve . . .

73 Bitter brews

74 Gets in shape?

76 Home of the 123-story Lotte World Tower

77 Natural decorations on some bookshelves

79 Pique

80 Hunt

82 Lovelace of early computer programming

84 California wine valley

87 One with a landlord

89 I visited a sleep specialist, who . . .

92 Double-wide, as a garage

96 Professional who works a lot

97 Skin

98 Soul seller

100 Change positions, as in volleyball

102 Takes the blame for

105 I visited the radiologist, who . . .

110 Rude or, without its first two letters, rude person

111 ____ beer (nonalcoholic beverage)

112 MSNBC competitor

113 Slowly cook, in a way

118 Prenatal tests, in brief

120 I visited the podiatrist and now I . . .

123 Call

124 Filled, folded food

125 Female French friend

126 O, in hangman

127 Meager

128 Part of most musical notes

129 Cribbage marker

130 Mathematician Noether

DOWN

1 Rock band with a slash (but not Slash)

2 Like much of Iran

3 Sue Monk ____, author of ‘‘The Secret Life of Bees’’

4 Castle material, maybe

5 GameCube successor

6 Result

7 Actress Thompson of ‘‘Creed’’

8 It’s totally corny

9 Step in origami

10 Educational forum

11 Gave a thumbs-down

12 ‘‘Whaddya mean?’’

13 Kind of keyboard

14 Setting for some post-run?

15 ____ Barbarino, John Travolta’s role on ‘‘Welcome Back, Kotter’’

16 Heretofore

17 Car that Brits call a ‘‘saloon’’

19 Mascara mishap

23 Proctor’s pronouncement

24 ____ Lingus

29 The ‘‘Do’’ in ‘‘Do-Re-Mi’’

32 Went under

33 Asia’s disappearing ____ Sea

34 Old yeller?

35 Bamboozles

36 Having two equal sides

37 Behaved like the lion in Oz

40 Caribbean musical genre

42 Long quest

43 Roth ____

44 It’s involved in kissing and telling

46 Wheelless vehicle

48 Hint to the number of ingredients in Triscuits

49 Web-page code

50 Allowed to be borrowed

52 Puts the pedal to the metal

53 Spanish salutation

54 They might come out of the woodwork

58 U.S. fair-hiring inits.

59 ‘‘We doin’ this?’’

60 Eleven, in El Salvador

63 It might be a stretch

64 Olive ____ of ‘‘Popeye’’

66 Pack of dogs?

67 Man’s name that becomes a distance if you move the first letter to the end

68 Sponge feature

70 Ridiculously

71 Bean variety

72 Have over

75 Erupt

78 [Forehead palm smack]

81 Corp. shuffle

82 ____ Max, singer of the 2018 hit ‘‘Sweet but Psycho’’

83 Neighbor of Md.

85 Non-stereo

86 Button on social media

88 Leo, for one

90 Swear

91 Do some engraving

93 ‘‘SportsCenter’’ anchor Linda

94 Swears

95 Knocking onomatopoeia

98 Like a comeuppance, perhaps

99 ‘‘Lemme, lemme!’’

101 Ancient Greek area north of Thessaly

103 Color-blending technique

104 Title for a French priest

105 Lasting bad memories, so to speak

106 Got tagged

107 Anxiety condition, for short

108 Open, as a toothpaste tube

109 Garden statuette

114 Long

115 Express-lane unit

116 Quilter’s line

117 Current event?

119 ____ vs. ____ (Mad strip)

121 Paul ou Paulette

122 Fix