You may remember Miller Pyke from her previous interview with me on AP Studio Files about my thoughts on the arts and my background within the arts prior to Gotham Art News. A few weeks ago, I reached out to Miller, looking to discuss the stories and inspiration behind the New York interview-style podcast AP Studio Files and parties hosted through #ApartmentPARTY.
Can you tell us about your journey from being an actor, writer, director, and producer in Dallas to becoming a prominent figure in the Brooklyn creative scene with your #ApartmentPARTY salon series and AP Studio Files podcast?
Dallas feels like a whole other lifetime with completely different goals which really goes to show that 10 years can make a lot of difference & I hope that people always allow themselves to change. I had an agent in Dallas, I was auditioning & working as an assistant Producer for a small theater company, I wrote, directed, and produced my own work & I had a band that I fronted. When I moved to New York, I intentionally shifted away from acting & music making because producing & directing held my eye. I worked for several different off-Broadway theaters including Ensemble Studio Theater & New York Theater Workshop. One of the big shifts within my career was working for The Armory Show in early 2017 which I work yearly up to this day. Seeing art & audiences on that scale and working with the seasoned veterans of that show opened my eyes to what I wanted to be doing but also my fears regarding Capitalism within the art world. #ApartmentPARTY has always been free or without a paywall for those who need it. Any money that is made goes directly into the artist’s hands. My goal has always been to be more than just a music event or art show, but to be a place to connect & create community and most importantly support one another. I appreciate your recognition but would never consider myself a prominent figure since the goal has always been to center the work.
What inspired you to create and produce the monthly event #ApartmentPARTY, featuring various forms of art, and how has it evolved over the years?
I have always felt stuck between art, theater, and music and #ApartmentPARTY was birthed out of a desire to cross-pollinate those audiences. It started with a simple evening in the summer of 2018 to a monthly success that has hosted 200+ artists across all mediums. It went from being 15 people on my living room floor to bursting at the seams when we finally had to search for a larger space and begin taking submissions for artists.
In your podcast, AP Studio Files, you aim to bring the community together and shed light on local artists and creatives. Could you share a memorable experience or interview that had a significant impact on you or the community?
During the pandemic, I shifted to doing the interviews on AP Studio Files as a way to continue to highlight artists & focused on the question “What does joy look like in a community setting going forward?”. For me personally, the interview with Multimedia Artist Avery Savage was a really unique moment because I felt a big shift within myself and he’s also just an extremely fascinating person. It was recorded in late February of 2022 & I was coming out of some winter depression, some things were shifting in my personal life & I was coming out of the fog of long-covid. His interview is one of the first where I felt my brain really clicked and I think it reflects in how fun and intense our conversations became that day. Tahir McKenzie is also a significant one because of just how utterly LOVELY Tahir is and how encouraged by and uplifted I felt during that interview. He mentioned “Celebrating our successes” and while it’s not a groundbreaking concept I think of it often when I’m feeling down on myself. Our monthly mini-episodes are also so fun and a really great way to keep up with us. They are available on our Patreon and each subscription helps support our Technical Producer H Conley, Photographer Tucker W. Mitchell & Mini-Episode co-host Art Kopischke.
Noticing the diversity displayed within APSTUDIO Files: Why do you think it’s important to have age diversity in the arts, and what steps do you think can be taken to achieve this?
I think elders within a community are extremely important. I look often to my Mom who became a ceramicist later in life.
I try to communicate to younger artists that their work and passions will change and to not let that negate their successes. I believe that life and especially art are not linear. In terms of achieving this goal personally, I would love to speak to some artists later in their careers. A lot of my work is about leaving the ladder back for others but I always love to see a ladder ahead of me especially if that ladder is another creative who is willing to give their time and knowledge to this community.
Mid-summer 2020, you felt disconnected from everyone, which many could relate to during that time. How did this feeling lead to the idea of creating a time capsule through interviews with creatives? Can you share some insights into the process and its impact on you and the community?
It really started with a series of questions.
“What does joy look like in a community setting going forward?”
“How do I achieve joy when we all feel so disconnected?”
“How do I safely continue my work and support this community?”
One of my favorite questions I ask on the podcast is about upcoming creative & career goals and then watching them just absolutely crush those goals in the upcoming months and years. For each interview, I take time to get to know each person and I feel so grateful to call them my friends & peers. In terms of process we mostly just sit down to have a conversation. I do have some notes and research on each person before speaking to them but I like to keep the flow organic. I feel this process has strengthened our community outside of New York which is so awesome. We have many listeners across the US & internationally. Personally, this series has made me a much more effective communicator.
You recently have created brand merch & have completed your last event of 2023 on Nov 19th. Can you tell us a bit about what is to come in 2024.
2024 is going to be wild y’all. HOLD ON. We’re going to be hosting some original format shows with limited capacity back at the Apartment to stay true to our roots. We’re looking at potential permanent new homes for AP, we’re dropping more interviews than ever, we’re getting funding, we’re collaborating with several other organizations for festivals and we’re continuing to build community. We are strongest together and I cannot wait for all to come.
