Fresh Art International

Today’s episode is a poetic epilogue to the nine Student Edition stories we produced in 2020 with university students from the United States and Canada. The students who produced this fresh story are from Chișinău, capital city of the Republic of Moldova. The tiny Eastern European country declared its independence from the Soviet Union not so long ago, in 1991.    In spring 2025, Fresh Art International’s Cathy Byrd introduced podcasting to locals during a 3-day program. They recorded voices and sounds for stories about the independent art scene inside the state-owned architectural monument they call home.   At the time of our workshop, the venue was hosting a collection of displays and public conversations exploring the impact of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Emerging podcasters Olga Raileanu, Bogdan Glavan, and Daniel Boldurat sat down with local photographer Mihail Calarașan, Ukrainian artist KAR, and sociologist Vitalie Sprînceană to talk about the role of art in times of war.   Note: The original