Art Connection
Meet Houston artist Wiley Robertson who is using signs, buildings and more to spread his message of love around the city. Artist Gabriela Michanie shares how she found her passion for photography. Sculptor artist Greg Shochko attempts to capture people's attention as well as carbon monoxide fumes with his prototype scooter. And for anyone who has ever dreamed of turning a secret family recipe into a food product for sale in stores, there's a program giving hope and advice on how to do it.
We meet abstract artist Brenden Spivey. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Spivey’s canvases are rich with color, shape, and texture. Each painting he creates is full of life. In 1978, Donn Arden’s production “Hello Hollywood Hello” premiered in Reno, Nevada. It was a massive hit. We hear more about the show and its lasting impact. We take a trip to Florida to experience the immersive exhibition “Seven Solos.” The show includes site-specific works from seven different contemporary artists. Through the power of song and personal storytelling, the musical “She’s Crazy: Mental Health and Other Myths” hopes to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
“Doctor Atomic” is an opera about the creation of the atomic bomb. We travel to New Mexico to meet one of the artists behind the production, renowned opera director Peter Sellars. Natasha Tsakos is a show maker who combines technology with live performance to create new, dynamic experiences. In her work, she reimagines what theater could be. “Alight on Mars” is a nocturnal exhibition that celebrates the firefly. Walking along the outdoor sculpture path, visitors are able to see artwork that illuminates the night sky. In Reno, Nevada, we hear from Traci Turner, an artist who embraces color and finds inspiration in the human figure and human experience. With her paintings, she expresses emotion and builds connections with her viewer.
In this episode of Art Connection we sit down with Bonnie Gale, a New York artist, who uses willows to create her living outdoor sculptures. We catch up with Grammy award winning pianist, Billy Childs, who merges classical music with smooth jazz. We go behind the scenes with the creators of a spell bounding adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest and we check out “To The Brink,” an ongoing exhibit at the JFK Library that sheds light on U.S-Soviet Relations during Kennedy’s Administration.
As a playwright and founder of a performing arts organization, Darius V. Daughtry provides opportunities for members of the community to express themselves. We travel to South Florida to learn more about the important work he is doing. Educator Megan Hallett leads “Family Art Studio,” a free, after school program that allows families to come together to create art in a welcoming environment. Gene Epstein transforms books into works of art by cutting and folding their pages into a variety of shapes and designs. We meet the artist and find out more about her creative process.
Muzelle is a multi-genre violinist. Although she is classically trained, she works in other genres. We visit the artist during a performance at a contemporary art exhibit and find out more about her creative journey. We meet Jason Glaser, a second-generation metal crafter. After his father passed away, he decided to continue the family business and helps run Jay’s metal crafting, which specializes in creative metal and ironwork. We travel to New York to learn about an exhibit that highlights printmaking among women artists during the experimental and collaborative period between 1960 and 1990. Mallory Feltz is a visual, installation, and performance artist who uses a variety of materials to examine the idea of home. We meet the artist and get an inside look at her process.
An arts nonprofit in Washington, D.C. builds community through the art of storytelling. “Mona Hatoum: Terra Infirma” showcases some of the major sculptures from this world-renowned artist. The Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School is the official music school of The Lighthouse Guild, a nonprofit healthcare and service organization for the blind and visually impaired. Cincinnati artist, Terrence Burke, developed an interest in puppets when he was growing up. But it took special encouragement from his daughter to help him realize his childhood dream.
Students in Detroit, Michigan learn the trade of media making. Poet Tanaya Winder shares her inspiration. Visit Mark Groaning's gallery in Rochester, New York, and you'll quickly realize that he likes to explore. It isn't often that you come across an artist who is as comfortable with a paint brush as they are with a torch. Stephen Koury is an artist in central Florida, who is known for his paintings of animals.
Katherine Rutledge is inspired by Louisiana. With paint, she captures the architecture, waterways, and landscapes that make her state unique. We traveled to Islamorada, Florida, to meet artist Elena Madden. In her artwork, she examines light and the way it reflects against the water. Her paintings are full of energy and movement. Founded in 2017, the young filmmakers academy in Lakewood, Ohio, is an award-winning program that gives young artists the opportunity to learn about filmmaking. Iain Forrest is an electric cellist, medical student, and participant in the metropolitan transportation authority’s music under New York program. With his cello, he performs contemporary music for commuters.
With his work, artist Jeremy Rosario hopes to make connections and spread messages of positivity. In the face of hardship, art becomes a means of inspiration. For over twenty years, the organization “Giving Tree Music” has been spreading joy and strengthening bonds. Through interactive drum circles, they build community and encourage participants to have fun. We learn about “The First Lady Presents,” an education program that highlights the art, culture, and history of Nevada, and celebrates artists throughout the state.
Steve Kolpacke recently discovered his passion for woodturning. We caught up with him in his studio in Detroit. Art + Practice not only provides world class arts experiences but in partnership with first place for youth, local foster youth receive access to housing, individualized education and employment support. Kenneth Young is a talented painter that enjoys exploring many different styles. We visited the artist at his home in Ghent, New York. We take a look at Fannie Mae Duncan’s Cotton Club, celebrating inclusion, desegregation, and the history of Colorado Springs Jazz.
We take a look at the places and the people that keep the regional Capital Repertory Theatre vibrant. Gerardo Pereda-Rosas demonstrates the time and love that goes into his glass-etching pieces, which showcase his Latin-American heritage. The Live in Color Dance Company provides a place where dancers can perfect urban funk hip-hop choreography and form a lasting community. And a father and son show their work together in a light and sculpture exhibition connected by the theme of continuance.
Meet Dan Dunn, an artist that creates paintings with rapid strokes at a breathtaking speed. We visit “Magritte,” an exhibit highlighting Belgian surrealist René Magritte at The Museum of Modern Art. Glassblower Michelle Kaptur shares the emotion that goes into each of her creates titled “Soulbursts” and we visit the recently refurbished tapestry room in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Artist Erin Beckloff loves the tradition and history of letterpress. At the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, artists can display monumental works that may not find a home anywhere else. Singer-songwriter Annie Lennox explores her life journey through an installation at the museum. Baltimore-based interdisciplinary artist Abraham Burickson is co-founder and artistic director of odyssey works, a cross-genre collaborative of artists. Leslie Greeneisen is a sculptor in the Detroit area who shares her passion with her community.
We meet magicians Kevin Jeffrey and Lord Caruso who star in the show “Magique.” During each performance, they amaze audiences with their skill and showmanship. The exhibition “Like a Good Armchair” at the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio, examines chairs and the act of sitting, and the ways in which they are filled with significance. We head to Florida to see the work of visual artist Chitra Ganesh. From drawings and paintings to animations and prints, the artist tells stories in an experimental way. Artist Daric Gill explores creativity in its many forms. Over the course of his career, he has developed several bodies of work.
After 11 p.m. on the Las Vegas strip, musicians congregate at bar for an improvisational jam session like no other. The Harvard Art Museum officially re-opens and we're invited inside for a closer look. For the first time, Opera Colorado has commissioned the creation of a new opera, The Scarlet Letter, and we receive a behind the scenes look. And a painter who is also a criminal law attorney tells us how he balances his day job with his passion for painting.
We visit The Korean American Youth Performing Artist, a non-profit group sparking excitement about the arts and Korean culture in a unique way. We explore The Milwaukee Art Museum, which houses one of the world’s foremost collections of the 20th Century Haitian Art. Meet Craig Mitchell Smith, an unconventional artist who is a self-taught glassmaker. And we join photographer Roy Inman on a photo shoot to see how he works with flash bulbs.
Meet the performers of the Boulder, Colorado Dance Company, Frequent Flyer Productions. We get a first-hand look at how Jason Wolff creates beautiful and functional hand-crafted pottery pieces. Designer Ann Williamson creates “wearable art,” from Japanese kimono silk and we visit “Barkitecture,” a competition that challenges top design firms to create artsy abodes for our four legged friends.
Alaskan Tlingit artist Clarissa Rizal creates Chilkat weavings and button blankets highly regarded for their unique beauty and the stories they hold. We sit down with artist Chuck U who morphed his childhood dream of illustrating comic books into a successful career as a graphic designer. We visit Dayton artist Willis “Bing” Davis who is well known for his distinctive, mixed media work that pays tribute to his African-American heritage and culture. Lastly, we watch as artist Jera Rose Petal Lodge melds metal into wearable art.
Get a look at the play Fear Up Harsh, which depicts some of the harsh realities a soldier must face when returning home from war. After Cincinnati artist Dawn B. Dyer retired she returned to her true passion of painting and found true inspiration in animals. Bettina Burr has found a new home for some of her family's collection that was stolen by the Nazis and scattered throughout the world. And Grammy-winning musician Daniel Ho shares his unique worldview and takes a refreshing approach to all aspects of his successful career.