Art Connection

Powerful Experiences

With her camera, photographer Megan Wynne explores the maternal experience and the powerful relationship between mother and child. In Sparks, Nevada, Sarah and Jason Harrell love to decorate for halloween. With originality, they bring their ideas to life and adorn their home with creatures, lights, and pumpkins. We travel to Tampa Bay, Florida, to meet artist and teacher Junior Polo. In addition to painting and sculpting, he gives back to the community through teaching and shares important skills and methods with his students. We get a look at the exhibit “The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming” at the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts. On view are an assortment of artifacts that date to this moment in history.

Powerful Words

Artist David Blondell combines his two passions, using his artistic skills to recreate some of sports most memorable moments. See how artist Jera Rose Petal Lodge melds metal into wearable art. Take a behind the scenes look at "Louis & Keely 'Live' at the Sahara," a musical play about the legendary music duo. And teacher Erin Gruwell shares "Stories from an Undeclared War" the real life chronicle of 150-at-risk students whose lives changed with the power of the written word.

Practice and Caring

In his workshop in Athens, Ohio, acclaimed luthier Don Macrostie creates mandolins. Having studied the instrument for decades, he makes each one by hand and uses his immense knowledge and skill to produce an incredible sound. We travel to Florida to hear from artist Dean Mitchell. Whether it be a landscape, still life, or figurative work, when he paints, he draws from the challenging experiences of his youth and examines the world we live in. Janina Marie Fuller is the author of “The Gecko in the Bathtub.” In it, she includes stories about her many encounters with different types of animals. We head to Louisiana to learn more about the book and the writer’s love of nature.

Preservation

Jim Deyoung is the senior conservator at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin. In his role, he preserves artwork from around the world, so that it can be appreciated for years to come. Formed in 1971, M Ensemble Company is the longest running African American professional theater company in Florida. They bring impactful stories to the stage for audiences. We visit the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts to see an exhibit focused on women’s groundbreaking influence on fashion and design. We meet artist Lea Gray. Inspired by nature, she transforms paper into realistic, intricate sculptures of plants and flowers. We travel to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Ohio to see an exhibition of her art.

Providing a Path

Visit an exhibit that features portraits of older, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals whose lives have been marked by both hardship and joy. The arts conservatory for teens provides an exciting arts education for youth in the Tampa Bay, Florida area. In Detroit, Michigan a program brings music to those suffering with mental health challenges. The Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory in Denver, Colorado stands as a concrete architectural marvel and features hundreds of exotic plants from around the world.

Providing Opportunities

At the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company in Ohio, dancers can fully be themselves. Founded in 1968 to create opportunities for dancers of color, this historic company supports diversity and inclusion. We take a look back to when the company celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Reno Street Art Project allows people to virtually explore the art scene in Reno, Nevada. Using virtual reality technology, this immersive experience provides 360 degree views of a variety of murals. We take a trip to Tampa, Florida, to meet poet and educator Liz Prisley who performs spoken word. Combining her words with her voice, she performs for the community and speaks her truth.

Pumpkin Heads

Meet Mark Gunter, a Sacramento fashion photographer who is capturing "the look" on runways across the county. Follow filmmaker Alicia J. Rose as she rehearses and films her short film "A Gift of Gravity." Artist Catalina Delgado Trunk explores mythologies from pre-Colombian Mexico and shares her inspiration form its food, traditions, and language. And artist Deane Arnold creates fantastic 3D creations of fleshy faces on pumpkins.

Purpose

Can a book have a second life? In the hands of Troy, Ohio artist Kyleen Greene it can. She takes books of all shapes and sizes and repurposes them into eye-catching paper sculptures. Artist Bassmi of Clearwater, Florida, shares how meditation influences his abstract paintings and how a chance encounter with a famous artist inspired him to pursue his passion. Sculpture Milwaukee is an annual free, outdoor urban art experience where sculpture artists from around the world showcase their works along Wisconsin Avenue, which runs through the heart of downtown Milwaukee. Albuquerque’s innovative “We Are This City” builds community.

Radiance

Today we go inside the Milwaukee Art Museum and explore their gallery dedicated to light-based media and the featured exhibition of the work of late documentary photographer Larry Sultan. We dig deeper into the life of Italian immigrant Marino Auriti and his seven-foot high architectural model called "The Encyclopedic Palace." We travel to New Mexico to make artifacts with ceramicist Jami Porter Lara. And artist Julie Wiegand displays her devotion to capturing the beauty of the Missouri River landscape with oil paint and canvas.

Reaching New Heights

We sit down with a cabaret performer whose content is physics and other sciences. Author Richard Russo’s career reached new heights in 1993 with his third novel Nobody’s Fool. A film adaptation that starred Paul Newman a year later helped make the fictional town of North Bath, NY dear to many. Artist Lisa Scholder helps to heal the visible and emotional wounds of female cancer survivors through body paint. We talk with Kelsey Rose Young and Katherine Greene with the Detroit tap repertory. These tappers are keeping the beat with their feet while they perform around the city.

Recognition

For the Holidays, the Reno Philharmonic put on their annual concert called Spirit of the Season."In addition to an orchestral performance, audiences in Nevada were able to enjoy singing, dancing, and so much more. Earl James designs and makes blown glass objects. He's been working in his Cleveland, Ohio studio since 1990, and for the past few years, he’s created glass sculptures for the recipients of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards.The Avery Fisher Career Grant awards give assistance and recognition to emerging instrumentalists full of great potential. In 2023, one of the recipients was Bokyung Byun, a guitarist who interprets music in a way that is very much her own.

Rediscover

Artist Titus Kaphar examines history and representation. In his work, he closes the distance between past and present, revealing history’s impact on the contemporary world. For over twenty-five years, the Carson City Ghost Walk has been entertaining the public. Led by artist Mary Bennett, the historical tales and paranormal stories of Carson City, Nevada, are told through live theatre. Eco-feminist artist Mira Lehr renders abstract artworks that reflect on nature and our environment. Through mediums such as painting and sculpture, she conveys her message. When viewing Joan Snyder’s painting “Smashed Strokes Hope,” one notices the colorful brushwork. We go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to look back at the exhibit “Epic Abstraction,” which featured this work.

Reflection

The Colorado Ballet troupe artistically represents one of the darkest periods in human history. In Texas, artist Dixie Friend Gay is making the airport a calmer place…one mosaic at a time. We learn how Renaissance man, Dougie Padilla, finds his inspiration and inner peace and we take a look at how artist Richard Birkett turns trash into treasures.

Reflections

 The African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, otherwise known as AfriCOBRA, was founded in 1968. We meet one of the co-founders of the movement, Wadsworth Jarrell. Gordon Campbell is an aerial photographer. From above, he captures the impressive landscapes of the eastern shore with his camera. In Utah, the exhibit “Up Close and Far Away” at the Springville Museum of Art allowed students to artistically reflect on their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. We travel to the Florida Keys to see the sculpture “Red Nun.” Designed by multidisciplinary artist James Emerson, viewers are invited to step inside and become part of the artwork.

Refurbished

In this episode of Art Connection we will take a look at Dominque Martinez’s successful scrape sculpture company, visit with Ukrainian music professor and composer Virko Baley. We’ll get an in depth look at Gary Myers paintings and see the masterful refurbishments of the men behind Twenty1Five.

Remarkable

For over 90 years, the Cass Tech Harp and Vocal Program in Detroit, Michigan has been teaching its students an array of music and providing a space for them to express themselves. We travel to Englewood, Colorado to get an inside look at Natura Obscura, an engaging nature-focused arts experience that encourages exploration and discovery. Hans Hofmann was an artist and teacher whose vivid canvases influence individuals to this day. We visit the Peabody Essex museum in Salem, Massachusetts to see some of his striking works. At Peppermill Resort Properties in Nevada, guests will have the opportunity to view videos taken from around the world. In these hotels, video screens display landscapes, culture, and wildlife from all seven continents.

Remembrance

Robert Frank was a documentary photographer who captured 1950’s America with his camera lens. Entitled “The Americans,” his pivotal photo-book contained eighty-three photos that showed what society was like at that time. We take a trip to Reno, Nevada, to find out more about Reno Public Market. In addition to retail shops and a food hall, the market will host an art collective and have space for artists to create and show their work to the community. Abstract artist Glenyse Thompson depicts conversation through colors and lines. In her symbolic paintings and drawings, she expresses the wonders of human interaction. Near the Utah state capitol, there is a monument that pays tribute to the courageous women who fought for equal voting rights. In its design, the sculpture conveys the fight for suffrage.

Represent

Salt Lake Speaks is a celebration of local talent, presented by the Eccles Theater and Salt Lake County Arts & Culture. Ten Utah-based poets came together to celebrate the power of spoken word poetry and present their work on stage.  Based in Detroit, Michigan, the Sphinx Virtuosi is a professional self-conducted chamber orchestra that inspires and uplifts. Comprised of Black and Latinx artists, it recognizes the power of diversity in the arts and transforms lives in the process. Photographer Ruddy Roye enjoys capturing the fishermen who line the shores of Lake Erie at the East 55th Street Marina in Cleveland, Ohio. With his camera, he shares their story.

Representation

At one time, over one hundred rubber manufacturers operated in Akron, Ohio. Now as a way to honor the thousands of workers who were employed in the industry, a commemorative statue is being sculpted. Artistic Whisk is a bakery that makes edible works of art. Located in St. Petersburg, Florida, the shop’s cake artists render colorful and creative cakes for a variety of occasions. We visit Reno, Nevada, to meet painter Kelsey Rolling. In her visual work, she focuses on representation and reinterpretation, and explores art history and pop culture. We head to the Norton Museum of Art in Florida to visit the exhibit “Who? A Brief History of Photography Through Portraiture.” Curator Tim B. Wride tells us about the portraits that make up the show.

Resilience

Using the medium of photography, artist Tina Freeman takes images of the Earth’s landscapes and reflects on climate change and its effects. We travel to the Rocky Mountains to learn more about the Marble Marble Symposium. Established in 1989, participants carve fantastic sculptures during this eight-day event. We meet painter Jane Lufkin. Based in Truckee, California, the artist renders colorful impressionistic landscape oil paintings that evoke her surroundings. 2020 marks the 150th anniversary of Utah being the first place where women voted in the modern nation.  It also marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted all U.S. women the right to vote. We visit three schools in Utah to see how students are celebrating this moment in history by creating different types of art