Art Connection

Contribution

In the 1930s, poet Langston Hughes and artist Elmer W. Brown worked together on a children’s book called “The Sweet and Sour Animal Book.” A group of high school students curated an exhibit that shines a light on this book and collaboration. Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet is an organization that presents and promotes the contributions of black ballet artists from across the globe. We take part in their symposium, which invites dancers to learn, grow, and express themselves. We head to Massachusetts to meet photographer Rosamond Purcell. With a fifty-year long career, the first ever retrospective of her work was presented at the addison gallery of american art.

Cowboy Poetry

In the 1960s, Sister Corita Kent found the best way to spread the gospel was through art. She was radical for her time, but was relegated to history. We visit the Harvard Art Museum where they see her as an important pop art figure. We journey to Elko, Nevada to find out how poetry, music, and stories have turned into an annual celebration at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. We visit an early 20th century experimental planned community in Cleveland. And we experience “Sanatorium,” a participatory exhibition from Pedro Reyes. 

Create

Welder Jim Moffitt of Fernley, Nevada, has transformed his passion for metal working into 360° works of art. See how he creates intricate fire pits with an artistic flair. The City Girl Farm is a place from which chicken footstools emerge. And they don’t go for chickenfeed either. They’re serious pieces of fiber art. A question of faith lies at the heart of Disgraced , a Pulitzer Prize winning play. It’s a wrenching conflict given that the main character at the center of it is at pains to conceal his background because he’s Muslim. Karen Barsy has been a dance therapist for over 25 years. She works in different places throughout metro Detroit. Let’s check out Karen and the amazing advances dance therapy can achieve.

Create and Adapt

Mimi Holaday is a hat maker. With her brand “Halo Mimi,” she designs one-of-a-kind luxury hats that leave an impression. We head to Louisiana to hear more about her creative process. Through exhibitions and educational programs, the Sarasota Art Museum brings contemporary art to Sarasota, Florida. What was once a high school has become a space for the arts to flourish. Bryan Moss is a visual artist based in Columbus, Ohio. From comic books to large-scale murals, Moss’s art takes on many forms. We meet the artist, learn about some of his projects, and find out how he became the full-time caretaker for the home of the late artist Aminah Robinson.

Create and Imagine

Ever since he was a child, artist Juan jose Hoyos Quiles has been painting. Based in Clearwater, Florida, he experiments with color, space, and line, to render striking abstract works. Josh Weinstein is the creator of Norfolk Tour Company. For over ten years, a series of spirited walking tours have been offered to the public, inviting people to experience the arts, culture, and history of Norfolk, Virginia. In Sparks, Nevada, emerging artist Braighlee captures femininity by painting abstract-realism portraits of some of the inspiring women in her life. In doing so, their voices are heard. Michael Powell, aka “Blakk Sun,” is many things. He is an actor, a musician, a poet, and he is also a spoken word artist. Through writing and performance, he moves people.

Creating the Unique

In this story, we follow Merrilee Cleveland to a foundry at the Fine Arts Center of East Carolina University to witness the birth of her latest series of works, "The Cosmo Dancers." A group of renowned artists from Sacramento find comfort and friendship while creating works of art. We meet Chinonye Chukw, the creative mind behind Pens to Pictures, a collaborative designed to teach incarcerated women how to tell their stories through film. Fashion designer Stephanie Schultz is now the 10th Pfister Artist in Residence in Milwaukee. Her creative fashions are historically inspired and paying homage to the Victorian art at the hotel.

Creative Combinations

Artisodes honors Zachary Botchen, our Student of the Week, from Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. Roots of Knowledge is a wall of windows at Utah Valley University's library entrance highlighting the events and people that shaped humankind from the days of wooly mammoths and cavemen to the iPhone. The North Market in Columbus is home to a family-run shop specializing in chocolates infused with herbs and spices, resulting in creative flavor combinations like cardamom and orange, and Jamaican curry. Born in Colombia and adopted by a Minnesota family, painter Paul Peterson is creating a Colombian themed series to help his recently found biological family.

Creative Expression

Quianna Simpson is a dancer who has strong ties to her community in Ohio.At age seven, she began practicing traditional West African dance, and today, she pays it forward by teaching students the many ways in which you can express yourself through movement. Born in 1857, artist Lorenzo Latimer taught plein-air painting in Reno, Nevada. In 1921, his students formed the “Latimer Art Club” to pursue their craft and promote the arts. A century later, in 2021, the Nevada Museum of Art opened an exhibit spotlighting the club’s many contributions to the art world. We take a trip to Aullwood Audubon in Dayton, Ohio, to experience the outdoor exhibit “The Troll That Hatched an Egg.” With the help of volunteers, recycle artist Thomas Dambo’s vision became a reality, and three giant trolls were created to bring people out into nature.  

Creative Flow

The National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron in Ohio supports the creative process. As an incubator for dance, the center offers spaces for artists to experiment, develop their craft, and create new works. The Doctor Carter G. Woodson African American museum in Saint petersburg, Florida, preserves and interprets African American history. We learn more about its role in the community and the ways in which it shines a light on the importance of equality and inclusivity. Rick Braveheart is a nature photographer. When he goes outside with his camera, he sees beauty all around him and develops a deep connection with the land. We joined him on one of his outings in Ohio to get a look at his process.

Creative Force

At only eight years old, Juliette leong is a force to be reckoned with. Based in Sparks, Nevada, Leong is a skilled violinist, art prodigy, philanthropist, and a kid who loves to roller-skate and just have fun. We visit the studio of sculptor Pauren P. McAloon. Located just north of Key West in Florida, in her space, McAloon creates using found materials like wood and metal, and with her latest series, she speaks to immigration. In his youth in Egypt, Hani Hara loved to paint. After having to leave his home country at a young age, he built a new life for himself in America and was able to rediscover his love of art.

Creative Freedom

Mick Meilahn is a nationally renowned glass artist. Born into a fourth-generation farm family, he combines his love of farming with his love of art to render ears of corn made of glass. A native of Northeast Ohio, artist Daniel Arsham serves as the creative director of the basketball team the "Cleveland Cavaliers.” We learn the many ways in which he is leaving his mark. The Florida orchestra’s “Inside the Music” series gives listeners an opportunity to understand the minds of famous composers. we hear from the orchestra’s music director, Michael Francis, about the series great value.

Creative Hands

Pasquale Iovinella makes high-quality handmade ties. From fabric selection to pattern development to tie construction, he is involved in every step of the process. We travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to meet jazz musician Romel Sims. With a trumpet in hand, he proudly plays for all to hear and tells a story through the notes he emits. We visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana where painter and architect Francisco “Pastel” Diaz colorfully transformed the space around him by creating murals for the public to enjoy. Whether she is applying henna, using fluid-based acrylic on her canvases, or practicing calligraphy, artist Lydia Hannah Wilson explores many different art forms when creating.

Creative Healing

We head to Michigan to learn about Artist Mario Moore’s exhibit, “Recovery”. In his paintings and silverpoint drawings, he reflects on how African American men rest in our society. Confronted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Sierra Arts Foundation in Northern Nevada has worked to keep galleries open and to allow artists and community members to safely interact. Zero Empty Spaces is a management company that transforms vacant spaces into affordable studios for artists to work and grow. We take a trip to South Florida to meet the founders and hear how this project developed. We are introduced to two art installations in Boston, Massachusetts. Called “The Heard” and “To each era, its art, to art, its freedom,” we learn about their role in the public space.

Creative Hues

Wonderbound is a new American dance company that produces creations to ease boundaries between mediums and engages artists and audiences. We talk with Las Vegas painter Jerry Misko and his love of the Sin City’s neon lights. Meet techno music innovators and see how they are honoring the music today and we visit The Hub in New Smyrna Beach, a unique art gallery that houses over 80 local artists.

Creative Journey

Artist Susan Handau’s canvases are of a minimalistic nature. With color and texture, she creates abstract shapes surrounded by neutral hues. We head to Reno, Nevada for the story. Through public arts programs, sculptor Craig Gray is able to share his work with many different states across the country. From orange slices to popsicles, his large-scale, sculptures are joyful and imaginative. We visit Cincinnati, Ohio, to meet Doctor Sarah Hellmann, the founder of art for all people. Created in 2010, this transformational program uses art to help individuals who are suffering. Aarushi Pratap is many things—a fashion designer, illustrator, and special Olympics athlete, to name a few. We visit Tampa, Florida, to find out more about her creative journey.

Creative Landscapes

Even in his own time the Renaissance painter Botticelli was a superstar. The Fields Sculpture Park at Art Omi in Ghent, NY, presents the works of internationally recognized contemporary and modern artists, spread over a sprawling natural landscape. Arin Peywa gives a Zuni language lesson. This short segment profiles Lafayette Gilchrist, an American jazz pianist and composer living in Baltimore, MD.

Creative Process

In upstate New York, the culinary arts are thriving. From farm to table, the art of cheese making, cured meats, and olive oil are front and center. As an artist, Jennifer Lanzilotti does not limit herself. From painting leaves to writing young adult fiction, she finds inspiration all around her in different forms of media. When cutting hair and styling facial hair, barbers often become artists. In this segment, we visit a Reno, Nevada barbershop to find out more about this art form. In Columbus, Ohio, jams Alexander owns an exciting hip-hop based dance studio. From breakdancing to popping and locking, he introduces and teaches dance to his students.

Creative Spaces

Concerned about plastic pollution in the ocean, photographer and diver Andreas Franke created an underwater photography exhibition that addressed this environmental crisis. Artist Emily Reid loves animals. She renders multicolored, patterned paintings of alpacas, donkeys, roosters, and more. We visit Reid in her studio in Reno, Nevada. We go to Detroit, Michigan, to meet Virgil Taylor, an artist who creates wearable art. Inspired by the ancient Middle East, Taylor designs special pieces full of spirit. We take a trip to Florida to experience Art Battle Sarasota, a competition where artists gather together to paint for the viewing public. With just 20 minutes on the clock, the competitors race to complete their artworks.

Creative Voices

Birdy magazine provides a platform for creative voices. Based in Denver, Colorado, this arts and culture publication highlights an array of artists through the print medium. We head to Florida to find out more about an organization that has dedicated itself to the advancement of the arts. Produced by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Cleveland Cinemas, the Reel Science Film series explores the world of science fiction and shows how directors incorporate scientific details in their films. Art Ambassadors is a new initiative that redefines how the Utah Museum of Fine Arts creates access and space for diverse voices. Each Art Ambassador works closely with a museum educator to create a personal tour—one that reflects their culture, background, language, special expertise or area of interest.

Creativity & Passion

Since 1881, the American association of University Women has been advocating for women and girls. In an effort to advance gender equity, the Utah branch put together an exhibit for women artists to show their work. When you enter 2D Cafe in Saint Petersburg, Florida, it is as if you’ve stepped into a comic book. Painted and designed by local artist Chad Mize, the space allows you to become part of the artwork and enjoy a memorable experience. In 2022, the 150th birthday of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar was celebrated in Ohio. Born to two former slaves, Dunbar became one of the first African American poets to garner national critical acclaim.