Art Connection

Experience

Call it visual art 101, with a twist. Paint and sip studios school grown-ups on ways to create a simple painting. Vino in hand, optional. We visit one such location in Grand Junction, Colorado. Originally from Austin, Minnesota, acclaimed Americana rock band, Gear Daddies have been playing together since 1986. Band members return to First Avenue for the 25^th Anniversary of the band’s record, “Billy’s Live Bait." We visit the Blue House Gallery and Studios in northwest Dayton, Ohio. Since 2014, this once-vacant property has blossomed into a contemporary arts center where artists can collaborate, create and exhibit. Political Cartoonist Dwane Powell looks back on a lifetime of covering the news.

Explore

Chef Jose Salazar opened Mita’s restaurant in Cincinnati in 2015. The menu features traditional and modern dishes of Spain and Latin America, and pays tribute to the food created by his grandmother. Rob Rogalski is a local artist whose whimsical art enraptures those who visit his studio. His miniature movie sets, his puppets and his sculptures transport you to a fantasy world that seems so real. At the Sacramento Zoo, animals get the opportunity to create works of art. It’s all part of a program that helps build stronger relationships with the animals and their trainers. Villa Conroy is the home of Connie and Roy Brand. Each month they open their home for a concert, bringing together folk musicians and fans.

Exploring the Past

Born in Susanville, California, community artist and activist Jean LaMarr  uses printmaking, painting, video, and more, to represent Native American life and culture, and address important issues affecting Indigenous people. Columbus, Ohio native Terri Albanese paints with glass. Inspired by the mosaics in Italy, she shapes glass into vibrant, textured works of art that uplift, heal, and evoke feelings of hope. At a very young age, jazz legend Kitty Daniels started playing the piano. Throughout her long career, she has collaborated with talents such as Etta James, B.B. King, and Dizzy Gillespie. We met the artist and hear her story.

Expression

Drag is an art and, in this segment, we meet drag performer Rianna Petrone. Based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Petrone sits down for drag queen story hour for youth in the community. Since 1980, DDC Dances has been presenting works of contemporary dance in Michigan. As a dance company, they choreograph expressive performances for audiences to enjoy. Multimedia artist Nicole Ashton creates unique public art. With her large-scale sculptures, she encourages interaction and participation. We take a trip to Reno, Nevada for the story. Artist John Waters is unlike any other. In his art, he tells a story in a provocative, subversive way. We visit the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, to see an exhibition of his visual work.  

Expressions

Heidi Hoy’s expressive bronze sculptures render women with incredible strength and femininity. Wilmington, Ohio is often known for its antique shops. This small, sleepy town is home to a tattoo parlor which is anything but antique, it’s an art gallery. Photographer Steve McCurry tells us about his travels around the world which lead him to create iconic photographs of vanishing traditions, armed conflicts, and contemporary life. A hard-early life and eventual enlightenment influenced artist Forrest Prince in the creation of some striking multi-media art.

Expressions

During the biennial legislative session in Carson City, Nevada, the legislative exhibition series presents an array of artworks for legislators to appreciate. The series encourages creativity and expression. For over 20 years, Scenic Solutions has been bringing a variety of shows to life. Based in West Carrollton, Ohio, this scenery shop creates singular designs. We hear from feminist poet, writer, and social activist Margaret Randall. Over the span of her illustrious career, Randall has published over 150 books and made an undeniable impact on the poetic medium. We visit Durango, Colorado, to check out Ska Brewing Company. Founded in 1995, this music-inspired brewery is known for its creative beer labels.

Expressive

Artist Sabrina Nelson reflects on the world around her in her meaningful works of art. We head to Detroit, Michigan to get an inside look at her exhibition “Why You Wanna Fly blackbird." In Monroe, Louisiana, community members have come together to develop a public art project. Featuring sculptures of herons, “Herons on the Bayou” has become a part of the landscape. We travel to Reno, Nevada, to meet jewelry artist and goldsmith Micah Blank. We get a firsthand look at how his sustainable fine jewelry is made and the artistry behind his designs. Embracing Our Differences is a not-for-profit organization that educates and inspires. For over 15 years, they have presented an outdoor international art exhibition that celebrates inclusion and diversity.

Eye Candy

The Art and Culture Center of Hollywood exhibit delves into the fads, trends, and contemporary influences of the Peanuts comic strip and shows us how those references have changed over the last 50 years. Museum curator Gvido Trepsa talks about the artistic inspiration and the hardships encountered by Roerich in his work. Zach Braff discusses his new crowd-funded film “Wish I Was Here.” And artist Charlotte Kruk explores the ideas of consumerism through fiber arts made of packaging from items she’s consumed.

Fantastic

Producer Ashley Holcroft introduces us to Calvin Arsenia, who has captured the attention of audiences with his harp, his passionate vocals and his soulful style. Join us as Philip Smith takes us into the magical world of his hieroglyphic paintings as they reference the metaphysical world and his childhood in 1960s Miami. Known for his fantastical imagery of the sweet and the skewed, pop surrealist Mark Ryden’s work found its way to the most unlikely of places, American Ballet Theatre…and the result is simply delicious. What do Pavarotti, Abraham Lincoln, and Babe Ruth have in common? They're all featured in the work of artist John Cross, who  whittles blocks of wood into wonderfully defined sculptures.

Fiber of Being

The Fiber Arts are frequently associated with old-fashioned quilting and crochet, but we learn it’s making a name for itself in the contemporary art world. Love reveals its true face in Cyrano Mio, a Spanish adaptation of the French original. We follow the music to Denver, Colorado where world-class pianist Katie Mahan reveals her love of music and we visit the Roberson Museum in New York.

Film Minority

Meet a roofer whose passion for woodworking leads him to make handcrafted guitars from wood salvaged on the job site. We take a look at a film festival showcasing the voices and perspectives of women – both as subjects and storytellers. We take a look at photographer A.J. Meek's new book featuring clouds and poetry by children. And we have an immersive art experience at The (e)merge Art Fair in Washington D.C.

Finding A Balance

A profile of StreetMule, one of more than 350 members of the MTA’s Music Under New York Program. New Mexico painter Laila Cola Weeks feels technology is changing something fundamental about ourselves. Christopher Seggi started drawing at an early age. He also wanted to grow up to be a police officer. Now, he combines his passions into a career that helps put criminals behind bars. It takes a special kind of story and a talented group of story tellers to take the fun of the silver screen and imagine it into an interactive experience… the perfect job for the best of Disney Imagineering.

Finding a Path

Victoria Reyes started creating art at a very young age. With dual military parents away for long periods of time, art became an escape. Inspired by anime, she began to render digital works on her ipad…and today, she continues to do so, while also pursuing traditional art. Andrew Levitt, a.k.a “Nina West,” is an acclaimed drag performer from Ohio. He is also an activist, singer-songwriter, and actor who stars as Edna Turnblad in the national tour of “Hairspray.” Gustavo Victor Goler carves images of saints out of wood. What started as a hobby in high school has become an award-winning career that spans decades.

Finding a Way

A struggling Cleveland, Ohio, artist finds success documenting the lives of others, who, like him, are trying to get by. At MOPCO Improv Theatre in Schenectady, New York, Kat Koppett runs a consultancy that specializes in using the principles of improv to train and coach business leaders. Kathy Flynn shares stories of discovering Works Progres Administration (WPA) art works lost over time in New Mexico. Reno, Nevada, artist Gina Iwahashi specializes in Shibori, a Japanese tie-dyeing technique resulting in a variety of one-of-a-kind patterns.

Finding Inspiration

Explore the world of printmaking with Amanda Joy Petersen, a talented printmaker and master's degree student at Utah State University. She shares her journey in art and education and how her work serves as a form of creative expression and healing. At Saint Petersburg College in Florida, Artist Eryn Mitchell creates chalk drawings that celebrate the wonders of the scientific realm. From Geology to Biology to Astronomy, the many fields of study are represented in her work. We travel to Columbus College of Art and Design in Ohio to meet fashion designer Nat Della Selva who designed a collection that pays homage to her childhood neighborhood and the people who raised her.

Finding Inspiration

We visit midtown Kansas City for the annual Chalk and Walk Festival. Every year the festival keeps getting bigger and better in its quest to prove chalk is a legitimate way to make incredible art pieces. Jessica Helen Lopez shares how identity inspires her poetry. Artist Julie Crews is not painting, she is co-parenting her five children with her husband, Neil. Julie says she mostly paints the people, places, and things that she encounters running errands for a family. Lastly, satisfy your sweet tooth with a visit to Mmelo in the Arena District in Downtown Columbus. Owner Michelle Allen shows off her tasty confections, namely her signature marshmallows.

Finding Peace

At the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in Salt Lake City, Utah, “Art Ambassadors” is an initiative that presents students and community members with the opportunity to create a tour based on their areas of interest. Frank Hayden is one of Louisiana's most important sculptors. Using wood, stone, bronze, and other materials, his artwork reflects on spiritual, historical, and humanistic issues. Artist Ed Valentine combines intentionality with accident to render contemporary landscapes that include lace-like patterns, stenciled birds, and spatters of paint. 

Flophouse Designs

We travel to The Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City, Nevada, which has been the centerpiece of the town’s arts and culture. Since opening in 1863, it has withstood two fires, financial hardship and over a century of the changing tastes in entertainment. Sir Winston Churchill, best known for being the leader of England during World Word II, but many don’t know him as a painter and a very skilled one at that. We have a look at Churchill’s artistic side though an exhibit at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum. We visit the world’s biggest alligator made out of a mosaic of tiles. And we meet a duo who dreams up and creates unique skateboard designs at The Flophouse.

Flowing

This time on Art Connection, we take an in depth look at the glass art of Dale Chihuly at the Denver Botanical Gardens. We see how ASL interpreters and Angela Roth, who work closely with the deaf community, take singing to a new level. Meet Clint Holmes as he speaks on topics ranging from what it was like to grow up as a mixed race child and what inexplicable "thing" makes him so passionate about music. And self-taught artist, Debbie Loffing, shares her tactile, natural and at times humorous work.

Folkabilly

We get an exclusive look at the life of musician Antsy McClain, who combines folk sounds with a little bit of country and a little bit of rock and roll. We meet contemporary painter Kevin Sloan who focuses on nature and its relationship with the modern, technological era. We sit down with non-fiction writer William Donati who is turning his attention to the past with an eye toward the world of fiction. And we visit a collection of artists that have come together to create, collaborate, and inspire.