Art Connection

Building Community

“Columbus Pride Bands” is Central Ohio’s LGBTQ plus community band. When the organization’s members gather together to perform, they evoke joy and provide an inclusive environment. We head to Nevada to meet the team behind “Emmy’s Flower Truck.” founded in 2020 by Emily Macpherson, members of the Reno-Sparks community can visit this flower shop on wheels and take home one-of-a-kind arrangements. We travel to Ohio to learn about the quest special forces dance team. created by dance instructor Richie Mckeever, the team offers kids with special needs a space to express themselves. Not once, but twice, Miriam Zimms has had to battle cancer. Based in Florida, she discovered the Arts in Medicine studio at Moffitt Cancer Center and art became a way to heal.

Building the Dream

As the country celebrates the birth of one of America's civil rights leaders, members of the Minnesota community get together and re-tell his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. We meet Houston Quilter Kim Ritter whose art is whimsical, ironic and funny. In celebration of their 75th anniversary, The American Ballet Theatre collaborates with filmmaker Ric Burns to present the film "American Ballet Theatre: A History." And we visit the Emerson Burkhart exhibit at the Ohio history center.

Butterflies

Ever get a get a creative block? Meet Tricia Leonard, a creativity coach, and sit in on a session where she helps artists overcome mental blocks and tap into their inner creativity. We take a look at over 65 years with the Sacramento Music Circus. Discover The Showmen’s Museum which preserves the artifacts form circuses, carnivals, and traveling shows, ensuring that the art and culture of these American traditions never die. And we visit The Holocaust Museum in Houston, Texas where children who died in the Holocaust are being memorialized with artfully crafted butterflies.

Buzz

Celebrating a century of the dreadnought and the wonders of the family biz Chris Martin of Martin Guitars strings us along with fabulous historic notes. Like most working actors, Kevin Farrell held random jobs while pursuing a career in Hollywood where he appeared in small roles in film and television, most notably on “Frasier." when a friend encouraged him to sell Tupperware, in drag. Beehive architect Jarrett Mellenbruch combines community art with a family legacy. Lastly, Cindi Rose, a Silhouette artist creates works of art with just a scissors and a piece of paper.

Camera Truck

We visit with Marilynne Bradley, a St. Louis watercolorist who has a strong sense of place in her work. Photographer Ian Ruhter takes us for a ride as he travels across America in a truck that also serves as his camera. We discover how the performing arts support well rounded students as we look at the Circle Theater Company's 50th performance, "Hello Dolly." And we visit The Doll Museum in historic downtown Worthington, Ohio which features an impressive collection of 19th and 20th century dolls.

Candelabra

Discover painter Thomas Hart Benton, an artist who brings a cinematic approach to the art in his paintings stemming from the days he worked alongside early filmmakers. Get a look inside the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in Wisconsin and the life of the legendary performer Liberace. We visit PlatteForum, the non-profit arts organization in Denver, Colorado that combines working artists with at-risk youth. And artist Larry Vienneau creates visual narratives that tell stories about the Raven and Crow.

Cans, Fractals and Emeralds

Actress Sirena Irwin gives audiences more of the beloved character Lucy Ricardo in the new stage adaptation of "I Love Lucy." We visit "Canstruction," a place where groups gather to create their own designs out of canned goods. Artist Jonathan Wolfe shares his fascination with how fractals mirror patterns in nature and Rahul Kadakia, the Head of Jewelry at Christie’s Americas & Switzerland discusses the significance of emeralds throughout history.

Capture the Moment

St. Louis photographer Angela Vories applies her experience with other visual arts to her pictures, to create effects that elicit feelings and thoughts about the nature of photography. Meet Bernard Gaddis, owner of the Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater, and discover the love for his craft and the art of dance. Artist Rebecca Rose sculptures are both decorative and functional as each ring is crafted with exquisite detail and tells a story. And artist Brian Keeler shares how light and nature are constant themes throughout his work.

Capturing Stories

We head to the Julia De Burgos Cultural Arts Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to learn about the project “Doors to My Barrio.” Since 2016, LatinX Artists have been invited to transform doors into works of art that represent Spanish-speaking countries around the world. Dustin Howard is the current Poet Laureate for the city of Reno, Nevada. When he writes, he explores the world around him and shines a light on the human experience. We take a trip to Tampa, Florida, to meet photographer Chip Weiner who specializes in food photography. With his camera, he captures the dining experience and the deliciousness of the meal that is in front of him. 

Carnival

Visit the Sideshow of Pamela Joseph that leads viewers through contemporary notions of female power while delivering the underlying theme of tolerance. Go on a photo shoot with Eric Anderson as he captures a world of imaginary creatures and fire. Meet the SMAG Dance Collective that will dance everywhere and anywhere and discover the cultural influence to an artist’s work.

Celebrating Creativity

Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, artist Terrance Osborne loves to paint his city. His compelling canvases are full of expression and vivacity. We meet the artist in his hometown. The Replay Amusement Museum gives visitors opportunities to play arcade games and pinball machines. We find out more about the art and technology behind these amusements. Artist Louise Nevelson’s sculpture “Mrs. N’s Palace” is made up of over one hundred objects. We visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to look back at the exhibit “Epic Abstraction,” which featured this work. We are introduced to Moderngram, a group of artists who combine dance and film to generate something new and inspirational. We take a trip to Reno, Nevada, for the story.

Celebration

The end of the 19th century in France (a period known as Din de Siecle) was a time of major political unrest and cultural transformation. And responding to all of this were, of course, the artists. Ayad Akhtar is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author. Raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he has partnered with his hometown theater--the Milwaukee Rep--to produce all of his works. Go behind the scenes at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens to see what went into creating their Burning Man exhibit. Artist Donna Jackson's bodies of work are the results of what she’s learned from womanhood and what she wants to share from her hometown.

Celebration of Diversity

Will Wilson is a photographer. With his project “The Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange,” he takes studio portraits of indigenous individuals using a historic process. Since 1999, Westcoast Black Theater Troupe has been highlighting African American history and experience. With their productions, the organization brings memorable theater to Sarasota, Florida. The Multicultural Mural is a cultural education and outreach project of the Moab Valley Multicultural Center in Utah. It is the result of 10 local artists and community volunteers that started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. This collaborative community project is designed to create an outdoor diversity classroom for people of all ages, languages and abilities.

Celebration of the Past

We travel to Nevada to meet artist Jackie Pias Carlin. Born in Hawaii, she uses various mediums to celebrate where she came from. For 150 years, the Schantz Organ Company has been building distinguished pipe organs. Based in Orrville, Ohio, the company creates quality instruments for a variety of clients. Photographer Nabil Harb captures the local history of his hometown. We visit the South Florida State College Museum of Florida Art and Culture where his work was on view. The Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center in Columbus is home to a contemporary art collection. We learn about how this special collection came to be.

Character

In Columbus, Ohio, there is a vibrant roller-skating culture that is alive and well. Members of the community gather together at the rink, hit the floor, and move to the music. We head to Reno, Nevada to find out more about artisan cocktail making. With seasonal ingredients and delightful garnishes, these cocktails become flavorful works of art. We meet Ashley Armitage, a graphic designer based in Saratoga Springs, New York, where she runs her own studio and develops standout design pieces for a variety of clients. In Detroit, Michigan, artist Desiree Kelly creates memorable, vivid portraits of public, historical icons. With each portrait she renders, she highlights her subject’s life and personality.

Collaboration

Check out an initiative in Reno, Nevada that promotes collaboration and aims to bring art projects to the public space. Meet an artist who is rethinking the quilt making process and creating colorful, eye-catching quilts made of photographs. The Hudson River Skywalk connects the homes of Thomas Cole and Frederic Church, two famous Hudson River School artists. Learn more about these painters and how this walkway came to be. In Houston, Texas, the Menil Drawing Institute highlights modern and contemporary drawings and features a singular architectural design.

Color and Flavor

Norman Lecoq is a self-taught artist based in Louisiana. We hear about his creative process, including his favorite mediums and subject matter. We look back at the 2022 Front International Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art in Ohio. Delayed for a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this edition of the exhibition aimed to heal. As the founder of “The Sugared Squirrel,” Roberta Cota-Montgomery creates custom designed sugar cookies full of color, flavor, and adornment. As part of the project “Patterns in Nature,” people are invited to step outside and discover the fractal patterns in nature. We join a guided walk that leads to found object art creation.

Colorful

We meet writer and rapper Chael Blinya. Based in Tampa, Florida, the artist plays with language and writes poetic lyrics that explore self-identity and perception. New Mexico artist Raymond Jonson spent his life painting modernist works. We learn more about the colorful pieces he created and his focus on the human spirit. Artist and educator Robert Schefman uses illusion to render an image. We travel to Michigan to visit the artist in his studio and find out more about his series of paintings and drawings that delve into the world of secrets. Faced with the Covid-19 pandemic, the “Classical Tahoe” music festival adapted their program and found a way to carry on. We visit Nevada to hear from the musicians that safely reunited to perform chamber music for this concert event.

Colorful Creations

For artist Kimberli Cummings, clay is her medium of choice. With skill and creativity, she sculpts an assortment of functional pieces such as bowls, pitchers, and mugs. We take a trip to Reno, Nevada to meet mosaic artist Elizabeth Wright. With stained glass, beads, stone, and so much more, she creates colorful, textured mosaics. Justin Grubb specializes in wildlife and conservation photography. When he takes a picture, he highlights the threatened species in need of assistance. The exhibit “Fabric of a Nation: American Quilt Stories” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in Massachusetts features quilts from the 17th century to today that tell our country's story. 

Colorful Gifts

Go back stage with the Siren Society, a group of female aerial dancers and contortionists from Reno. The Museum of Fine Arts announced it’s been given a gift of European art so staggering, it’s a game-changer. Painter David Horton presents stories in his colorful canvases, filled with symbolic icons and fantastic creatures. Keith Neltner is an artist, illustrator, and the founder of Neltner Small Batch, a rural design workshop that crafts artisan product design for some familiar brands.