Art Connection

Giving a Voice

In Lorain County, Ohio, a new theater company is making a splash. Called “Outside Circle Theater Project,” the company is providing a stage for underrepresented voices to share their story.The Sierra Highlanders Pipe Band in Reno, Nevada, has been bringing the music of scotland to eager audiences for over fifty years. We see the talent and dedication that goes into making a band like this one successful. Eric Rausch and Jen Kiko are a husband and wife creative duo who work together on meaningful public art projects.

Giving Back

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.

Giving Hope

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.

Giving Joy

When artist Sarah Renee creates, she uses her imagination. In her artwork, she takes the everyday for a spin and renders fantastical creatures that leave viewers full of wonder. Invented in the early 20th century, the theremin is an electronic musical instrument that produces a fascinating, one-of-a-kind-sound... and it is one of the many instruments that musician Caroline Scruggs plays. When singer-songwriter Anthony “Tony” Manfredi performs, he hopes to bring joy to his audience. Based in the Florida Keys, his home is a tremendous source of inspiration. We take a trip to the Goodwill Art Studio and Gallery in Ohio to meet artist Helen Taylor. Through the act of creating, she finds an outlet for self-expression and hopes to help others.

Giving Opportunities

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.

Glass Hieroglyphs

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.

Glass Memorials

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.

Grand

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.

Great Vision

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.

Groovy Beats

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.

Haitian Art

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.

Hand Made

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.

Hands That Create

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.

Happy Uke

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.

Hard Work

Reporter Jared Bowen goes one-on-one with the director of Cirque du Soleil Amaluna, an acrobatic production that tells the story of a world made up of only women. Take a trip into the field on an outdoor lifestyle photo shoot with Reno, Nevada photographer Mike Okimoto. A musician in Tampa, Florida, uses radio waves and instruments to encourage social change. Everyone who makes their living in the fashion industry knows there’s more to the job than glamour. We go to Kansas City, Missouri, to see a prime example of hard work in the industry, designer Nataliya Meyer.

Harmony

With bass, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, drums, and keyboard, the five-piece Rock ‘n’ Roll band Silver creates catchy tunes that attract listeners across the country. Through his art, ceramic sculptor Jef Raasch provides an opportunity for viewers to interact with the natural world. Based in Bay View, Wisconsin the artist intertwines the human and animal form to make fascinating sculptures. The Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida highlights the history and artwork of the American studio glass movement. With over 500 pieces of glass on display, museumgoers experience this art form in its entirety. Darren Kramer is a Jazz expert who understands the different elements of music. In this segment, Kramer delves deep into the sounds of Jazz and shows us how to listen to a song.

Healing Arts

Experience the healing power of art with Artisan Mind, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of those living with Alzheimer’s and dementia through art. We go inside artist Colleen McCulla’s studio and see how collage making has opened up her life. Fiber artist Inna Schoeler shows off her wearable art that is inspired by nature and design. And photographer James Meyer captures pictures of the beauty of Wisconsin that often goes unnoticed.

Healing through Art

Paola Gracey is both an artist and chemist and when she creates, she demonstrates the connections between art and science. Each of her paintings become an experiment. We take a trip to New Mexico to meet artist and educator Haley Greenfeather English. In her expressive portraits, drawings, and murals, she speaks about humanity and society, and explores the world we live in. Nevada-based artist Ben Rodgers is the creator of burned wood prints. With wood as his canvas, he uses fire, water, electricity, and ink to render something truly unique. Mariners Inn is a treatment center and shelter that recognizes art’s ability to foster connections and heal pain and suffering. Through art therapy, clients are given an outlet to express their feelings.

Healing with Art

Located in the Edgemont neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, Five Rivers Health Center recognizes and embraces art’s ability to heal. In addition to providing quality healthcare to patients, they display a wide variety of works from local artists. Decades ago, Hollywood backdrops were a popular art form. After they were used in films, many of them were destroyed…but some were kept. At the Boca Raton museum of art in Florida, twenty-two of these large, scenic paintings were shown together. Kaboom collective is a non-profit organization dedicated to the next generation of creatives. Students are able to pursue their interests and gain experience in the arts and entertainment industry by working with experts.

Heart and Soul

We meet a blues musician from Orlando, Florida. With a guitar, lap steel, and an emotive, powerful voice, he plays and sings for all to hear. Jon Barlow Hudson is a sculptor who creates works of art for public spaces worldwide. Each of his sculptures tell a story, generate a feeling, and demonstrate noteworthy techniques. We meet Dora Malech, a Baltimore-based poet and published author who loves to explore the written word and its many possibilities. The “Colour of Music Festival” celebrates contributions that people of African ancestry have made to the classical music genre. We go to Houston, Texas for the story.