Art Connection

Leaving a Mark

Regina Benson uses ancient mark-making techniques, applying rust to fabrics. Ray Tomasso shreds old blue jeans and canvases to make art. They create independently, but often show together. Teo Castellanos' one man show depicts his family and the tragedies he and his brothers faced together. Jazz pianist Eddie Moore is a proud proponent of the Kansas City jazz tradition, he's not one to stay stuck in the past. Lea Rizzo is a tattoo artist who has participated in Rochester, New York-based mural project, Wall Therapy. She dedicates herself to getting art into the streets and into our everyday lives.

Legacies

We take a trip to Ohio to learn about the artist John W. Carlson. Having passed away suddenly in 2020, his empathy, passion, and legacy are remembered by those who knew him and admired him. The artwork of Nneka Jones makes you think. Combining embroidery, paint, and textiles, this contemporary multidisciplinary artist confronts challenging topics and reflects on the injustices occurring in the world today. Born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Andrew montoya is an award-winning artist who creates devotional art. mentored by his aunt, he passes on his knowledge to the next generation and gives back to the community.

Legacy

Jerry Hirschmann and Michael Paul Thiry are the "Partners in Art." Combining their skills in glassblowing and stainless-steel sculpture, this duo of artists creates unique, mixed-media flower bouquets.We meet Jackson Cavalier, a musician who is just as comfortable playing on the street as he is in a bar. He’s been voted Rochester, New York’s best busker. Recovering from an injury, Santa Fe, New Mexico, artist Gurudarshan Khalsa uses symmetrical imagery to heal. Florida-based Nathan Selikoff incorporates computer algorithms into his interactive art. Nathan's work is often highly conceptual but in his most recent project, he invites his audience into his personal turmoil.

Legacy and Art

Since its founding in 1946, Highlights Magazine has been committed to helping children learn and grow. Using their imagination, the highlights team creates engaging stories, puzzles, and more, for their readers. For over 30 years, artist Mark Sisson has taught printmaking at Oklahoma State university in Stillwater, Oklahoma. During his classes, students are shown the ins and outs of this artistic process and are able to produce their own works of art Since 1974, the Reno Chamber Orchestra has performed classical music for audiences in Nevada. We meet the talent behind this instrumental ensemble and hear about its 47th season.

Legends and Traditions

Meet local photographer Ian Wright, who began his career as a photojournalist at 14 years old and has captured rare, candid moments of the Beatles, Ella Fitzgerald and the Rolling Stones, just to name a few. In 1969 NASA sent the first manned crew to the moon as part of the Apollo 11 lunar mission. Fifty years later, artifacts from that expedition are on view in an exhibition at Harvard. A group of freelance artists join together to create a media company that fosters community development. In Columbus, a young girl celebrates her Mexican heritage through traditional folklore dances.

Life and Art

Painter Peter Hurd was inspired by New Mexico. Under the tutelage of artist N.C. Wyeth, he developed his own creative voice and rendered portraits and landscapes that evoked a New Mexican way of life. We take a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art in Ohio to experience “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England.” The exhibition features art created during the tudor dynasty and includes tapestries, portraits, and much more. Sonya Bryson-Kirksey is many things. She is a veteran. She is a painter. And she is also the national anthem singer for the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. We meet Bryson-Kirksey and hear more about her impact.

Life & Art

In her home studio in Lakeland, Florida, folk artist Heidi Wineland creates. From rag baskets, to knitted creatures to academy award action figures, her handmade art takes on many different forms. With each piece of pottery made and sold, artist Troy Drake gives to those in need. In this segment, we head to Gardnerville, Nevada, to meet the artist and learn how he inspires others.  We travel to the Cape Ann Museum in Massachusetts to see an exhibit focused on two of New England’s oldest summer art colonies. An assortment of artworks inspired by the region’s landscapes are on display. Scott Jeffries calls himself a soul doodler. Since a young age, he has doodled and he continues to do so today. With his abstract paintings, he provides a window into his soul and mind.

Life’s Journey

For more than 50 years, artist John Palmore has been immersed in the music world. From playing the keyboard to singing songs, he does it all. We learn more about his creative journey. Inspired by her Laos roots, artist Loy creates vibrant paintings that enliven traditional practice and philosophy. Ed Dwight was set to be the country’s first African American astronaut, but unforeseen circumstances changed the trajectory of his life. We find out more about Dwight’s life journey and his exploration with the arts. The play “Detroit Red” shines a spotlight on civil rights figure Malcolm X. We hear from the talented team behind the show.

Life's Routes

Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues reflects on the band’s decades of pop music stardom. We get an inside look at the life of a ballet dancer, both on stage and off, with BalletMet dancer Samantha Lewis. Four teenage girls get an unexpected lesson in compassion and humility in the film “Gift of Gravity.” And retired advertising photographer, Tom Ferderbar, enlightens us about his passion for the West.

Light

Bringing light from the midst of war encapsulates the essence of the “Remembered Light” stained glass art exhibit in Salt Lake City, UT in December of 2018. The art installations are created from shards of stained glass from destroyed houses of worship during World War II, collected by Chaplain Frederick McDonald and in collaboration with artist Armelle Le Roux and 12 others.Learn how the Veterans Art Center Tampa Bay in Florida provides a space for veterans to participate in the arts and showcase their work. Using vintage road maps, two artists expose the history of queer culture from America's infancy. A collector of neon art displays it for his community in an alleyway of Pueblo, Colorado. Neon Alley is a labor of love for local criminal defense attorney and art collector Joe Koncilja.

Light & Screen

Take off that Instagram filter! We sit down with food photographer and prop stylist Grace Natoli Sheldon whose commercial works have graced the covers of many popular magazines. We take a look inside The Laguna College of Arts and Design which includes majors in game art, design and digital media, textile, and action sports design. We visit prolific printmaker Lou Stovall in his studio and get an inside look at his creative process. And we meet the woman behind a Houston's theatre's series of semi-autobiographical musical extravaganzas.

Limitless

We travel along with The Heartland Men’s Chorus as they take their show on the road. Stage and screen legend Ben Vereen is working to bring theatrical and emotional education to young people. The printing museum in Houston, Texas has a new paint job thanks to graffiti artist “DUEL.” And we visit the exhibition Techspressionism in Key West, Florida. 

Living On

A South Korean native, Sohyung Choi moved to the U.S. to study art. Now, she is pursuing her lifelong passion and impacting others. Artist Jenny Fine helps her grandmother’s legacy and spirit live on through images she captured in the last ten years of her life. Photojournalist Darrin Bush shares some of his favorite shots and takes us into the image archives of the ever-changing city of Las Vegas and we visit the exhibit “Our Body: The Universe Within.”

Local Legends

In Miden, Nevada, Sabrina Frey uses thousands of glass beads to create eye-catching, tactile mosaics. With inventive techniques, she transforms these beads into landscapes, flowers, animals, and much more. Known for his work on Marvel Comics, Bob Layton is a comic book artist and writer who has over 6,500 comic books credited to his name. An exhibition at the Scarfone Hartley Gallery in Tampa, Florida celebrated his life and career and brought about a special collaboration between Layton and Artist Ales Bask Hostomsky. Artist Gabriel Gaffney Smith’s wood carvings evoke movement. As a former professional ballet dancer, he imbues his intricate creations with energy and feeling. In this segment, we visit Columbus, Ohio to meet the artist and find out more.

Lose Yourself

Edward Hopper was a prominent American artist and a curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art discusses his creative process and Hopper’s connection between his most iconic works and the New York he knew so well. We become a part of the interactive play, “Inanna and the Huluppu Tree.” Filmmaker Dyanna Taylor shares her experiences and what inspired her to create a film about her grandmother, Dorothea Lange and we talk with the principal cellist of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Dariusz Skoraczewski.

Loss and Hope

Focused on the daily life of soldiers in war-zone Vietnam, veteran Herb Lotz captured a loss of innocence in his photography. Muralist and graffiti artist Adam  Hernandez describes his work as "ghetto hieroglyphics," and hopes his illustrations contribute to the mythological landscape of public art. Visit the sponge capital of the world in Tarpon Springs, Florida, where these versatile sponges are cultivated and used by artists and have contributed to the rich history, art and culture of the area. Twenty years after sustaining serious injuries in a car accident, Justin Echols is an accomplished Jazz musician who has played with the greats in America and Europe.

Love and Dedication

In her quilts, artist Cynthia Lockhart tells a story. Through layering, painting, silk screen, embellishment, and more, she creates images full of power and hope. We head to the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio to view an exhibition of Lockhart’s work. Woodworker Audie Maxey takes an ordinary log of wood and makes it into an extraordinary work of art. Based in Louisiana, Maxey recognizes the beauty in nature. For 30 years, the comic strip “Pickles” has been delighting viewers across the country and around the globe. We head to Sparks, Nevada to meet the artist behind the comic, Brian Crane. Welder Cindy Wynn creates furniture out of scrap metal. Wynn goes to the scrap yard, gathers pieces, and welds together a distinct finished product.

Love for Art

Hudson, New York-based artist Jeffrey Gibson believes in the "transformative nature of materials." He takes inspiration from his own multi-cultural background as he blurs the line between craft and fine art. Santa Fe, New Mexico, photographer Philip Augustin simplifies the world into minimal, formalist compositions. He uses abstraction to question the boundaries of the photographic process. Young Jean Marie Glazer is a multi-talented musician who plays classical cello and sings barbershop and opera. He is a student at Boone High School in Orlando, Florida. Trained as an architect and painter for over two decades in Italy, Aziz Osman returned to his native Somalia only months before the outbreak of civil war. He paints his prewar memories of Somalia and memories of Italy.

Making Connections

The exhibit “Inventing Acadia: Painting and Place in Louisiana” at the New Orleans museum of Art presented a wide variety of Louisiana landscape paintings. In exploring the artworks and the people who made them, the show demonstrated Louisiana's influence on the arts. The Sierra Nevada ballet combined Shakespeare, steampunk design, and dance to create a production that is one-of-a-kind. We traveled to Reno, Nevada, to see how the show came together. Artist and freelance photographer Amber N. Ford’s art can be seen on both a national and local scale. well known for her portraiture, she connects and collaborates with her sitter to create a meaningful image.

Making Rainbows

Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde has teamed up with an optics scientist to develop a large scale prism in order to make his own rainbow art. We visit Louisiana artist Mary Ann Caffery’s gallery which houses her large collection of work which includes sculpture, stained glass, mosaics, and photography. We go inside a woodturner’s studio where he makes beautiful bowls that represent family, the breaking of bread, community, and craftsmanship. And we sit down with photographer William Fields to discuss how he finds his inspiration in varied landscapes.