Art Connection

Mixed Media

As Artist Stephanie Cole puts it, she “paints with stuff.” Glass, wood, fiber… her mixed media constructions explore different aspects of her life. We visit the Fuller Craft Museum in Massachusetts to see an exhibit of her work. As a way to honor their volunteers who help serve food to those in need, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada decided to create a mural that reflects all that they do. We take a trip to Florida to meet with the team behind Key West Pottery. Originated in 2009, the artists Kelly Lever and Adam Russell render a variety of unique styles and designs out of clay. The history of witchcraft and sorcery is a fascinating one, rich with magic and myth. Up next, we meet New Mexico Historian Robert Martinez who speaks about the state’s connection with the occult.

Molded Forms

Photographer Watson Brown captures evocative images of rural North Carolina. PUSH. Physical Theatre, based in Rochester, New York, has taken storytelling to new levels. They’re able to tell rich, powerful stories through physical expression and movement. New Mexico’s Cochiti Pueblo potter Helen Cordero’s renowned storyteller figurines were inspired by her grandfather’s stories. Reno, Nevada based Lisa Kurt uses her dreamlike art to tell stories that involve people, animals, and nature in mysterious settings.

Monoprints

New Mexico artist, Nick Abdalla, creates his works of art like it's a journey with no destination in mind. Creating art that has a certain identification to him, but another to another individual. The students that form The Empire State Youth Orchestra share their thoughts and feelings about how performing in an orchestra shapes them into better human beings. Print artist Jack Pachuta combines ink and colored pencils to create "monoprints" with distinct foregrounds and backgrounds that help him images leap from the page. And we meet artist Sibylle Szaggers Redford who creates multimedia art performances that pay homage to planet Earth.

Motivated

In response to the covid-19 pandemic, artist Melissa Vogley Woods set up a public installation at her home that allowed viewers to connect with art at a safe distance. We travel to New Mexico to meet Gemma New, a New Zealand-born music Director and Conductor known for her vision and expertise. We find out more about her musical journey. We visit the exhibition “Beyond the Cape: Comics and Contemporary Art.” Located at the Boca Raton Museum of Art in Florida, this exhibit features contemporary artists influenced by graphic novels and comic books. With a passion for fashion and design, designer Melissa Michelsen uses the ancient technique of marbling to render vibrant reusable masks. We head to California to find out more.

Moving Forward

After being born, some babies need a helmet to correct the shape of their head. To make the process easier for the child and the parents, Florida-based artist Kelli Sorg transforms this medical device into an artwork. Born in 1944, the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe 2926 steam locomotive ran a million miles before being retired in 1956. Fast forward to today, the new mexico steam locomotive and railroad historical society restored the locomotive to her former glory. We head to the decorative arts center of Ohio to visit the exhibit “Distinctly Paramount: Fashion and Costume from the Paramount Pictures Archive.” on display was a wide assortment of garments from both film and television.

Moving Pictures

Ever wonder how painstakingly precise the art of claymation is? Artist and animator Seth Mittag gives us a closer look. We travel to New York to see the Chagall: Love, War, and Exile exhibit at The Jewish Museum. We get in touch with our inner child with the improv comedy group Go Comedy! and we head to one of the oldest operating cinemas in the United States and learn a thing or two about the days of reel-to-reel projection.

Muse

We visit Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park to meet the team behind a musical that tells the story of Cincinnati, Ohio’s King Records, and to learn more about the theatrical process. Artist Ken Hines creates eye-catching neon signs for his customers. With an array of colors, designs, and styles to choose from, the possibilities are endless. For the impressionist painter Claude Monet, one subject of particular interest was London’s Waterloo Bridge. We get an inside look at an exhibition that features some of these paintings. Drummer and music educator Chad “Chadzilla” Johnson teaches the art of Rock and Roll. We sit in on one of his classes and find out more about his past, his method, and what he hopes for his students.

Musical Connection

Mandi Anderson’s love for music opened up a world she and her family never imagined possible, rewriting the harsh notes that came with a label of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Pastry chef Alon Gontowski of Tampa’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, creates confections that look as good as they taste. We go inside artist Toni Lipsey’s home where she turns strands of yard into whimsical creations. And jazz violinist, Jairus Daigle, shares his influences from some of the finest music minds in the world.

Myths & Legends

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science points out that mythic creatures like dragons, mermaids, and chupacabras cultivate conjecture as well as inspire art and culture. Alastair Bruce of Crionaich, the historical advisor for “Downton Abby” on MASTERPIECE, shares how he became involved with films and television. A professional belly dancer shares her passion for dance and her deep desire for belly dance to be more widely accepted. And artist Brian Frederick used salvaged and reclaimed wood to sculpt fish.

Nature Performs

Artist David Adickes talks about his series of mega-heads of state. We meet a multimedia specialist creating an extraordinary view of the world through time lapses. Howard Solomon invites us into his home and gallery, a unique building reminiscent of a medieval castle. And Wisconsin painter Lynn Casper combines realism, detail, and impressionistic touches to her cityscapes, landscapes and historic scenes.

Neon Streets

In this edition of Art Connection, see how the phenomenon of Downton Abbey, the pageantry of the Rose Parade and the hard work of hundreds of volunteers came together as one of the Rose Parade’s yearly floats. We visit the American Sign Museum where hundreds of signs are on display year round. Discover how artist Timothy Raines produces stunning works with his unconventional process. And we see how an artist’s past career as a doctor and her present career as an artist is helping to make a world a better place.

New Opportunities

We travel to Oklahoma to meet Jason Wilson who is a painter of quilts. Inspired by the quilts his grandmother used to make, he rethinks and revives this traditional art form. Forest fire is a multi-sensory, inter-disciplinary exhibition that examines forest fires. Presenting the work of California writers and artists, the installation raises awareness and inspires a conversation about this growing issue. Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Vulcan’s Forge Performing Arts Collaborative provides a space for artists with disabilities to express themselves, share their story, and have their work shown to the community. 

New Path

We take a trip to Edmond, Oklahoma, to meet James Coplin. Once a bodybuilder champ, he is now an artist and teacher. We find out more about his life, career, and how he makes his paintings. Pull Club Studio is a women owned printmaking and design studio in Cincinnati, Ohio. formed by three friends, the group finds inspiration in what is around them and specializes in quality made screen printed goods. Founded in 2012, Classical Tahoe is a Nevada-based organization that presents a festival of the arts with the Classical Tahoe Orchestra at its center. We learn how a dedicated team creates an inviting space for music to be heard.

One of a Kind

The Michigan Philharmonic is a professional orchestra in Detroit, celebrating their Conductor’s 20th Anniversary. Cincinnati artist Nancy Hopkins offers a whimsical take on ceramics. Her unusual technique of combining glaze, underglaze, and acrylic paint ensures that each piece is one of-a-kind. A Pointe Coupee Parish artist uses a mallet, a chisel and a block of cypress to create phenomenal 3-diminensional depictions of the rural cabins and plantation homes he grew up around. A group of artists at the 78th Street Studios in Cleveland is staging a monthly event, known as "Watch It Wednesdays," where the public is invited to see how they work, ask questions and provide instant feedback.

On Pointe

We get a glimpse of mixed media sculptor Richard Feese’s beautiful creations that are made from recycled and discarded objects. We visit the largest collection of Russian icons housed in Massachusetts. We go inside a glass blowing shop where skilled artisans melt glass into various designs of glassware. And we take a look at the making of ballet shoes and how important they are to the dancer and performance.

On the Move

We meet Russell Nelson, an artist and veteran who overcame struggle and hardship to pursue his passion—painting. We travel to Cincinnati, Ohio for the story. We head to Carson City, Nevada to learn all about Moulage, the art of injury simulation. We get a look at the creativity and skill that goes into the technique. Artist Judy Chicago’s “A Purple Poem for Miami” is a memorable smoke performance that colors the urbanscape with blues, pinks, and purples. We visit Miami, Florida and get a front row seat to the event. Inspired by trolleys, trains, and those who travel from place to place, artist Gary Wong creates a mural that tells the story of life on the railroad tracks.

Open Opportunities

For the inaugural run of Paradise Paint Out in the Florida Keys, 25 artists were invited to participate in 5 days of painting in the open air. All hosted by Morada Way Arts & Cultura District. Meet Samantha Gossard, one of four singers that is part of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City's Resident Artist Program. As the season gets underway, she's thrilled by the program's possibilities. Jon Levy, from AMA studios, creates animation and special effects for feature films, television and multi-media presentations, including NASA. Let’s go to Truckee, CA to see the intricate work of ceramicist and sculptor Barbara Glynn Prodaniuk, and see how she draws inspiration from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Opportunities

The Tampa Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg collaborate to bring a unique exhibition to the Tampa Bay area that displays the works of Chinese artists living in post-Mao China. In Sacramento, a lesson in strings inspires children. Cincinnati artist Carol Abbott began painting at the age of 10. However, she didn’t pursue a career as an artist until years later, where she picked up the brush and found her true calling. Through his imagining of the life of medieval visionary Hildegard von Bingen, playwright Tim Slover has posited the notion of a personal experience of the divine against the practicalities of sustaining a religious community. 

Opportunity

In Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s professional training institute prepares the next generation of performers. The program gives local high school students the chance to work on their craft and express themselves. For Jennifer Angus, insects are her medium of choice. We visit St. Petersburg, Florida to get an inside look at an installation of her work. The Art Signals project in Reno, Nevada, gives artists the chance to transform ordinary signal boxes into works of art. We find out more about the project and see some of the lively designs. Each year at the Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys, astronomers gather together to photograph and gaze at the stars. 

Original

Lafayette, LA painter Jeromy Young has studied the work of many artists, but, there is only one that he idolizes, Rembrandt. “Music Under New York” is an integral part of the MTA’s Arts for Transit program. It began over 30 years ago as a way to bring art into everyday life.Utilizing movement, text and often original music, Shapiro and  Smith Dance is the resident company at the University of Minnesota and the group travels extensively. “The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta” highlights some of the most stunning works by the world renown designer – from ready to wear, to dresses created to clothe first ladies and fashion icons.