In this edition of Art Connection, we meet the faculty and students of the Festival of Fine Arts as they prepare for the perfect concert to celebrate the holidays. We go behind the scenes with Kansas City Ballet’s Artistic Director as the troupe prepare to put on the holiday favorite, the Nutcracker. We meet a Sacramento artist who is creating sweet designs from clay. And we meet a photographer who hand etches all of her images with a needle to create depth.

We get an inside look at Milwaukee’s “Present Music, an ensemble devoted to commissioning, creating, and recording contemporary music. We talk with dancer Sheri “Sparkle Williams who has danced with the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company for 40 years. We get a look inside the strong, charming, creative, and courageous soul that was artist Maria Lowenstein. And we visit artist Harumi Abe, who is working in South Florida as part of the AIRIE (Artist In Residence in the Everglades) program.

Critically-acclaimed artist Ai Weiwei visted the Newseum in Washington, D.C., to discuss artistic freedom of speech and his new Downloadable docsary on the global refugee crisis, Human Flow. Jamie Hevener of Hilliard, Ohio believes "sewing is growing." She takes her craft – namely her sewing cart – on the road to remind us that some skills can last us a lifetime. In April 2017 Harold Holden became the first Oklahoma artist to be inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. We watch him work on his art in his private studio in Enid. From France, a violin worthy of a concert stage created by a 3-D printer… 3Dvarius.

We visit the Museum of Fine Art in Houston, Texas where a unique exhibit is sparking curiosity and encouraging interaction with art. The Museum of Jewish Heritage reveals their core exhibit that gives insight into the lives and talents of Jews living in Nazi concentration camps. Sculptural landscape artist, Adam Kuby, brings a touch of natural to his urban art pieces and artist Jeff Suntala shares why he loves to create art without a computer.

A platypus meets an overhead projector, and mayhem ensues. We shine light on General Electric’s advertising plan to convince the country to give the light bulbs a try. We visit metal sculptor and painter Bill Reid and take a look at his moveable, whimsical art that delights. And we talk with Steve Piscitelli, a sculptor and Vietnam veteran, about how his art helps him heal emotionally from the images of combat.

See a living history art project that pays tribute to African American veterans with first-hand narratives of World War II. We sit down with Suzanne Heintz and get an inside look at her photography as she creates Kodak moments with her manufactured-mannequin family. Travel to Tampa, FL. for the annual Conga Caliente festival that invites the community to experience the art and music of Latino culture. And we talk to artists Katha Seidman and Laurie Kaplowitz, the creators of “Once There Was a House. An art installation in Cohasset, MA. inspired by the destruction of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

With charcoal in hand, 84 year-old Jim Seigler looks back at a long and magical career designing prints for the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Choreographer Mark Morris discusses his landmark work “L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato. Sculptor Mark Rice uses power tools to sculpt his distinctive wooden statues and with such finesse, we had to take a closer look. And we sit down with experts at Ohio’s Canton Museum of Art as they take a look at the long and profitable history of art counterfeiting.

In this episode, we tour an exhibition of celebrated Tarpon Springs painter, George Inness, Jr. We visit Ten Chimneys historic summer home of Broadway acting legends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Poet, author, screenwriter, and educator Terry O’Neal shares her heart and soul with the world, so with every word, she hopes to encourage others. And The Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center hosts cutting edge arts, artists and performances.

Identical twin brothers Eric and Anthony McGriff discuss their musical influences, their compositions and how they are helping their community with their music. We take a private tour of the late Laureen Landau’s studio with curator D. Neath. Animator David Tart gives us some tips and tricks on how to bring an animated character to life and we take a look at Christopher Steele’s extensive penny scale collection.

After years of working with the camera, artist David Hockney, creates a work that is referred to as “The Haiku of chemical photography and is now experimenting with digital photography. Steve Gettle is a photographer who captures his love for wildlife and the wilderness in his images. Cassie Lackey, a senior in high school, shares her story of how her artistic adventures all began with a simple Christmas gift. And we meet Beau Bledsoe, a musician fascinated with music from the Iberian Peninsula.

We visit artist Barbara Sorensen whose main artistic focus is the relationship between humans, nature, and the growth that happens within ourselves and in the world around us. We explore over sixty years of Jewish influence in rock and roll music at the “Jew Who Rock exhibit. Iraqi-born poet, Dunya Mikhail discusses how her past and new life in America has impacted her work and a daytime super couple recast themselves as authors.

Find out how artist Steven Spathelf made it his mission to add color to the town of Dunedin, Florida through public murals. Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis Jr. and his six sons are regarded by many as New Orleans’ first family of jazz. In 2011 they were named the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters, Ellis Marsalis spoke with us. The corset has a long history. Designer Larissa Boiwka has made it her business to bring this stiff undergarment out from under the shadows of confinement and give it a chance to sparkle on the outside. A young boy’s endless interest in collecting objects of art blossomed into a full-time obsession with sharing art with as many people and in as many places as possible. Kim Martindale and the LA Art show.

Fashion designer Christian Micheal Shuster draws inspiration from military history, sometimes even from the battlefield itself. We sit down with Marie Romero Cash as she expands on traditional Hispanic arts in New Mexico. We go inside some classrooms in Cleveland, Ohio where teachers have added a fourth “R to the traditional curriculum of reading, writing and arithmetic. The Rumba! And Eddie Osborne delivers lectures on African Linguistic Retention and composes music using his own handcrafted African instruments.

Meet Melissa Janda whose has a passion for glass and painting have lead to a true love of glass artistry. We discover how an artist creates her own little worlds within our own. We take a tour of the Atwater Brewery in Detroit, Michigan and learn how endless the possibilities of a good brew really are and we watch performance painter, Brian Olsen, use his fingers, arms and elbows to bring portraits to life right before our eyes.

Gary Hovey didn’t let life’s hardships get in the way of his true passion, welding. He takes everyday kitchen utensils and creates fascinating sculptures based on the things he enjoys most: wildlife, welding, and humor. Gadu Doushin moved from his native Japan to study engineering at the University of Minnesota in the early 1990s. But his true passion was dance. He now performs Butoh, a Japanese performance art born in the 1950s. Andrea Durfee is a watercolor artist based in Rochester, NY. She incorporates figures in her landscapes and channels stories of mythology as her inspiration. Lastly, we visit a mathematical optical illusion artist.

The Heckscher Museum of Art is a Long Island gem. The institution showcases an extraordinary work by dada artist George Grosz and its annual 'Long Island's Best Young Artists' exhibit. John F. Emery draws his inspiration from his childhood, where exploring his grandparents long forgotten trunks inspired a passion for creating watercolor on three-dimensional formed paper. In a collaborative space in downtown San Antonio, musicians, producers and music entrepreneurs are gathering to build the San Antonio music scene. Although milliner Karen Morris uses the motto “simple is good to guide her work, the making of her hats is anything but.

The Nevada Ballet Theatre gives us a sneak peek at their “studio series, where the audience can interact with the dancers themselves. Meet August Powers, a copper sculptor from the Florida Keys who combines fire and metal to create sculptures inspired by the wilderness that surrounds him. Writer and filmmaker, Mark Bailey, shares true tales of celebrity hijinks, Hollywood history, and movie-star mayhem. And season two Project Runway winner, Chloe Dao, discusses the art of her designs and what it takes to put together a fashion show.

We sit down with a band who is thriving in the Cuban Music scene, with a style that has a west coast flair. Meet artist Jeremy Johnson who uses remains from humane sources, to explore the natural world with techniques of taxidermy. Visit a one-night experimental art event on Historic 25th Street in Ogden, Utah. Students from Weber State University created sculptures which incorporated light as a central design element. Also, over the span of her lifetime, Maya Angelou inspired others to think about and share their stories and history. In that same spirit, literary organizations Gemini Ink and Second Verse are working with local students to learn life lessons from poetry.

College sweethearts John and Marcia Koverman are passionate about the arts.
Learn how veterans, their loved ones, and volunteers create art out of military uniforms
through a lengthy but therapeutic process made possible by Combat Paper Nevada.
Wildwood School located in Schenectady, New York, provides education for students
with complex learning disabilities. Lastly, we go to Utah where Repertory Dance Theatre
inspires and encourages students to learn about the benefits and history of dance.

This week, we talk with The Heart Gallery of America about how their use of evocative photos helps with adoptions. We meet an Arizona Recycle artist who is helping his community while turning tin cans into art. We visit the K12 Gallery & TEJAS, an artist studio that encourages community involvement and we see a man build a sculptor from twigs.