The Art Box

Our Episode 477 guest, Miles Woods, grew up right here in Mesquite as part of a close-knit local family filled with some truly wonderful people. Miles has left his creative mark on his hometown by painting three community murals, and he stays involved with local theater, building sets alongside his daughter, Emma.
His creativity also travels far beyond Mesquite. Miles works for Sally Dark Rides a Jacksonville, Florida-based company that creates dark amusement park attractions around the world. And when he has some spare time? He makes amazingly scary 3D masks and other Halloween-inspired art that reveal an entirely different side of his imagination.
From murals and theater sets to monsters and amusement rides, Miles seems to find art everywhere he looks. We think you'll enjoy this relaxed conversation with a talented artist, a hometown good guy, and our friend Miles Woods.
And yes, we do chat about Easter Eggs.
Learn more about Sally Dark Rides: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs8Go6lmCAE

*** I LOVE this bookstore ***
For Episode 476, Steve sits down with Josh, owner of Mad Red Books in Las Vegas, for a conversation about books, curiosity, entrepreneurship, and the importance of keeping people reading.
Growing up in a family of avid readers, Josh turned a lifelong love of books into a business built around a wonderfully simple philosophy: books don't do anyone any good sitting on a shelf. With more than 11,000 books sold, Mad Red Books is proving that people most certainly do still read.
We talk about rare books and unexpected discoveries, the challenges and fun of running an independent bookstore, technology and AI, and why Josh deliberately places books expressing opposing viewpoints beside one another in hopes of encouraging curiosity and conversation. We also take a research detour into Hunter S. Thompson and his distinctive approach to writing.
Most of all, Josh reminds us that a good bookstore isn't simply a place that sells books. It's a place where stories, ideas, people, and community meet.
Visit Mad Red Books at 9480 S Eastern Ave #105, Las Vegas, NV 89123  Phone: (725) 267-3338
or online at: https://madredbooks.com/
 
 
 
 

What if an empty building could become a doorway to the world?
In Episode 475, Edie and Eden join Steve to explore an ambitious vision for a multicultural creativity hub in Southern Nevada where art, technology, education, and human connection come together. Edie shares her plans to repurpose an existing space into an immersive environment using projection mapping, virtual reality, holography, artist studios, and interactive experiences.
Inspired by connections stretching from Nevada to Uganda, Norway, Dubai, Shanghai and beyond, the vision is about much more than technology. It is about helping children, families, artists, and educators experience other cultures, their art, music, food, languages, dances, and stories, in new ways.
It begins with an empty building and a big question: How can creativity make the world feel a little smaller?

In Episode 474, Dr. Chris Merritt, Utah State Historic Preservation Officer, joins Steve for a conversation about archaeology, preservation, art, and the stories hidden in the landscapes around us.
Steve and Chris have worked together on several archaeological projects exploring the lives of Chinese workers in the American West during the 1880s, giving their conversation a personal connection built through time spent together in the field.
Chris shares his love of art and painting and how his creative work intersects with his archaeological work across Utah. They also explore the importance of collaboration—bringing together archaeologists, universities, local communities, and organizations such as the Chinese Railroad Workers Descendants Association to better understand, preserve, and share these often-overlooked stories.
It’s a conversation about archaeology, art, collaboration, discovery, and the importance of noticing what others might simply walk past.
Notes: Pictured is Chris with Deidre M. Henderson Lt. Governor of Utah at the Terrace Excavation.
Find out more about the Utah Cultural Site Steward Program: https://ushpo.utah.gov/publicarchaeology/ucss/
 

Randy Bauman, Chair of the Mesquite Fine Arts Photographic Society, returns to The Art Box four years after joining us way back on Episode 7.
We pick up where we left off, exploring just how much photographic technology has changed since 2022. But our conversation quickly moves beyond cameras and equipment to something more important: what makes photography art?
For Randy, a great photograph is more than the instant the shutter clicks. It is the story behind the image, the idea, the planning, the travel, the setup, sometimes the hike to get there, the patience to wait for the right moment, and finally the choices made in editing.
We also venture into the rapidly changing world of AI and photography, discussing some of the possibilities and questions surrounding its use in the editing process.
Poetry bookends this episode. We begin with Charles Coe's poem “Sanctified,” from Forever Songs: An Anthology of Poems About Music, and Randy brings our conversation to a fitting close by sharing his own poem, “Camera.”
Photography, poetry, technology, and storytelling, four years later, Randy and The Art Box have plenty to catch up on.

In Episode 472 of The Art Box, we sit down with photographer and artist Bradley Marston to explore a creative journey that began in a small Utah town and continues today through his innovative Intelligent Mirror process.
Bradley shares memories of growing up near an artist who created statues of John Wayne. What began with mowing lawns and doing odd jobs eventually led young Bradley into the artist’s studio, where he helped with the fascinating lost-wax casting process—an early experience that helped shape his lifelong interest in how art is made.
That fascination with process remains at the heart of Bradley’s work today. We discuss his commitment to developing repeatable methods that maintain artistic quality and consistency, and how years of experimentation have led to his evolving Intelligent Mirror process. The work has already earned recognition and awards at his local gallery, but Bradley continues to refine, question, and push the process forward.
It’s a conversation about craftsmanship, experimentation, patience, and the idea that sometimes the process of creating art can become an art form itself.
Find Bradley on Instagram @bradley.marston   or Facebook: Bradley Marston
This episodes opening poem Solstice by Dayna Patterson is read by our episode 470 guest Tammy Bendetti, background vocals by Hei Hei.

Poet, filmmaker, memoirist, and teacher Kathryn Hunt joins us for a conversation about a creative life built around curiosity and discovery. From studying with legendary artist Jacob Lawrence to premiering her first film at the Venice Film Festival, Kathryn’s path has moved through many forms of storytelling.
We explore the relationship between poetry and filmmaking, the influence of nature and the Salish Sea, the importance of silence, and Kathryn’s belief that the thrill of creating lies in discovering what comes next.
Kathryn also shares thoughts about teaching, community, her recently completed memoir The Last Chance Motel, and why learning to notice may be one of a writer’s most important skills.
https://kathrynhunt.net/
https://centrum.org/program/poetry-on-the-salish-sea/
 
 

What happens when two creatives, brought together by friendship and a shared belief in the transformative power of writing, decide to create a place where creativity can breathe?
In this episode of The Art Box, Steve welcomes Tammy Bendetti and Minadora Macheret, founders of the Grand Lodge Writer's Retreat in Grand Junction, Colorado. Tammy, an award-winning poet whose work celebrates cycles, motherhood, and the natural world, and Minadora, an accomplished poet, educator, and university professor whose writing explores inheritance, grief, disability, and folklore, share the remarkable story of how a social media friendship became a creative partnership with a mission to help writers slow down, reconnect, and rediscover their voices. Together, they discuss the writing process, the importance of creative community, the value of silence, and why some of our best work begins when we simply give ourselves permission to listen.
More than a conversation about writing, this episode explores friendship, vulnerability, and the belief that creativity flourishes when we make room for wonder, reflection, and one another. Whether you're an experienced writer or someone who has always dreamed of putting words on a page, you'll leave inspired to embrace your own creative journey.
Find our more about the Grand Lodge Writers Retreat at: https://www.grandlodgewritersretreat.com/
 
 

Award-winning journalist, author, and communications strategist Donna M. Kerr has spent more than four decades helping others tell their stories. In this deeply moving episode of The Art Box, Donna shares the journey toward writing the most important story of her life, her own. Growing up in the bustling newsroom of the Salt Lake Tribune during journalism's golden age, Donna developed a lifelong love of storytelling. Now, after a twenty-year journey of reflection and healing, she is writing a memoir that explores childhood trauma, resilience, and the transformative power of understanding our past. Together, we discuss the evolution of journalism, the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence, the art of memoir, and why sharing our stories can become the first step toward hope, healing, and freedom.
This episode is a heartfelt reminder that some stories take a lifetime to write, but when they are finally told, they have the power to illuminate the path for others.
Find Donna's work at: http://yourcontentqueen.com
 

In this episode of The Art Box, Steve welcomes his friend Alena Patton, Management Analyst with the Nevada Arts Council, for a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, leadership, and the power of creativity to strengthen communities. While helping expand access to arts funding across Nevada, Alena is also a painter, poet, and lifelong learner whose creative practice informs her approach to public service. Together, they explore the importance of access, belonging, arts advocacy, and why talent is universal, even when opportunity is not. It's an inspiring conversation about building systems that serve people, nurturing creativity, and planting seeds whose impact may not be seen for years. In short, this was a FUN episode to record, edit and listen to. Thank you Alena for being you.