The Art Box

The Art Box - Episode 390 - From Hollywood Costumes to “I Am”: The Art and Vision of Monique Long

In this inspiring episode of The Art Box, MJ welcomes Emmy Award–winning Costume Designer, Stylist, Fine Artist, and Creative Visionary Monique Marie Long for a powerful conversation about creativity, transformation, and telling the truth through art.
Monique’s extraordinary career spans fashion, film, television, and theme-park design, including work on iconic projects such as Casino, Golden Girls, This Is Us, What Happens in Vegas, major awards shows, and her Emmy-winning work on NewsRadio. From collaborating with legendary designers to shaping visual stories for Hollywood and Disney, her life has been steeped in storytelling through fabric, color, and form.
Now, Monique has entered a bold new chapter as a fine artist, developing her signature Intelligent Mixed Media Process (IMMP)—a deeply intuitive and symbolic approach that blends layered materials, narrative intention, and emotional honesty. Her vibrant, declarative works explore themes of self-worth, identity, resilience, healing, and spiritual renewal, inviting viewers to see themselves reflected in each piece.
Her powerful “I AM…” series has become a touchstone for audiences, offering affirmation, strength, and connection. Whether displayed in galleries, hospitals, outdoor installations, or fine art centers, her work resonates as both art and invitation: to claim one’s story and stand in personal truth.
MJ and Monique discuss her journey from Hollywood to fine art, the courage it takes to follow lifelong dreams, the healing power of creativity, and how art can become a mirror for transformation. This episode is a celebration of bold color, layered meaning, and the brave act of becoming fully yourself.
You can find Monique on Instagram: @monique_marie_long
IMDB
Facebook: Monique Marie Long
 

The Art Box - Episode 389 - Saving the Game, Telling the Legends: Bob Ingram on Baseball, Brilliance, and the Stories That Matter

In Episode 389 of The Art Box, we welcome author Bob Ingram for a conversation that blends baseball, imagination, and a lifetime of lived experience. Bob shares how his journey through sports, business, and growing up in Berwyn, Maryland became the foundation for his fiction, where real friendships, adventures, and moments from his life are transformed into powerful stories.
We explore his two novels, The Genius Who Saved Baseball and The Amelia Earhart of Baseball, both works of fiction inspired by Bob’s deep love for the game and the people who shaped him along the way. His storytelling weaves together personal history, creative imagination, and a profound respect for baseball’s cultural impact.
This episode celebrates how memory becomes narrative, how friendships become characters, and how a life well-lived can become the richest source of fiction.
Purchase Bob's books at: https://thegeniuswhosavedbaseball.com/
Note: Bob’s storytelling also inspired a Calder Blackwell Alternate Realms episode built around a real-life moment in baseball history, when a 17-year-old girl, Jackie Mitchell famously struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig back-to-back. Calder takes that astonishing event and asks a simple, powerful question: What if the gate had stayed open?
The result is a short, thought-provoking “what-if” episode that reimagines history and leaves you lingering in possibility long after it ends.
You can find Calder Blackwell’s Alternate Realms on Spotify.
 

The Art Box - Episode 388 - From Grandmother’s Studio to the Kitchen Table: Meet Rebecca Eckland

In this deeply moving episode of The Art Box, Steve welcomes writer and visual artist Rebecca Eckland for a conversation that flows between memory, language, healing, and the enduring power of creative inheritance. Rebecca shares how her artistic life began with words, how her MFA helped her claim her voice, and how place, lived experience, and storytelling continue to shape everything she creates. She also reflects on the quiet influence of her grandmother’s art studio, where the smell of oils and the reverence for making something beautiful first took root.
The conversation unfolds into Rebecca’s return to visual art through collage and mixed media during a time of physical pain and recovery. What began as a way to cope became a joyful, experimental practice using watercolor, ink, wood, paper, thread, stone, and even a Dremel tool. Her current lichen-inspired series becomes a powerful metaphor for identity, relationship, and interdependence—how, like lichen itself, we are formed through connection and cannot exist in isolation.
Rebecca reflects on the mystery and magic of the creative process, the discipline of showing up, the athlete’s patience she brings to art-making, and the freedom that comes from separating creativity from commerce. She speaks openly about vulnerability, perseverance, and allowing play back into the studio.
Her thoughts on community, collaboration, and creative kinship remind us that art is never solitary. It is built through love, encouragement, and shared courage.
This episode is a gentle reminder that art is how we make sense of being alive—and how we give that understanding back to the world.
Learn more about Rebecca at:https://www.rebeccaaeckland.com/

The Art Box - Episode 387 - Finding the View Below: Teresa Wasiak and the Art of Always Becoming

In this tender and inspiring episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with Las Vegas photographer, wife, and mom Teresa Wasiak for a conversation that beautifully reframes what it means to be an artist. Teresa may jokingly call herself a “newbie,” but her journey tells a richer story—one of curiosity, courage, and lifelong becoming.
From her early days of rock climbing in Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, and Tuolumne Meadows—camera clipped carefully to her harness—to discovering her love for hummingbirds, black and white photography, vibrant color, and even capturing her first Milky Way, Teresa’s path is shaped by nature, exploration, and wonder. She shares how photography became her way of seeing the world more deeply, especially when the most powerful images weren’t always found at the summit, but “down below,” in the textures, shadows, and quiet beauty of the desert.
Teresa reflects on her deep admiration for Ansel Adams, her growth through UNLV photography classes, her brave 365-day photo challenge, and her continued evolution through experimentation with color, muted tones, astro photography, and now flash and Lightroom. She speaks openly about imposter syndrome, time constraints of being a working mom, and the delicate balance between family, career, and creative passion.
As a proud member of Women In Focus Las Vegas, Teresa celebrates the power of artistic community—of learning together, showing work publicly in libraries and galleries, and finding confidence through shared inspiration. She also talks about creating her 2025 calendar Past the Boulevard, a project that taught her as much about business and vulnerability as it did about art.
This episode is a gentle reminder that creativity isn’t about arrival—it’s about openness. It’s about taking chances, trying things that feel uncomfortable, showing up anyway, and allowing yourself to grow. Teresa’s story is for anyone who has ever said, “I’m just starting,” no matter how far they’ve already come.
A heartfelt conversation about photography, motherhood, community, and the quiet bravery it takes to keep learning.

The Art Box - Episode 386 - Relentless Stories: Ann Steele and the Power of Persistence

In this episode of The Art Box, we welcome Mesquite author Ann Steele, whose life story is as layered and inspiring as the novels she writes. From her early years in Springville, Utah, through nearly two decades with Utah Legal Services, to raising a family and later living abroad in Germany for sixteen years, Ann’s journey is rooted in dedication, curiosity, and quiet determination. Writing has been a constant thread throughout her life, beginning with poetry and short stories and growing into a body of novels shaped by experience, observation, and a deep understanding of human resilience.
Ann shares her path into self-publishing, her experience releasing multiple novels across major digital platforms, and the special family connection of having her son serve as editor for all her books. With her newest novel, Relentless, nearing publication, and more stories already taking shape, Ann embodies what it means to create without stopping. This episode is a celebration of lifelong creativity, strong storytelling voices, and the courage it takes to keep putting your work into the world, one page at a time.
The following ebooks are available for download at the Clark County Library:
-- The Photograph
-- Staring Down the Devil
-- An Uncommon Alliance
-- The Stowaway
Here is a list of places where people can download a copy of Ann's ebooks (the cost is only $2.99):
-- Barnes and Noble
-- Apple Books
-- Smashwords
-- Tolino
-- Cloud Library
-- Odilo
-- Borrow Box
-- Gardners
-- Rakuten Kobo
-- Everand
-- OverDrive
-- Vivlio
-- Fable

The Art Box - Episode 385 - Through the Lens of Wonder: Sue Beauchamp and the Art of Seeing

In this meaningful episode of The Art Box, we sit down with extraordinary photographer Sue Beauchamp, who, along with her husband Mark, made the journey from Las Vegas to Mesquite to share her creative story. Sue’s work is rooted in curiosity, patience, and a deep reverence for light, texture, and moment. Her photography reminds us that beauty isn’t always loud or dramatic; often it lives quietly in subtle shadows, gentle colors, and the spaces where time seems to slow. Our conversation explores how she developed her eye, what draws her to her subjects, and how photography has become both a form of expression and a way of truly seeing the world.
We also talk about the modern tools that help shape today’s photographic storytelling, including digital darkrooms like Adobe Lightroom, and how Sue balances technology with authenticity. From artistic process to creative discipline, this episode is a reflection on presence, observation, and honoring the stories unfolding right in front of us. It’s a warm, inspiring dialogue for anyone who loves art, visual storytelling, and the magic that happens when passion meets patience.
Learn more about Sue at: http://suebeauchamp.com
 
 

The Art Box - Episode 383 - Heart Full of Creativity - A Conversation with Michelle Patrick

In this episode of The Art Box, we’re joined by Michelle Patrick of the Nevada Arts Council for a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation about a life shaped by creativity. Michelle reflects on growing up with supportive parents who encouraged her artistic path, from listening to her father’s music in the car, to early dance studies and formative years at the famed LaGuardia High School, where young artists are nurtured and challenged to grow.
We explore Michelle’s journey as a participant in the Sundance Institute Directors Lab, her continued expansion as a creative through photography, and her long-standing work building and sustaining creative communities across Nevada. Throughout the conversation, she shares thoughtful insights into why public investment in the arts matters now more than ever.
This episode examines what it truly means to “hold space” for creativity in both urban and rural communities, and how artists, administrators, and advocates can work together to ensure the arts not only survive, but thrive.
Michele mentioned Oliva Dean and we used one of her songs in the background in this episode. You can find out more about Oliva here --> https://soundcloud.com/oliviaadean

Art Box - Episode 384 — Precision Meets Imagination

In this episode of The Art Box, co-host MJ sits down with Justin Gable, founder of Lasermade, a creative studio where technology and craftsmanship come together in striking ways.
Justin shares how he uses advanced laser technology to etch custom images, designs, and text onto metal—transforming everyday objects into deeply personal works of art. From concept to execution, the conversation explores how precision tools can still leave room for creativity, storytelling, and human touch.
The discussion also looks ahead, as Justin talks about expanding his process to include laser-etched glass, opening up new possibilities for artists, designers, and clients seeking unique, lasting expressions.
This episode is a thoughtful look at how modern tools are reshaping creative practice—proving that innovation doesn’t replace artistry, it amplifies it.

The Art Box - Episode 382 - "Say it Simple, Mean it Deep" with Juan Muniz

In this heartfelt and vibrant episode, The Art Box welcomes Juan Muniz, a celebrated toy designer, muralist, and fine artist whose work blends pop art, pop surrealism, animation, and lowbrow into a style unmistakably his own.
Born in Mexico and raised in Southern California, Juan has spent more than 15 years building an art career that has taken him from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to New York, San Francisco, Japan, and Taipei. At the center of his creative universe is Felipe the Bunny, an anthropomorphic character inspired by the memory of Juan’s brother. Through Felipe and a cast of expressive companions, Juan explores universal emotions, love, joy, anxiety, heartbreak, compassion, and the quiet struggles of being human.
Juan is also deeply committed to art therapy, believing in the healing power of creativity and the ability of visual storytelling to help people process difficult emotions. This dedication informs both his imagery and the gentle emotional honesty found in his work.
With child-like charm, bright palettes, and disarming sincerity, Juan’s paintings invite viewers to connect with their most open-hearted selves. His career extends far beyond galleries; Juan’s characters and visual voice have shaped street art, apparel, toys, and collaborations with global brands including the NBA, UFC, Hard Rock, Cosmopolitan Hotel, Zappos, Don Julio, Pepsi, Sugar Factory, and more. Most recently, he created the fan-favorite “Golden Misfits” characters for the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights.
Juan’s leap into designer toys produced instant successes such as UHOH, which sold out immediately, and Smile, which won Artist of the Year at the 2017 Designer Toy Awards. Today, his newest originals and character creations continue to find homes in select galleries and with collectors around the world.
Join us for a candid, inspiring conversation about imagination, emotional truth, creative evolution, and the powerful simplicity at the heart of Juan’s philosophy:“Say it simple, mean it deep.”
Find Juan on-line at: https://www.ninobuniworld.com/
https://www.facebook.com/juanmunizart/
 

Episode 381: STEAM to the BIG Vision – with Aaron Weast

In this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation, engineer Aaron Weast joins The Art Box to share how true innovation happens when all parts of S T E A M—Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math—work together as one.
With a pile of patents to his name, Aaron believes the lines between disciplines should blur, because every great idea needs a spark of art, a dash of curiosity, and the courage to ask big questions. Together, we explore why art drives vision, how to develop your “spidey sense” for creative insight, and why no question is ever a dumb one.
We also talk about building pumpkin cannons, nurturing curiosity, and keeping that childlike sense of wonder alive in a world that too often forgets to ask why.
Tune in for a blend of invention, imagination, and insight, a true celebration of STEAM thinking in motion.