The Art Box

The Art Box - Episode 60 - 38th National Cowboy Poetry Roundup - Rancher, Border Collie Wrangler, and The Art Box Favorite Cowboy Poet - Meet Annie Mackenzie

Were we ever lucky to grab Headliner Poet Annie and her sister Megan for an Art Box guest appearance. Annie help tech us that no matter how big the star they have time to be ultra nice to everyone. 
While known as the family rambler, Annie Mackenzie has her roots planted firmly at the fourth-generation family ranch in southeast Oregon, 30 miles north of the small town of Jordan Valley. She spends her days assisting her two brothers and father in tending cattle, starting horses, and managing the unruly pack of border collies that inhabit the place. She has taught agriculture, served as the local high school FFA advisor, and worked with Sun J Livestock, contractors who gather wild horses across the western states. Though Annie competed in college rodeo, she found herself continually returning home to help out. She is now back where she feels she belongs–on the range with her brothers–writing poems and songs in her beloved High Desert. Annie is the recipient of this year’s Della Johns scholarship. 
Thank you Annie!
 
Thank you to Nevada Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities for sponsoring the Art Box visit to Elko, Nevada.
Thank you to the Buchanan family for their intro music.

The Art Box - Episode 59 - 38th National Cowboy Poetry Roundup - Day One - Featuring The Buchanans

Reporting almost live from the 38th Annual Cowboy Poetry Roundup in Elko, Nevada. We are here by generous grants from Nevada Humanities, the National Endowment of Humanities and of course our own Virgin Valley Artists' Association. We are recording on the run, lots of background noise and we will do our best on the volumes. 
Today we were entertained by a young group of musicians of the Buchanan family from Yerington, NV.  They were so very gracious to interview with us before their performance and afterwards. Such a talented young family. After that we moved to the main Auditorium at the Elko Convention Center to be entertained by DW Groethe, Yvonne Hollenback, Sourdough Slim, Robert Armstrong and R.B. Smith. There was no recording allowed in the main auditorium. We will be back on Thursday for some more Western fun! 

The Art Box - Episode 58 - 38th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering - Russ Westwood

Thanks to a grant by the Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Art Box is going on a road-trip to The 38th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada February 1 - 4 2023.
We interviewed famous Mesquite Cowboy Poet, Russ Westwood prior to going just to get in the mood for some good western fun. 
Check back to your podcast app as we will be publishing episodes from the gathering as often as we can.
https://www.nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org/
 
 
 
 

The Art Box - Episode 57 - Art and Creativity from the Old House at Center and Main – Meet Don Gomes

Art and Creativity from the Old House at Center and Main – Meet Don Gomes
Steve received many joys during his stint as Artist in Residence at Capitol Reef National Park, certainly one of them was meeting and collaborating with the Entrada Institute Vice President Don Gomes. 
Don is a human of many talents, morning DJ, book shop owner, movie star, rock star and just an all-around great person.
Don’s career spans local government, the financial industry, the arts and nonprofit world. He has taught business, public, and nonprofit management at colleges and universities in five states. He served as Executive Director of the Utah Nonprofits Association from 2007 - 2009. Currently, Don is vice-president of the Entrada Institute in Torrey and is a board member of Utah Humanities.
In Anchorage, Don was appointed to the Mayor’s Arts Advisory Commission, served on the board of Anchorage Project Access (a healthcare safety net group), and was Executive Director of Anchorage Community Theatre. His latest adventure, along with wife Annie Holt, is The Old House at Center and Main, where more than 30 local hand crafters and authors display and sell their work.
Don heads up the Bicknell International Film Festival, an Entrada event, “Where good things happen to bad movies” and “Better living through bad cinema.” Don shares his musical talents with the “Bristlecones” along with Barry Scholl and Robert Marc.
Don was a 1999 recipient of the Utah Humanities Council Friend of Humanities Award for his work with KCPW Public Radio.
He was ring announcer for the World Wrestling Federation when touring through Utah in the early 80’s.
Even with threats of terrorism, a fickle economy, a raging pandemic, and growing incivility, he says, “You can’t scare me I work for a nonprofit.”

The Art Box - Episode 56 - Born an Artist - Meet Katie Hoffman

Meet one of my favorite humans, Katie Hoffman, besides admiring her creativity, and prowess as an archeologist, she been tasked to lead me on almost impossible hikes and every time has brought me back alive. I may have been battered and bruised, but I did come back alive.  Katie is the President of Nevadans for Cultural Preservation whom I have the pleasure of volunteering for.
Katie Hoffman was born in Paradise, California, before enlisting and traveling the world with the United States Air Force. Throughout her travels, the art and culture of host countries inspired her artworks, and set the stage for an academic pursuit of anthropology, archaeology, and art. Heavily influenced by parenthood and cultural studies, Katie spent years hocking art and handiwork in the European bazaar circuit focusing on wearables, art quilts, and soft sculpture. She then emigrated to Southern Nevada in 2009 and throughout her decade in the Las Vegas valley, Katie’s practice has grown to include mixed media sculpture, ceramics making, and photography - leading to her current focus in assemblage and installation work, which gives her the artistic freedom to explore multiple techniques and materials at once. Since 2020, Katie has been splitting her time between southern Nevada and northern California where she has established a studio in her hometown of Paradise.

The Art Box - Episode 55 - Landscapes, Acrylics, Birds, 50th State and Airstream Studio - Meet Alli Harvey

We heard Alli Harvey on a Friends of Nevada Wilderness Zoom presentation and said in unison, "we gotta get her on a podcast!" And we did, YAY!
Alli Harvey grew up on the East Coast but fell in love with Alaska at a young age when she first learned about the aurora borealis. Determined to visit, as a teenager she took proceeds from an unexpectedly successful art showing and bought a ticket north.
Alli ended up exploring more than just Alaska over the next 10+ years. She earned her degree in Urban Studies in NYC’s New School, and lived in Reno, NV working to protect wilderness. Eventually, back in Alaska, her career wound its way back to where she started: in 2018, Alli decided to double down on art.
Alli paints vivid, natural scenery often contrast with manmade features ranging from street lamps, busted cars, railroad ties, to power lines. Painting from her new mobile art studio and gallery, an Airstream trailer that allows her to visit places that inspire her, Alli is increasingly able to embrace geographic mobility. Home is with her friends, family, and in the Mobile Art Studio, but her favorite places on earth are Alaska and Nevada which are often the subjects of Alli’s paintings.
Of why she paints, Alli says, “It’s never been enough for me to enjoy something on my own. As soon as I find out something worth knowing or experiencing, I want to tell ten people about it. I feel that having a sense of connection with the world and each other makes our lives richer, and by extension, the world a better place.”
Alli is also a runner and hiker, pop culture enthusiast, cocktail inventor, avid Scrabble player, and an outdoor columnist for the Anchorage Daily News since 2013.
 

The Art Box - Episode 54 - Washed Ashore, the Amazing Lincoln City Cultural Center - Meet Niki Price

Niki Price is the executive director of the Lincoln City Cultural Center, inside the historic Delake School, home to hundreds of annual programs and classes in visual and performing arts. She oversees a staff of six and the operations of the multipurpose auditorium, fine art gallery, meeting room, festival grounds and studios for dance, ceramics, textiles and mosaics. In 2016, Niki was appointed by Gov. Kate Brown to the governing board of the Oregon Cultural Trust; since 2021, she has served as chair. Locally, she leads the Lincoln City Public Art Committee and the Lincoln County Cultural Coalition. In 2021 she embarked upon on an adventure with a dual mission — a day hike traverse of the Oregon Coast Trail that is raising funds for the future Lincoln City Cultural Plaza. With help from a new map and resource called the the Oregon Coast Public Art Trail, she’ll attempt to hoof it from border to border, from the Columbia River down to California, and see ALL the public art along the way. Raised in a small town in central Arizona, this UofA Wildcat has a background in theater and journalism. She and her husband Dave share two grown kids, two ginger cats, five hens and a coon hound. She believes that culture is good for the economy and the community --- but ultimately, creative expression is a goal unto itself.

The Art Box - Episode 53 - EPA Sites, Crazy Eddie and Who Let the Steam Out - Meet George Gault

George and his wife, Linda retired to Mesquite in 2011, and quickly became active in the community. Linda became the President of the noon Rotary Club and George volunteered for a City committee tasked with evaluating the economic development program. The Committee’s recommendation was to create a nonprofit economic development program independent of the City. That organization became Mesquite Regional Business and George was its first Chairman. Notable projects during that period were construction of 1-15 exit 118 and Eagle’s Landing Truck Stop, Star Nursery, Deep Roots Harvest and lobbying for natural gas.
In 2018, George ran for and was elected to the Mesquite City Council. In that capacity he served on the Clark County Flood Control District Commission and the Regional Transportation Commission. He has recently been appointed to the Las Vegas Global Alliance Board of Directors and the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. With Councilman Brian Wursten he helped to create the Mesquite Public Arts Commission. He has continued to serve on the boards of Mesquite Works, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting employers and job seekers through education and training, and Mesquite Opportunities Regional Fund, a nonprofit that acts as a catalyst to identify issues and match them with potential resources. Currently, he serves on the Management Team of the Mesquite STEAM Center.
George served as President of the Wyoming Community Foundation from 2003 to 2011. Under his leadership, and with strong board support and an excellent staff, total assets grew from $30 million to $70 million. Grant making grew to almost $3 million annually. The Foundation performed substantive work in capacity building for nonprofits.
George has run his own consulting business, Gault & Associates, LLC, specializing in economic and community development, assisting communities and organizations to set goals and find resources to implement them. He served as Managing Director of Administration for American Capital Access, the nation’s first single A rated bond insurance company with offices in New York City, Bethesda, MD, and Powell, WY. In that capacity, he participated in raising $126.25 million to capitalize the company. George was Executive Director of the Division of Community and Economic Development of the Wyoming Department of Commerce and served under Governor Mike Sullivan.
He has a BA degree in Modern European History from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado, in Greeley, CO. He holds the Certified Economic Developer designation from the International Economic Development Council and the Economic Development Finance Professional designation from the National Development Council. Both are in emeritus status due to his retirement.

The Art Box - Episode 52 - 10 Minutes with The Hallelujah Girls

Join Linda and Steve as we enjoy interviewing the cast of the Hallelujah Girls presented by The Virgin Valley Theatre Group. 
Opening on January 20 at 7 pm at the Mesquite Theatre 150 North Yucca Street, Mesquite, NV.
Continuing Jan 21, 27, 28; Feb 3 & 4 @ 7 pm   &  Jan 22 & 29 @ 2 pm 
Tickets available online at mctnv.com and At the Mesquite Fine Arts Center 15 W Mesquite Blvd.

The Art Box - Episode 51 - Desert Ducks, Pin Cushions, Broaches and Improv - Meet Rachel Washington

Lived in California, Utah and now Scenic, Arizona for the last year and 8 monthsMeet our friend Rachel Washington who is currently self-employed, Desert Duck Tailoring on Facebook and .comHer favorite job has been at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theatre/Second Space Theater as an 4th in line assistantcostumer.Most empowering job was Mask Event and Costumes in Salt Lake City.Bakersfield High School, Bakersfield City College (Graphic Design), Fresno City College (Marketing andFashion Merchandising), Salt Lake City College (Fashion Design).Started sewing at the age of 8 from a summer school program but have always been involved inwhatever art form I could get my hands on- from dance as a kid to thinking I was the Ace of Cakes injunior high to float building in high school. Even pushing to join improv workshops in multiple cities. Arthas been like a good friend that shows up wearing a new cool hat every once in a while, but underneaththe hat is my same creativity that I've grown up with and grown into.Fun stuff (?) My grandfather Mundo used to take art classes at the community College just for the hell ofit and my grandmother's mother was a seamstress out of necessity/budget, she was fabulous though soher work was immaculate. My family reminds me often that they aren't surprised at all that I love art andcreativity because I get to carry on the exploration of beauty that my grandparents embarked on.