The Art Box

The Art Box - Episode 333 - You Are a Light: Chantel Murray’s Journey Through Story

In this heartwarming episode of The Art Box, MJ sits down with children’s book author Chantel Murray, whose children's book You Are a Light, Shine Bright is already lighting up hearts and homes. A devoted mom to two boys, wife to her best friend, and sunset-chaser at heart, Chantel shares how small moments of beauty and kindness inspire her storytelling.
We talk about her mission to help kids discover the light within themselves, her love for life’s quiet wonders, and how she balances writing with motherhood. Join us for an uplifting conversation that reminds us of the power of books to plant seeds of compassion, courage, and joy in young readers.
Click here to purchase "You are Light, Shine Bright"

The Art Box – Episode 332 - Where Art Meets Environment: Astrid Larsen and the EHDI Vision

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the final of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert.
In this episode we sit down with artist and community leader Astrid Larsen, whose creative vision reaches far beyond her own studio walls.
Astrid is a founder of the Esmeralda High Desert Institute (EHDI), a dynamic nonprofit working to organize and grow the arts community in Goldfield and across central Nevada. Through classes, workshops, symposiums, and artist residencies, EHDI cultivates a space where creativity and curiosity thrive. The institute uniquely fosters collaboration between artists and scientists, hosting talks and exhibits that explore the profound connections between art and the high desert environment.
In our conversation, Astrid shares her journey as an artist, her passion for rural revitalization through the arts, and the way Nevada’s stark, wide-open landscapes continue to influence her creative vision. We also ventured into a rich dialogue on radical pondering, the role of imagination, and how A.I. is reshaping the way we think, create, and connect.
Special thanks to the Nevada Arts Council for supporting this remote location visit, and to Main Street Goldfield, Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1, Rusty Cove Boutique, Sharon Artlip's Rock Shop and the Goldfield Miners Camp RV Park for their warm and generous hospitality.

The Art Box – Episode 331 - Signs, Stanzas, and the Sound of Birds: A Day with Bob Dewhurst

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the fourth of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert.
Our featured guest is Bob Dewhurst—known locally and lovingly as Sign Painter Bob.
With over 50 years of experience painting large-scale signs across San Francisco and the vast stretches of Nevada, Bob shares stories that stretch as far and wide as the landscapes he’s worked in. But his artistry doesn’t stop at the brush—Bob is also an accomplished and published poet, weaving together the visual and the verbal in uniquely Western ways.
We recorded this episode right in Bob’s own yard, where a chorus of birds provided the perfect soundtrack and jets from nearby Nellis Air Force Base occasionally roared overhead—reminders of both the serenity and intensity of life in the high desert.
Join us as we talk with Bob about art, poetry, the history written in hand-painted letters, and what it means to create a life of expressive work in Nevada’s wild and weathered places.
Special thanks to the Nevada Arts Council for supporting this remote location visit, and to Main Street Goldfield, Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1, Rusty Cove Boutique, Bob's Signs, Sharon Artlip's Rock Shop and the Goldfield Miners Camp RV Park for their warm and generous hospitality.

The Art Box – Episode 330 - Dreamwork and Design with Adrianne Beard of Goldfield

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the third of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert.
In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Adrianne Beard, a creative cornerstone of Main Street Goldfield, manager of the whimsical Rusty Cove Boutique, and an artist whose work dances between the intuitive and the intricately imagined.
Adrianne is a gifted jewelry maker, a passionate chronicler of her dreams, and the visionary behind a hauntingly beautiful series of miniature rooms. Built with tweezers and tiny found objects gathered from the wilds of Nevada, her miniatures are deeply inspired by the post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us, echoing themes of survival, decay, and quiet resilience. Each scene tells a story, balancing eerie stillness with stunning detail.
We explore Adrianne’s role in Goldfield’s creative revival, her thoughts on dreamwork as an artistic compass, and the joy she finds in making small things speak volumes. From delicate silverwork to imagined ruins, her work invites you to look closer, and dream bigger.
Special thanks to the Nevada Arts Council for supporting this remote location visit, and to Main Street Goldfield, Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1, Rusty Cove Boutique, Sharon Artlip's Rock Shop and the Goldfield Miners Camp RV Park for their warm and generous hospitality.

The Art Box - Episode 329 - Main Street Visions with Tim Hipp of Goldfield

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the second of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert.
In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Tim Hipp, a key force behind the revitalization of Goldfield, Nevada. As a leader with Main Street Goldfield, manager of the Miners RV Park, and a former Esmeralda County Commissioner, Tim brings a deep understanding of community, history, and forward-thinking creativity.
Recorded on location in Goldfield, we talk with Tim about the impressive projects Main Street Goldfield has already completed, exciting works currently in progress, and bold visions for the future. From historic preservation to public art and innovative placemaking, Tim shares the passion and persistence driving their efforts to breathe new life into this legendary desert town.
We also explore big ideas for getting travelers to stop, stay, and connect with Goldfield’s growing creative scene, and why it just might be the most artfully unexpected destination in Nevada.
Special thanks to the Nevada Arts Council for supporting this remote location visit, and to Main Street Goldfield, Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1, Rusty Cove Boutique, Sharon Artlip's Rock Shop and the Goldfield Miners Camp RV Park for their warm and generous hospitality.

The Art Box - Episode 328 - Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1 Meet Carl Brownfield

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the first of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert. We’re kicking things off by tuning in to the soul of the town: Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1, and sitting down with the voice behind it all, Carl Brownfield.
Carl and his wife have transformed this small-town community station, housed in a caboose right on Goldfield’s main drag, into an internationally recognized beacon of independent radio. Fueled by passion, personality, and a deep love for music, people, and place, KGFN now reaches listeners in all 50 states and 29 countries with its eclectic sound, local storytelling, and authentic Nevada spirit.
In this episode, Carl shares the origin story of the station, the unique magic of radio in a digital age, and the joy of building community one broadcast at a time.
Special thanks to the Nevada Arts Council for supporting this remote location visit, and to Main Street Goldfield, Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1, Rusty Cove Boutique, Sharon Artlip's Rock Shop, Esmeralda High Desert Institute, and the Goldfield Miners Camp RV Park for their warm and generous hospitality.

The Art Box - Episode 327 - Art, Thought, and Augmented Realities with Zoë Camper

Thanks in part to generous support of the Nevada Arts Council The Art Box had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Las Vegas-based creator Zoë Camper. We caught up with her in a lively hallway (please pardon the occasional comings and goings—and those charmingly squeaky chairs) at the Historic 5th Street School, just hours before the U.S. debut of the exhibition she co-curated with Julie Samuels: Creativity Is a New Formula for Life, presented by the Augmented Society RSA Thematic Network.
Zoë is a dynamic force of creative energy—her work spans across disciplines, often inviting not just observation but deep thought. In addition to her leadership within the Augmented Society RSA Thematic Network, she also serves as a director of the Goldwell Open Air Museum in Rhyolite, Nevada.
Settle in and enjoy our conversation with one of the most innovative and thought-provoking minds in the world of contemporary art.
Click here for details and hours for the exhibition: Creativity Is a New Formula for Life. 
Picture is Julie Samuels (left) and Zoë (right). at opening of Creativity Is a New Formula for Life.
Zoë mentioned the word Autotellic (adjective) refers to a person or activity that is self-motivated or self-fulfilling, done for its own sake rather than for an external reward.

The Art Box – Episode 326 – Clay, Legacy, and the High Desert: A Conversation with Ben Parks

Welcome to our fifteenth and last episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School in the spring of 2025, thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council. In this episode of The Art Box, we’re honored to sit down with Ben Parks, a true giant in the world of ceramics and former director of the Tuscarora Pottery School. As the son of renowned potter and founder Dennis Parks, Ben has spent a lifetime immersed in the legacy, innovation, and gritty beauty of pottery in Nevada’s high desert.
We talk about his journey through clay, the evolution of the school, and what it was like to carry forward the vision of one of America’s most iconic pottery communities. With decades of experience and a deep connection to both tradition and experimentation, Ben shares insights into his personal practice, the people who shaped him, and what it means to be part of a creative lineage rooted in both place and passion.
Ben talked about a favorite potter Peter Voulkos and we have provided a link so you can learn more about him.
 

The Art Box – Episode 325 – Next Door in Tuscarora: Sidne Teske’s Desert View

Welcome to our fourteenth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council. In this episode, Steve took the easiest (and most rewarding) walk of the week, just next door from the Tuscarora Pottery School, to sit down with the incredibly talented Sidne Teske, a pastel artist whose work captures the spirit and serenity of the high desert landscape she calls home.
Living right in Tuscarora, Sidne brings a unique perspective to life in this remote artist community. We talk about the rhythm of small-town creativity, her deep connection to the land, and how her pastel work reflects both place and mood. With a quiet strength and a generous spirit, Sidne offers insight into what it means to live artfully, just a stone’s throw from one of Nevada’s most storied creative outposts.
You can find Sidne’s work at: https://www.teskeillustrator.com/

The Art Box – Episode 324 – Arist in Residence – Meet Taylor Ford

Welcome to our lucky thirteenth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council. In this episode Box, we’re joined by Taylor Ford, the 2025 Artist-in-Residence at the Tuscarora Pottery School, and the heart of this spring’s session. Along with her loyal pup Ruth, Taylor keeps things running smoothly, welcoming guests, guiding students, and keeping an eye on both the critters by day and the ghosts by night that roam this legendary high desert outpost.
Taylor shares what it means to live and work on the Tuscarora property full-time, what fuels her own studio practice (including the corner where Steve proudly snapped a black-and-white photo of her at her wheel), and how she manages to keep the studio cheerful, grounded, and full of momentum. She may not be related to President Gerald Ford, but she’s got a story about that too. Warm, funny, and always in motion, Taylor brings a unique energy to a place already steeped in legacy and creativity.