The Art Box

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 th...

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, mot...

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 l...

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...

Our research assistant Addie took some time to read the Forward and Chapter One from Steve's new novella Sandcastle Windows. You can purchase on Amazon.  Addie's Review of Sandcastle Windows When Steve first handed me Sandcastle Windows, I expected a story about art. What I didn't expect was a story about memory, grief, wonder, and the extraordinary moments hidden inside ordinary days. This isn't...

Artist, musician, mentor, and educator Brian Gibson joins The Art Box for a thoughtful conversation about creativity, compassion, and the power of making art without fear. From painting and experimental music to mentoring young people through creative exploration, Brian shares why curiosity matters more than perfection and why some of life's greatest lessons take years to reveal. Together we explo...

What does it mean to live a meaningful life? For Las Vegas artist Kim Johnson, the answer is found somewhere between the tangible and the mysterious, the "liminal" space where body and spirit, creativity and purpose, intersect. In this thoughtful conversation, Kim shares her journey from a creative childhood in Southern Nevada to earning her BFA and pursuing art full time. Along the way, she refle...

Cellist, visual artist, and lifelong creative Mark Dudrow joins The Art Box for a thoughtful conversation about choosing a life devoted to art, beauty, and human connection. Inspired by supportive parents, an exceptional art teacher, and a life-changing realization at age twenty, Mark shares how creativity has shaped every chapter of his journey. Together we explore the joys and challenges of maki...

What if our ghost stories aren't really about the dead, but about the parts of history we've never fully faced? In Episode 464 of The Art Box, Steve welcomes acclaimed author, historian, and researcher Betsy Gaines Quammen for a captivating conversation about curiosity, storytelling, and the American West. Best known for her celebrated books American Zion and True West, Betsy returns with her rema...

Archaeology is about far more than digging in the dirt. In Episode 463 of The Art Box, Steve welcomes archaeologist and friend Elizabeth Hora, Executive Director of High Desert Heritage and Research, for a fascinating conversation about how ancient landscapes, rock imagery, and cultural artifacts can help us better understand the people who came before us, and our responsibility to those who are h...

I was introduced to Beth Enos and her husband, Will, by our mutual superstar friend, Candace Garlock, during the opening reception of an exhibition at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City. The three of us hit it off immediately, as if we'd been friends for years. We were fortunate to welcome Will to The Art Box for Episode 453, but Beth had recently undergone shoulder replacement surgery, so we...

One of the greatest joys of hosting The Art Box is the opportunity to meet remarkable people whose stories inspire long after the microphones are turned off. It has been a genuine pleasure getting to know Craig Petersen, and I am honored to welcome him as a guest to share his extraordinary journey with our listeners. Sometimes the greatest stories begin when life seems to be falling apart. In Epis...

Welcome to a very special edition of The Art Box Podcast, recorded from the Mesquite Works STEAM Center in the Mojave Desert. Two hundred and fifty years ago, an idea was set into motion, imperfect, evolving, debated, celebrated… and endlessly interpreted through the voices of generations that followed. America has always been more than dates in a textbook or words on fading parchment. It lives in...

Episode 390 guest Monique Long returns to The Art Box for a deeply personal conversation about identity, creativity, and the remarkable power of believing in yourself. While our first conversation explored Monique's extraordinary journey through Hollywood as an Emmy Award-winning costume designer, stylist, and creative visionary, this episode takes us deeper into the philosophy behind her celebrat...

What happens when you turn a 1960s vintage bus into an art gallery? You get Gallery RAG Las Vegas, the bold new artist-run exhibition space created by Las Vegas artist, curator, and community builder Laura Esbensen. In this energetic conversation, Steve sits down with Laura to explore her journey from illustration and photography to sculpture, installation art, and curating projects that challenge...

Artist, photographer, writer, and explorer Sarah Kilgallon joins The Art Box from her home in Portugal for a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, creativity, and the winding path that leads us toward a meaningful life. Originally from Boston, Sarah followed both her heart and her imagination to Portugal, where she has found a vibrant artistic community and a renewed sense of purpose. Together,...

Step inside the vibrant creative world of Julie Notaro, Las Vegas mixed-media artist and founder of fraiche arts , a working art studio and gallery located inside the iconic Arts Factory in the Las Vegas Arts District (18B). Here, Julie paints, teaches, exhibits her evolving collection of fine art, and transforms her original artwork into elegant silk scarves, inviting visitors to experience creat...

Poet, author, and former New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp joins The Art Box for a thoughtful conversation about curiosity, language, and the quiet power of paying attention. From her beginnings as a visual artist and jazz radio host to writing her acclaimed new collection Is Is Enough, Lauren explores how place, time, sound, and stillness shape her poetry. We also journey beneath the dark skie...

In this inspiring and deeply human conversation, Steve Dudrow is joined by friend, intuitive, and past Art Box guest Kaye Ashbridge as co-host for a heartfelt discussion with Nancy Nelson ("Dangle") and her partner in advocacy Kat Hartley ("Dot"), the creative forces behind dangle & dot, a social enterprise dedicated to changing the way we think about dementia, caregiving, cognitive decline, a...

This was such a delightful conversation with photographer Will Enos, whom I met recently at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City. Will and his wife, Beth (also a fabulous photographer and a soon to be Art Box guest), were attending our mutual friend Candace Garlock's remarkable Road to Terminus exhibition, and I'm grateful our paths crossed. For more than forty years, Will has chased light, shad...

As part of our continuing coverage of the 41st Annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, Steve Dudrow welcomes filmmaker Natalie Aramendia and singer, songwriter, and actress Kristyn Harris to discuss the creation of the award-winning film A Ranch Musical. Recorded during our nineteenth conversation connected to this year's Gathering, Natalie and Kristyn take listeners behind the sc...

MJ sits down with Laura Buxton, President of the Virgin Valley Junior Golf Association, to discuss how the organization is helping shape the next generation of golfers and community leaders. Laura shares the association's mission of creating a positive, inclusive, and growth-oriented environment where young athletes develop not only their golf skills, but also confidence, discipline, teamwork, res...

In this engaging episode of The Art Box, MJ Stiles sits down with Mesquite's own Kathy Cho, a woman whose creative talents seem to know no bounds. Kathy is a professional golfer, sought-after golf instructor, accomplished artist, internationally recognized clothing designer, and musician whose curiosity and passion continue to inspire those around her. Kathy shares her journey in the world of golf...

Every once in a while, The Art Box likes to pause from our usual conversations and celebrate the days that quietly stitch together the fabric of our shared lives. Holidays. Cultural moments. National remembrances. Days that ask us not simply to wave a flag or mark a calendar… but to reflect. One of the beautiful things about nearly five hundred episodes of conversations is that along the way, we’v...

From international stages to television studios, bestselling author, speaker, artist, and creativity advocate Judi Moreo has spent a lifetime helping others discover what they're truly capable of. In this inspiring conversation, Judi shares her journey of resilience, reinvention, and creative courage, along with lessons learned while speaking in 29 countries and empowering countless individuals to...