Ali & Callie Artcast

A great conversation with Brett DePew, the principal of Sorenson Magnet School of the Arts and Humanities that recently won the 2022 Governors Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts. Sorensen Magnet School, a little school with BIG IDEAS! A place where students learn core knowledge through the fabric of the arts and humanities. Located in the heart of downtown Coeur d'Alene, this newly remodeled sc...

Ali and Kristin had the opportunity to speak at the NIA (North Idaho Alliance) Women of Impact Arts gathering with the focus on the arts. A fun opportunity to talk about the Arts & Culture Alliance and our favorite podcasts from the last two seasons.

Join us for our season finale and our 75th episode with Michael Koep, a local author, musician (drummer) and swordsman/jouster as we talk to him about his fourth book, Gigmentia: a love story to his music, bands, bandmates, son, and mostly his mother. This memoir with posts from his personal journal is inspiring, funny, and totally engaging. The book is due out in March of 2023, but we got an earl...

In our very first video cast, we spend an afternoon with Victoria Hiraoka making the most delicious food! Victoria Hiraoka has successfully merged her decades long experience in luxury service and hospitality, her love of history and culture, and her always growing obsession of food and gas created a magical adventure that continues to intrigue both friends and followers alike. Whether it be recip...

Born in Detroit, Lillian Dodson has done some amazing things in her long life, including being a part of the New York art scene for 55 years. She met and married Stanley Twardowicz, a painter and art instructor who inspired her to paint. Stanley introduced her to the "Abstract Impressionists" of the day, including Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning. She got to be part...

The Pacific Northwest is so lucky to have Yvonne Johnson at the helm of the Spokane Valley Summer Theatre. Her talent and professional management base extends from artists performing on Broadway, the West End and regionally across the country.  We were very excited to speak to Yvonne about her latest adventure, the new Idaho Central Spokane Valley Performing Arts Center which just broke ground in...

Leah is the owner and head glass blower at Big Eddy Glass Works. She has been working with glass for over 18 years and in 2018 she opened her own studio in Revelstoke, B.C., Canada. She fell in love with the art of glass blowing her very first time trying it out and absolutely knew it was what she was going to do for the rest of her life. She interned at the Seattle Glass Blowing Studio where she...

Ariel Hill is a native artist hailing from the Six Nations and Wikwemikong First Nations. Hill received her BFA (glass major) from the Alberta College of Art + Design in 2017 and a certificate in Jewelry from the Kootenay School of the Arts in 2013.  Her work is a reflection of her environment and the intersection between elements of the natural world and how it relates to human experience. Honori...

A continuation of the conversation with Krista and Robby French, this episode really focuses on his music, and we were lucky enough to have him play the guitar and sing a couple of his original songs.

A great conversation over wine and music with Krista and Robby French in their new establishment, Stylus Wine and Vinyl, the new wine shop in Coeur d'Alene with an extensive collection of albums, about 2800 in all. Hear about Krista and Robby's dream made into reality, and the fun everyone has talking about wine, a variety of records, and this restaurant/bar that features it all. Stylus Wine and V...

Danh Pham, the new Coeur d'Alene Symphony Music Director, Maestro, and musician, is also the Conductor of the WSU Symphony Orchestra, and Director of Bands at Washington State University. In addition to directing the WSU Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble, he conducts the WSU Opera and Musical Theatre, and teaches Instrumental Conducting and Symphonic Literature courses. What a refresh...

Meet Abby Light, the newest team member for the Arts & Culture Alliance who is bringing great creative ideas to our community, including the Free Little Art Gallery (on the corner of 6th and Garden). Growing up this area, she attended the University of Idaho and received her degree in Art, and she brings a wealth of experience in programming from her tenure at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. And sh...

Gizmo is one of Coeur d'Alene's hidden treasures! And Erin Lanigan is leading the way to growing this amazing creative space and getting the word out to the community. IT’S A PLACE WHERE CREATIVE PLAY IS DONE BY EVERYONE, FROM PRE-K THROUGH GRAY!  With their theme "Empowering through doing," Gizmo-CdA builds creative confidence and curiosity ​through programs that give all people access to tools,...

Stu Cabe is The Ovation Company…standing up for what is right and good! Standing for a positive school environment, Stu has changed the lives of so many kids lives in the company's 23 years. He brings his acting and his education background together, which is why he refers to himself as an "edutainer." Stu Cabe’s Keynote presentation can be summed up in two words; “Be Nice”. His ability to weave r...

What a great conversation with Max Daniels, one of our favorite performers at the Riverstone Summer Concert Series with his band, Nu Jack City. We get to know him a little better, talking about his life, his family, his music and what is next all while visiting his beautiful home and recording in his own recording studio. Watch for the release of “A Better Man”, Max’s first and only album due hope...

What fun to sit down with Kevin and Patti Jester, both very talented people in art, architecture and gardening. We got to talk to Kevin about his Architecture and transitioning to artist as a pastel and oil painter. And Patti who's garden is the stuff of legends, and who also has transitioned to artist as a watercolorist. A fun conversation about how what they do directly reflects who they are, pl...

It is always so refreshing to talk to one of our VERY talented artists. Michael Horswill is a life-long student of art, continually exploring and uniting processes and materials to create intricate artwork for gallery exhibitions and larger public installations in the Inland Northwest region. He is a fine artist in the Northwest, and a tenured professor of art at North Idaho College. He is struck...

Scotty Dodson has been creating professional sandcastles for over 35 years. Starting out on the beaches of Long Island N.Y. way back in the mid eighties, he worked his way up to build sandcastles for the clubs and resorts in the Hamptons. His client list includes some amazing companies including Sandals and Beaches resorts, Carnival Cruise lines and Beck's Beer. He envisions the castles and makes...

Winner of the 2022 Governor's Arts & Heritage Luminary Award for keeping theatre alive during the pandemic, Jeremy talks to Ali and Callie about the creative efforts his team pulled off to keep their theater alive during the pandemic, as well as their upcoming shows. Such a lovely, dynamic man who is living his dream while remaining true to the integrity of the organization's commitments. For info...

Victoria Hiraoka has successfully merged her decades long experience in luxury service and hospitality, her love of history and culture, and her always growing obsession of food and gas created a magical adventure that continues to intrigue both friends and followers alike. Whether it be recipes she's learned from her travels or introducing you to artisans in your own home town, Victoria shares am...

By opening up her gut sack and shining a light on the squishy parts of her soul, Jessica shows us, through a mix of humor and vulnerability, that she is more than a storyteller… she is an inspirational speaker that transfers fervor and passion, allowing viewers to leave feeling empowered to affect change in their life. She shares her wins, losses, and lessons with a level of vulnerability that cre...

Everyone needs a little comedy and a good laugh. Rob Wentz, a young up-and-coming comedian, is working to make life a little funner for folks while making a living through the very creative world of comedy. Join us as we laugh together and talk about what inspires someone to become a comedian, and what it takes. He will be at the Draft Zone in Post Falls on July 14, and at the Spokane Comedy Club...

Marilee Wallace joins me in place of Callie for this fun conversation with Sandra Marlowe, critically-acclaimed jazz vocalist/producer, and Gaye Kruger Ribble, award-winning actress/director who you might recognize from several series and movies. Sandra Marlowe and friends present "The Diva Concert" at the JACC! Featuring Jazz Diva Sandra Marlowe, Broadway Diva Gaye Kruger, Blues Diva Carol Davis,...

Photographer, film maker, actor, you will enjoy this dynamic conversation with a really cool guy who's been working in the Spokane area for over forty years. The Hamilton Studio works in a broad range of styles, in multiple disciplines: Photography, corporate and web video production, television commercials, documentary and theatrical films.  And Don played the UPS man in the movie Benny and Joon...

Learn a little of the art history in the Coeur d'Alene area from the organization that really launched the art scene into what it is today, laying the foundation for Art on the Green and more. We talk to Terry Ann Swanson Blakemore , the current president, Yvonne Benzinger , former president and self-made historian of the group, and Brooke Baggette Milbourne , one of the newest members of this org...