ArtStorming

Send us Fan Mail A chance connection at Yale cracks open a hidden family history and turns legacy into something immediate, unsettling, and real. We talk with interdisciplinary artist Nikesha Breeze about building monuments, reclaiming erased stories, and using grief rituals to transform what history leaves in our bodies.  ArtStorming is thrilled to announce our official partnership with Zeitgeist...

Send us Fan Mail Most of us are taught to treat death like a distant problem for “someday” and then we wonder why it feels so terrifying when it finally shows up. I’m joined by Joanna Ebenstein, the founder of Morbid Anatomy, to challenge that reflex and to reclaim death as a subject that can be met with dignity, curiosity, and even beauty. Joanna Ebenstein: https://www.morbidanatomy.org https://w...

Send us Fan Mail A studio full of work can be a treasure or a ticking time bomb, depending on what happens next. We sit down with Patricia Watts, a curator, appraiser, and advisor, to talk about the behind-the-scenes reality of artist legacy planning and art estate management: the choices that decide whether decades of paintings and objects become a visible legacy or a private burden families cann...

Send us Fan Mail Santa Fe can feel like a beautiful postcard, but what happens when the postcard replaces the place? We sit down with writer and historian Pen La Farge to treat “legacy” the way it shows up in real life: not as a name on a building, but as the culture a community protects, forgets, or hands forward. ArtStorming is thrilled to announce our official partnership with Zeitgeist Dance T...

Send us Fan Mail A portrait usually freezes a moment, but what happens when the portrait is made from the life itself? We sit down with artist Heide Hatry, whose work transforms cremation ashes into hauntingly realistic faces using beeswax, encaustic layering, and a level of precision that borders on devotional. She walks us through the moment grief cracked her open, the shock of seeing what “ashe...

Send us Fan Mail A painting can be more than an image. It can be a witness, a prayer, and a record of what someone leaves behind. We’re in Santa Fe with nationally acclaimed artist Michael Scott, standing in front of a five-by-five canvas he carried for seven years after the loss of his mother: a boat filled with flames gliding through a marsh at night, smoke rising like calligraphy, a dove and a...

Send us Fan Mail A cemetery can be a punchline, a sanctuary, a history lesson, and a living arts venue all at once, if we let it. I’m joined by Harry Weil, vice president of education and public programs at Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery, to talk about how a place built for the dead is quietly becoming one of New York City’s most surprising spaces for culture, community, and honest conver...

Send us Fan Mail What if a violin could steady a room full of grief and turn it into a space for deep remembering? We sit down with Concetta Abbate—violinist, composer, and death doula—to explore how music moves beyond entertainment to become ritual, care, and legacy. From the first notes she learned as a child with a visual impairment to the ceremonies she now shapes for families, Concetta shows...

Send us Fan Mail Mortality doesn’t have to be a closed door. We sit down with director Tony Benna and producer Stelio Kitrilakis to unpack  “Andre Is An Idiot,” the award-winning documentary that turns a terminal diagnosis into a riotous, deeply human portrait of intention, family, and art. What starts as an unthinkable pitch—make a comedy about stage four cancer—becomes a blueprint for living bol...

Send us Fan Mail What does legacy feel like when you can hear it in the music, touch it in a ribbon, and watch it breathe across a stage? We sit down with choreographer and educator Francisco Gella, artistic director of Zeitgeist Dance Theater, to unpack how a 42-minute work about Chimayó weaving—aptly titled Lineage—became a living tapestry of ancestry, grit, and community. From building a human-...

Send us Fan Mail What if a walk through the woods could hold your grief and hand it back as something living? We sit down with artist Deb Todd Wheeler to explore Radio Silence, a geolocated audio walk at Brookline’s Lost Pond that folds field recordings, original songs, and quiet conversation into a moving ritual of remembrance. ArtStorming is thrilled to announce our official partnership with Zei...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever wondered how to align legacy with love for the earth and art infusing every step, this conversation offers a clear starting point and a lot of heart. We sit down with environmental educator and author Mallory McDuff to explore how end-of-life choices—green burial, aquamation, and human composting—can reflect our values, save money, and restore land. ArtStorming is t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we  explore how photography shapes memory, culture, and legacy with visual effects veteran Matthew Smith, tracing a line from 19th‑century spirit photos to AI deepfakes. The camera doesn’t capture truth; it curates stories, and we can choose how to author ours. ArtStorming is thrilled to announce our official partnership with Zeitgeist Dance Theatre and Francisco G...

Send us Fan Mail What if a weapon could become a tool for growth, a song, or even a room you can step inside to remember a life? We sit down with Miranda Viscoli, executive director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, to explore how Guns to Gardens turns surrendered firearms into shovels, sculptures, instruments, and a traveling installation built by teens who refuse to let grief be the final...

Send us Fan Mail What if legacy isn’t a monument, but a moment where someone finally feels seen? We sit down with Robert Washington-Vaughns to trace the unlikely path from corporate burnout and suicidal ideation to a life anchored by art, nature, and community—and a simple ritual that’s changing how men relate to themselves and each other. The Black Man Flower Project began with a brave question:...

Send us Fan Mail Dive into the transformative journey of artist Chris Moench as he shares the story behind his stunning ceramic prayer wheels. From a tragic disaster to healing and remembrance, Chris's art extends beyond aesthetics—it's a powerful medium for connection and reflection. Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail Memory can move like a boat in a draft, and that’s exactly what happened the moment we stepped into Elizabeth Fergus Jean’s dream studio in the woods. Suspended vessels, flickering shadows, stones with rings of time, and a labyrinth set on a forest power point created a space where grief felt present, tender, and strangely full of life. We set out to talk about legacy and found a...

Send us Fan Mail A hidden cemetery. A mill built by an enslaved craftsman. A song written on the hillside where roots hold memory. Eric Mingus joins us to unpack a lineage that runs through the Great Smoky Mountains, across Cherokee land, and into a body of work that insists legacy must stay alive, not embalmed. What began as a visit became The Mill—composed on site, later performed with Yo-Yo Ma,...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most meaningful part of your story is the chapter you haven’t designed yet. We’re opening our new season by taking a clear-eyed look at legacy, grief, and the artful choices that can turn memory into something living. Welcome to Season 2 ArtStorming the Art of Remembrance. Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail The Holzmans' work offers important lessons about resilience, creativity, and finding beauty in the discarded. Hear more about this father-daughter duo on this episode.  Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail Catherine Sikora doesn't just play the saxophone – she uncovers ancient musical truths that have always existed in the ether, waiting to be discovered.  Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail What happens when a group of professional actors abandon conventional theater, move into a house together during a global pandemic, and reimagine how performances are created, staged, and funded? Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail What drives a person to repeatedly reinvent themselves with no safety net? Linda Durham's extraordinary life journey offers a masterclass in creative risk-taking and the rewards that come from embracing uncertainty. Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail Bobby Beals, a sixth-generation Santa Fean, shares his journey as a painter, gallery owner, and skateboard entrepreneur who bridges traditional fine art with skateboarding culture to create inclusive creative communities. Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail Join us for a conversation with singer-songwriter,Susan Anders,  including her songwriting process, the challenges of the music industry, and the evolution of her artistic expression. She discusses the differences between writing lyrics versus music, the impact of personal experiences on her work, and the challenges of performing emotionally-charged songs. The conversation also to...