State of the Arts

State of the Arts Episode 71 just published! One Martine Gallery is a contemporary and pop art gallery that recently sprung up in the rapidly developing city of White Plains, New York. This week's guest is none other than the curator of One Martine Gallery, Walker Manzke. For over a decade, White Plains has been growing into a bustling metropolis. An elegant office building stood vacant at the end...

In honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility, I welcome singer and community activist Regina Elizabeth King to my show. Originally from Guyana, this courageous transgender woman was subjected to discrimination from family, in school and in her community. Finding comfort in the art of singing, she discovered her talent at a young age. Her skill was developed in a church where she sang go...

This week State of the Arts honors a Hollywood legend who passed away last year on New Year's Eve, just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday. Betty White's career spanned seven decades and she was the first female producer/director of a television show. With humble beginnings, Betty Marion White was born in Oak Park, Illinois, served as a volunteer during World War II and struggled to find work o...

This week I release a sweetly successful podcast episode with master baker, pastry chef and cake designer Oscar Martinez Juarez as my extraordinarily creative guest. He is the head baker at the Iron Tomato, which is a gourmet Italian bakery and market in White Plains, New York. Oscar and his team provided the elegant cakes for my long-awaited wedding reception/first anniversary party in 2021. For...

Esther Kong Lo is an award-winning sculptor, illustrator, ballroom dance competitor/performer and my brilliantly creative podcast guest this week. An honors graduate of the Pratt Institute and a former student of the National Academy and Arts Students League, she has taken on the visual arts universe by storm. This acclaimed artist is the winner of many awards including the Harriet Frishmuth Memor...

I welcome to my show a world traveling photographer who worked as an attorney for forty years and invested in advanced photography equipment upon his retirement. Joel Bernstein has always had a fascination for photography and eventually accomplished travel to all seven continents. This cheery globe trotter photographs breathtaking images of wild life, landscapes, icebergs and even domestic photogr...

R & B music began in the late 1940s and is one of the most integral parts of African American music history. This week I welcome young, gifted, up and coming R & B singer/rapper Mali who has recently released his first music video on YouTube. His single "Every Move" can be found on his channel which is called Mali Mgmt. He has various other singles that can be found on multiple platforms....

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to welcome OBIE Award-winning actress and co-founder/Artistic Director of The Theatre for the New City Crystal Field onto my podcast. With this learned Julliard graduate, who has multiple degrees and extensive acting experience (once turning down a role on Broadway) as its leader, Theatre for the New City has produced over eight hundred productions, boasting a Pulit...

Episode 63: The Valentine's Day Special Just released! Romantic love has always been the most favored theme in plays, songs, statues, movies, paintings, dances, poetry, photography and all other art forms imaginable in every single culture. This week my wonderful husband Joe and I embark on a historical exploration of romantic love depicted in the arts. We touch upon a wide array of topics; from t...

Episode 64: The Valentine's Day Special Just released! Romantic love has always been the most favored theme in plays, songs, statues, movies, paintings, dances, poetry, photography and all other art forms imaginable in every single culture. This week my wonderful husband Joe and I embark on a historical exploration of romantic love depicted in the arts. We touch upon a wide array of topics; from t...

State of the Arts Episode 62 just published! I’m joined this week by a hip hop dancer, former model and fitness trainer who built an empire. Sebastian Kruse is the founder of Be Fit and Sensual, which is a physical and mental training organization for dancers from all around the world. After graduating from the Norwegian School of Sports Science, he established a successful career in fitness, &nbs...

I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be joined this week by Brenda Neville who is an accomplished performer, instructor, choreographer and entrepreneur in the dance industry. This cum laude Butler University graduate has choreographed and danced in multiple prestigious ballet companies including Covenant Ballet. An all-around talented artist, this studied acting and singing at the Lee Strasberg Acto...

Terry Lee King also known as The Legendary Amazin’ Grace joins me in this delightful milestone episode. This award-winning drag queen is also a stage actor, director, script writer and has hosted multiple productions. This community activist does charity work with HIV and AIDS patients. He courageously lives with this condition himself while staying joyful, active and strong. In an Underground Bal...

Terry Lee King also known as The Legendary Amazing Grace joins me in this delightful milestone episode. This award-winning drag queen is also a stage actor, director, script writer and has hosted multiple productions. This community activist does charity work with HIV and AIDS patients. He courageously lives with this condition himself while staying joyful, active and strong. In an Underground Bal...

State of the Arts Episode 59 just published! My guests this week are guitarist Jeff Free of the Moonshine Runners, an alternative rock band based out of Queens, and his beautiful newlywed bride, Brenda. The Moonshine Runners were formed a few years ago. Their debut song was “Can’t Believe,” which was an original. They ascended to the finals in The Battle of the Bands Competition at the Music Hall...

My guest this week is an actor, a singer, a songwriter, an LGBTQ community activist, an associate at the Imperial Court of New York, a board member at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York, a board member at the Big Apple Performing Arts-NYCGMC and a board member/first tenor for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. He is The multi-talented Nelson Gonzalez a.k.a. Domingo Diaz Jr. Aside from...

My guest this week is an actor, a singer, a songwriter, an LGBTQ community activist, an associate at the Imperial Court of New York, a board member at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York, a board member at the Big Apple Performing Arts-NYCGMC and a board member/first tenor for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. He is The multi-talented Nelson Gonzalez a.k.a. Domingo Diaz Jr. Aside from...

My guest this week is an actor, a singer, a songwriter, an LGBTQ community activist, an associate at the Imperial Court of New York, a board member at the Metropolitan Community Church of New York, a board member at the Big Apple Performing Arts-NYCGMC and a board member/first tenor for the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. He is The multi-talented Nelson Gonzalez a.k.a. Domingo Diaz Jr. Aside from...

State of the Arts Episode 56, The New Years Special just published! Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim was a timeless legend. His famous works include West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Follies, Merrily We Roll Along and A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to The Forum. Many of his shows were converted into Hollywood silver screen films. Throughout his life, he has received an Academy...

State of the Arts Episode 55: The Christmas Special just released! This episode is dedicated to everyone who is battling or have battled breast cancer. My guest this week is Catniss Locati. She is an areonip architect, which is a tattoo artist who designs new nipples and areolas for women who have had mastectomies. “Areonip” is a word that she coined herself. Her extensive experience in the fine a...

State of the Arts Episode 54 just published! I am honored to have interviewed Robert Venuti, who is the owner of Carmine’s Italian Deli in the cozy, rustic town of Elmsford, New York. He has transformed this local staple into a cocktail lounge, a catering hall, a comedy club, a family restaurant and a rehearsal space/concert venue for his rock band The Surf. During the uncertain days of the 2020 p...

State of the Arts Episode 53 just published! This week I’m joined by Mehrvash Janati who is an entrepreneur in the Persian rug industry and a painter. Mehrvash’s family has been involved in the timeless art of Persian rug preservation, cleaning, sales and creation for numerous generations. An expert, a dealer, a preservationist and for one sitting: even a craftswoman, she has extensive experience...

It’s been a year since I started my podcast! To commemorate this milestone event I take the spotlight as the guest this week. I have the honor of being interviewed by guest host Derek Upright who has been on a few previous episodes. In this unprecedented interview we explore my life’s journey as an artist, discuss how my podcast was birthed and I weigh in on important issues in the arts. My husban...

I’m joined in my home recording studio this week by guitarist, singer and songwriter Robert A. Washington. After spending his childhood as a free spirited music student, he developed into a masterfully versatile artist. He can be found playing in many hot spots in the Westchester area these days. In this heartwarming interview, he entertains us with a State of the Arts record-breaking number of fo...

To commemorate State of the Arts' 50th episode; I welcome to the comfort of my own home and recording studio, accomplished singer Crystal Comartie. From rap tracks to Broadway shows to American Idol, Crystal is no stranger to the limelight. Since the age of three she has been intensively trained in voice. Blessed with versatility, she sings gospel, disco, rock, jazz and pop. Talent runs deep in he...