The Art Box

In this heartfelt and wide-ranging episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with Kristi Tausinga, manager of the Mesquite Works STEAM Center, to explore creativity, mentorship, healing, and the joy of helping young minds discover those unforgettable “aha” moments. A retired police officer turned educational leader, Kristi brings a deeply human perspective to her work with students. Known for thinki...

From England to Southern Africa to the Nevada desert, Stephen Murray has lived a life shaped by travel, reinvention, observation, and story. In this thoughtful episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with the author, retired software entrepreneur, and host of Gift of Giving on WWDBTV in Las Vegas to explore how a lifetime of experiences eventually found their way into fiction. Stephen shares refle...

In this heartfelt and deeply reflective episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with one of his best friends in Mesquite, Kaye Ashbridge, for a conversation centered around intuition, healing, self-reflection, and leading with the heart. Kaye shares thoughts from her intuitive practice and her work with tarot cards—not as tools to predict a fixed future, but as gentle doorways into deeper thought,...

In Episode 433 of The Art Box, Steve welcomes Virginia poet Tom Snarsky for a thoughtful and wonderfully wandering conversation about poetry, mathematics, the internet, rejection, collaboration, and the strange beauty of language in modern life. Tom is the author of several poetry collections including Light-Up Swan, Reclaimed Water, and his newest release A Letter From The Mountain & Other Po...

In June of 2023, we sat down with Michael Napper for one of our most poignant episodes—Episode 10 of Clouds in the Sand—where he shared his powerful journey as a healthcare worker navigating the challenges of COVID, offering care, compassion, and presence during one of the most difficult times in recent history. Now, Michael returns. This time, we step into a different side of his story—one that h...

Spring 2026 East Fremont Festival of Arts | Downtown Container Park, Las Vegas Sometimes the best episodes aren’t planned—they’re discovered. In this special on-location episode of The Art Box, Steve heads to the vibrant Spring East Fremont Festival of Arts, hosted by our friend Liezl Siojo of ART BOX, at the ever-energetic Downtown Container Park. Under a sky full of color, music, and creativity,...

In this episode of The Art Box, host MJ sits down with Joe Dwyer, whose life’s work spans from representing workers as a Teamster in Billings, Montana to serving on state boards for three governors as Chairman of the Montana State Fund. Born in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, Joe reflects on a lifetime of service, leadership, and advocacy—before ultimately finding his way to Mesquite, Nevada with his...

In this episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with Mills Kelly , a retired history professor whose work bridges the worlds of storytelling, education, and public engagement. From decades in academia to creating a podcast on the history of the Appalachian Trail, Mills shares how curiosity, patience, and archival discovery shape his process. Together, they explore the idea that history, much like...

In this heartfelt episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with artist and musician Rachelle McMullin to explore a creative journey that is anything but linear—and all the more powerful because of it. Rachelle’s story begins with a home filled with creativity, guided by a mother who believed art and music were essential to life. From a cracked violin and an out-of-tune piano to the deep resonance o...

Step into a dimly lit coffeehouse where the espresso is strong, the saxophone hums low, and the words still matter. In Episode 427 of The Art Box, Steve sits down with returning guest Dawn Amundson for a deep and delightfully free-flowing conversation about the Beat Generation, what it was, what it challenged, and why it still pulses through today’s creative world. After first scratching the surfa...

So this episode is a bit noisy as we recorded outside at the Alamo Inn, right on Nevada Route 93, the Great Basin Highway, where we had to contend with AC's and rural traffic. What if rock art isn’t just something you see… but something you hear? In this fascinating episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with archaeologist Chester Liwosz to explore the emerging field of archaeoacoustics—the study...

Today we head into the bright lights and deeper truths of Las Vegas with author Brian Rouff —a writer who has spent decades exploring the thin line between luck and consequence, chance and choice. From cult classic novels like Dice Angel to his powerful memoir A Long September, Brian takes us behind the scenes of a city built on probability, and reveals the very human stories that live underneath...

In this special solo episode of The Art Box, our always-curious research assistant Addie takes the mic for the very first time, venturing down a literary rabbit hole with The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. After a suggestion from Episode 425 guest writer Brian Rouff , Steve sent Addie off on a mission: read the book, unpack its meaning, and see what wisdom might be hiding behind its wonderful...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with photographer Marla Aufmuth for a warm and engaging conversation about the craft, business, and heart behind photography. From her early days in a high school darkroom—watching images come to life—to building a career across music, weddings, events, and portraiture, Marla shares how curiosity and problem-solving have shaped her journey. We explore he...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down in the Red Rock Canyon Conservation area visitors center with the incredible paper-mâché artist Vanessa Maciel, a bright light in the Nevada arts community and someone we’ve been hoping to have on the show for quite some time. Currently serving as Artist in Residence at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Vanessa creates remarkable large-scal...

In this episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with hiker, reader, poet, and lifelong lover of language Dawn Amundson for a conversation that celebrates the simple and powerful beauty of words. Dawn shares how her connection to reading began almost from the moment she entered the world—a lifelong relationship with books that carried her through careers as a school teacher and librarian, and conti...

I absolutely love this episode, Jacqui is such a treasure to our creative communities. In this episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with theatre director and technical theatre specialist Jacqui Thomassen to talk about the craft, collaboration, and purpose behind live theatre. Jacqui shares how what began as a simple bucket-list audition quickly turned into a full-fledged career, eventually lead...

In this episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with filmmaker, entrepreneur, and all-around storyteller Josh Wilson for a wide-ranging conversation that starts with his feature-length independent film American Nobody and quickly wanders into all sorts of unexpected territory. Josh shares the long road it took to bring the film to life, including building much of his own camera gear when professio...

In this episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with Tom Burns, Executive Director of the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development , for a thoughtful conversation about how opportunity grows communities. Tom shares an idea that has guided much of his work: raising the top step of the stool. When individuals are given the chance to reach higher, through education, opportunity, and economic...

We first discovered Leigh Ratterman during a Poetry Open Mic session at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko. She stopped by our remote studio at the Elko Convention Center for a quick chat in Episode 405, and we immediately knew there was much more to her story. So we invited her back for a full conversation, and we’re very glad she said yes. In this episode of The Art Box, Steve visits w...

I first met Montana songwriter, storyteller, and cowboy poet Ben Larson in Elko at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, where he appeared in one of our short episodes (Episode 402). It was immediately clear that Ben had far more stories to share, so I reached out and invited him to join us for a full conversation. In this episode, Ben calls in from his home in Philipsburg, Montana, and we explore...

If you listen to just one podcast this year, make it this one. Award-winning author Patricia Leavy joins us for a fascinating conversation that takes listeners behind the scenes of her beloved works of fiction and the characters who continue to live on in her imagination long after the final page is written. Patricia shares how storytelling first took root in her life through the influence of her...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Marie Alvery, the reigning 2025 Ms. Senior Mesquite, along with Becky Boyd, the longtime leader and administrator of the Ms. Senior Mesquite Pageant in Mesquite. Marie shares her personal experience as this year’s titleholder and how participating in the pageant has opened doors to new friendships, community service, and personal growth. Becky offer...

Once again it was a beautiful day at the East Fremont Street Art Fair, hosted by The Art Box by Liezl in the East Fremont Street Arts District. The day was filled with music, creativity, friends, and art everywhere you turned. For me, it was especially fun to host a small gathering of poets at the open mic, sharing words and stories right in the middle of the hustle, bustle, and joyful noise that...

At the 41st Annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, we sit down with Brad McMullen, the Nevada Arts Council’s Folklife Specialist and Nevada State Folklorist, to explore a simple but powerful idea: oral storytelling is art. From cowboy poetry stages to kitchen tables, Brad reminds us that stories passed from voice to voice carry history, identity, humor, and hard-earned wisdom. We talk about what...