The Art Box

In this special episode of The Art Box, Sandi and Steve sit down with two powerful voices in the humanities: Bobbie Ann Howell from Nevada Humanities and Kase Johnstun from Utah Humanities. Together, they explore the vital role the humanities play in shaping the cultural and civic fabric of underserved and rural communities across the West. In an age of shifting priorities and tightening budgets,...

In this heartwarming episode of The Art Box, MJ sits down with children’s book author Chantel Murray, whose children's book You Are a Light, Shine Bright is already lighting up hearts and homes. A devoted mom to two boys, wife to her best friend, and sunset-chaser at heart, Chantel shares how small moments of beauty and kindness inspire her storytelling. We talk about her mission to help kids disc...

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the final of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert. In this episode we sit down with artist and community leader Astrid Larsen, whose creative vision reaches far beyond her own studio walls. Astrid is a founder of the Esmeralda High Desert Institute (EHDI), a...

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the fourth of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert. Our featured guest is Bob Dewhurst—known locally and lovingly as Sign Painter Bob. With over 50 years of experience painting large-scale signs across San Francisco and the vast stretches of Nevada, Bob shar...

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the third of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert. In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Adrianne Beard, a creative cornerstone of Main Street Goldfield, manager of the whimsical Rusty Cove Boutique, and an artist whose work dances between the int...

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the second of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert. In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Tim Hipp, a key force behind the revitalization of Goldfield, Nevada. As a leader with Main Street Goldfield, manager of the Miners RV Park, and a former Esm...

Welcome to The Art Box Podcast! This is the first of five special episodes recorded on the road in Goldfield, Nevada, a place where creativity meets resilience in the heart of the high desert. We’re kicking things off by tuning in to the soul of the town: Radio Goldfield KGFN 89.1 , and sitting down with the voice behind it all, Carl Brownfield. Carl and his wife have transformed this small-town c...

Thanks in part to generous support of the Nevada Arts Council The Art Box had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Las Vegas-based creator Zoë Camper . We caught up with her in a lively hallway (please pardon the occasional comings and goings—and those charmingly squeaky chairs) at the Historic 5th Street School, just hours before the U.S. debut of the exhibition she co-curated with Julie Sa...

Welcome to our fifteenth and last episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School in the spring of 2025, thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council . In this episode of The Art Box, we’re honored to sit down with Ben Parks , a true giant in the world of ceramics and former director of the Tuscarora Pottery School. As the son of renowned potter and founder Dennis Parks, Be...

Welcome to our fourteenth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council. In this episode, Steve took the easiest (and most rewarding) walk of the week, just next door from the Tuscarora Pottery School, to sit down with the incredibly talented Sidne Teske , a pastel artist whose work captures the spirit and serenity of the high...

Welcome to our lucky thirteenth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council . In this episode Box, we’re joined by Taylor Ford, the 2025 Artist-in-Residence at the Tuscarora Pottery School, and the heart of this spring’s session. Along with her loyal pup Ruth, Taylor keeps things running smoothly, welcoming guests, guiding st...

Welcome to our twelfth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council . In this episode of The Art Box, we welcome Kerry Holscher, an electronic engineer and pottery student from Boise, who made her first visit to the Tuscarora Pottery School during the spring 2025 session. While new to the Tuscarora experience herself, Kerry is...

Welcome to our eleventh episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council . In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Mandie Carr, a USGS scientist who moved from the warmth of Florida to the high desert winters of Boise, Idaho, and discovered pottery as a way to navigate the colder months. Mandie joined the spring 2025 sess...

Welcome to our tenth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council . In this heartwarming episode of The Art Box, we’re joined by Summer and Corbin Kisner, a mother-and-son duo who attended the spring 2025 session at the Tuscarora Pottery School. At just 10 years old, Corbin brought youthful curiosity and a fearless approach to...

In our ninth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council, we chat with Lydia Faust, a graduating Eagle High School senior with a passion for pottery and a strong sense of community. Lydia attended the spring session at the Tuscarora Pottery School , where she stood out not only for her dedication at the wheel but also for bei...

In our eighth episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council, we chat with Evan Besoushke, a recently graduated high school student with a creative spirit and a scientific mind. Before heading off to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, Evan chose to spend part of his spring at the Tuscarora Pottery School, di...

In our seventh episode of The Art Box recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School thanks in part to a grant by the Nevada Arts Council , we sit down with Casey Gurr, one of the spring session instructors at the Tuscarora Pottery School, whose passion for art and education runs deep. A former high school art teacher and current leader at Catalyst Arts Collaborative in Boise, Idaho, Casey brings a thou...

In this episode our sixth during our Tuscarora trip funded by Nevada Arts Council, we take a lighter, more personal turn as I sit down with Daejah, who joined us at the Tuscarora Pottery School not as a student, but as part of the extended creative family. Her father, Casey, was one of the instructors during the week, and Daejah came along for the ride, bringing with her a sense of calm curiosity...

In the fifth episode of our Tuscarora Pottery School series, made possible in part by a generous grant from the Nevada Arts Council , we sit down with Julie Shelton, a dedicated art teacher from Boise, Idaho. Julie’s time at Tuscarora was both a personal creative retreat and a professional development opportunity. As she reconnected with her own artistic practice, she also explored new techniques...

In the fourth episode of our special series recorded at the Tuscarora Pottery School , made possible in part by generous support from the Nevada Arts Council, we’re honored to sit down with Cody Breeze Thomas, President of the school and a passionate advocate for the arts. As a thoughtful steward of this storied Nevada institution, Cody shares his perspective on what makes Tuscarora more than just...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Gianna Palazzdo, an architecture student at the University of Idaho and a former high school art student of Jerry Hendershot. Gianna returned to her creative roots by joining the summer session at the Tuscarora Pottery School , seeking a break from her rigorous academic life and a reconnection with the simple joy of working with clay. Surrounded by...

I had the true pleasure of meeting Vicie Mixer during my time at the Tuscarora Pottery School , where she played the role of indispensable assistant to instructor Jerry Hendershot, though "assistant" hardly captures the magic she brings. From preparing delicious meals to helping students center their clay, from spinning stories to offering quiet encouragement, Vicie was everywhere at once, always...

Join Steve for a special series of podcast episodes from the Tuscarora Pottery School, made possible in part by a generous grant from the Nevada Arts Council. We kick off the series with a conversation recorded in the cozy library of the historic Zweifel Rooming House, where Steve sits down with this session’s lead instructor, Jerry Hendershot, to talk clay, community, and the creative spark found...

Episode 311 of The Art Box brings a burst of style and creativity with our friend and guest Mary Jane Stiles, or as her many fans know her, MJ. She’s a jewelry artist, hairdresser, and now the social media powerhouse behind Juniper Outpost Boutique in Mesquite, Nevada. Whether she’s crafting bold statement pieces or lighting up local feeds with her signature flair, MJ knows how to turn everyday mo...

I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering alongside Matt Flores many times, and he never fails to inspire me with both his deep knowledge of Nevada’s wildlife and his generous spirit in sharing it. In this episode, Lois Etzel joins as co-host as we sit down for a fascinating conversation with Matt under the desert sky at Mount Irish, in the heart of the Basin and Range National Monument. In this speci...