Toast to The Arts & Parks

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features Tanya Ortega, founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), in a fascinating conversation about Gettysburg National Military Park, its enduring artistic legacy, and the vital role artists play in preserving America's history. As part of the ongoing Big Blend Radio NPAF Retrospective, Tanya explores how artist r...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features Tanya Ortega, founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), discussing the ongoing NPAF Retrospective project that celebrates a decade of artist residencies, creative partnerships, and inspiring stories from national parks across America. In this engaging conversation, Tanya reflects on the impact artists have...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features members of Cracked Nut Creatives, current National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artists-in-residence at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Blending classical music, multimedia storytelling, and environmental awareness, the artists explore the powerful relationship between music, nature, and place. Through their residency...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features Tanya Ortega, founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), who shares insights into the organization’s NPAF Retrospective digital magazine while exploring the cultural and natural significance of Chaco Culture National Historical Park and Aztec Ruins National Monument in Northern New Mexico. In this engaging c...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 1st Friday “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features travel photographer Houston Vandergriff and his mother Katie Vandergriff, who recently served as artists-in-residence at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park through the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, Houston is a passionate travel photographer who has visited all 50 U.S. st...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show celebrates the 93rd anniversaries of Death Valley National Park and Saguaro National Park, while spotlighting the impact of artist residencies through the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). As part of the first installment of the Big Blend Radio NPAF "Artists in Parks" Retrospective, Tanya Ortega (NPAF Founder) and Lisa D....

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features Tanya Ortega, founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), who joins us to discuss Big Blend Radio’s NPAF Retrospective Digital Publication—a year-long celebration spotlighting 10 years of artist interviews connecting art, national parks, and public lands. The Big Blend Radio NPAF Retrospective (2016–2026) cel...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show features Artis Olds, acclaimed dancer, choreographer, arts educator, and the November 2025 National Parks Arts Foundation Artist-in-Residence at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Artis—whose dynamic career includes touring globally with Step Afrika! and the iconic Broadway and international productions of STOMP—shares the deep c...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 1st Friday “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show highlights the powerful connection between art, nature, and military history through the work of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). From painters and poets to filmmakers and chefs, the NPAF’s artist residency programs welcome diverse creatives into America’s national parks, where they interpret stories that h...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Arts & Parks” podcast celebrates National Arts & Humanities Month with Queen Esther, who completed a National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist residency at Gettysburg National Military Park in 2020. Queen Esther reflects on her artistic journey, the emotional impact of her Gettysburg residency, and the themes of her upcoming album Blackbir...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 1st Friday “Toast to The Arts & Parks” Show features Tijuana Ricks and Anthony Pirro, who recently completed a National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist-in-residence program at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. Known for her roles in Billions and Marvel’s Luke Cage, Tijuana is an acclaimed actress, writer, and director. Her partner, Anthony, brings a unique...

In honor of American Artists Appreciation Month, Big Blend Radio revisits an archived interview with photographer William Bretzger, originally featured in 2017 as part of our ongoing coverage of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) and its unique artist-in-residence programs. Bretzger shares insights from his time at Gettysburg National Military Park, where he has been photographing for over...

Join us for a special episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Toast to The Parks & Arts" as we celebrate American Adventures Month and American Artists Appreciation Month. We're joined by acclaimed photographer and visionary, Tanya Ortega, founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). Tanya shares her passion for the deep connections between artists and national parks, highlighting how NPAF's un...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Toast to The Arts & Parks” podcast features a follow-up conversation with musician and composer Rachel Mari Kimber, the National Parks Arts Foundation’s Fall 2024 Artist-in-Residence at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. Rachel discusses her new single, “Birds Follow Dry Riverbed,” a soulful piece inspired by the desert landscapes and experiences durin...

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s 1st Friday “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show celebrates Great Outdoors Month with Tanya Ortega, acclaimed photographer and founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). NPAF leads the way in establishing unique, month-long artist-in-residence programs in national parks across the country. In this inspiring conversation, Tanya shares how art acts as a ca...

Join this special episode of Big Blend Radio’s 1st Friday “Toast to The Parks & Arts” Show, featuring Tanya Ortega, acclaimed photographer and founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). In honor of Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Tanya shares inspiring stories and insights about NPAF’s exclusive month-long artist residency programs at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Isla...

In celebration of National Parks Week, we're revisiting this Big Blend Radio interview with landscape artist and soft pastelist Beth Williams, and her daughter, Hailey Williams who is a writer and poet. The very first pair of mother and daughter artists chosen for the National Parks Arts Foundation's artist-in-residence program, they spent September 2019 immersed in their artistic and environmenta...

Featured for National Parks Week: We revisit this 2017 Big Blend Radio interview with classical pianist Hunter Noack who shares his experience as the inaugural artist-in-residence at Haleakalā National Park through the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). From performing in volcanic landscapes to composing music inspired by nature and Māori mythology, Hunter’s residency explored the deep connect...

Artist Lakin Epaloose joins Big Blend Radio’s 1st Friday” Toast to The Arts & Parks” Podcast to talk about his paintings, photography, fashion design, and being the latest National Parks Arts Foundation artist-in-residence for Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.   Lakin Epaloose, a painter and cultural bearer of the Zuni Tribe, works at Grand Canyon National Park in the cultural demonstration pro...

Celebrate Women's History Month with this episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Friday "Toast to The Parks & Arts" Show with Tanya Ortega, photographer and founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). From musicians, poets and writers to painters and textile artists, Tanya talks about the various women NPAF artists-in-residence over the years, and you can hear their Big Blend Radio intervi...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show with the National Parks Arts Foundation features acclaimed illustrator Andrés Vera Martínez whose artistic focus is on illustrating and writing graphic novels for middle school and young adult readers.  Andrés is best known for his work on his wife's graphic memoir, "LIttle White Duck: A Childhood in China," and Neal Shusterman...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's 1st Friday "Toast to The Parks & Arts" Show features Tanya Ortega, photographer and founder of the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF). Hear about the organization's unique month-long artist residencies in locations like Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida, and Hawai'i Volcano National Park. Plus, this year's opportunities for p...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show features acclaimed trumpeter Delbert Anderson, the National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) artist-in-residence in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. A Diné jazz trumpet artist, composer, and educator, Delbert stands at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene. His work, deeply rooted in his Diné heritage, seamlessly in...

This shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show features acclaimed astrophotographer and photojournalist Stan Honda, the National Parks Arts Foundation's Fall 2024 artist-in-residence at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. Stan Honda is an experienced photojournalist who now works with natural landscapes — usually night-time panoramas — that fuse sky and earth. Based in...

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Show features musician and composer Rachel Mari Kimber, the National Parks Arts Foundation's Fall 2024 artist-in-residence at Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona. This is part two of our conversation as a follow up of her residency. Check out Part One here: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/musician-rachel-mari-kimber-i...