The Art Box

Episode 400 feels like a milestone worth celebrating, and we couldn’t think of a more fitting guest than Gwen Reid, pure solid gold. Hailing from Placerville, California, Gwen Reid is a cowboy poet whose life has been as full and layered as the stories she tells. A proud mother of nine children, Gwen brings decades of lived experience to the page, crafting poetry that reflects family, faith, grit, humor, and the enduring spirit of the West. In this special episode, Gwen shares the story of the 49'ers flocking to California to strike it rich. ...

At the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, we sit down with Idaho cowboy poet Gary Sisk, a man whose words carry the quiet weight of memory and the warmth of family. In this heartfelt episode, Gary shares a tender poem about his grandmother, a steady presence in his young life, full of grace, humor, and understanding. With the rhythm of the range and the softness of recollection, Gary tells the story of a time when he probably deserved a little trouble… but instead received mercy. It’s a poem about being “let off the hook,”...

From memories of Arizona to the wide-open ranges of Utah and Nevada, Kathy Smith carries the West in her bones and in her poetry. Kathy sits down to share how a fifth-generation ranching upbringing shaped her voice, her grit, and her storytelling. Raised in a world where hard work, heartbreak, humor, and heritage are woven together like rawhide, Kathy draws from lived experience, her own and those of the people she loves, to create poems that feel both personal and universal. She talks about growing up in a ranching family, the lessons learned under big...

During the Cowboy Poetry Gathering open mic session, Dick Warwick took the stage and recited his powerful piece, “I Fly with the Raven.” It was one of those moments when the room grew still and the words did the flying.

In this episode of The Art Box, we welcome Bridget Hayes, Digital Literacy Specialist with the Sonoma County Library. We first experienced Bridget during the second open mic session and were captivated by the depth and honesty in her poetry. As an educator passionate about the intersection of people and technology, Bridget shares why libraries are becoming essential spaces for digital awareness and empowerment. She also gives us insight into the innovative programs they’re developing to support learners of all ages in understanding our increasingly algorithm-driven world. As a special bonus, Bridget recites her po...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with a 5th-generation Utah rancher, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and cowboy poet. He writes the stories of those who came before him and the working ranch families of today, determined to keep their lives, struggles, humor, and grit alive through verse. Inspired in 1983 after hearing cowboy poet Scott McKendrick recite at his high school, he discovered that poetry wasn’t just something from the past, it was still riding the range. His poems are born after long days in the saddle, cold nights helping heifers calve, or qu...

Our second episode from the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada features a conversation with Ben Parks of American Cowboy Radio — a familiar voice worldwide to many who follow Western culture, music, and storytelling. Broadcasting from the heart of the Gathering, we talk with Ben about the enduring importance of radio in preserving and promoting cowboy poetry, Western music, and rural traditions. In a fast-moving digital world, American Cowboy Radio continues to serve as a steady signal across the range, amplifying artists, honoring heritage, and connecting communities. Ben shares his perspective on the ev...

Thanks to a generous grant by the Nevada Arts Council and support from The Western Folklife Center, we’re back in Elko, Nevada for the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, our fourth year attending this remarkable celebration of Western poetry, music, and storytelling. In this opening episode of our special Gathering series, we set the stage from the heart of downtown Elko, sharing reflections on what it means to return once again to the Western Folklife Center, and what feels different this year. From Open Mic poets finding their voices to the community spirit that fills every ve...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Southern Utah fiber artist Paulette Schermerhorn, whose vibrant fabric collages stitch together travel, photography, and a lifetime of curiosity. After more than 30 years as a registered nurse, Paulette answered the quiet call of creativity and began exploring fabric as fine art. What started as traditional quilting evolved into richly layered textile works that blend printed photography, hand-dyed fabrics, thread painting, and beadwork. Her pieces celebrate the diversity of people, animals, and landscapes she encounters across the globe, from beloved Bernese Mountain Dogs to the cultural textures...

In Episode 391 of The Art Box, Steve and co-host Terri Fitzsimmons sit down with Shannon Garza in the Mesquite Works STEAM Center recording studio for a thoughtful and deeply personal conversation about creativity, release, and the quiet rituals that shape who we become. Shannon’s life and work sit at the intersection of curiosity and expression. Drawn to imagination and problem-solving from an early age, she learned that ideas could be shaped into something real, stretched, tested, and transformed into meaning. Encouraged by mentors to treat creativity as a practice rather than a talent, she has built a...

In this inspiring episode of The Art Box, MJ welcomes Emmy Award–winning Costume Designer, Stylist, Fine Artist, and Creative Visionary Monique Marie Long for a powerful conversation about creativity, transformation, and telling the truth through art. Monique’s extraordinary career spans fashion, film, television, and theme-park design, including work on iconic projects such as Casino, Golden Girls, This Is Us, What Happens in Vegas, major awards shows, and her Emmy-winning work on NewsRadio. From collaborating with legendary designers to shaping visual stories for Hollywood and Disney, her life has been steeped in storytelling through fabric, color, and...

In Episode 389 of The Art Box, we welcome author Bob Ingram for a conversation that blends baseball, imagination, and a lifetime of lived experience. Bob shares how his journey through sports, business, and growing up in Berwyn, Maryland became the foundation for his fiction, where real friendships, adventures, and moments from his life are transformed into powerful stories. We explore his two novels, The Genius Who Saved Baseball and The Amelia Earhart of Baseball, both works of fiction inspired by Bob’s deep love for the game and the people who shaped him along the way. His st...

In this deeply moving episode of The Art Box, Steve welcomes writer and visual artist Rebecca Eckland for a conversation that flows between memory, language, healing, and the enduring power of creative inheritance. Rebecca shares how her artistic life began with words, how her MFA helped her claim her voice, and how place, lived experience, and storytelling continue to shape everything she creates. She also reflects on the quiet influence of her grandmother’s art studio, where the smell of oils and the reverence for making something beautiful first took root. The conversation unfolds into Rebecca’s retu...

In this tender and inspiring episode of The Art Box, Steve sits down with Las Vegas photographer, wife, and mom Teresa Wasiak for a conversation that beautifully reframes what it means to be an artist. Teresa may jokingly call herself a “newbie,” but her journey tells a richer story—one of curiosity, courage, and lifelong becoming. From her early days of rock climbing in Joshua Tree, Idyllwild, and Tuolumne Meadows—camera clipped carefully to her harness—to discovering her love for hummingbirds, black and white photography, vibrant color, and even capturing her first Milky Way, Teresa’s path is shap...

In this episode of The Art Box, we welcome Mesquite author Ann Steele, whose life story is as layered and inspiring as the novels she writes. From her early years in Springville, Utah, through nearly two decades with Utah Legal Services, to raising a family and later living abroad in Germany for sixteen years, Ann’s journey is rooted in dedication, curiosity, and quiet determination. Writing has been a constant thread throughout her life, beginning with poetry and short stories and growing into a body of novels shaped by experience, observation, and a deep understanding of human resilience. ...

In this meaningful episode of The Art Box, we sit down with extraordinary photographer Sue Beauchamp, who, along with her husband Mark, made the journey from Las Vegas to Mesquite to share her creative story. Sue’s work is rooted in curiosity, patience, and a deep reverence for light, texture, and moment. Her photography reminds us that beauty isn’t always loud or dramatic; often it lives quietly in subtle shadows, gentle colors, and the spaces where time seems to slow. Our conversation explores how she developed her eye, what draws her to her subjects, and how photography has beco...

In this episode of The Art Box, we’re joined by Michelle Patrick of the Nevada Arts Council for a wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation about a life shaped by creativity. Michelle reflects on growing up with supportive parents who encouraged her artistic path, from listening to her father’s music in the car, to early dance studies and formative years at the famed LaGuardia High School, where young artists are nurtured and challenged to grow. We explore Michelle’s journey as a participant in the Sundance Institute Directors Lab, her continued expansion as a creative through photog...

In this episode of The Art Box, co-host MJ sits down with Justin Gable, founder of Lasermade, a creative studio where technology and craftsmanship come together in striking ways. Justin shares how he uses advanced laser technology to etch custom images, designs, and text onto metal—transforming everyday objects into deeply personal works of art. From concept to execution, the conversation explores how precision tools can still leave room for creativity, storytelling, and human touch. The discussion also looks ahead, as Justin talks about expanding his process to include laser-etched glass, opening up new possibilities fo...

In this heartfelt and vibrant episode, The Art Box welcomes Juan Muniz, a celebrated toy designer, muralist, and fine artist whose work blends pop art, pop surrealism, animation, and lowbrow into a style unmistakably his own. Born in Mexico and raised in Southern California, Juan has spent more than 15 years building an art career that has taken him from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to New York, San Francisco, Japan, and Taipei. At the center of his creative universe is Felipe the Bunny, an anthropomorphic character inspired by the memory of Juan’s brother. Through Felipe and a...

In this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation, engineer Aaron Weast joins The Art Box to share how true innovation happens when all parts of S T E A M—Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math—work together as one. With a pile of patents to his name, Aaron believes the lines between disciplines should blur, because every great idea needs a spark of art, a dash of curiosity, and the courage to ask big questions. Together, we explore why art drives vision, how to develop your “spidey sense” for creative insight, and why no question is ever a dumb one...