The Art Box

The first time I heard the term Land Art was in college. My ecology instructor showed us images of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. We learned how creating the spiral altered the environment enough to cause the tiny microscopic organisms to change the color of the water surrounding it to red. Living in southern Nevada, I knew we had a few key Land Art pieces in the area. I had heard rumors about Heizer’s large Land Art piece called City. He spent decades creating it, but to date, only a select few had ever seen it. I have visited Heizer’s Double Negative and Ugo Rondinone's Seven Magic Mountains several times. In one sense, I am in awe of the scale and uniqueness of these Land Art pieces; on the other hand, it seems like the senseless destruction of a fragile desert environment. An environment that I deeply love. Fast forward to the pandemic of 2020, isolation indoors had started to take its toll on me. I needed time in nature and found solitude at the Jean Dry Lake Bed. This vast area is close to my home and provides easy access to open space with relatively few other individuals. During a Google search of the Jean Dry Lake, I learned that Michael Heizer’s Circular Surface Planar Displacement and Rift were created there. Around this time, a friend sent me the open call for the Modern Desert Markings at the Barrick Museum on the campus of UNLV. I applied and was selected to participate in the exhibit. The images I created are from a series of attempts to ‘go large’ in the vein of Heizer’s Rift without the impact on the environment. The art pieces I created encompass a variety of materials, from spray-painted cardboard to aluminum insulation and landscape cloth. I increased the scale through trial and error, eventually making a 180-foot line. After taking photographs via a drone, I removed all materials. The case for Land Art is complicated; is it art on the scale of Egyptian pyramids or the Nazca Lines? Or is it a degradation of the environment for the sake of art? https://www.paulajacoby-garrett.com/modern-desert-markings-exhibit

Rayette and I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Deanne and chatting about her many roles at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art at UNLV as well as her unique art and believe it or not the ins and outs of why the fifth sense is not a museum staple.

Rachel, Linda and Steve had the pleasure of chatting with our friend Reenie McFarland the other day. If you do not live in Mesquite, Nevada, after hearing this conversation with Reenie, you will want to move here. Reenie McFarland 2-3-2023 As the daughter of an Army colonel, I grew up in a variety of locations and attended a dozen schools by the time I graduated high school. This gave me some strengths, such as the ability to adapt to new surroundings easily and to feel comfortable getting to know new people, but it also gave me some weaknesses, like no life-long friendships and an “out of sight out of mind” mentality. In addition, I had many opportunities to visit new places and get to know different cultures while my dad was stationed in Germany for 9 years of my life. I’ve climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa, been to Pompeii, seen concentration camps, been to the Acropolis in Greece, skied St. Moritz, been to the Netherlands, Sweden, and other places in Europe. I’ve also seen Plymouth Rock, the Alamo, Niagara Falls, and many other US sights. I feel I had a fortunate childhood although different from many others. As a young adult, I graduated college and became a special education teacher. Later, I started my own elementary school that I operated as a one-room school for 10 years. I got my master’s degree in Educational Leadership, and spent the last 10 year’s of my career as the Director of Career Services at a private applied arts college. But for me, the greatest achievement of my life was mothering and raising four well adjusted children. I credit the 10 years I spent as a volunteer for La Leche League International with helping me become the best mother I could be. Your Child’s Self Esteem by Dorothy Corkille Briggs was my “go-to” book, which I read 3 times, where I learned that we are our children’s mirrors, and to only criticize behaviors and not the child, and many more things that build confidence and security in a child. As a retired adult, retired Dec. 29, 2017, I now have the time to explore things I thought about doing, things I started and stopped because work got in the way, or things I never thought I could or would want to do. The first thing I jumped into when my husband, Larry, and I moved to Mesquite, was volunteering. I joined Mesquite Works, the Mesquite Showgirls, and the Women’s Center. The second thing I did was get involved with the Mesquite Rec Center and personal fitness. I have always enjoyed exercise, specifically step aerobics, so I became certified and started teaching classes. I currently teach 5 classes at the Rec Center and 2 classes at Mesquite Fitness. Truthfully, this is my passion! It makes me feel good about my body and mind and I love the people I have met through my classes. I hope to continue doing this for as long as my body will let me. Performing at the Virgin Valley Theater is a new endeavor for me. I never did any acting as a child in school or church and never thought about doing it as an adult. I have always enjoyed plays and while attending one in Mesquite, one of the actor’s drew a blank with their lines and said “I got nothing”. Nothing happened and they continued the performance and there were no negative responses from the audience. This is what most people fear the most, and I thought, “it wasn’t that bad, I’m going to give this a try”. So, I auditioned for the upcoming play, “An Evening of Culture” and got a part. I did my second play, “The Hallelujah Girls” and still find it enjoyable so I will probably do another. Who knows what lies in store for me next, but I am always open to exploring new avenues!

Living my real-life six degrees of separation from Dulzura, California, to Las Vegas, Nevada to Lincoln City, Oregon, Steve happened upon incredible humans and artists Wick Alexander and Robin Brailsford via friends Paula Jacoby Garret and Niki Price. I hope by listening you will gain as much as I did in interviewing them. Robin Brailsford Lead Artist, Inventor, Aesthetic Engineer, Silversmith Brailsford Public Art PO Box 426 1116 Marron Valley Road Dulzura, California 91917 619-468-9641 [email protected] www.robinbrailsford.com “AS A PUBLIC ARTIST, I SEE MY ROLE AS RECOGNIZING THE POTENTIAL IN PEOPLE, PLACES AND THINGS, AND THEN REALIZING THAT POTENTIAL. Recently I have been examining the public art process itself, to make it more meaningful for me, the artist, and more inspired and interconnected for the citizens who are its owners. I energize the life and place within our contemporary culture, to create works that are evolutionary - linking concepts, materials, scale, cities, people and environment.” Wick Alexander Since 1980, San Diego native Wick Alexander has been producing distinctive paintings, sculptures and public artworks. Awards for his paintings have been presented by the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council and the Ford Foundation. His paintings are included in many private collections and museum permanent collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, the California Center for the Arts in Escondido and the Banff Center of the Arts in Alberta, Canada

Gregory Summers ASI / OPS “We go outdoors to enjoy the land or stay inside to avoid it. It is the outdoor artist that brings the outside in.” Born in the Flint Hills, Gregory Summers began his professional career at Hallmark Cards Inc in 1979. A Master Engraver, he now paints primarily “En Plein Air” across the globe with a limited pallet of only 4 colors. Former Vice President of the Greater Kansas City Artists Association, co-founder of the Missouri Valley Impressionist Society, and Brush Creek Plein Air: painting competition in Kansas City, Missouri. “I am inspired by creation and driven by the experience” Chosen in 2017 by the top 5 American art publications for the “Artists of the New Century” exhibit at the Bennington Art Gallery, Summers has embraced the world of landscape painting, winning top awards from coast to coast alongside some of the nation’s best plein air and studio artists. Summers is an elected member of the Salmagundi Art Club, Signature member of the American Impressionists Society, and the Outdoor Painter Society, along with active membership in the Oil Painters of America, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico, Plein Air Painters Colorado. R Gregory Summers. Amazing work. Love his biography… We the people like to hear the intimate parts of an artist’s life (not to be too nosey) as well as info about your art, who your mentors are, who your fellow painters are… and Summers shares with us his personal story as well as the story about his art career. So interesting. “In Ailies’s Glade” won 2nd place (oils) in the 2013 STEM Plein Air competition and it will soon be on its way to Charleston, SC – and will be included in the American Impressionist’s Show this year which will be at M Gallery of Fine Art in Charleston, SC. The show runs September 28 – October 30, 2013 with the opening reception on October 4th in conjunction with the French Quarter Art Walk!

Amy Wells bio is coming soon.

Linda and Steve had the pleasure of hosting an amazing couple, who give back with their amazing talents to their adopted town of Mesquite. Eric is a member of the Virgin Valley Art Association and of the Virgin Valley Photographic Society. Eric has a pre professional degree in pharmacy from Green River Community College, A Certificate of Highest Honors from the Glen Fishback School of Photography. He is also a Licensed Massage Therapist in both Montana and Nevada. He was on the board of the Montana Professional Photographer’s Association and rated in the Top 10. He has won numerous awards for his artwork and been working in the industry for over 45 years….. Lisa and Eric have two sons. Dan is a dentist and new bar owner in Butte, Montana. Nate is a C130 pilot in the Air Force. He is a Hurricane Hunter stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. He is a film maker. Lisa became a dental hygienist in 1993 and has been blessed throughout her career. In 2017-2019 she attended Bible college and also finished her education as a associate board certified chaplain. She and Eric are now employed by Mesa View Hospice in Mesquite respectively as a chaplain and massage therapist. She works as a temporary hygienist during the summers in Montana. She travels with Eric performing old gospel music.

It was our pleasure to interview one of our founding members Harlo Birkholz recently. Instead of typing Harlo’s story here, we will let you just listen. Below are a few of his poems for you to enjoy. Who's in the Mirror I stumbled and it wasn't my toe That got me in trouble. I tried to blame the rock, the berm, the world, Until I saw me, in a mirror of my mind. Shocked, I said, “THIS has to end” but I had no definition for the elusive “This”. I stared at the wall, hummed “Ummm” and Contemplated my navel but came up empty. Someone suggested, “Find the cross” when I couldn't find my butt with both hands. Doing a desert walk-a-bout I talked to Mahatma, Buddha and Elvis. No help there. It didn't click until I passed a for-real mirror And saw myself, my real self, no illusions. “Myself” wasn't ugly, just unfamiliar. Getting to know The me of “me” brought myself back in perspective. I'm comfortable in my own skin now. It fits. My mind is settled. not exploding out. Even if My thoughts are expansive, they're calm. Thank you, whoever, for the me I've found. Harlo Birkholz A Cowboy Haiku The old cowboy knew, His days left were few. His horses sensed the good-byes When the ranch went, with wet eyes. Then old, too feeble to tend, Even his four legged friend Was gone. No more a wet nose saying Howdy to a pals hand... not playing. He wrote, the last to do. The stars in the sky My friends...are dimmer and cold. The earth beckons me. Harlo Birkholz

Last September we recorded our first outdoor episode with two of Steve’s favorite friends and humans Teresa Skye and Dave Ward. We met while volunteering for the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. We have been holding this episode to coincide with Teresa’s Brown Bag presentation and workshop on Nature Journaling on April 4. You can sign up here: https://www.mesquitefineartscenter.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=590375&item_id=1883932&event_date_id=255 and here: https://www.mesquitefineartscenter.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=590375&item_id=1925184&event_date_id=255 Dave Ward Born and raised in the East, David Ward has always considered the West his home. He has been a river rafting guide, a hiking guide, and a guide to the night sky, living his passion of sharing his love of the outdoors. Always searching for a dark sky, he spends his time between the deep canyons of Death Valley and the snow-clad peaks of the Pacific Northwest. Teresa Skye Teresa Skye has been a hiking guide and has put together outdoor programs for Death Valley Natural History Association since 2015. She is a former teacher, backpacking guide, and avid hiker. This includes hiking much of the Pacific Crest Trail, Yellowstone NP, and Death Valley NP. She currently volunteers for the Nevada Site Steward program as well as in Canyonlands NP and Ash Meadows NWR. Teresa has been nature journaling for several years, taking classes online as well as in-person workshops. She feels the joy of being a close observer of nature and capturing it in art and writing is something you can practice for life, no matter what your age or abilities.

The Art Box had an amazing fun interview with screen-writers Sue and Nancy last week. Our sides hurt from laughing and we can hardly wait for their newest Melodrama to open on March 17. You can get tickets at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center Monday-Saturday 10am to 4pm or on-line at: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/vvtgnv/6616 Let's learn more about these two dynamos. Nancy Arnold has appeared in community theater productions in Colorado and Alaska including The Corn is Green, Jack and the Beanstalk, A Member of the Wedding, Rumors, and The Importance of Being Earnest, to name just a few. Since the 1980’s, she has written and directed - as well as acted in - dozens of melodramas for Anchorage, Alaska’s mid-winter celebration known as Fur Rendezvous. Nancy has worked with young people throughout her life, conducting theater workshops for elementary-aged students and judging Alaska statewide talent competitions. She has also staged, choreographed, and directed several state and local scholarship pageants in Alaska. Her involvement with local pageants has given her the chance to meet some incredible young people, and she hopes she has encouraged them to follow their passion. A native of New Castle, Colorado, Nancy was a Theater Arts major at the University of Colorado. She has been married to husband Don for 53 years, has two sons, one daughter-in-law, and one incredible grandson who loves learning new accents. Nancy, who is retired from the Anchorage School District, moved with Don to Mesquite in February, 2018 after 38 years in Alaska. Nancy has been involved in the theater community since she arrived in Mesquite. She directed Arsenic and Old Lace, and appeared in An Evening of Culture and Hallelujah Girls. Along with Susan Kjellsen, she has written four melodramas for the Virgin Valley Theatre Group (VVTG) and directed each of them. These popular productions have garnered a wide and enthusiastic following. Nancy is also a member of the VVTG Board of Trustees, serving as its Vice President. Susan Kjellsen was born and raised in Kansas City and attended the University of Kansas, earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Education with an English concentration. She has lived in Alaska, North Carolina, and now makes her home in Mesquite, Nevada. She has three grown daughters, four grandchildren, two cats, and a dog. Susan has been writing for the past 40 years. Her early work was as a novelist with Harlequin/Silhouette Books. For several years, she was the head writer for the Anchorage, Alaska School District’s television station, writing all of their public relations videos. She also held the position of head proposal writer for K2 Solutions, Inc., a government contracting company in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Her freelance work includes articles published in Guideposts, Just Labs, and Retriever News magazines. Susan and her writing partner, Nancy Arnold, have written close to a dozen old fashioned melodramas first for Anchorage Alaska’s mid-winter carnival, Fur Rendezvous, and now for the Virgin Valley Theater Group in Mesquite. Susan does a little acting and singing in each play, “just because it’s so much fun.” She is also a member of the VVTG Board of Trustees. Susan is an avid photographer and spends as much time as she can exploring the backroads with her camera in hand searching for that next great shot. She got her first camera when I she was ten and has loved photography ever since.

Meet Johnny Trujillo. junior at Virgin Valley High School, Mesquite, Nevada. Recent recipient of an Emerging Artists award from the Virgin Valley Artists' Association, Johnny carries a 4.0 GPA, is an amazing artist and soccer player. The Art Box is looking forward to chatting with Johnny through the coming years. Thank you Eric Wordal for hosting this episode.

Join Linda and Steve as we interview some amazing artists at breakfast over the course of the week.

On Day two we attended an open mic session and enjoy an amazing array of Cowboy Poets. If you have a heart you are going to love this episode. We nabbed Glen Bair, from Ephrata, Washington for an interview along with his wife and one of his favorite daughters. Glen brought the audience to tears with his rendition of the "Calf in the Bathtub". Read more about Glen at: https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2018/sep/06/ephrata-cowboy-poet-set-to-perform-at-quincy-2/ Next up was Eddy Christensen from Riverton, Utah and he enthralled us with a couple of his poems and left us with bad dreams about roosters and deep consideration before you rent a room in a mortuary. Thank you for your poetry book Eddy!

An honest-to-goodness cowboy who became one of the leading lights of the cowboy poetry movement, Waddie Mitchell knew of what he spoke long before be became a recording artist. Waddie was born Bruce Douglas Mitchell in 1950, and he grew up on a ranch near the Ruby Mountains south of Elko, Nevada. Living in an area not wired for electricity and where TV and radio reception was poor at best, Mitchell's father and the cowboys he worked with entertained themselves with stories and songs influenced by Western lore that had been passed along for generations. Young Mitchell absorbed their tales and became a full-time working cowboy at the age of 16. In his late teens, Mitchell joined the Army, and he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, where he put his skills to work breaking and training horses for the U.S. Cavalry. During his hitch in the Army, Mitchell picked up the nickname "Waddie," from an old slang word for a cowboy. After returning to civilian life, Mitchell moved back to Nevada, where he got married and raised five children while working on ranches, dreaming of someday owning a spread of his own. Mitchell developed a local reputation for his poems about the life of cowboys and their slowly disappearing lifestyle in the American West. Discovering he was one of many writers keeping the cowboy's oral tradition alive, in 1985 Mitchell helped organize and appeared at the first Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering. The event was a success, attracting over 2,000 people, and it became an annual event. It also sparked Mitchell's interest in performing, and soon he was doing readings throughout the Southwest, which proved to be more profitable than ranch work. Mitchell's big break came when he was invited to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson; he initially turned down the appearance, having never seen the show and having no idea who Carson was, but he was persuaded to do the show and went over well enough that he came back for three more appearances. In 1992, Mitchell was signed to Warner Western, the Western music branch of Warner Bros. Records, and released his debut album, Lone Driftin' Rider. A mix of classic cowboy tales and original poems from Mitchell set to musical accompaniment, Lone Driftin' Rider was a critical success, and Mitchell would release two more albums through Warner Western, 1993's Buckaroo Poet and 1994's The Bard & the Balladeer: Live from Cowtown. Warner Bros. folded Warner Western in 1997, and in 1998 Mitchell re-emerged on the independent Shanachie Records label with the album Live. Shanachie released A Prairie Portrait in 2000 and That No Quit Attitude in 2002; the title track on the latter album was written for the 2002 Cultural Olympiad and inspired by the Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah that year. By this time, Mitchell was an award-winning poet and published author who balanced his successful literary career with his work as a cowboy. (His writing had also allowed him to buy the ranch near the Ruby Mountains he'd long dreamed of.) In 2005, Mitchell struck up a new recording relationship with the Western Jubilee Recording Company, an outfit that specialized in Western music and poetry. Western Jubilee reissued the 1998 album Live in 2005, and Sweat Equity followed in 2014. In 2017, Mitchell released Cohorts & Collaborators: Songs Written with Waddie, a collection of tunes Mitchell had written in tandem with Western musicians, including Sons and Brothers, Jon Chandler, Pipp Gillette, Brenn Hill, and others.

Russ Westwood was born in Moab Utah. He was raised on a mink ranch, but spent a lot of time around horses and rodeos. He is a retired Firefighter/Paramedic. He has served as the director of the Mesquite Western Roundup for several years and performs regularly in their shows. He is an active member of the Cowboy Poets of Utah. He recently won a Championship Buckle at the 2019 National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo in Abilene, Kansas. He writes some of his own poetry, but also performs the works of several of his favorite poets. Russ and his wife Marge reside in Mesquite [email protected]

As we ready for our busiest day we start with a review of our schedule and then we got lost and an angel called Marianne saved us, then graced us with some song. Sit back and enjoy as we frame up our day and listen to some music. You can find out more about Marianne Thomas at: www.mariannesongs.com

Delightful is how we would describe our time interviewing and being entertained by Doris. "If cowboy poetry was fresh milk and the cream that rises to the top was the very best, then Doris Daley would be very rich and very fattening." So says renowned cowboy ambassador Waddie Mitchell about an Alberta ranch girl whose love of wordsmithing has made her one of North America's favourite western poets, emcees and western humorists. Born and raised on a family ranch in the foothills of Alberta, Doris's authentic, sparkling poetry has taken her to campfires large and small, to highways, roundabouts and gravel roads throughout the west, and to concert appearances with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Saskatchewan Opera Company. With a performance career spanning more than 20 years, Doris is a frequent performer at corporate and community events, Christmas parties, private parties and cowboy poetry gatherings. Learn more about Doris at: https://dorisdaley.com/

Fisher was raised in a San Joaquin Valley, CA farming family, and was active in 4-H and FFA. While studying Equine Science at the College of the Sequoias she rode horses for customers and was captain of the college horse show team. She rode sale pens for extra money at a local livestock sale and earned honors at Intercollegiate and Quarter Horse shows. During college she began singing big band standards in a dance orchestra to pay for horse show entries. After college she apprenticed training cow horses, preparing snaffle bitters, hackamore and bridle horses, and won the IARCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity Championship in 1981. She followed up with Reserve Champion in the Hackamore in ’82. In 1983 she topped the Monterey Classic Bridle horse Sweepstakes while working on a cow calf operation and running a roping arena. If there was a campfire gathering with music, Juni was there with her guitar. In 1984 she moved to Santa Ynez, CA, to train cutting horses. A Santa Ynez area band asked her to play rhythm guitar and sing, and in time she was playing L.A. area clubs with a country dance band that also played western and cowboy music. Juni’s ability to ride at speed across the hills landed her with a position as a professional “whipper-in” with a foxhunt club in Tennessee. After that, point to point racing, steeplechasing, and horse trials took the place of cow horses, while she honed her songwriting skills among some Nashville’s finest writers. Her first Western release, “Tumbleweed Letters” (1999) reached Monterey Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival director Gary Brown in 2003. With his encouragement and endorsement, Juni shifted to music full time. In 2012 she returned to the cow horse world by winning the NRCHA Celebrity Cow Horse Challenge at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno, NV, and began successfully showing a cutting horse reclaimed from another trainer’s throwaways. Fisher purchased a weaning Quarter Horse filly to raise in 2014 and is preparing to show that young horse at cow horse events when she’s not on the road. Fisher has penned songs recorded by Rex Allen Jr., Joe Hannah (Sons of the San Joaquin,) Ranger Doug (Riders in the Sky,) Kristyn Harris, Devon Dawson, Judy Coder, Notable Exceptions, 43 Miles North, and others, and her songs have been in award winning film soundtracks. She added “Author” to achievements with her debut novel, Girls from Centro in late 2018. Learn more about Juni: https://www.junifisher.com/

We were so delighted when former Montana Poet Laureate Mandy Smoker agreed to sit down with us for an interview. Mandy is the living embodiment of "pay to forward" with deep involvement in education for the underserved, her deep feeling poetry and now children's books. She describes the transmission of a poem as “rigorous juggling.” Carefully, she twines language, fuses vocabulary and in the process of enlightenment, words are threaded, deleted, stacked, and rotated. Bit by bit, a full, rich poem of understanding, love, and freedom prevails. “I’m hard on my poems and I’m a pretty vigorous reviser,” says Smoker who often writes under the moniker M.L. Smoker. “I’ll begin to write a poem and after it emerges, I’ll go through them line by line. I don’t feel as if I’m constructing a poem. At first, it’s more like the words are coming out. During the revision process, I will go back and wear a different hat and a different set of eyes and see it all through a different lens.” Poetry, she says, is like a spring, the watering of seeds of joy, an escalating connection that is alive at the moment in the world with her, a pattern of life that radiates out in all directions. “I never really know when the feeling will come to put a new idea out in the world. There’s never been any expectation, and it could be sporadic. There are times when I will write poetry because I’m feeling stable and grounded, and other times where there has been heartache and difficulty in my life.” Expression and Empowerment A member of the Sioux and Assiniboine tribes, Mandy was born in 1975 on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation and moved to California when she was in elementary school, graduating from high school in the San Joaquin Valley. She describes her earliest memories of writing as analogous to the sound of a bell penetrating deeply into her cosmos. “Since I was young, I’ve kept a journal… I’d write stories and create plays in elementary school. I loved writing as an expression of myself. It’s always felt like the right thing to do and has made me feel empowered. In fourth grade, I wrote a play and had my best girlfriends come over and we set up a stage and had props and we rehearsed our lines, and we won the school talent show. I felt strong and capable – and it was fun.” One of her earliest primary writing influences was California-born Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck (1902-1968). “I was introduced to John Steinbeck in middle school, and I made such a surprising connection to him and his voice. His style was unique to me. As I got older, I realized that my father’s side of the family from was Oklahoma and my grandparents left town and came to California during the Dust Bowl. ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ became personal to me, a connection to my grandparents’ migration, and their transition, and it gave me a window into my relationship with my grandmother that was unexpected.” Another seminal influence, but for almost entirely difficult reasons, was Native American novelist and poet James Welch, who was born in Browning in 1940. Welch, who died in 2003, is considered a leading author of the Native American Renaissance of literature. “My dad starting giving me Welch’s books,” says Mandy. “I went to high school in California and his novels were a way to connect back to Montana. My dad used Welch as an example to prove that Native people could write, too, and he would say, here is one of the best examples of that. He was from Montana and described the places that I knew, and that was transformative for me. As I got older I began to get more interested in poetry. James Welch’s ‘Riding the Earthboy 40’ became my bible and I read it a thousand times. He was a huge factor in my development as a writer.” She earned a BA at Pepperdine University and an MFA at the University of Montana, where she received the Richard Hugo Memorial Scholarship. She also studied at UCLA, where she received the Arianna and Hannah Yellow Thunder Scholarship, and the University of Colorado, where she was awarded the Battrick Fellowship for excellence in poetry writing. “In high school, I was drawn to journalism and in college I steered to literature. When my mom passed when I was 23 years old, I began communicating with her through writing, and some of that writing later became poems that are part of my collection. Then, I thought that I should study poetry and dive in there.” Free Verse of Identity Mandy composes free verse poems in which she opens her heart and accepts all her Native American blood ancestors with their good qualities, their talents, and also their weaknesses. Her spiritual relatives and blood relations are all part of her. She is them, and they are her. She does not have a separate self. “Identity is a big part of my work,” says Mandy. “Being a Native woman and knowing my history and knowing so much about the place where I come from and my ancestry, my family, and my home, I can’t separate it from anything that I do… My poetry is fully present, an

We fell in love with Yvonne when she described herself on stage at the Opening event as a rose between two thorns. She was a busy as a South Dakota Rancher during branding, but we somehow managed to get her to sit down with us at the Art Box. Such a sweetie, Linda and I were blessed. A little bit about her. Poet, Quilter, & Entertainer Yvonne Hollenbeck performs her original poetry throughout the United States, captivating audiences in her wake. She is one of the most published cowgirl poets in the West and is not only a popular banquet and civic entertainer, but also co-writes songs with many western entertainers. Yvonne also pens a weekly column in the “Farmer-Rancher Exchange” and writes articles about life in rural America in various publications throughout the West. Historian A three-generations-old family ranch is home to Yvonne and her husband, Glen. Together they raise angus beef cattle and quarter horses. More specifically, they live 30 miles from Winner, South Dakota, and 50 miles from Valentine, Nebraska, the closest towns with a post office, fire department and grocery store. South Dakota Ranch Wife Yvonne's poetry reflects everyday experiences that arise while sharing the range with Glen and their neighbors. However, a fleeting moment or simple event may also stir her pen to action. Mostly humorous in nature, her poems take a turn toward the serious side, especially the stories of her mother's and grandmothers' lives. From homesteading to the present, Yvonne often writes about women on the ranches of the Great Plains. "Patchwork of the Prairie" and the Fabulous Feedsack Era. In addition to her presentations of cowboy poetry, Yvonne's programs entitled "Patchwork of the Prairie" and "The Fabulous Feedsack Era" are two of the finest presentations in the heartland. In "Patchwork of the Prairie", Yvonne shows her collections of family quilts, spanning 140 years, including her own prize-winning creations. "The Fabulous Feedsack Era" is a historical presentation regarding feedsacks, the fabric of choice especially during the Great Depression, in which Yvonne displays actual vintage feedsacks, items made from them as well as quilts made from feedsack scraps. Poetry about quilts and quilters is presented throughout both trunk shows, which is enjoyed by men and women alike! And throughout the presentations, you will see power-point photos of the quilt makers, their homes, and items of interest to both programs. Both programs are included on the rosters of Humanities programs for both the States of Nebraska and South Dakota. Yvonne's web site: https://www.yvonnehollenbeck.com/

This is it folks, our final episode from the gathering. First a huge thanks to the Buchanan Family Band from Yerrington, NV. Besides a great show on our opening night, a super family interview they allowed us to use their rendition of "Little Brown Jug" as our opening and in episode interludes. What a nice family and so very talented. The volunteers worked so very hard, our press liaison Karyn was incredible getting us the inside tracks on Waddie and Yvonne interviews. Then we perused the various talented vendors. Kathleen Brannon with her beautiful bead work, we talked to for probably thirty minutes and who can forget her quote: "For everything that's good in life, there is a compromise" You can find her amazing art at: https://www.desertsagebeadart.com/ Our course we would not be complete without mentioning our now friend Larry. The Press room was not very busy, normally it was only the Art Box and KVMR radio Larry Hillberg. Larry gave us some great stories, deep to the heart. His great quote: "Story is very powerful on radio" Find out more about Larry and catch his show on-line at: https://www.kvmr.org/users/larry-hillberg/ We finish up this episode thanking our sponsors Nevada Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities, trying our hand at Cowboy Poetry and finally sharing a song that meant so much to Larry in his story about his parents. We hope all of our loyal listeners enjoy our many podcasts from Elko. As you now know we recorded many hours and thought long and hard on how we would publish, an episode per day? One long episode or break it up in easy bite sized episodes. We chose the ladder and hope that works for you. Our best - Linda Harris and Steve Dudrow

Linda and Steve have been anxious to have Patricia as our guest, what an interesting, heartfelt chat opening our eyes to the life of a successful author and such a fine human. Thank you Patricia. Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a sociologist and bestselling author. She has published over 40 books, earning commercial and critical success in both nonfiction and fiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. Her works have garnered a slew of book awards including USA Best Book Awards, Independent Press Awards, International Impact Book Awards, National Indie Excellence Awards, Firebird Book Awards, International Book Awards, New York City Big Book Awards, and American Fiction Awards. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Favorite Quote from Hollyland “Perhaps the yellow brick road was really just a trail of gold dust connecting one dream to another.”—Hollyland Preorder Hollyland: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hollyland-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1647422965/ref=sr_1_1?crid=166NRPCS6JL94&keywords=hollyland+leavy&qid=1673291857&s=books&sprefix=hollyland+leavy%2Cstripbooks%2C107&sr=1-1

Linda and Paul Villanueva visited with the Art Box at the Mesquite Library Learning Center and if one can judge by the voracity of laughter it was a smashing success. How lucky is our little town to have talents like Linda and Paul performing for us. You can find their music and schedule at: http://mesquitecafebluesband.com and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/mesquitecafebluesband Thanks to hosts Linda Harris and Rachel Washington for such an amazing interview. Now get out and experience the Blues with Linda and Paul.

WOW what a voice!!!! We just loved Kristyn's performance and happily hosted her and her grand mom on our little podcast. Check out her website: https://kristynharris.com/ Kristyn Harris is a multi-award-winning singer, songwriter, and entertainer known for her western swing spin on original and classic songs of the western and rural lifestyle. She is recognized for her powerful voice, swing rhythm guitar chops, songwriting, yodeling, and energetic stage presence, as well as the passion and authenticity that she puts into each performance. Kristyn tours across the United States and internationally, both as a solo artist and with various band configurations. Outside of music, her time is spent with her herd of Black Angus cattle, working her newest colt, or trick riding. Her most recent album, A Place to Land, was awarded Outstanding Western Album for 2020 by the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Were we ever lucky to grab Headliner Poet Annie and her sister Megan for an Art Box guest appearance. Annie help tech us that no matter how big the star they have time to be ultra nice to everyone. While known as the family rambler, Annie Mackenzie has her roots planted firmly at the fourth-generation family ranch in southeast Oregon, 30 miles north of the small town of Jordan Valley. She spends her days assisting her two brothers and father in tending cattle, starting horses, and managing the unruly pack of border collies that inhabit the place. She has taught agriculture, served as the local high school FFA advisor, and worked with Sun J Livestock, contractors who gather wild horses across the western states. Though Annie competed in college rodeo, she found herself continually returning home to help out. She is now back where she feels she belongs–on the range with her brothers–writing poems and songs in her beloved High Desert. Annie is the recipient of this year’s Della Johns scholarship. Thank you Annie! Thank you to Nevada Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities for sponsoring the Art Box visit to Elko, Nevada. Thank you to the Buchanan family for their intro music.

Reporting almost live from the 38th Annual Cowboy Poetry Roundup in Elko, Nevada. We are here by generous grants from Nevada Humanities, the National Endowment of Humanities and of course our own Virgin Valley Artists' Association. We are recording on the run, lots of background noise and we will do our best on the volumes. Today we were entertained by a young group of musicians of the Buchanan family from Yerington, NV. They were so very gracious to interview with us before their performance and afterwards. Such a talented young family. After that we moved to the main Auditorium at the Elko Convention Center to be entertained by DW Groethe, Yvonne Hollenback, Sourdough Slim, Robert Armstrong and R.B. Smith. There was no recording allowed in the main auditorium. We will be back on Thursday for some more Western fun!

Thanks to a grant by the Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Art Box is going on a road-trip to The 38th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada February 1 - 4 2023. We interviewed famous Mesquite Cowboy Poet, Russ Westwood prior to going just to get in the mood for some good western fun. Check back to your podcast app as we will be publishing episodes from the gathering as often as we can. https://www.nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org/

Art and Creativity from the Old House at Center and Main – Meet Don Gomes Steve received many joys during his stint as Artist in Residence at Capitol Reef National Park, certainly one of them was meeting and collaborating with the Entrada Institute Vice President Don Gomes. Don is a human of many talents, morning DJ, book shop owner, movie star, rock star and just an all-around great person. Don’s career spans local government, the financial industry, the arts and nonprofit world. He has taught business, public, and nonprofit management at colleges and universities in five states. He served as Executive Director of the Utah Nonprofits Association from 2007 - 2009. Currently, Don is vice-president of the Entrada Institute in Torrey and is a board member of Utah Humanities. In Anchorage, Don was appointed to the Mayor’s Arts Advisory Commission, served on the board of Anchorage Project Access (a healthcare safety net group), and was Executive Director of Anchorage Community Theatre. His latest adventure, along with wife Annie Holt, is The Old House at Center and Main, where more than 30 local hand crafters and authors display and sell their work. Don heads up the Bicknell International Film Festival, an Entrada event, “Where good things happen to bad movies” and “Better living through bad cinema.” Don shares his musical talents with the “Bristlecones” along with Barry Scholl and Robert Marc. Don was a 1999 recipient of the Utah Humanities Council Friend of Humanities Award for his work with KCPW Public Radio. He was ring announcer for the World Wrestling Federation when touring through Utah in the early 80’s. Even with threats of terrorism, a fickle economy, a raging pandemic, and growing incivility, he says, “You can’t scare me I work for a nonprofit.”

Meet one of my favorite humans, Katie Hoffman, besides admiring her creativity, and prowess as an archeologist, she been tasked to lead me on almost impossible hikes and every time has brought me back alive. I may have been battered and bruised, but I did come back alive. Katie is the President of Nevadans for Cultural Preservation whom I have the pleasure of volunteering for. Katie Hoffman was born in Paradise, California, before enlisting and traveling the world with the United States Air Force. Throughout her travels, the art and culture of host countries inspired her artworks, and set the stage for an academic pursuit of anthropology, archaeology, and art. Heavily influenced by parenthood and cultural studies, Katie spent years hocking art and handiwork in the European bazaar circuit focusing on wearables, art quilts, and soft sculpture. She then emigrated to Southern Nevada in 2009 and throughout her decade in the Las Vegas valley, Katie’s practice has grown to include mixed media sculpture, ceramics making, and photography - leading to her current focus in assemblage and installation work, which gives her the artistic freedom to explore multiple techniques and materials at once. Since 2020, Katie has been splitting her time between southern Nevada and northern California where she has established a studio in her hometown of Paradise.

We heard Alli Harvey on a Friends of Nevada Wilderness Zoom presentation and said in unison, "we gotta get her on a podcast!" And we did, YAY! Alli Harvey grew up on the East Coast but fell in love with Alaska at a young age when she first learned about the aurora borealis. Determined to visit, as a teenager she took proceeds from an unexpectedly successful art showing and bought a ticket north. Alli ended up exploring more than just Alaska over the next 10+ years. She earned her degree in Urban Studies in NYC’s New School, and lived in Reno, NV working to protect wilderness. Eventually, back in Alaska, her career wound its way back to where she started: in 2018, Alli decided to double down on art. Alli paints vivid, natural scenery often contrast with manmade features ranging from street lamps, busted cars, railroad ties, to power lines. Painting from her new mobile art studio and gallery, an Airstream trailer that allows her to visit places that inspire her, Alli is increasingly able to embrace geographic mobility. Home is with her friends, family, and in the Mobile Art Studio, but her favorite places on earth are Alaska and Nevada which are often the subjects of Alli’s paintings. Of why she paints, Alli says, “It’s never been enough for me to enjoy something on my own. As soon as I find out something worth knowing or experiencing, I want to tell ten people about it. I feel that having a sense of connection with the world and each other makes our lives richer, and by extension, the world a better place.” Alli is also a runner and hiker, pop culture enthusiast, cocktail inventor, avid Scrabble player, and an outdoor columnist for the Anchorage Daily News since 2013.

Niki Price is the executive director of the Lincoln City Cultural Center, inside the historic Delake School, home to hundreds of annual programs and classes in visual and performing arts. She oversees a staff of six and the operations of the multipurpose auditorium, fine art gallery, meeting room, festival grounds and studios for dance, ceramics, textiles and mosaics. In 2016, Niki was appointed by Gov. Kate Brown to the governing board of the Oregon Cultural Trust; since 2021, she has served as chair. Locally, she leads the Lincoln City Public Art Committee and the Lincoln County Cultural Coalition. In 2021 she embarked upon on an adventure with a dual mission — a day hike traverse of the Oregon Coast Trail that is raising funds for the future Lincoln City Cultural Plaza. With help from a new map and resource called the the Oregon Coast Public Art Trail, she’ll attempt to hoof it from border to border, from the Columbia River down to California, and see ALL the public art along the way. Raised in a small town in central Arizona, this UofA Wildcat has a background in theater and journalism. She and her husband Dave share two grown kids, two ginger cats, five hens and a coon hound. She believes that culture is good for the economy and the community --- but ultimately, creative expression is a goal unto itself.

George and his wife, Linda retired to Mesquite in 2011, and quickly became active in the community. Linda became the President of the noon Rotary Club and George volunteered for a City committee tasked with evaluating the economic development program. The Committee’s recommendation was to create a nonprofit economic development program independent of the City. That organization became Mesquite Regional Business and George was its first Chairman. Notable projects during that period were construction of 1-15 exit 118 and Eagle’s Landing Truck Stop, Star Nursery, Deep Roots Harvest and lobbying for natural gas. In 2018, George ran for and was elected to the Mesquite City Council. In that capacity he served on the Clark County Flood Control District Commission and the Regional Transportation Commission. He has recently been appointed to the Las Vegas Global Alliance Board of Directors and the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. With Councilman Brian Wursten he helped to create the Mesquite Public Arts Commission. He has continued to serve on the boards of Mesquite Works, a nonprofit dedicated to connecting employers and job seekers through education and training, and Mesquite Opportunities Regional Fund, a nonprofit that acts as a catalyst to identify issues and match them with potential resources. Currently, he serves on the Management Team of the Mesquite STEAM Center. George served as President of the Wyoming Community Foundation from 2003 to 2011. Under his leadership, and with strong board support and an excellent staff, total assets grew from $30 million to $70 million. Grant making grew to almost $3 million annually. The Foundation performed substantive work in capacity building for nonprofits. George has run his own consulting business, Gault & Associates, LLC, specializing in economic and community development, assisting communities and organizations to set goals and find resources to implement them. He served as Managing Director of Administration for American Capital Access, the nation’s first single A rated bond insurance company with offices in New York City, Bethesda, MD, and Powell, WY. In that capacity, he participated in raising $126.25 million to capitalize the company. George was Executive Director of the Division of Community and Economic Development of the Wyoming Department of Commerce and served under Governor Mike Sullivan. He has a BA degree in Modern European History from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado, in Greeley, CO. He holds the Certified Economic Developer designation from the International Economic Development Council and the Economic Development Finance Professional designation from the National Development Council. Both are in emeritus status due to his retirement.

Join Linda and Steve as we enjoy interviewing the cast of the Hallelujah Girls presented by The Virgin Valley Theatre Group. Opening on January 20 at 7 pm at the Mesquite Theatre 150 North Yucca Street, Mesquite, NV. Continuing Jan 21, 27, 28; Feb 3 & 4 @ 7 pm & Jan 22 & 29 @ 2 pm Tickets available online at mctnv.com and At the Mesquite Fine Arts Center 15 W Mesquite Blvd.

Lived in California, Utah and now Scenic, Arizona for the last year and 8 months Meet our friend Rachel Washington who is currently self-employed, Desert Duck Tailoring on Facebook and .com Her favorite job has been at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theatre/Second Space Theater as an 4th in line assistant costumer. Most empowering job was Mask Event and Costumes in Salt Lake City. Bakersfield High School, Bakersfield City College (Graphic Design), Fresno City College (Marketing and Fashion Merchandising), Salt Lake City College (Fashion Design). Started sewing at the age of 8 from a summer school program but have always been involved in whatever art form I could get my hands on- from dance as a kid to thinking I was the Ace of Cakes in junior high to float building in high school. Even pushing to join improv workshops in multiple cities. Art has been like a good friend that shows up wearing a new cool hat every once in a while, but underneath the hat is my same creativity that I've grown up with and grown into. Fun stuff (?) My grandfather Mundo used to take art classes at the community College just for the hell of it and my grandmother's mother was a seamstress out of necessity/budget, she was fabulous though so her work was immaculate. My family reminds me often that they aren't surprised at all that I love art and creativity because I get to carry on the exploration of beauty that my grandparents embarked on.

Meet our friend Bethany Overland-Green as we talk about her years of involvement with theatre groups back east, Salt Lake City and now in our own town of Mesquite. A mom of seven we enjoyed our time with Bethany, we learned about ghosts, we laughed a lot, and we cried some. Bethany is the locals, local, the Mom's, Mom and the Love in the Love Family. You will enjoy this episode with a true HERO in our town.

Through grants received from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the arts, the Artist in Residence program allows the Virgin Valley Artists Association to bring in artists from all over the country to stay a for week in Mesquite sharing their knowledge and expertise. They do this through a series of free workshops and classes. This year VVAA is very excited to announce that we received another grant from Nevada Arts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts to host another Artist in Residence in Mesquite. Artist in Residence Deborah Lambin, from Carson City will be here from Sunday, Feb. 12 through Saturday, Feb. 18th . Debbie is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a paper sculptor with over 40 years of art experience. She also specializes in acrylic paint, watercolors, wood, metal and recyclable materials. She has won various awards throughout the state of Nevada. Her work has been on exhibit in the Clark County Government Rotunda, and she was selected to exhibit in the 2021 & 2022 outdoor art walk at the Clark County Wetlands Park in Las Vegas. In 2021 Debbie was accepted as a Teaching Artist with Nevada Arts Council and she travels throughout Nevada to conduct book art workshops for all ages. She has an online studio MyThousandWords.com which showcases more than 100 fine art book sculptures created by herself and her artist children. She is also an author who published a children's book in 2020 during the pandemic and is currently working on writing a memoir and a how-to book about book art. Debbie will be here to teach Virgin Valley residents how to repurpose, recycle and reuse books to create art. The workshops will take place in our classroom located at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center, (15 W Mesquite Blvd) next door to our gallery. Deborah's work will be on display in the Gallery. Who can attend the workshops? Are they only for the members of VVAA? The workshops are for all the residents of the Virgin Valley whether they are members of VVAA or not. This includes people who live in Bunkerville, Littlefield and Beaver Dam as well as Mesquite. Where can you go to see some of Debbie’s work on-line? You can google her name or go to My Thousand Words. com. The Nevada Arts Council also has a link for her on their page. https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/Deborah-Lambin_Final.pdf https://mythousandwords.com/ This is an incredibly hot art form and we feel lucky to have Debbie as our next Artist in Residence. How do we register for her free classes? You can register on-line on our website, Mesquitefinearts.com.

Meet Jackie and Larry Zimmer, the unsung heroes of the Virgin Valley Artists' Association. If you are at any function in our gallery Larry and Jackie will be there, serving drinks, showing you around, setting up, cleaning up and more than likely you will also be able to find a fine piece of their art on the well. You might also find them on the golf course as they are both avid golfers. Sit back and enjoy our first couple's podcast, it was fun.

The Art Box wraps up it's first year with jolly holiday greetings from our hosts, a quick discussion of what is upcoming for 2023 and a gift to our listeners with Jan Hansen and Floyd Johnson talking watercolor, acrylic and creativity. A huge thank you to our listeners, our sponsors, VVAA members, the VVAA Board of Directors for your support this year. We are looking forward to a fun 2023. Remember we are always looking for guests to chat about their creativity, their art, their life and their passions.

Linda was born and raised in Midland, Michigan, and moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, where she met her husband, Rod. Upon retirement, Linda and Rod sought a warmer winter climate and the beauty of the desert. Their search brought them to Beaver Dam, Arizona. They lived as snowbirds dividing their time between Colorado and Arizona until moving permanently in 2019. Art was never on Linda’s radar, but one day in 2000, walking down Main Street in Grand Junction, she wandered into a gallery that gave stained glass classes. She loved and admired stained glass, never thinking it was something she could do. She took one class in the copper foil method and was hooked. Still working, Linda didn’t have the time for more lessons but spent weekends at home practicing and learning, adding fused glass to her skills, and purchasing a kiln. She loves the many colors, glass textures, and their relationship with light and finds it both fun and rewarding to work on and complete her glass projects. Having the time since retiring, Linda has been able to take a few glass classes in person and online and has added wire working and jewelry to her skill set, which, again, is entirely self-taught. At home, it’s always about trying new techniques and learning by trial and error. Linda’s art may be found in several private collections locally and throughout the US. She feels lucky to have found the Virgin Valley Artists’ Association with like-minded artists, classes, and the Mesquite Fine Arts Center. Linda says, “If it puts a smile on your face I did it right.”

Linda Harris the VVAA Director of Educational Programs announces the Schedule for our 2023 Artist in Residence Debbie Lambin. Artist in Residence Program with Deborah Lambin. Through grants received from the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the arts, the Artist in Residence program allows the Virgin Valley Artists Association to bring in artists from all over the country to stay a for week in Mesquite sharing their knowledge and expertise. They do this through a series of free workshops and classes. This year VVAA is very excited to announce that we received another grant from Nevada Arts Council and The National Endowment for the Arts to host another Artist in Residence in Mesquite. Artist in Residence Deborah Lambin, from Carson City will be here from Sunday, Feb. 12 through Saturday, Feb. 18th . Debbie is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and a paper sculptor with over 40 years of art experience. She also specializes in acrylic paint, watercolors, wood, metal and recyclable materials. She has won various awards throughout the state of Nevada. Her work has been on exhibit in the Clark County Government Rotunda, and she was selected to exhibit in the 2021 & 2022 outdoor art walk at the Clark County Wetlands Park in Las Vegas. In 2021 Debbie was accepted as a Teaching Artist with Nevada Arts Council and she travels throughout Nevada to conduct book art workshops for all ages. She has an online studio MyThousandWords.com which showcases more than 100 fine art book sculptures created by herself and her artist children. She is also an author who published a children's book in 2020 during the pandemic and is currently working on writing a memoir and a how-to book about book art. Debbie will be here to teach Virgin Valley residents how to repurpose, recycle and reuse books to create art. The workshops will take place in our classroom located at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center, (15 W Mesquite Blvd) next door to our gallery. Deborah's work will be on display in the Gallery. Who can attend the workshops? Are they only for the members of VVAA? The workshops are for all the residents of the Virgin Valley whether they are members of VVAA or not. This includes people who live in Bunkerville, Littlefield and Beaver Dam as well as Mesquite. Where can you go to see some of Debbie’s work on-line? You can google her name or go to My Thousand Words. com. The Nevada Arts Council also has a link for her on their page. https://www.nvartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/Deborah-Lambin_Final.pdf https://mythousandwords.com/ This is an incredibly hot art form and we feel lucky to have Debbie as our next Artist in Residence. How do we register for her free classes? You can register on-line on our website, Mesquitefinearts.com.

Please note this episode was recorded on September 1, 2022 thus our conversation about 100+ degrees. Vanessa Giebink works for Las Vegas-Clark County Library District as the Computer Lab Department Head at the Mesquite Library Learning Center. She is nearing her 5 year work anniversary. Her educational background is in business management and library science, which together are her passion. Her latest endeavor is joining the Virgin Valley Artist Association (VVAA) board. Vanessa attended middle and high school in Mesquite, NV. This is her hometown and where she plans on staying to raise her two kids. She is married to a local paramedic firefighter. They also have a mini goldendoodle, who is very much a part of the family. She enjoys learning more about Mesquite and the community of people that are moving in every day. The more time she spends getting to know members of VVAA, the more interest she has to discover and create. Working at the Mesquite Library has opened doors for her to better understand the needs of the community. Libraries around the world understand the importance of arts in the library and how that transfers into artistic literacy. Vanessa enjoys attending and promoting the wonderful programs put on the VVAA. She feels the VVAA Art Box Podcast gave her an opportunity to share her passion for working at the library and share some of the insights as to what the Mesquite Library offers the community. We did talk about NFT's on this episode, if you would like to learn more use this link: https://www.simplilearn.com/tutorials/blockchain-tutorial/what-is-nft

Come visit with our friend Denise Sims as she explains her Christmas Floral design workshop using pine & cedar greens, flowers and ornaments to make arrangements. Flowers, greens, ornaments and vases will be supplied and participants will create two beautiful arrangements to take home. Supply List : Floral tools-shears, stripper, gloves, apron. Participants may have supplies/tools needed from her previous class.

The Art Box recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sue Fritzke superintendent of Capitol Reef NP in Utah. Steve had the pleasure of serving as the 2022 Artist in Residence at Capitol Reef under Sue's direction and we lucked out having Sue as a gest. Sue, a 38-year veteran of the Park Service, tells us about growing up in a family that focused on nature and our public lands. At one time she was deputy superintendent for four Northern California parks, all in the East Bay: Eugene O’Neill and John Muir National Historic Sites, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, and Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park. We hone in on some great Rosie the Riveter stories, red back packs, orchards, climate change, art, floods, her dislike of the color red and her passion for the Artist in Residence Program. A natural resources professional by training and experience, Sue began her NPS career in 1985 as an interpretation ranger at Yosemite National Park. She also served at Mount Rainier National Park before moving into biological science, prescribed fire and vegetation ecology posts for the next 11 years at Yosemite and then Redwood National and State Parks. Sue next served as supervisory resources manager at Yosemite (1998-2003) before moving to the Bay Area to be branch chief for vegetation management at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument and Fort Point National Historical Park (2003-2011). Since 2015, she has been a participant in the NPS Superintendents’ Leadership Roundtable. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and physical geography from UC-Santa Barbara and her master’s in physical geography and plant ecology from Oregon State University in Corvallis. A master gardener, Fritzke also taught a course in park horticulture at West Valley Community College in Saratoga, CA. Join us for a fun chat with an amazing human.

Join the Art Box team as we interview Marge Westwood, Director of the The Mesquite-Toes Tap Team based in Mesquite, Nevada. Marge will tell us about her group and their upcoming shows. The Mesquite-Toes make several appearances in Mesquite throughout the years. They perform an annual Christmas Benefit and support many local charitable and civic functions by either performing and/or volunteering. They culminate their dance season every April with a multi-performance dance spectacular where all of the teams get to show how spectacular they are! The team has performed throughout Nevada, Utah, and California and also in venues much further from home - New York City, Branson, MO, and even during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. They have presented shows for Holland America Cruise Lines on several occasions and always to standing room only crowds. The Mesquite-Toes Tap team is a senior dance team that uses practices and performances to promote the health and teamwork of the dancers. The team in an all-inclusive group and welcomes anyone to join. Through performances and shows, the team emphasizes that one can be active at any age. Seniors are inspired to "be all that they can be". The team is a non-profit, primarily senior dance team which promotes both the physical and mental health of its dancers.

Joy Craig.

Robert Craig - A graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Master of Arts in Directing; Robert's work has been nominated for numerous awards including the LA Weekly Theatre award for his production of Tender with the National American Shakespeare Company and the Dramalogue award for The Lark with the Knightsbridge Theatre. Throughout his more than 40 years in theatre Robert has served as Artistic Director for Tour de Force Repertory Company, a Board of Director member for Long Beach Playhouse, and Director-in-residence for the Knightsbridge Theatre. As a Director, his work has ranged from Shakespeare, to original works, to modern comedies, to musicals. His productions include: Shakespeare’s As You Like It, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest as well as Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, Durang's Betty's Summer Vacation, Shaffer's Equus, and The Drowsy Chaperone. A resident of Mesquite since 2020.

Virgin Valley High School art teacher Tyler Roylance sits down for a fun discussion of art with his student Stewart Plank.

Join us Saturday November 12th @ 1PM as Virgin Valley Heritage Museum presents a tribute to our veterans. Free Admission Fine Arts Center Classroom 15. W. Mesquite Blvd. Come and join the Cowboy Poets.

What a fun time we had interviewing Joyce, You will enjoy this bundle of fun and energy. Take it away Joyce - When I am asked what kind of artist I am, I respond that I am a doodler. Sometimes I get a puzzling look, then I am asked what is a doodler? I explain that it is form of line art that is repeating patterns and allowing your pen to go wherever you feel. I like to say it brings out my inner weirdness. After I give my explanation, people then become very interested. The art form is also known as tangling or the trademark name Zentangle. I love doodling because we all have doodled at one time, usually as a kid in school. Now I am turning my doodles into art. I have doodled for about 6 years. I started in a class in Arizona and I was hooked. I find it a relaxing form of art and now I am sharing doodling in a gallery art class. I love to watch new doodlers realize that they can create pieces of art from repeating lines. I am a proud that some of my students are entering contests and placing their pieces of art in the gallery giftshop. Some “doodle” patterns actually have symbolic meaning in ancient cultures, such as the spiral which represents the galaxy and the beginning of the life cycle. I especially love the Hawaiian and southwest patterns. Patterns are everywhere and I often find myself staring them and snapping a picture of it. I have taken pictures of carpets, shirts, and other places. I haven’t always worked on my art, but as a kid I enjoyed drawing, coloring, and creating. We retired in Mesquite 3 years ago and I focused my newly found free time on being more creative. My husband gave up his dream den to allow me to have my dream art room. It usually looks like a hurricane came through it as projects in progress sit out waiting for attention. Since retiring, not only have I worked on doodling, but I have also explored other creative outlets such as pottery, color pencils, acrylics, watercolor, and photography. I always think that I should focus on one area, but I have such fun with many mediums. My family supports me in my endeavors and encourages me to be creative. Besides a wonderful husband, (did I mention he gave up his dream den), we have two amazing adult children. My son is an airline captain and my daughter works in logistics for a defense contractor. They are both married and have wonderful families that are dear to my heart. I will often ask my family, especially my husband who gave up his dream den, what they think of one of my pieces of art. I appreciate that they are honest with me because it only helps me get better. Sometimes we have a good laugh and move on. Recently, I was working on a color pencil project of a baby tiger’s eye. It looked more like a sloth having a bad hair day. I laughed so hard that I was almost crying. I believe it is important to realize that not every piece is going to turn out to be a masterpiece but more every piece is a learning experience.

A New Perspective in Respite Mesquite Respite Senior Day Program The Senior Day Program is to improve the quality of life for older adults. We focus on Dignity and Independence while allowing families peace of mind. We work together so we can provide cognitive and social experiences so that they may have the highest standard of life. Deborah Ayler Senior Day Center Project Coordinator Phone 702-346-5290 ext. 4105