The Heart of Art

This week on THOA, we speak to renown artist and Dallas native, Jeremy Biggers. We have a great conversation about what he attributes his success with big companies such as Netflix and the NBA, as well as why his definition of art involves paying attention to the mundane. You can currently visit his exhibition, "I Hope I Make You Proud: A Retrospective" at the J. Wayne Stark Gallery until May 2nd.

This week on The Heart of Art, Hector speaks with Lisa Urban; multidisciplinary artist focusing on fiber arts and painting. She talks to us about being a founding member of the 2nd annual Brazos Valley Fiber Fest and what all people can expect at this event taking place March 13-14, 2026.

This week on The Heart of Art, Hector speaks with Brandon James & James Clark - two-thirds of the cello and vocal trio, CelloVoci. This is your opportunity to get to know them before their concert on February 5th, at 7:30PM in Rudder Theatre. We discuss it all; what made them dedicate their lives to music, their recent Carnegie Hall performance, and what traveling as a performance trio with your significant other is like.

This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to multimedia artist, Jacqui Miller. We have a great conversation about how her art brings light to issues she finds important and why a lifetime of horseback riding has benefited her artistic skill.

This week on The Heart of Art, we have a conversation with an up and coming Americana Folk singer & songwriter, Peyton Jones. We have a great conversation about how his troubled relationships have fueled his songwriting, how performing has changed him, and his plans for the future in his career.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Priscilla Salisbury, winner of the Best Female Signer at the Catholic Music Awards. We have a great conversation about her love for opera, how she plans to blend that with mariachi music, and why acting is so important to singing.

This week on The Heart of Art, we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Downtown Bryan’s First Friday! This special episode highlights the vendors who make First Friday so memorable. From glasswork to graphic design, Hector interviews creators of all ages and styles to share their stories and inspiration.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Jennifer Morehead, member of the Board of Directors for the Friends of Chamber Music. She presents the FCM's 30th Season and we analyze why she values the power of music for our community.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Corby Maupin, current Construction Science major at TAMU, 10 year Army Combat Engineer Veteran and recently acquired the title of multimedia artist. He began his art journey making sketches of TAMU architecture as a way to process the stress of his wartime experiences. That has now become a passion that he wishes to share with the world.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Kathi Appelt '72. She is known for her children's & Y.A books and has won numerous awards such as National Book Award finalist, Newberry Honor Book and PEN USA Award. We have a great conversation about why it is that she writes, how the setting guides her stories, and why she began writing books after originally not even wanting to have children herself.

This week on THOA we have the crossover episode that everyone has been waiting for! Hector sits with the host of Garden Success, Stephen Brueggerhoff. Apart from being a AgriLife Extension Horticulturalist, he is also a musician having 45 years of experience playing the bass guitar. We have a great conversation about his love for music and how it affects his gardening, as well as his new passion, mastering the Mbira, a traditional instrument from Zimbabwe.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Leann Hale, artist & art educator as well as founder & owner of Purple Turtle Art Studio. Leann specializes in teaching children with a variety of needs and we analyze how she has tailored her teaching for each individual child, how teaching elementary school students gave her the necessary skills to open her own art studio, and how exactly children are empowered through art education.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Martha Wells '86, author of "The Murderbot Diaries" that recently was adapted for screen and streaming on Apple TV+. We speak about how her background in IT helped her receive the knowledge that would later contribute to creating Murderbot's world, the implications of artificial intelligence getting smarter, and what the process was for adapting the novella into a film series.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Scott Petty, a pastel painter with a background in construction and special education. We analyze why he uses such vibrant colors in his paintings, how he decides what colors to use, and how his background in construction has influenced his painting.

This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to Michael Gayk, an Instructional Associate Professor at the School of Performance Visualization & Fine Arts. We have a great conversation about how his metal work led to many opportunities such as brand character design for General Motors as well as creating 3D models to help people in the medical industry.

This week on The Heart of Art, we will be speaking to the organizers of The World Shakuhachi Festival, which has not been hosted in the U.S. in 20 years but will be coming to College Station, April 17-20, 2025. Dr. Martin Regan, Professor of Music in the school of Performance Visualization & Fine Arts, along with David Wheeler, one of the founders of the festival, talk to us about what it takes to organize such a massive event. We also discuss how versatile the shakuhachi instrument is with much success in television and video games due to its mesmerizing sound.

This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to Dr. David Wilborn, conductor, composer, trombonist, and Associate Professor at Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization, & Fine Arts. We have a great conversation about where his love for music and low brass began, his method of composing music, and the creation of the new music performance degree that TAMU now offers.

This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to the newly appointed Director of the Texas A&M's University Art Galleries (UART). He shares how his experience in the South Dallas Cultural Center and being a curator for galleries and museums with a focus on community engagement will be an advantage for the UART and the surrounding community.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Dustin Kempf '07, program coordinator for the Capstones and Honors Programs at Texas A&M, as well as vocalist and performer. His previous band, J. Greene & The Steady, was featured on hit shows such as "Nashville" & "The Fosters." We have a great conversation about music, why he performs, and we learn from his own mistakes balancing his passion for music and academia.

This week on The Heart of Art we speak to attendees of the 54th annual Aggie Con, a weekend long convention that celebrated all things anime, comic books, and video games. First, we speak to the Director and Assistant Director about how the convention is ran and why this event is so important for the area. We then speak to some award winners of the cosplay competition and analyze why they enjoy this art and what it takes to become a cosplayer.