The Art Box

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 ...

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 in...

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 c...

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 he...

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, a...

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 c...

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 leav...

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 th...

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...

In this colorful Art Box episode, MJ sits down with Shawna and Burke Pinto, owners of Baha Imports in Mesquite, Nevada, a vibrant shop where imagination meets artistry and every corner tells a story.

Stocked with creations by regional artists and hand-picked finds from across the world, Baha Imports reflects the Pintos’ shared passion for beauty, community, and heart-centered design. Their shop invites visitors to explore an eclect...

For this episode, MJ traveled to Scenic, Arizona to visit Amber and Edj, co-founders of Donkey Dreams Sanctuary, a place where compassion, connection, and the quiet wisdom of donkeys come together.

Donkey Dreams Sanctuary is the manifestation of Amber and Edj’s desire to create environments where donkeys can truly thrive while helping humans deepen their own well-being. After years of guiding people toward emotional and physical we...

In this reflective and delightfully candid conversation, poet Mike Cullinane joins The Art Box to talk about life after deadlines, the beauty of observation, and rediscovering creativity in the second act.

A former journalist turned poet, Cullinane traces his journey from writing postcards and corporate presentations to authoring the poetry chapbook Rescue Dog Hejira and contributing to publications like The Galway Review, Failed H...

In this inspiring episode of The Art Box, we welcome Francisco Silva, whose passion for astronomy and education left a lasting impression on Steve and his son JT at a recent dark sky program at Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Francisco serves as Vice President of the Las Vegas Astronomical Society’s Educational Outreach Program, where he helps connect people of all ages to the beauty and science of the night sky.

Their conversation ...

Sometimes the desert has its own plans.

In this short but heartfelt episode, recorded live at the Stewards of the Earth Festival at Cactus Joe’s in Blue Diamond, the skies opened, and the Mojave offered its blessing in the form of steady, cleansing rain.

Join us as we pause to honor that gift and reflect on the power of water in this dry land. With thanks to Kym and Carmen for organizing, Cactus Joe for hosting beneath the cholla a...

Join in my ultimately fun conversation with the endlessly creative Sandy Beeler, radio host, theatre producer, muralist, and passionate arts advocate whose energy fuels Northern Nevada’s cultural scene.

By day, Sandy hosts four radio shows across Nevada and New Mexico. By night, she helps keep the arts alive as Vice President of Ghost Light Productions, Secretary of the Elko Art Foundation, and the artist behind Buzzy Bee Art, wher...

In this episode of The Art Box, we sit down with Summer Wilson, Mesquite author, playwright, and founder of the Virgin Valley Writers Group, to explore the power of storytelling and the courage it takes to give voice to quiet truths. Summer shares her creative journey across Screen writing, poetry and short stories, and how her passion for community has shaped a welcoming home for local writers to grow, share, and belong.

We also d...

For this special Harvest of Thought installment, we invited writers from across the country to share original flash fiction, tiny worlds built with precision, emotion, and imagination.

The challenge? Each story had to come in at 500 words or fewer.

Flash fiction is a unique art form, a place where pacing tightens, language sharpens, and every sentence must carry its full weight. These stories don't wander; they ignite, twist, shimm...

Our nationwide call for short-form personal essays brought voices from many walks of life, each answering the invitation to share a story or insight that could be recited in under six minutes.

In this second installment of our Harvest of Thought: Essays series, we continue to explore the richness of human thought and lived experience. These writers look back with humility, forward with imagination, and inward with courage.

Some sto...