Art Rocks!

Art Rocks | Season 11

Art of the State Capitol | Art Rocks!

Many may know that Louisiana’s State Capitol is the tallest state capitol building in the nation. Less well-known is that its façades might also be the most embellished. Louisiana’s story is thoughtfully told through sculpture, reliefs, and other adornments thanks to former Governor Huey P. Long and a large cast of dedicated artists and architects who created the striking work. Independent Curator, Elizabeth Chubbuck Weinstein, takes viewers on a tour. Plus: a four-day progressive art opening in homes along Fort Lauderdale, Florida’s intracoastal waterway, and Cuban caricaturist and publisher Conrado Walter Massaguer, an artist who helped shape the visual culture of his homeland.

Jacqueline Bishop | Art Rocks!

Highly regarded landscape painter, Jacqueline Bishop of New Orleans, Louisiana creates symbolism-rich paintings that express her concern that natural habitats are yielding to the pressures of human activity. Bishop shares the connections she strives to make between her art and viewers, and the land, air, and water upon which we depend. Plus: The Glass Studio in Sparks, Nevada; cartoonist Mike Peters of Dayton, Ohio; handbell ensemble, Tintabulations of Reno, Nevada; and Shreveport, Louisiana’s historic Antioch Baptist Church.

Janet and Carl Ahrens | Art Rocks!

We meet Alexandria, Louisiana artists Janet and Carl Ahrens, whose passion for creation fills their home. Working in a great diversity of genres and mediums, the couple works with wood, concrete, and clay, to make thought-provoking art that resonates with viewers. Plus: legendary Iranian sculptor, painter, scholar and art collector, Parviz Tanavoli, and artist Catalina Delgado-Trunk of Albuquerque, New Mexico, who explores myths, rituals, and traditions from pre-Colombian Mexico through the medium of cut paper.

Sheleen Jones | Art Rocks!

Louisiana sculptor and educator, Sheleen Jones, creates large-scale works of art that grace public spaces. Her new installation, Heritage, is a monument honoring Black military service members, and was recently unveiled at Veterans Memorial Park next to the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Jones shares how intricate details and symbolic elements are a hallmark of her sculptures, and why she loves working in bronze. Plus: The Harlem Quartet’s mission to teach musical skills and techniques to high school students across the country, and Key Largo, Florida is home to underwater photographer, Stephen Frink, who creates captivating images of aquatic life beneath the sea.

The 60th Anniversary of the Baton Rouge Swim-In | Art Rocks!

Baton Rouge Gallery marked the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights effort to integrate the City Park swimming pool by paying tribute to the people involved. This historic event took place on the very property upon which the gallery stands. Nationally-recognized curator, Jonell Logan, and Gallery President/CEO, Jason Andreasen, share how art helps make the inequities that prompted the swim-in easier to discuss. Plus: Ballet in Reno, Nevada; an artful hot-air balloon adrift over Massachusetts, and the art of barbershop owners in Clearwater, Florida.