Art Rocks

Art Rocks | Season 12

Dorothy Williams | Art Rocks!

Now in her nineties, Dorothy Williams of Monroe, Louisiana, derives just as much satisfaction and pleasure from hand-making quilts and garments today, as she did as a child. We visit with the talented textile artist, who skillfully sews delightful scenes and patterns drawing on her experiences and imagination. Plus: Folklorist and contemporary hand spinner, Mathilde Lind, of Upstate New York, and a trip to the New York Fashion Week to marvel at the latest looks taking shape, on and off the runway.

Rick Brunner | Art Rocks!

St. Tammany Parish artist, Rick Brunner, turned his love of nature into a thriving career as a sculptor. He builds dramatic free-standing and wall-mounted sculptures, and sculptural furniture pieces that retain echoes of the materials, and the environment, out of which they are born. Plus: Student musicians at the Aspen Music Festival, and the spectacular Biedenharn Museum & Gardens located beside the Ouachita River in Monroe.

Art Rocks! - James Vella

This week on Art Rocks!, meet New Orleans glassblower, James Vella, whose realistic glass fish and delicate orchids demonstrate the striking versatility of glass as a medium. Plus: We visit American Realism painter Amy Sherald of Baltimore, whose artwork graces the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and we see the American Indian beadwork of Colorado artist Chela Lujan.

Art Rocks! | Deborah Luke

Meet artist Deborah Luke of Baton Rouge, one of the most highly sought-after liturgical sculptors in the United States. She tells us about her early training at St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans, and how she continues to derive great joy from creating art today. Plus: Ohio artist, Jon Barlow Hudson, creates multi-media works that grace public spaces worldwide, and New Mexico artist, Scott Greene, paints detailed works that examine man’s impact on the natural world.

Art Rocks! | BJ Smith

We meet BJ Smith of Lafayette, a young man who has had to work hard to live a productive, fulfilling life after suffering a traumatic brain injury in his teens. In the years since his accident, BJ found physical and psychological healing through painting. Now, he is showing others how art helps him not just survive but thrive. Plus: multi-media artist Andrea Kontras of Columbus, Ohio; sculptural painter, Gavin Jordan of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and the story behind the Sidaway Bridge, a historic, pedestrian suspension bridge in Cleveland, Ohio.

Art Rocks: The Series! Holiday Special

Celebrate the holidays with a little Louisiana lagniappe! We’ll visit artists from around our state whose work celebrates more than just the season; it celebrates the uniqueness of Louisiana. Unwrap the gift of beauty and artistry with this special holiday edition of the popular LPB series Art Rocks!

Art Rocks: Holiday Special [TRAILER]

Art Rocks! - Martin Payton

Meet accomplished sculptor Martin Payton who is inspired by New Orleans jazz musicians who maintain African heritage in their music. Drawing upon the ancient rhythms of forefathers, his lyrical steel sculptures are deeply rooted in the modernist tradition. Broken Time: Sculpture by Martin Payton will be on view at the LSU Museum of Art through February 11, 2018. Houston artist Cindi Rose creates mini-silhouettes with dexterity and speed; she’ll show us how. Then we visit with Josie Pace, whose music is gaining lots of attention in Detroit, and who has her sights and sounds set on a national audience. Plus, the history behind Andrew Jackson and his horse riding high over Jackson Square in New Orleans, this week’s Louisiana Treasure.

Ruston, Louisiana Painter Nick Bustamante | Art Rocks!

Meet Ruston, Louisiana painter Nick Bustamante, who uses surrealism to tell stories that harken the passage of time. Plus: Filipino-Americans in Tampa Bay celebrate their culture through dance, and a visit to the Louisiana State Exhibit Museum in Shreveport, which includes dioramas depicting how people in Louisiana have lived over the centuries.

Contemporary Abstract Painter Robert Rector | Art Rocks

We meet celebrated contemporary abstract painter and printmaker, Robert Rector. Described as "a visual poet," Rector has spent half a century applying intellect and intuition to his canvases. Plus: New Mexico author and illustrator, Zahra Marwan, whose book Where Butterflies Fill the Sky shares her immigration journey from Kuwait to the United States; Ohio singer-songwriter Meg Paulsen infuses Brazilian Bossa Nova into her music; and the artistic process of Florida printmaker, John Costin, creator of exquisitely detailed life-sized etchings of native birds.

In a New Light: American Impressionism | Art Rocks!

We visit the LSU Museum of Art in Baton Rouge to see the exhibition, In a New Light: American Impressionism 1870–1940, Works from the Bank of America Collection. A sweeping survey of American Impressionism embracing precursor, contemporary, and subsequent movements, In a New Light explores the reinterpretation of American landscape painting. Presenting works by a diverse group of more than 75 artists, the exhibition traces not only the development of Impressionism in the United States, but also the emergence of a uniquely American style

Shaun Aleman | Art Rocks

Metairie artist, Shaun Aleman celebrates all things Louisiana including our Pelican State’s distinctive flora, fauna, and folklore. He does this using multiple media and working on many different surfaces to create festive representations that are unmistakably his own. Plus: Wisconsin ceramicist and naturalist, Jef Raasch; an English-style castle perched above Colorado Springs; and pet photographer and Floridian, Adam Goldberg.

Chase Mullen | Art Rocks!

The paintings of Baton Rouge artist Chase Mullen are a contemporary take on southern wildlife and culture. Heavily influenced by antique field guides and early scientific illustration, Chase shares his artistic process with us. Plus: NASA animator Jon Levy marries art with technology resulting in cosmic creations, a look at the darker side of Renaissance master Botticelli, and the Columbus Museum of Art showcases Black artists.

Abstract Expressionist Painter Edward Pramuk | Art Rocks!

A conversation with highly acclaimed abstract expressionist painter, Edward Pramuk, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Having had numerous exhibitions in New York, Texas, and Louisiana, Pramuk taught painting, drawing, printmaking and design at Louisiana State University for 35 years. Now a retired Professor Emeritus, he currently lives and works out of his home studio and shares his artistic process with us. Plus: The exhibition, Degas and the Laundress, in Cleveland, Ohio; an artistic reimagining of office space in Norfolk, Virginia; and an immersive art installation inspired by bedtime stories in Reno, Nevada.

Captive State Exhibit | Art Rocks!

The exhibition, Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration, is the culmination of six years of research by The Historic New Orleans Collection. Curator and historian, Eric Seiferth, speaks with us about the exhibition that includes historical objects, textual interpretation, multimedia, and data visualization to examine how the institutions of slavery and mass incarceration are historically linked.

May Vidacovich | Art Rocks!

Explore the wonderous sights in the private Lafayette, Louisiana garden of Master Gardener and rising social media superstar, May Vidacovich. It's easy to see why Vidacovich is one of the most prolific contributors to regional gardening pages. Her expansive and lush garden of beautiful plants and blooms spans an impressive three acres.

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden | Art Rocks!

We visit The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, which has grown from its inception in 2003 to include well over 50 sculptures on several acres in City Park adjacent to the New Orleans Museum of Art. Plus: we catch up with glass blower Mark Sudduth at his studio in Cleveland, Ohio; go to rural Missouri to meet Julie Wiegand, who translates the beauty of the countryside into her paintings; and visit pianist Lara Downes at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts in Davis, California. Returning to Louisiana, we tour the Kent House in Alexandria, a classic example of French colonial architecture.