It’s been awhile since I last dipped my toe in the podcasting waters. But after a couple of months of hard work, I’ve finally launched the new Crafting Voices web site and next week I’ll be launching the new season of the Crafting Voices podcast on April 17th!

The first episode of the new 11 show season is called The Transformation of Trash and I decided to launch this episode just in time for Earth Day as the theme of the show focuses on artists who use trash and discarded materials to create their artwork. In this episode, I interviewed artists Bryant Holsenbeck, Boris Bally, and Michael de Meng. All of these artists were great interviewees and I had a great time interviewing them for this episode, so be sure to check out the launch of this episode on April 17th.

In the meantime, be sure to explore the new web site. Along with a fresh new look, I’ve also added new features such as individual pages for past show guests where you can go learn more about the guests who were interviewed for past shows and listen to excerpts from their interviews. I’ve also added a guest gallery, where you can look at some of the crafts and artwork of the artists who have been featured on past shows. If you run into any problems, so something doesn’t seem to work correctly, please let me know!

Angelia Armstrong, owner of Red Thread Studio and a past guest will be at the An Occasion for the Arts show in Williamsburg, Virginia, this weekend on October 1st. If you’re in the area, be sure to visit her at her booth? Angelia was a guest on the “So You Want to Own a Gallery?” episode.

Most things in life start with a passion for something. If you enjoy entertaining and welcoming guests, you’ve probably dreamed about opening a bed and breakfast. If cooking is your passion, you may harbor secret fantasies about opening your own restaurant. And if you have a passion for art, chances are that you’ve probably daydreamed about opening your own gallery. So what happens when someone decides to take their daydreams and make them into reality? In this episode, I’ll talk to three gallery owners, each in three different stages of their business and find out what happens when they take their dreams and make them a reality.

Guest List

• Wendy Rosen (president of The Rosen Group)
• JoAnne Hildt (co-owner of Pinnacle Gallery, 2006 Niche Top Retailer)
• Barbara Hester (co-owner of Vincent Hester Gallery)
• Randy O’Brien (ceramic artist)
• Angelia Armstrong (owner of Red Thread Studio)

Listen to this Episode

To listen, click on the “Play in Popup” link below, or you can download this episode and listen later by clicking on the “Download” link. For more information on how to listen to episodes, visit the “How to Listen” page.

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   So You Want to Own a Gallery? (Episode 2 - Pilot Episodes) [1:27:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
  
• Subscribe to Crafting Voices on iTunes
  
• RSS Feed for this podcast (So You Want to Own a Gallery?)

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For this episode, I decided to start close to home. In Norfolk, Virginia, there is an art center called d’Art Center. Here, artists rent studio space and all of their studios are open to the public. Visitors can watch artists work and learn a bit about the different mediums represented at the center. In this episode, I talk to the artists and learn what it’s like to work in the public eye.

Guest List

• Susan Bernard (executive director of d’Art Center)
• Elizabeth Sawyer (ceramic artist)
• Cathy-Jo Ramsey (glass artist)
• Lisa Melita (ceramic artist)

Listen to this Episode (click on links below)

To listen, click on the “Play in Popup” link below, or you can download this episode and listen later by clicking on the “Download” link. For more information on how to listen to episodes, visit the “How to Listen” page.

•  

   Open Studio- Crafting Voices (Episode 1, Pilot Episodes) [41:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
  
• Subscribe to Crafting Voices on iTunes
  
• RSS Feed for this podcast (Open Studio)

(more…)

Welcome to the Crafting Voices blog, the companion site to the Crafting Voices podcast. The Crafting Voices podcast is an audio program that focuses on American craft and those individuals who spend their lives creating, promoting, and collecting American craft. Crafting Voices is partly inspired by the Chicago Public Radio program This American Life and follows a similar format. Each show has an overall theme and will contain interviews and stories that focus on that theme.