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A painting can be more than an image. It can be a witness, a prayer, and a record of what someone leaves behind. We’re in Santa Fe with nationally acclaimed artist Michael Scott, standing in front of a five-by-five canvas he carried for seven years after the loss of his mother: a boat filled with flames gliding through a marsh at night, smoke rising like calligraphy, a dove and a crow holding opposite truths about spirit and the here-and-now.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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A cemetery can be a punchline, a sanctuary, a history lesson, and a living arts venue all at once, if we let it. I’m joined by Harry Weil, vice president of education and public programs at Brooklyn’s historic Green-Wood Cemetery, to talk about how a place built for the dead is quietly becoming one of New York City’s most surprising spaces for culture, community, and honest conversations about mortality.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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What if a violin could steady a room full of grief and turn it into a space for deep remembering? We sit down with Concetta Abbate—violinist, composer, and death doula—to explore how music moves beyond entertainment to become ritual, care, and legacy. From the first notes she learned as a child with a visual impairment to the ceremonies she now shapes for families, Concetta shows how sound can hold stories when words fall short.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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Mortality doesn’t have to be a closed door. We sit down with director Tony Benna and producer Stelio Kitrilakis to unpack  “Andre Is An Idiot,” the award-winning documentary that turns a terminal diagnosis into a riotous, deeply human portrait of intention, family, and art. What starts as an unthinkable pitch—make a comedy about stage four cancer—becomes a blueprint for living boldly and leaving a legacy that feels handmade.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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What does legacy feel like when you can hear it in the music, touch it in a ribbon, and watch it breathe across a stage? We sit down with choreographer and educator Francisco Gella, artistic director of Zeitgeist Dance Theater, to unpack how a 42-minute work about Chimayó weaving—aptly titled Lineage—became a living tapestry of ancestry, grit, and community. From building a human-scale loom to threading K-pop on pointe into a memory of a grandfather, Francisco reveals how research, risk, and restraint can turn craft into connection.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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What if a walk through the woods could hold your grief and hand it back as something living? We sit down with artist Deb Todd Wheeler to explore Radio Silence, a geolocated audio walk at Brookline’s Lost Pond that folds field recordings, original songs, and quiet conversation into a moving ritual of remembrance.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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If you’ve ever wondered how to align legacy with love for the earth and art infusing every step, this conversation offers a clear starting point and a lot of heart. We sit down with environmental educator and author Mallory McDuff to explore how end-of-life choices—green burial, aquamation, and human composting—can reflect our values, save money, and restore land.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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In this episode we  explore how photography shapes memory, culture, and legacy with visual effects veteran Matthew Smith, tracing a line from 19th‑century spirit photos to AI deepfakes. The camera doesn’t capture truth; it curates stories, and we can choose how to author ours.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

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What if a weapon could become a tool for growth, a song, or even a room you can step inside to remember a life? We sit down with Miranda Viscoli, executive director of New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence, to explore how Guns to Gardens turns surrendered firearms into shovels, sculptures, instruments, and a traveling installation built by teens who refuse to let grief be the final word.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.

Send us Fan Mail

What if legacy isn’t a monument, but a moment where someone finally feels seen? We sit down with Robert Washington-Vaughns to trace the unlikely path from corporate burnout and suicidal ideation to a life anchored by art, nature, and community—and a simple ritual that’s changing how men relate to themselves and each other. The Black Man Flower Project began with a brave question: why do most men only receive flowers at a funeral? Robert’s answer is a living practice that replaces isolation with acknowledgment and performance with presence.

 I want to take another minute to remind you listeners that ArtStorming is a listener-supported non-profit, and we need your help to keep the conversation going. Every dollar goes directly into programs that support our mission. That means more compelling stories, more in-depth articles, and a greater impact on our community. If you love what you hear, please consider making a contribution. Visit our website for more ways to engage, and thank you for being an essential part of our work.

 We're going to pause here for a moment to speak to our listeners. if you like this content, and want more information on our guests, their projects and more indepth ways to engage with us, you can find us on ArtBridgeNM.org or our ArtBridge Substack. Please read, follow and share our content. Your subscriptions, shares and contributions help us grow our artistic community. Thank you and now back to our conversation.

Music for ArtStorming was written and performed by John Cruikshank.