Sustaining Craft

Episode 17: Matthew Castellano: Building Community Through Art

February 27th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  48 mins 56 secs

arkansas, art, art stories, business, career, central arkansas, little rock, professional artist, storytelling

There are some unexpected parallels between skateboarding and art -- including discipline, skill, community and the huge amounts of risk. Matthew Castellano has found both to be connected throughout his life as he grew up in Florida and then when he moved to Little Rock, where he curates Gallery 360, a space designed to bring people together.

Episode 16: Kathryn LeMaster: Using the Unseen to Craft a Home

January 21st, 2019  |  Season 2  |  53 mins 26 secs

arkansas, business, career, central arkansas, design, entrepreneur, little rock, storytelling

Kathryn LeMaster didn't know that interior design was an actual job until she found it in her college's catalogue. She'd grown up on a construction site, helping her parents build the family home, and loved the idea of helping others build and utilize their own space through function and storytelling.

Episode 15: Robert Bean: Reading a Painting Through Visual Vocabulary

November 15th, 2018  |  36 mins 31 secs

arkansas arts center, art, creative, fine art, graphite, little rock, local art, pen, pencil

Robert Bean first realized he could build a career with art when he was eight years old, reading stacks of comics books with friends. Bean continued to practice his craft as a visual storyteller, and after a detour on the way to earning his degree, he started showing his work and curating shows. Now, he keeps his art at the center of all that he does.

Episode 14: Legenia Bearden: Opening Horizons with Affordable Art Classes

October 31st, 2018  |  36 mins 39 secs

affordable arts, art, art stories, artists, cooking, creative, dance, dancers, dancing, little rock, local, nonprofit, painters, painting

Legenia Bearden's dream of an arts center offering affordable classes for all began in the second grade, when she saw a live production of "The Sound of Music". In 2014, she started offering classes and producing plays under Bearden Productions Center for the Arts.

Episode 13: Katy Raines: Melding Structure and Creativity for Career and Community

October 22nd, 2018  |  46 mins 20 secs

art, art stories, creative, hand lettering, little rock, local, local art

Katy Raines knew she wanted to combine the creative and the structured. Since she loved art, she decided to become a graphic designer. She graduated with a job in her field.

Episode 12: Katie Childs: Problem Solving with Photographs

October 10th, 2018  |  28 mins 26 secs

arkansas, business, business stories, central arkansas, creative, creative business, local business

Katie Childs intended to be a graphic designer. Her first job out of college led her to a different career: photography. She started freelancing by asking her friends if anybody needed a family portrait. Now, she owns her own business, travels to photograph destination weddings, and continues to learn new things and ways to use her skill.

Episode 11: Geovanni Leiva: Roasting Romance Back into Coffee

October 2nd, 2018  |  53 mins 47 secs

arkansas, business, coffee, coffee beans, craft, guatemala, little rock, romance

Geovanni Leiva came to the United States from Guatemala on a private scholarship. He had his parents' savings of $20, a little bit of English, and a dream. He learned English in eight months and became a successful computer programmer, working for the same company for 14 years until he decided to start Leiva's Coffee. He's now helping his village out of poverty and giving everyone a good cup of coffee.

Episode 10: Diane Harper: Exposing Boogeymen with Ink Blots

September 26th, 2018  |  45 mins 35 secs

arkansas, artist, business, central arkansas, creative, creative career, ink blots, little rock, local, monsters

Diane Harper was inspired by her military photographer father to go back to art school late in life after a successful social work career. Now, she continues social work part-time as she creates, shows, and sells her visual art.

Episode 9: Donnie Ferneau: Building Relationships with Local Food

September 19th, 2018  |  35 mins 47 secs

arkansas, central arkansas, chef, cooking, food, little rock, local farms, local food, restaurant

Chef Donnie Ferneau has learned a few things over the years. He shares some of his failures, his successes, and how he's adjusted his teaching methods after a move from Chicago to Little Rock.

Episode 8: Tabatha Reeves: Storytelling with Candle Scents

September 10th, 2018  |  33 mins 48 secs

art, artist, business, candles, candles for men, craft, creative, local, marketing, novelty scents, storytelling, sustainability

Tabatha Reeves started candle making as a hobby. The hobby became a family business when other people wanted to buy their no frill candles that focus on masculine scents, historical elements, and memories.

Episode 7: Adrian Quintanar: Throwing Colorful, Functional Pottery

September 4th, 2018  |  26 mins 5 secs

art, craft, pottery, sustaining craft

Adrian Quintanar had always wanted to pursue some sort of creative career. He earned a music scholarship, then worked as a ceramicist in a dental lab for twelve years. After a move to Louisiana from Fort Worth, Texas, to support his wife while she earned her PhD, then a move to Arkansas, Quintanar earned his BFA in Photography and became the artist in residence at the Arkansas Arts Center for 2018. He's now experimenting with colorful clay to create unique pieces for his 2019 show.

Episode 6: Logan Duvall: Taking Local to Market

August 29th, 2018  |  29 mins 7 secs

Larry and Debbie McGee wanted something to do during retirement. Some pecans (nine trees' worth), a small garden, and seven years later, Me and McGee has become a family business that supports local businesses.

Episode 5: Suzanne Godbold: Baking the Perfect Sugar Cookie

August 20th, 2018  |  31 mins 41 secs

art, artist, business, cakes, cookies, craft, creative, cupcakes, local, marketing, storytelling, sustainability

In 2016, Suzanne Godbold, Chelsea Cook, and Sara Long were all busy with families and full-time jobs. Wanting to spend more time together, they created Three Best Bakery, a home-based bakery that provides cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. They divided up the responsibilities and got to work developing the perfect sugar cookie recipe.

Episode 4: Brittany Oaks: Painting the Miracle of Birth with Light

August 13th, 2018  |  32 mins 54 secs

art, birth, business, childbirth, craft, families, family, local, photography, stories, storytelling, sustainability

Brittany Oaks had always loved the history of birth, reading midwifery books as a teenager and hoping to get a nursing degree. When she realized organic chemistry wasn't for her, she switched to a history degree. Then, while at a friend's home birth, someone stuck a camera in her hands. She launched her birth photography business, Wandering Oaks Photography, in 2017.

Episode 3: Melissa Diller: Using Drama to Build Confidence

August 6th, 2018  |  35 mins 32 secs

arkansas, art, artist, business, craft, drama, local, marketing, stories, storytelling, theater

Owning her own business was a ten-year process for Melissa Diller, who started Drama Kids three years ago in central Arkansas. She started pursuing her love of acting and modeling while working in corporate America. She also began teaching students theater and drama. After a move to the Little Rock area, she continued her quest to help others find confidence in public speaking through engaging drama exercises.

Episode 2: Joshua Kurtz: Bringing Dungeons and Dragons to the People

July 31st, 2018  |  28 mins 33 secs

art, business, craft, dnd, fantasy, marketing

Joshua Kurtz started building his Dungeon Master skills when he was a homeschooled young Jewish boy in southern New Jersey. After touring all over the world teaching kids how to sing and act with a college group called the Young Americans, he returned to his hometown and started getting paid to play Dungeons and Dragons. He also runs a theater nonprofit called Aftershock Entertainment, works part-time at a comic book store, and teaches people how to throw axes.