Welcome Diane Conlon, AKA Diane Arlene Conlon, a Swain School of Design alum from Newport, Rhode Island. Graduating from Swain in 1980, she attended S.M.U. – Southeastern Massachusetts University, today the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in pursuit of a Master of Arts in Education. After a year there, she left the program.

In 1989 she was among 20 other Swain alumni founding members of Gallery X and was elected their Secretary. Then, in 1994, she moved to Brooklyn to work on her MFA at Brooklyn College and graduated in 1996. Diane stayed in New York City and worked as an Art Specialist for a Catholic elementary school in Queens until she retired in 2009. She then moved back to Rhode Island and taught drawing at the Newport Art Museum.

She has continued her pursuit of the Arts and Education. Diane has many books on American history and decided to create a collection of American art books. It is reflected in her work and what she feels is meaningful and beautiful. Diane Conlon is currently focused on painting landscapes of the Land Trusts because, as she exclaims, “they are so WILD!”

On this podcast, Diane Conlon speaks with The Artists Index’s cofounder, documentarian, and podcast host, Ron Fortier, about her continuing journey as an artist.  This episode was recorded at our recording studio at Spectrum Marketing Group at Howland Place in New Bedford.

 

Diane Conlon

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Please consider donating whatever you can to help and assure us in our mission to continue documenting the legacies of South Coast Artists.

If you would like to be a guest on The Artists Index or have a suggestion, please let us know!

The Artists Index is an AHA! partner and this is the February AHA! episode in our continuing series of livestream podcasts from Play Arcade co-hosted by our livestream partner and friend Adam Katz. This month's theme was: I AM NB - Storytyelling Series.

Thursday, February 13th (from 6 to 7:30 pm.) invited guests joineing podcast host Ron Fortier were Max Wikermayer, The Artists Index's Man On The Street along with friend, returning podcast guest, and South Coast professional storyteller Karen Langford Chace AKA Storybug, Alyssa Botelheo, and Costume designer and our soon to be newest podcast host, Claudia Nagalha in the Living Room at Play Arcade "an old-school 80’s style arcade offering a full-service bar, craft-made drinks, and food..." and over 40 vintage arcade games and a rooftop deck overlooking the working waterfront in the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

Our guests offered their views on the importance and power of storytelling in its various forms as well as the importance of the phenomenal creative community of New Bedford and the South Coast.

AHA! (Arts, History, Architecture) has presented New Bedford and the South Coast with free arts and culture nights. It celebrated its 25th anniversary this September! AHA! Nights are held every second Thursday of the month to recall and honor the nostalgic late shopping night offered in New Bedford from the 1940s through the 1960s. This revival has brought a new and lasting vibrancy to downtown.

If you would like to be a guest on The Artists Index or have a suggestion, please let us know! The Artists Index records our podcasts at our Spectrum Marketing Group studio. We also use Zoom to accommodate our guests’ schedules or for those who no longer live on the South Coast of Massachusetts. 

The Artists Index provides our listeners and readers with up close and personal conversations with artists, supporters of the arts, and the cultural impresarios of the South Coast's remarkable creative community.

Podcasts are also available on your favorite media app including Amazon Music / iHeart Radio / Libsyn / Podcast Page / Spotify / WebPlayer and APPLE PODCASTS

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In Episode Five, Dave Reis speaks with internationally renowned, award-winning jazz musician Greg Abate, a saxophonist, flutist, and composer. He's traveled the globe on his musical tours.

After finishing his education at Berklee College Of Music in the mid-70s, Greg Abate went on to play lead alto saxophone for the Ray Charles Orchestra for 2 years.

Abate formed his group Channel One in 1978. It became a New England favorite and offered him an opportunity to play tenor sax from 1986-87 with the revived Artie Shaw Orchestra under the leadership of Dick Johnson. He was recently ranked number three in the Downbeat reader's poll for alto sax. 

The Artist Index's jazz documentarian and Jazz Podcast Series host, Dave Reis, spent nearly 26 years as a Jazz radio show host, among his many other accomplishments. He was one of the original longtime DJs who worked at the former WUSM which became radio station WUMD, 89.3 FM, on the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus.

Dave Reis, AKA David Domingo Reis, began as our guest on In-Focus Podcast 154. and In-Focus Podcast 181. He returns once again as the host of our first-ever ten-part jazz podcast series underwritten by the Fiber Optic Center.

There is no better host for this series than Dave Reis, a walking, talking jazz encyclopedia and local legend himself. Dave grew up surrounded by and hanging around with many of the jazz greats he will be presenting his ten-part Jazz Podcast Series underwritten by the Fiber Optic Center.

Podcasts are also available on your favorite media app, including Amazon Music / iHeart Radio / Libsyn / Podcast Page / Spotify / WebPlayer, and APPLE PODCASTS

Welcome, William Kenedy, to In-Focus Podcast Number 119. William is a contemporary artist and graphic designer. With his many years in the design industry, he has developed an impressive portfolio.

William has been designing, both fashion and multi-media art forms, for over 10 years. He has been a part of design and development projects with other talented artists and brands.

William Kennedy was born in Washington DC. His journey of creativity started at a young age. Going back to his roots, the streets of DC later became a focus of his art.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome musician, bandleader, and photographer, Tom Short to In-Focus Podcast Number 118. Tom grew up in Flint Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan, Flint with a degree in classical performance.

While in Flint, he was also a bandleader. Tom moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts around 30 years ago. Since on the South Coast, Tom has been a music teacher and performer.

Tom is the leader of two well-known local bands; Pumpkin Head Ted and The Dancing Dogs. Both bands have been performing and recording for over 20 years and have five CDs to their credit.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome singer, songwriter, and music business writer Sean Robert McCarthy, to In-Focus Podcast Number 117. Sean has spent the last 35 years in journalism.

His self-professed forte is writing about music and the people who perform it. Sean has interviewed and written about a wide spectrum of artists from rock stars to local musicians for local and international publications.

He is currently the publisher and writer for the local music blog, Sonic South Coast, and is also a singer/songwriter. Listen in as Sean talks with The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier, and reveals more of his background.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, The Jethros, to In-Focus Podcast Number 116. They are the amalgam of:

• • Homer Jethro – AKA, Tom Allen, of New Bedford – guitar, vocals
  • Rufus Jethro – AKA, Rick Smith of New Bedford – horns, ukulele, vocals
  • Boney Jethro – AKA, Jonathan Danforth of New Bedford – fiddle, percussion, vocals
  • Gaston Jethro – AKA, Matthew Ryckebusch of New Bedford – bass, vocals
  • Skillet Jethro – AKA, Greg Motta of Westport – drums, vocals

According to their publicity package, “The Jethros realized their common destiny while collaborating in a backup band for mutual friends. Over the years they’ve become something of a fixture in the folk music scene of New Bedford and nearby places.”

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Lean (lee-ann) Camara, to In-Focus Podcast Number 115. Lean is the Director of Strategic Projects at The New Bedford Light, a free digital news outlet providing public service journalism. Although Lean is not an artist, she may now add 'art industry professional' to her resume.

She was tasked with organizing the New Bedford Fine Arts Club - an art marketplace for local artists to share and sell their work to an engaged group of collectors and art enthusiasts. The new club's first Zoom meeting launches on April 20, 2022, and is sponsored by The New Bedford Light.

Lean has worked with mission-based organizations for 20 years, holding various leadership roles at nonprofit organizations. She has launched multifaceted initiatives, directed senior executive planning, and built consensus among diverse stakeholders. All skills that she will apply to the launch of the New Bedford Fine Arts Club which is set to launch on April 20, 2022. Lean has degrees from Ithaca College and the University of Pennsylvania.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Todd Salpietro, to In-Focus Podcast Number 114. Todd is a musician and the Director at the Fall River Arts Academy. The Academy is the largest independently owned music school in the area.

They have won more awards than any other music school on the Southcoast. The school offers private, in-person, and online music lessons in piano, guitar, voice, violin, drums, woodwinds & brasswinds & ukulele all under one roof.

Todd says that he, “searches the area for the best music teachers so you don’t have to.” He’s proud of their proven track record for success based on offering the most goal-oriented music lesson program available.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Scott Bishop, to In-Focus Podcast Number 113. Scott is a New Bedford-based singer, songwriter, and sound sculptor. He’s been creating music under the name Scapeghost since 2016.

He says he’s been, “dipping pops songs in a variety of interesting sounds, from crunchy to dreamy and everything in between.” Scott’s most recent and ongoing project, supported by the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, is NBWaves, which brings the sonic DNA of New Bedford into the music.

NBWaves was made by making field recordings around the city, running them through a sampler, and writing and recording new songs with them. The initial EP, Electronic (First Wave), features sounds recorded at Play Arcade and Buttonwood Park Zoo.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Peter Andrade, to In-Focus Podcast Number 112. Peter is about as art-adjacent as anyone can be!  Though he says he has no artistic talent, he does appreciate art and the artists that surround him!

He interacts with painters, writers, musicians, and, well, lots of artists as the property manager for the Kilburn Mill on Clarks Point in the south end of the city of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Peter started working at the mill when he was a very young man.

Listen in as Peter related the history of the mill from its spinning days during the height of New Bedford's cotton textile era, to the now fabled Furniture City, and on to its transformation into a much-needed south end destination featuring artist studios, the city's newest entertainment venue, and so much more!    Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome, Margo Connolly-Mason, to In-Focus Podcast Number 111. Margo is an oil painter and collage artist specializing in coastal and natural science-based artwork. Margo says, “My artwork reflects what I see around me as I roam beaches, work on docks, get stuck in salt marshes, and observe the natural and built world from a perspective of curiosity, respect, and a desire to share it.”

Her work highlights the beauty in sometimes unexpected places. She’s found it in a tote of fish waiting for processing on a dock. She’s seen it in a spiky seed pod in an urban garden. It’s there in a lone herring gull on the street.

Margo’s art seeks to capture the dimension, color, and character of her community. She’s lived and worked across the United States, from Massachusetts to Alaska. 

 

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome, Nick LeBlanc, to In-Focus Podcast Number 110. Nick is a writer, musician, artist, and public school educator from New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He is also the president of the Performing Arts Collective and editor at Domesticated Primate, an independent publishing outfit and online used book/record shop. Nick has played in bands and acted as a producer for other recording artists.

But wait, there's more! Nick LeBlanc has also written, directed, scored, and acted for both the film and the stage. Nick is also a published writer, having written books, plays, poems, monologues, and editorials.

Nick is currently in pursuit of a literary agent and has various written works in different stages of query and submission.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

In Episode Two, Gallery X Documentation Project podcast host Sean FitzGerald speaks with Zachary White, the executive director of Gallery X. Zachary majored in photography and minored in printmaking while attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Sean and Zachary discuss the first phase of The Gallery X Documentation Project, with an agenda to scan Gallery X‘s entire collection of documents spanning 34 years. The documents include news clippings, posters, flyers, photographs, and more. Once scanned, these records will be archived and mined for information specific to the artists who have exhibited their work or performed at New Bedford’s oldest continually operating cooperative art gallery.

The gallery was founded in 1990 and is a contemporary, cooperative art gallery of visual, performing, and literary artist members and volunteers. Gallery X has served as an incubator for emerging artists and is a venue for established artists. It is a platform for local artists, performers, and creatives of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds to showcase their talents as an integral part of the South Coast‘s community.

This eight-episode podcast series supports and documents the overall project and provides historical and background information about the gallery and the progress made to date. The Gallery X Documentation Project will reach out to listeners and anyone seeking information about historical or contemporary artists from the South Coast's creative community.

The Artists Index offers listeners up close and personal conversations with the artists, supporters, and cultural impresarios of South Coast's creative community. Listen to the artists talk about their work, backgrounds, passions, dreams, and accomplishments.  Also featured are those who work in or manage the creative community’s economy, promotion, and cultural agenda.

Please consider donating to, sponsoring, or underwriting our podcasts and programs. This and other podcasts are available on The Artists Index and your favorite media app including Amazon Music / iHeart Radio / Libsyn / Podcast Page / Spotify / WebPlayer / APPLE PODCASTS

Welcome, Barbara Edlund Healy, to In-Focus Podcast Number 109. Barbara’s paintings reflect the quiet beauty of the New England coast.

Her oil and acrylic paintings are inspired by the diverse colors of light, atmosphere, and nature. Barbara uses color to enliven peaceful landscapes, seascapes, and gardens. Brushstrokes over glimpses of color intentionally reveal some of her painting process.

After growing up in South Windsor Connecticut, Barbara attended the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her degree in textile design has given her a background in color but she often paints Plein Air to learn from nature.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, James Murdock to In-Focus Podcast Number 108. Jim is a Swain Graduate and primarily a sculptor.

He is a Cape Codder living in self-imposed exile in Mid-Coast Maine. As he says, “I came here to learn wooden boat building after receiving a BFA from the Swain School of Design in sculpture.”

His talent and love of making “all sorts of things” is evident. According to Jim, “when I produce Art it is always in pursuit of an intriguing form or situation that gives me bliss.

He returned to my Swain roots working in metal and, “searching for that pleasing line.” His recent work, however, is an exquisite series of small oils on linen.

Jim talks with The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier, and reveals more of his life, art, and the challenges of being an expatriated Cape Codder. This episode was recorded with Zoom “post-pandemic” in 2022.

music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Jennifer Gillooly Cahoon – Jen to In-Focus Podcast Number 107. Jen is a portrait artist and entrepreneur living in East Providence, Rhode Island. 

She is the owner of the award-winning HeaARTspot Art Center and Gallery and the Chair of the East Providence Art Council.

In her own words, “I opened HeaARTspot Art Center and Gallery in 2017 after serving as a public educator for nearly 20 years. I served as a special education teacher, an art teacher, and finally as an Art Department Chair.

​I’m a professional working artist who is currently living the dream of working with and helping others through visual art.”

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Carl Simmons to In-Focus Podcast Number 106. Carl is a New Bedford, Massachusetts musician, visual artist, performance artist, and the South Coast's default local historian!

Southcoast Today's Art Beat columnist said that Carl is, "... a local historian much concerned with preserving the past but in his artwork, he is clearly not beholden to it. His imagery, be they drawings, watercolors, digital photographs, or short digital animations, instead celebrate the mythology and folklore of the city of New Bedford and its surrounding communities.

Carl talks with The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier, and reveals more of his life and art. This episode was recorded with Zoom “post-pandemic” in 2021.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Tobey Eugenio to In-Focus Podcast Number 105. Tobey (She/Her) is the Creativity Director at Our Sisters School in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Since 2015, Tobey has been leading the school’s visual arts, STEAM Lab, and Dendrites programs. She also works as the Outdoor Classroom coordinator and student council co-advisor.

Tobey has over 25 years of experience as an artist/educator. Outside OSS, Tobey also works as a curriculum specialist, educational consultant, and outdoor classroom designer. She is passionate about providing learning experiences centered on choice and voice and agency.

Tobey works to inspire her students’ intrinsic sense of wonder and desire to make a difference in their world.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, David Mello, a painter, illustrator, sculptor, mask maker, and so much more to In-Focus Podcast Number 104. David is a 1983 graduate of Southeastern Massachusetts University (the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) where he received a BFA in Illustration and Design.

He has worked for the Fall River Public Library since 1979 and from 1985 to the present, he has served as the library’s Supervisor of Children’s Services.

“For over 30 years now the primary focus of my artwork has been making masks. Though I have designed and created masks for practical use in the theater, my major interest has been in creating decorative, sculptural masks primarily in ceramic,” says David.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Dr. Rebecca Uchill, an art historian and curator at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her work focuses on the institutional conditions for art production, display, and dissemination to In-Focus Podcast Number 103.

In this special episode, we discuss Dr. Uchill’s curated exhibition, Nancy Holt: Massachusetts. It is on view (at this writing), in two of the campus galleries from November 11, 2021 to January 23, 2022.

The exhibition was accompanied by a symposium event and other programming supported by the Henry Luce Foundation’s American Art Program. Rebecca shares the legacy of sculptor Nancy Holt, a pioneer of site-specific installation and the moving image.

 

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome abstract painter/art instructor Catherine Carter to In-Focus Podcast Number 102. Her paintings and collages are inspired by calligraphic marks, textile weaves, and lines found in Nature such as roots and vines. 

Catherine’s artwork has been exhibited at galleries and museums internationally. She earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Catherine, a resident of Fairhaven, Massachusetts was our guest on In-Focus Podcast Number 57 and returns to update us on her progress as a practicing artist and art educator. She opened the doors to her school of art in her studio at the Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford in 2018.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome photographer Michael Morris to In-Focus Podcast Number 101. In this special episode, Michael shares the legacy of his great-grandfather Manuel C. “Mal” Oliveira.

Mike is the owner of Michael T. Morris Photography and has been a professional photographer for the past seven years. He was our guest on Podcast Episode 91. He’s pictured here with his great-grandfather.

Mal Oliveira (1908 – 2003) was a prolific and multi-talented artist. He was also The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier’s private painting instructor while during his high school years. Says Ron, “The lessons I learned are with me and he has remained ever-present in my studio when I paint, to this day.”

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome American Street Artist, Mark Carvalho aka Boston Maki who will share the life of his great-great-uncle, painter, and set designer, Nicholas Yellenti to In-Focus Podcast Number 100. Mark was our guest on Podcast Episode 77.

Nicholas Yellenti was a New Bedford-based artist and graduated from the Swain School of Design (1918?) He went on to become a respected and notable painter and set designer in Broadway and Hollywood.

He later moved back to New Bedford to live with his sister and continued painting. Mark says, "My fondest memory of him was when he was in his 90s and I believe living in Melville towers. I remember him hunched over with a painting in the works of his view from an upper floor of the tower."

"After my mother told him I was her little artist, he handed me a brush and had me apply paint to his canvas. This was a profound moment in my life and my memories. I continue to discover how prolific he was through inheriting his paintings from family members."

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome Peggy Call-Conley, a local artist who earned her BFA in Art Education from Southeastern Massachusetts University, today the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, in 1972. Her early exposure to the arts in Boston and her solace in nature in rural Middleborough (AKA Middleboro) Massachusetts, deeply influenced her artistic journey.

Peggy has spent 35 years teaching art in private and public schools while residing in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Her watercolor paintings are inspired by the natural beauty and coastal landscapes she encounters.

She aims to capture the energy and tranquility of these scenes, focusing on subtle color changes, contrasting light, and the unique shapes of shadows. Her work is characterized by its ability to evoke, as she relates, "a strong sense of place and momentary harmony with nature."

Peggy's artistic process involves painting on location, allowing her to authentically convey the essence of her subjects, whether it’s the serene coastal views or intricate architectural details.

On this podcast, Peggy Call-Conley speaks with The Artists Index’s cofounder, documentarian, and podcast host, Ron Fortier, about her continuing journey and mission to share her art and her love of teaching. This episode was recorded at our recording studio at Spectrum Marketing Group at Howland Place in New Bedford.

If you would like to be a guest on The Artists Index or have a suggestion, please let us know! The Artists Index also uses Zoom to accommodate our guests’ schedules and to allow them to remain in the comfort of their homes, especially those who no longer live on the South Coast of Massachusetts. 

Offering listeners up close and personal conversations with the artists, supporters, and cultural impresarios of our creative community.

Listen to the artists talk about their work, backgrounds, passions, dreams, and accomplishments.  Also featured are those who work in or manage the creative community’s economy, promotion, and cultural agenda.

We would love it if you considered donating.

Welcome painter, John Jameson to In-Focus Podcast Number 99. John is a contemporary artist who focuses on seascape and portraiture as his primary subjects.

His paintings are characterized by their strong emphasis on color, boldly organized compositions, and rich networks of textured brushwork. John Jameson's paintings have been shown in Boston, New York, Newport (Rhode Island), and Kamakura (Japan).

Currently, he works and shows in New Bedford Massachusetts. John received his BFA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and his MFA from the New York Academy of Art.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome painter and author, Chuck (Charles R.) Boucher to In-Focus Podcast Number 98. Chuck has been developing his signature style, one that fuses the formality of the classical narrative with the expressive structures of the Abstract Expressionist movement of the early 1900s since 1986.

As he explains, "When I was about fourteen years old, I visited the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for the first time. There I met Egyptian Mummies, followed by John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Monet, Picasso, and Vincent. I sat before the masterpiece painting "The Daughters of E. Barley Boit" and knew then there was a journey to take.

That is when I started. Every painting is a continuation of the very first attempt to organize the smeared pigment on my canvases. The ideas and skill evolve, but the desire and drive were born all those years ago, as I listened to the whispers of magnificence."

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Patti Rego to In-Focus Podcast Number 97. Patti Rego (She/Her) is the unofficial Chief City Cheerleader for Fall River, Massachusetts, and District Director of Viva Fall River.

Viva Fall River according to Patti, “is a movement and community-based commerce, culture, and creative economy initiative that works to showcase and celebrate the authentic and unique qualities that make Fall River a must-stop South Coast destination: arts, ethnic and cultural traditions, creative businesses, welcoming events, and, of course, our incredible food!”

Patti is also the Chief Content Curator at We Love Fall River, a social media movement she created to showcase positive stories about Fall River and its community.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome theater director, Rylan Brenner to In-Focus Podcast Number 95. Rylan is the founder of the Theatre Program at Bristol Community College.

He was a professor of Theatre, English, and the Director of Theatre directing four productions a year. Rylan Brenner is also a Poet, Writer, explorer of visual art and multimedia.

He received his MFA in Creative Writing - Poetry from Brown University in 1976, the Director of Theatre Ensemble, Ltd. in Boston, Massachusetts. Rylan Brenner was also an Associate Professor of English and Theatre Director at the fabled Berklee College of Music.

Rylan is a published poet who has performed poetry readings in Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island, and New York City.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

This is a very different and exciting podcast episode on so many levels! Welcome returning guest, Patrice Tiedeman, the artistic director of the Seaglass Theater Companywho was our guest on Podcast Episode: 78 and, composer Jodi Goble to In-Focus Podcast Number 95.

This podcast focuses on the Seaglass Theater Company's world premiere of Whaling Women at the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It is a lyrical score that marries composer Jodi Goble’s original music with historically accurate sea chanteys, tunes, and lullabies of the 19th century.

Whaling Women tells of love and loss - whether at sea chasing whales and braving the dangers of shipwreck, or on land-managing households and fighting for social justice in their communities.

THE CAST INCLUDES Diana McVey as Betsey Morey, Helen Hassinger as Phebe Sherman, Melynda Davis as Amelia Piper, Patrice Tiedemann as Eliza Brock, Emily Harmon as Susan Veeder, Heather Gallagher as Ruth Post, and Raymond Veary as the Man in the Boat.

Music courtest of www.bensound.com 

Welcome painter, Marcia K. Hales to In-Focus Podcast Number 94. Marcia works in acrylic, and for the most part on canvas.

As she relates, 'I need acrylics due to the nature of my work, which involves layering, so I need it to dry fast." Marcia K. Hales lives in the Detroit area now.

She has been working to secure gallery representation there soon. Her work is currently available at the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids, Michigan.

Marcia is constantly motivated by creating something new to see, which she supposes drives most artists. 'I want my paintings to provide the viewer a field for visual exploration, and perhaps a new meditative place for consciousness to grow. My creative journey culminates in visual autobiography."

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome painter, tattoo artist, editorial cartoonist, and all-around consummate artist Jim Charette to In-Focus Podcast Number 93. Did I mention Artist Provocateur? Jim was also our guest sixty podcasts ago on Episode 33.

Jim lives with his family in Fall River, Massachusetts, and works out of his home studio. He attended the venerable Swain School in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He’s done graphics for several local screen printers as a graphic designer, worked at the Fall River Herald News, and was a freelance humorous cartoonist/illustrator. Jim was also an award-winning accordionist in his youth!

He produced a public access TV show called Radio Ether for one year that featured all of his original music and video work. Charette’s paintings have been in numerous group shows and he’s also had a number of solo shows in the United States and abroad.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome writer, local historian, and author Margaret 'Peggi' Medeiros to In-Focus Podcast Number 92. Peggi is one of the Southcoast's go-to experts when it comes to local history.

She is a writer/blogger for Southcoast Today and, the author of two books, New Bedford Mansions and Harriet Jacobs in New Bedford. She is now working on her third book the Captain and His Daughters.

It is about the Jones family, the second family to own the Rotch Jones Duff House. Peggi specializes in New Bedford History.

She has worked for the City of New Bedford, WHALE, and the former Swain School of Design.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Music provided by www.bensound.com 

Welcome photographer Michael Morris to In-Focus Podcast Number 91. Michael is the owner of Michael T. Morris Photography and has been a professional photographer for the past seven years. He held his real estate license for a while but is no longer selling or listing homes.

Michael's love of real estate and architecture, however, gives him the insight and experience expertise his real estate clients demand. His work is represented in many publications throughout Southcoast Massachusetts and beyond, including SOCO Magazine, 401 Ocean State Magazine, New England Monthly Magazine, Welcome Home Real Estate Book, The Real Estate Book, Stantec Architects, Patrick Ahearn Architects, Pier 1 Imports, F.A.O. Schwarz, Raymour & Flanigan, Andersen Windows and, Boston.com.

His photography portfolio includes Post Card, Stock photography, Real Estate, Commercial & Business photography, Drone photography, Product photography, Special Events, and Family photography. Michael is a long-time Dartmouth resident and his work can be seen in many local homes and businesses.

Welcome painter Mark Barry to In-Focus Podcast Number 90. Mark paints ordinary things, things that he’s discovered aren’t so ordinary at all.

As he relates, “In a world that often seems to be twisting, turning and chaotic, to capture just a second in time or a fleeting glimpse of motion in a painting allows for a semblance of stability. Figures in a landscape, working in a garden, sailing a boat or an interior scene of a family at dinner, in each painting I try to make the connections between the human forms and the environment.”

Whether it’s through his emphatic use of color or line, the exaggeration of an arm, a facial expression or a gently curving road, guiding a cyclist through a country landscape, each element of a painting is connected.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

In Episode One, Gallery X Documentation Project podcast host, Sean FitzGerald, speaks with The Artists Index co-founder, Ron Fortier, about the new Gallery X Documentation Project. It is the first phase of a larger agenda to scan Gallery X‘s entire collection of documents including news clippings, posters, flyers, photographs, and more.

The scanned documents will be archived and later mined for information specific to the artists who have had their work exhibited or who have performed at New Bedford’s oldest continually operating cooperative art gallery. The gallery was founded in 1990 and is a contemporary, cooperative art gallery of visual, performing, and literary artist members and volunteers.

Gallery X has served as an incubator for emerging artists and it continues to be a venue for established artists. It is a platform for local artists, performers, and creatives of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds to showcase their talents as an integral part of the South Coast‘s community.

The eight episode podcast series supports the overall project, provides historical and background information about the gallery and the progress made to date. The Gallery X Documentation Project will record the discoveries made and also reach out to listeners and anyone who seeks information about a historical or contemporary artist from the creative community of the South Coast who may or may not be found in the new community digital archive dedicated solely to Gallery X.

Offering listeners up close and personal conversations with the artists, supporters, and cultural impresarios of our creative community.

Listen to the artists talk about their work, backgrounds, passions, dreams, and accomplishments.  Also featured are those work in or manage the creative community’s economy, promotion, and cultural agenda.

We would love it if you considered making a donation.

Welcome painter Heather Stivison to In-Focus Podcast Number 89. Heather Stivison is an award-winning contemporary artist.

Her work has been exhibited in museums, universities, and galleries both nationally and internationally. She is the president of South Coast Artists, Inc., and serves on the board of directors of the Art League of Rhode Island.

Heather Stivison is a former museum director, former president of the New Jersey Association of Museums, and former president of the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums. She is also a published author, and has written and lectured on grant-funded art history research.

Heather holds an MFA in Painting, with Thesis of Distinction, from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Listen in on the conversation as The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier delves more into Heather's life, work, and future ambitions.

Music courtest of www.bensound.com

Welcome painter Christine Maiato FitzGerald to In-Focus Podcast Number 88. Christine works primarily in the mediums of photography and painting.

She is a native of New Bedford. Maiato-FitzGerald’s conceptual works are loaded with elements of tension, symmetry, space, contrast and attention to texture and detail. All the while, they are peppered with themes that transition from the mysterious to tranquility.

Christine opened her art gallery, MaiatoFitz Art Gallery & Studio, in December, 2020. She has been an active member of Gallery X in New Bedford since 2014.

Christine Maiato FitzGerald currently serves as Secretary on their Board. In June, 2021, she was a nominated featured Artist for ShoutoutDFW, an online magazine.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome painter Paul Pedulla to In-Focus Podcast Number 87. His contemporary paintings are representational yet minimal.

There’s a simplicity that draws you in and a depth that finds you frequently discovering something new. Paul is represented by eight galleries nationwide.

His paintings have been singled out by art professionals, educators, and interior designers from Seattle to New England. Paul’s work can be found in collectors’ homes and businesses from California to Germany.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Mark Alex Gleicher, a South Coast, Massachusetts painter, to In-Focus Podcast Number 86. Born and raised on the South Coast, Gleicher grew up in his family’s art gallery and frame shop in Dartmouth where he learned about art, art history, and became immersed in the local art scene.

After traveling around America for a few years, Gleicher enrolled at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he met his lifelong collaborator, Jamie Boutin. Gleicher has worked as an art educator and, maintained studios in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Mark’s biggest influences have always been the artists he meets in his travels and at home. Mark Gleicher’s first exhibit was the inaugural juried exhibition for Artworks! (now incorporated into the New Bedford Art Museum) at the Rotch Jones Duff House and, spent many few years showing exclusively at Gallery X.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Michael Lapides, a digital artist/photographer to In-Focus Podcast Number 85. Michael does documentary, photo-journalism, architectural, and fine art photography.

He is also the co-curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s Common Ground Project, which offers members of the community an opportunity to lend their voice to the collective story of Greater New Bedford using writing, audio, video, and other means of recording.

Mike Lapides attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He has also pursued painting, drawing, mixed media, and sculpture. Mike was a relatively early adopter of digital photography. His exhibition record includes the Boston Zen Center and, the Yager Museum at Hartwick College showcasing documentary work he did in Greenland as part of the exhibition he curated about New Bedford painter William Bradford using his photography to recreate scenes of Bradford’s Arctic journey.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Carolyn Dlouhy Walega, AKA Carolyn Strules Walega, a former New Bedford, Massachusetts artist now living and working in Florida. A painter and muralist, Carolyn studied at The School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for her B.F.A. in Painting and Art Education and, another B.F.A. in Painting and Art Education from the Swain School of Design in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

She received her M.F.A. at the University of Massachusetts  Dartmouth where she majored in Painting and minored in Video. Carolyn has served as the Artist in Residence for the town of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and was a Gallery Director/Art Consultant at three art galleries in Los Angeles, California.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome, Kate Frazer Rego, AKA Kate MA Frazer, a New Bedford, Massachusetts artist, and Visual Arts instructor at Alma del Mar Charter School. She attended the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she earned a BFA in Sculpture from the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Kate went on to earn her MFA from Boston University’s College of Fine Art. Living on the South Coast of Massachusetts, Kate Frazer Rego has shown her work nationally and is currently in several private collections.

She participated and performed in Art in Odd Places: BODY, an international performance art festival in New York City in 2018, and the following year, she was included in the Cambridge Art Association’s 2019 Emerging Artist Exhibition.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome, Michael Walden, a Westport, Massachusetts painter to In-Focus Podcast Number 82. South Coast artist Michael Walden was born in North Adams, Massachusetts. He received his B.A. from Framingham State University.

A year abroad lead to an M.F.A. from Boston University in 1996, specializing in art education. In 2014 he was awarded a second M.F.A. from Mass Art (Massachusetts College of Art and Design). Michael completed a month-long residency at the Vermont Studio Center in 2018.

Michael Walden was named a two-time recipient of the Returning Residency Program at the Fine Arts Work Center, (2016-17). His works have been viewed at the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, Coastal Contemporary Gallery, and Gallery at Four. Walden is currently represented by Prince Street Gallery in New York City.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com 

Welcome Autumn Liv Cyr, a New Bedford, Massachusetts painter and musician/busker to In-Focus Podcast Number 81. Autumn is, in her own words, “just stepping through the doors of being a full time artist…”

She has been working professionally for about 7 years, working with various mediums and experimenting with different things. Autumn is, “delving into my own style of surrealism but also enjoy working with motifs such as nudes, still lifes and portraiture.” This emerging young artist also does architectural illustrations and is also a musician.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome Sarah Hale Folger, painter, musician, and Creative Director at the Kilburn Mill in New Bedford, to In-Focus Podcast Number 80. Sarah is a product of Cinncinati, Ohio, and has been a Rhode Islander since 1985.

She served as the Executive Director for the Wickford Art Association for five years, which gave her an opportunity to expand her skills on the business side of the art world. Sarah continues to practice her personal artwork and, contributing to the “innovative creation of the art universe ” while living in the art universe.

She has been the Creative Director for the Kilburn Artisan Center located in the Kilburn Mill on Clark’s Point in New Bedford, Massachusetts since 2020. Sarah is also an art and creative consultant.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

The Artists Index is an AHA! partner and this is the fifth in our series of livestream podcasts. The October AHA! was an impromptu evening and open mic invitation to the South Coast's musicians. They came out and we all celebrated on Thursday, October 10th, from 6 to 7:30 pm. Once again, our livestream podcast was co-hosted by our livestream partner and friend Adam Katz, the owner of Play Arcade.

Our October AHA! Guests who joined us in the Living Room at Play Arcade included our musician friends and musicians we met for the first time who are now friends.  It was an embarrassment of riches. We had a blast! So much so, that we had to rotate our guests.

Kat Knutsen and her Long Swan band, Mike Heffernan and Ryan Burke were there. Hendrick Hernandez - Resto was there with KT Lee and Kelly Ann Fernandes from Roots Run Wild - THERE'S MORE - Swain alum Dan Cooney and cofounder of Heavenly Spirits, our very first corporate sponsor along with his friend and now our new friend Max Wikermayer. Sean FitzGerald and The NB Rude Boys made an appearance. Christine Maiato FitzGerald, the newly elected President of Gallery X  also joined us. I hope we didn’t leave anyone out.

They all sat down with The Artists Index's co-founder and podcast host, Ron Fortier, about their contributions to and views on the local music scene and its impact on the phenomenal creative community of New Bedford and the South Coast. Once again, it was loud and noisy with all the arcade games but we still had great conversation.

Play Arcade is "an old-school 80’s style arcade offering a full-service bar, craft-made drinks, and food..." and over 40 vintage arcade games and a rooftop deck overlooking the working waterfront in the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

AHA! (Arts, History, Architecture) has presented New Bedford and the South Coast with free arts and culture nights. It celebrated its 25th anniversary this September! AHA! Nights are held every second Thursday of the month to recall and honor the nostalgic late shopping night offered in New Bedford from the 1940s through the 1960s. This revival has brought a new and lasting vibrancy to downtown.

If you would like to be a guest on The Artists Index or have a suggestion, please let us know! The Artists Index records our podcasts at our Spectrum Marketing Group studio. We also use Zoom to accommodate our guests’ schedules or for those who no longer live on the South Coast of Massachusetts. 

Listen to the artists talk about their work, backgrounds, passions, dreams, and accomplishments.  Also featured are those work in or manage the creative community’s economy, promotion, and cultural agenda.

We would love it if you considered donating or becoming a sponsor. 

Learn more at https://theartistsindex.com/share-support/

Richard Walega was also a Presidential appointee as HUD’s New England Regional Administrator. He is a member of the Bartleby Poetry Society and a poet for the New Bedford Whaling Museum’s Whaling Panorama presentation at the Kilburn Mill. No, Richard is not an artist but he is a beginner watercolorist and has a solid grasp on the future of the South Coast creative community.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome opera performer, soprano soloist Patrice Tiedemann is the Artistic Director and founder of the Seaglass Theater to In-Focus Podcast Number 78. She graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor's in Music Education and received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance from Indiana University.  As a young artist, she received further training with Central City Opera and Indianapolis Opera.

Her credits include holiday concerts with the Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera (The Little Prince), Pioneer Valley Symphony (Cavalleria Rusticana), Piccolo Spoleto Festival, Opera Boston, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Indianapolis Opera, Boston Civic Symphony (Verdi Requiem). Patrice has also appeared with the New Bedford Symphony, The Bostonians, Opera Providence, Cape Cod Opera, Symphony by the Sea, the New Bedford Festival Theatre, and many, many others in a vast array of repertoire.

Listen in on this conversation as The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier delves more into Patrice’s life, work, and future ambitions.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com

Welcome American Street Artist Mark Carvalho, aka/Boston Maki to In-Focus Podcast Number 77. Boston Maki, or just Maki, was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

He is one of the South Coast's foremost contemporary urban artists. Maki became known for his one stencil process covering everything from canvas to unsanctioned walls around the South Coast of Massachusetts. The technique, which he adopted and has adhered to since 2006, became his signature style.

Listen in on the conversation as The Artist Index’s host, Ron Fortier delves more into Maki’s life, work, and future ambitions.

Music courtesy of www.bensound.com