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AART

AART

By: Chris Stafford
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About this listen

 Veteran award-winning podcaster Chris Stafford talks to women artists from across mediums and around the world to get to know the person behind their art. Conversations are intimate and free flowing as we learn about the journey these talented women have taken to become successful artists.

Testimonials:

"It’s rare that I let everything hang out there about my past and what has formed me into an artist. I had a wonderful conversation with Chris Stafford recently and found myself doing just that—filling in the background. Chris was so easy to talk to and has a wonderful way of organically mining the truth of self within us that forms a sensitive picture of whomever she is conversing with—as we used to say, the gift of the gab. You should check out her podcast archive and listen to lots of incredible interviews that promote women in the arts."
Anna Carll

"Chris is a natural host and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with her. She’s authentic, personable, and has a clear passion for supporting women. Her conversations with female artists about their artistic journeys are in depth and thoughtful. She’s getting into territory others often ignore and uncovering some gems in the process.”
Julie Davis

“Thank you to host Chris Stafford for making me feel relaxed and bringing out all of my thoughts and feelings about life/art! After our interview I felt euphoric and accomplished and so appreciative for that. She is a wonderful interviewer.”
Michele Byrne

“Chris is a highly skilled interviewer who puts her guests at ease. She draws out the juicy bits of lived experience and contextualizes this against the grander arc of history.”
Kathryn Andrews

“I was honored to be interviewed by Chris. She has a unique perspective in the art world, and it's refreshing to see a podcast with such a wide variety of artists from all different backgrounds and disciplines.”
Erin Spencer

“Art making can be a solitary pursuit, the AART podcast gives a window into the life and vocation of the artist that informs and inspires while it entertains.”
Suzie Baker

“ The interview was a very enjoyable experience. Chris is a generous interviewer who draws out her subjects and is completely engaged in the conversation. She's a good listener and asks thoughtful questions.”
Ingrid Christensen

“AART is an important and unique platform for the stories of women artists and their work. From the art making processes to the personal materials that makes the creative process. The podcast’s greatest asset is Chris’ ability to getting the artists to “open up’, by her preparation process, and the questions she asks.”
Maria Martinez-Cañas




Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/aart--5814675/support.Chris Stafford Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Inside the Mind of Lorrie Minicozzie: The Visionary World of Multi-Media Installation Art

    Inside the Mind of Lorrie Minicozzie: The Visionary World of Multi-Media Installation Art
    Nov 25 2025
    Step inside the creative universe of Lorrie Minicozzie, an award-winning multi-media installation artist known for transforming ordinary spaces into extraordinary, sensory experiences. In this episode, we explore how Lorrie blends sound, light, sculpture, video, and storytelling to create immersive art installations that challenge perception and invite deep emotional connection. Discover the inspiration behind her most ambitious projects, her creative process from concept to completion, and how technology and emotion intersect in her evolving body of work. Whether you’re an artist, curator, art collector, or creative dreamer, this conversation will leave you inspired to see art — and the world — in a new dimension.

    🎨 Topics Covered:
    • The making of large-scale multi-media installations
    • How environment and emotion shape artistic expression
    • The role of technology in contemporary art
    • Behind-the-scenes of Lorrie Minicozzie’s most iconic works
    • Advice for emerging installation artists
    💡 Perfect for: Art lovers, creatives, curators, and anyone fascinated by immersive experiences, digital art, and modern installation art.
    📍 Keywords (SEO-rich):
    Lorrie Minicozzie, multimedia artist, installation art, contemporary art, immersive art, visual storytelling, experiential art, sound and light installations, creative process, modern art podcast, artist interview, art and technology

    Multi-media Installation Artist Lorrie Anne Minicozzi describes her work as an intermingling of traditional and contemporary art genres, where she fabricates realms from personal experiences and the societal climate using foam and wood, integrated with a drawn or painted work, each composite intermingles 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional realities. The synthesis results in an intricately detailed installation that reads like a cinematic scene. Provocatively diorama-like, each scene is enhanced by lighting, sound, fragrance and tactility. Exploring architecture, interior design and construction through these sculptures weaves each installation into the fabric of her home studio. Lorrie was born in 1966 in Huntingdon, New York, she has a brother and sister. Her mother Anne Busch was a supervisor at an electronics company, and a floral designer who also enjoys art, and her father John Gariboldi was a machinist and creative carpenter. As a child, Lorrie experienced abuse by a close relative and she says that much of her work as an artist reflects that trauma and her need to help others who are dealing with the effect and shame of abuse. She says: “I employ my craft as a cathartic illumination on personal childhood trauma, mental illness and political anxiety.” Growing up Lorrie enjoyed a range of sports and music learning the guitar and piano. She also began drawing, which proved to be her salvation. She developed her talent as an artist and combined her computer skills to become an art director. She attended the State University (SUNY) Potsdam, SUNY Stony Brook, West Chester University and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), which she returned to after the COVID pandemic. Lorrie has been a professional commissioned portrait artist for over thirty years and recently transitioned to mixed medium installation. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband Rob, their two sons; Jason and Justin, and dog Miko.

    Lorrie’s links:
    https://www.climbingthewalls.net/
    https://www.instagram.com/lorrie.minicozzi

    Lorrie’s favorite female artists:
    Liza Lou
    Sandy Skoglund
    Judy Chicago
    Kara Walker
    Cindy Sherman
    Irma Gruenholz
    Louise Bourgeois (d)

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Produced by Hollowell Studios
    Follow @theaartpodcast on Instagram
    AART on Facebook Email: theaartpodcast@gmail.com

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/aart--5814675/support.

    A Hollowell Studios Production
    Instagram: @theaartpodcast
    Email: hollowellstudios@gmail.com
    © Copyright: Chris Stafford | Hollowell Studios
    All Rights Reserved
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
  • Ellen Kuras: The Vision Behind the Lens — Mastering Storytelling in Film & Cinematography

    Ellen Kuras: The Vision Behind the Lens — Mastering Storytelling in Film & Cinematography
    Nov 11 2025
    Step behind the camera with Ellen Kuras, the award-winning director and cinematographer whose visual storytelling has defined a generation of modern cinema. From her groundbreaking cinematography in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to her powerful directorial work in Lee Daniels’ The Butler and A Thousand Times Good Night, Ellen has redefined what it means to tell stories through light, emotion, and movement. In this in-depth conversation, Ellen shares her creative process, challenges as one of the first women in major cinematography, and her approach to capturing the soul of a story on screen. Whether you’re a filmmaker, cinephile, or curious creative, this episode delivers rare insights into the craft, collaboration, and courage that fuel visual storytelling.

    🎬 Topics include:
    • Ellen’s early journey into filmmaking and cinematography
    • Crafting visual language and emotional depth
    • Collaborations with visionary directors like Martin Scorses, Michel Gondry and Spike Lee
    • Breaking industry barriers and inspiring the next generation of filmmakers
    • The future of storytelling through the lens
    Perfect for fans of cinematography, directing, visual storytelling, filmmaking, women in film, and creative leadership, this episode celebrates one of cinema’s most influential voices.

    Keywords:
    Ellen Kuras, filmmaker, cinematographer, director, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, women in film, cinematography podcast, filmmaking, creative storytelling, visual storytelling, directing, behind the camera, film industry, indie film, movie production, creative careers.


    American Director and Cinematographer Ellen Kuras who has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Jane (2018, and The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2010) for which she was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature in 2009 for her directorial debut. Ellen is an unprecedented three-time winner of the Cinematography Award for a Dramatic Film for Swoon (1992), Angela (1995) and Personal Velocity (2002). In 2022, She was the first woman to win the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Lifetime Achievement Award winner. Ellen’s credits include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (cinematographer) (2004), The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (director, producer, screenwriter) (2008) and most recently Lee (director) (2024). Ellen was born in New Jersey in 1959 where her father was an avionics engineer and her mother, a homemaker. Ellen graduated from Brown University with a double BA degree in Anthropology and Semiotics before attending Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). Whilst she was at Brown she studied for her master’s degree at night at New York University in Photography & 8mm Filmmaking. The Betrayal - Nerakhoon, which follows a family from Laos who were forced to emigrate and adapt to life in America, was conceived as her master’s thesis. She then started her career in the film industry in 1987 in New York as a camera assistant and electrician. Ellen represents the Cinematographers Branch on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors and is the ASC/ICG representative on the National Film Preservation Board. Ellen has most recently completed a new heist TV series 12 12 12 for Apple TV, and the TV series, Scarpetta, with Nicole Kidman, Arianna deBose and Jamie Lee Curtis for Amazon Prime Video. Ellen lives in New York.

    Ellen’s links:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Kuras
    https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0475578/

    Favorite female artists:
    Jane Savelyeva

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Produced by Hollowell Studios
    Follow @theaartpodcast on Instagram
    AART on Facebook
    Email: theaartpodcast@gmail.com

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/aart--5814675/support.

    A Hollowell Studios Production
    Instagram: @theaartpodcast
    Email: hollowellstudios@gmail.com
    © Copyright: Chris Stafford | Hollowell Studios
    All Rights Reserved
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Layers of Expression: The Art and Vision of Anna Carll, Contemporary Mixed-Media Artist

    Layers of Expression: The Art and Vision of Anna Carll, Contemporary Mixed-Media Artist
    Oct 28 2025
    Discover the captivating world of Anna Carll, a celebrated contemporary mixed-media artist whose work transcends the boundaries of paint, paper, and emotion. In this episode, we explore how Anna transforms layers of texture, collage, and color into thought-provoking visual narratives that connect deeply with modern audiences. From her early inspirations to her evolving creative process, Anna shares insights into the techniques behind her abstract art, the emotional language of materials, and the stories hidden within every layer of her compositions. Whether you’re an art collector, creative professional, or simply passionate about contemporary art, this conversation offers inspiration and a behind-the-scenes look at how a mixed-media artist brings vision to life.

    Keywords: Anna Carll, contemporary mixed-media artist, abstract art, modern art, collage, painting, creative process, artist interview, art podcast, contemporary art inspiration, visual storytelling, studio art, creative journey.


    American contemporary mixed-media artist Anna Carll who began her painting career with very colorful figurative work, which slowly evolved into non-representational abstract work that’s based on the concept of urban expansion and erosion. Anna was born in Charleston, WV in 1960. Her mother Maggie Schettler, a career nurse and teacher, and father James Carll, who worked in the auto industry, divorced when Anna was just 12 years of age. She is the youngest of six children. Anna reflects on a troubled childhood and how she became a truant, eventually dropping out of high school and becoming a juvenile delinquent. She describes herself as a having been a sickly child who suffered from dyslexia while becoming introspective and private. At the age of 17, she ran away from home. When she returned home six months later to her mother she went back to school and achieved her General Equivalency Diploma (GED) at 18. It was then she decided to focus on a vocation in graphic art and design by attending the Sarasota County Vocational Technical Center for 12 months. This was followed by six months at the Venice Sun Newspaper where Anna realized she still needed further training so she attended the University of Florida, graduating with a BA in Art & Graphic Design in 1984. Her career began as an illustrator and graphic artist and for 16 years she worked in Atlanta. Anna subsequently spent 12 years honing her craft as an painter in the North Georgia Mountains under the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains in the Blue Ridge area. From 1992-4 she studied with the artist Ouida Canaday before leaving her career as a graphic artist to become a full-time fine artist in 1999. Anna’s first gallery representation came in 1997 with Bender Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta and she is now represented by a number of galleries in the US. Anna’s work is collected by a diverse group of both private individuals and corporations in the US, South America, Europe and Asia. Anna now lives in Chattanooga, TN with her cat Sadie Mei.

    Anna’s links:
    https://www.annacarll.com/
    https://www.instagram.com/annacarllart

    Anna’s favorite female artists in visual arts:
    Current artists: Marjorie Thompson, Galen Chaney, Karen Stamper, Lynn Alker, Nicola Bennett, Cat Tesla, Bethany Kohrt, Helen Ward, Julia Bland, Jackie Mulder, Jackie Leishman, Rebecca Crowell, Patricia Kelly, Jill Stoll, Nina Tichava
    Late artists: Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, Louise Nevelson Eva Hesse, Ruth Asawa, Georgia O'Kieffe, Frida Kahlo

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Produced by Hollowell Studios
    Follow @theaartpodcast on Instagram
    AART on Facebook Email: hollowellstudios@gmail.com

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/aart--5814675/support.

    A Hollowell Studios Production
    Instagram: @theaartpodcast
    Email: hollowellstudios@gmail.com
    © Copyright: Chris Stafford | Hollowell Studios
    All Rights Reserved
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 14 mins
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