Arts Interview With Nancy Kranzberg

Larry Morris is the Director of Artists in Residency for the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. He is also the Vocalist/MC for St. Louis music legends, Illphonics. He stopped by to speak with Nancy about the program. ———   The Kranzberg Arts Foundation has long been a major patron of the arts in St. Louis and is committed to aligning their resources to aid in and advance the flourishing renaissance of the arts in the St. Louis area. Growth in the local arts community is now more vigorous than ever, however, the shortage of affordable artists’ work and presentation spaces has been a clear obstacle in the path of our artists. In consideration of this problem and in support and recognition of St. Louis area artists, the Foundation  is redefining and expanding our short and long-term residency programs. ———    The Foundation hosts partnerships with over 150 arts organizations and presenters in the St. Louis region and provides an intersection of arts  venues and work environments that serve a full range of artistic proce

Stephanie Weissberg, a curator at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the Pulitzer and the current exhibition, Urban Archaeology: Lost Buildings of St. Louis. About Urban Archaeology: Drawn from the rich collection of the National Building Arts Center (NBAC), Urban Archaeology brings together salvaged architectural elements from landmark buildings, residential homes, and neighborhood institutions built in St. Louis between 1840 and 1950. The artifacts on display represent important histories of material innovation, labor, and the everyday lives of the people who inhabit the city. The exhibition sheds light on the city’s history, revealing complicated legacies of power, wealth, and neglect that shape our experience of the built environment and daily life. By studying St. Louis’s architectural past, Urban Archeology encourages us to imagine new ways of building, keeping, knowing, and inhabiting places. Located in Sauget, Illinois, the National Building Arts Center emerged in resp

Judith W. Mann, the senior curator of European art to 1800. Since joining the museum in 1988, she has reinstalled the collections of Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and 18th-century European painting and sculpture three times, and organized two major international exhibitions. In 2022, the museum will organize a major, international exhibition curated by Mann that examines the art of painting on stone, a practice that flourished in Europe—particularly Italy—in the 16th and 17th centuries. In 2015, the Association of Art Museum Curators and the American Academy in Rome awarded Mann the Samuel H. Kress Foundation AAMC Affiliated Fellowship in order to allow her to continue her research into painting on stone in Rome.——- Mann curated “Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi: Father and Daughter Painters in Baroque Italy,” which opened at Rome’s Palazzo Venezia and later was seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum, as well as the 2012 exhibition “Federico Barocci: Renaissance Master,” whic

Danny Williams became The Rep’s Managing Director in January 2022.  An experienced arts administrator, Danny has expertise in nonprofit accounting, senior management, and organizational development.  Prior to joining The Rep, Danny worked at The Public Theater in New York, where he served in various roles since 2006. Most recently, as Senior Director, Finance and Administration, he managed the daily and strategic financial operations of the $50 million nonprofit organization, successfully launched an organization-wide intranet, partnered with the development team to achieve fundraising goals, and collaborated on long-term financial planning and analysis, including cash investment strategies, budget analysis, and project management.  Noteworthy and favorite productions include Broadway productions of Fun Home, Eclipsed, Hamilton, and Hair along with Off-Broadway productions of Here Lies Love, Into the Woods, Twelfth Night, As You Like It, White Noise, and Rock Bottom.  

Independent artist, Melody Evans, stopped by to speak with Nancy about her life, art, and works.  Melody Evans studied for four years at the San Antonio School of Art and Craft and started her career as a potter but soon moved into making sculpture, large scale installations and drawings with collage and digital manipulations. This change coincided with her pursuit of a Master’s degree in the influential area of Northern California.  Evans studied with nationally acclaimed artists Robert Brady and Stephen Kaltenbach, and has received numerous awards in her career; including first place in the National Visions in Clay

Will Henton stopped by to speak with Nancy about his life, works and about the arts scene in St. Louis. Will is a Senior engineer / Thermal Lead for both F-15 and AV-8B programs specializing in avionics cooling distribution analysis, avionics thermal qualification testing, and overall aircraft thermal environments.

Pianist Adam Maness stopped by to speak with Nancy about the goings on in his life and his work.  Open Studio is an online collection of online lessons on jazz performance and theory.  As Open Studio's Creative Director, Adam Maness develops the curriculum of all of the courses, in addition to teaching his own popular course like Magic Voicing System, Piano Fingering Independence and more. Adam is a versatile pianist, arranger, composer, and producer whose performances, original compositions, and arrangements have been featured on numerous recordings and on national and international radio and television broadcasts. Adam co-hosts the Open Studio podcast "You'll Hear It" with Peter Martin. Adam leads his new dynamic modern string orchestra Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! aims to celebrate the beauty and diversity of the popular song. This joyful collection of musicians never stops seeking out new ways of exploring the timeless songs that make up our shared musical identity.

Bree Maniscalco, Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the organization's happenings including the St. Louis International Film Festival, which runs Nov 9-19th this year. The festival kicks off on Thursday, November 9th, celebrating 50 Years of Hip-Hop with a tribute to the Hi-Pointe Cafe's pivotal role in shaping hip-hop's history, showcasing the city's significant influence in its evolution. Attendees will be treated to a cocktail reception, engaging conversations, and a special screening of the 1990 film, "House Party," directed by East St. Louis’ own, Reginald Hudlin.  CSL’s Executive Director, Bree Maniscalco, shared, "As we celebrate our first festival at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, we wanted to pay tribute to the Hi-Pointe neighborhood and honor those who made Hip-Hop what it is today. Mondays at the Hi-Pointe Cafe holds a special place in many people’s hearts, and we’re looking to bring it back to kick things off in style for this year’s Fest.” This year's festival pr

An American poet and artist, Sally Van Doren is the author of four poetry collections, Sibilance, (LSU Press 2023) Promise, (2017) Possessive, (2012) and Sex at Noon Taxes (2008) which received the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets. Her poems have been featured by NPR, PBS, The Poetry Foundation, American Life in Poetry, and Poetry Daily, and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her poetry has appeared widely in national and international publications such as American Letters and Commentary, American Poet, Barrow Street, Boulevard, Cincinnati Review, Colorado Review, Crazyhorse, december, Lumina, The Moth, The New Republic, Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry London, Southern Review, Southwest Review, Verse Daily and Western Humanities Review. Her ongoing poetic memoir, The Sense Series, served as the text for a multi-media installation at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. ------ As a practicing visual artist, Van Doren formalized her training at Hunter College and The School of Visual Arts in

Established in 1846 by civic leaders and philanthropists, the Mercantile exists today as a vibrant community and cultural asset. It is the oldest library west of the Mississippi and the grandparent of St. Louis cultural institutions. ------ The task of the Mercantile Library as a research library is to make its collections, which have come to concentrate on Western Expansion and the history, development, and growth of the St. Louis region and of the American rail and river transportation experiences, available to the widest number of local and national users. -----

Franki Cambeletta/Co-Founder-Owner of the Haunted Garage podcast stopped by to speak with Nancy about the podcast and the related Horror Film Festival at the Hi-Point on Oct 5-7.  Haunted Garage is a paranormal podcast dedicated to transportation. Focusing on haunted cars, trains, busses, motorcycles and beyond. ------

Sabine Eckmann joined the Kemper Art Museum as curator in fall 1999 and also regularly teaches seminars in the Department of Art History & Archaeology in Arts & Sciences. Eckmann, a native of Nürnberg, Germany, is a specialist in 20th and 21st-century European art and visual culture with a particular focus on the intersection of art and politics, ranging from exile art and cold-war aesthetics to European post-unification art. Other research interests include avant-gardism, new art forms, media, critical theory and cultural studies.

Art Saint Louis is a nonprofit community art organization and gallery dedicated to enriching lives through the creative activity of our region’s contemporary visual artists. Through exhibition, education, and exchange they connect and inspire our community, and multiply the economic and cultural vitality of our region. ------ Art Saint Louis Gallery, 1223 Pine Street, St. Louis MONow in their 38th year of operation, they continue to cultivate an appreciation for the role that visual art and artists play in the community. ------

Brian Vaccaro graduated from Webster University in St. Louis in 1996 with a Bachelor's Degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Studies. He continued his education at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville where he earned a Master's Degree in Music in Guitar Performance in 2000. Since completing his studies, Brian has been active as an educator as well as a performer. He has taught a variety of jazz and general music courses including Jazz History, Jazz Ensemble, Guitar Ensemble, Rock History, Private Guitar Study and numerous others at Lindenwood University, Southwestern Illinois College, St. Louis Community College, Grand Center Arts Academy and St. Charles Community College. In 2010, Brian received the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty award from St. Louis Community College at Meramec. Brian is now Executive Director of the 501c3 organization "St. Louis Classical Guitar". He has also performed and recorded with many of the top musicians in the St. Louis area. "Going Through the Motions", the debut album by

Independent artist and founder of the St. Louis Neon Museum, Deborah Katon, stopped in to talk with Nancy about her multimedia work, the museum, and neon, in general.  The Neon Museum features contemporary sculpture alongside historical signage and vintage ads. The museum is located at 3537 Chouteau Ave. and is available to rent for special events. Tours are also available.  

Stefanie Kirkland, Director of Programming for The Sheldon, stopped by to talk with Nancy about the goings on at The Sheldon, including various programs and exhibitions.

Carrie Houk has spent her professional life as an actor, casting director, producer and teaching artist. Educated at HB Studio in NYC and the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University, she began her acting career at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and from there worked in NYC, LA and Chicago. She has cast over thirty films, numerous television shows and countless national commercials and has worked with directors Steven Soderbergh, Robert Altman, Alexander Payne, Howard Franklin, among others. She started her casting career in Chicago thirty five years ago and from there settled back in St. Louis to raise her daughter. She has produced two films and the critically acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’s “Stairs to the Roof” directed by Fred Abrahamse. Adjunct professor of casting and acting at Webster University, Houk has also taught at Washington University and Columbia College Chicago.

Gina Grafos, Chief Curator of Visual and Literary Art for the KAF, stopped by to speak with Nancy about the various endeavors of the foundation. Subjects include the various galleries, exhibits, and projects happening, including "Walls Off Washington."

Music at the Intersection is a civic-led effort presented by Kranzberg Arts Foundation in partnership with Steward Family Foundation and The Regional Arts Commission (RAC) of St. Louis. First held in 2021, the festival tells the story of St. Louis’ musical, cultural and artistic heritage. It celebrates the city’s imprint on the American songbook, the relationship St. Louis has with its Mississippi River sister cities, and the musical genres that have been birthed and fostered locally. Music at the Intersection gives a spotlight to national acts as well as St. Louis-based musicians across blues, jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, & rock and roll.

The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is an art museum devoted to presenting the art of today and works from the past within a global context. Located in the heart of St. Louis for more than 20 years, its home is an architectural landmark designed by celebrated architect Tadao Ando. Open and free to all, the Pulitzer is a cultural and civic asset to the St. Louis community and a popular destination for visitors from around the world. ------ At the Pulitzer, expansive light-filled galleries host world-class art exhibitions and anchor an array of free programs, ranging from talks to concerts, literary readings, dance, performances, and wellness workshops. The Pulitzer is a place where ideas are freely explored, new art exhibited, and historic work reimagined. ------ In addition to the museum, the Pulitzer campus has several outdoor spaces, including Park-Like—a garden of native plants and pathways, the Spring Church—an open air stone pavilion and beloved landmark, and the Tree Grove—a shady picnic spot with oak and redb