“Art is the highest form of hope.” -Gerhard Richter

It is easy, in the moment in which we find ourselves, to fall victim to a kind of despair – for the planet, for our children, for the future of humanity as a whole. And yet each time an artist lifts a brush or births a new idea into the world, this is itself an act of defiant hope. This is saying, into the echo of the chasm, I am here and I will. We will. There will be.

Patricia Lee Stotter spoke to us in late August from Pennsylvania. The news that day was of the bombing at Kabul Airport, news that shook Stotter like it did all of us. In terms of her current work – Stotter is an Emmy Award-winning composer and writer for film and television – she is currently working on a project called Dog Walk Home. The work, which she will compose music for, deals with the stories of veterans who come home with severe PTSD and turn to therapy dogs as a way to begin healing. Stotter recalled the first project she composed for after 9/11, a documentary titled From the Ashes about artists who lived in lower Manhattan at the time of the attack. It is work, she says, that helps her and many artists like her cope when terrible things happen. To hear more of our conversation with Patricia Lee Stotter, listen to the complete interview.

Erik Beehn spoke to us once again, again from Las Vegas where he reports tourism is still in a slump because of the ongoing pandemic. His studio serves a number of functions including a gallery in front and a printshop in back. More recently, he established a woodshop in the space, which also houses his personal art studio. When we spoke, he was working collaboratively on a few ideas as well as revisiting his drawing practice. He also had a two-person exhibition running at the time. To hear more from Erik Beehn, listen to the complete interview.