Welcome, Kayla Conner, AKA Kayla Conchinha Conner (the Little Seer Shell ). She is a watercolor artist, tarot reader, and lifelong resident of New Bedford, Massachusetts. " Conchinha " is Portuguese for "little shell." In 2012, Kayla obtained her Bachelor’s in Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth , had her first child, and received her first deck of tarot cards. Little Seer Shell was started in September 2020. After a hip replacement at 30 years of age fixed a longstanding d...
Jun 12, 2023•45 min
Welcome, Kyle DeCicco-Carey to In-Focus Podcast Number 152! Kyle is the Library Director at the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and will speak with us for the fourth time about Charles Henry Gifford. In our last conversation with Kyle on In-Focus Podcast Number 146 , he spoke about Robert Swain Gifford, also known as R. Swain Gifford. Kyle’s first visit was Episode 132 about William Bradford. His second was Episode 133 about Lemuel Eldred. This is a five-part series on celebrated ...
Jun 05, 2023•58 min
Welcome, Wendy Ann Hall , AKA Wendy Hall, the Executive Producer for New Bedford Festival Theatre and who has also produced The Best of Times , The Last Five Years , Disney’s Beauty and the Beast , and last December’s (2022) highly acclaimed Irving Berlin’s White Christmas as well as several online performances and interviews. She also had the privilege of presenting Evita Loca , starring John Michael Dias , as the first live performance back at the Z - Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in June 2...
May 29, 2023•58 min
Welcome, Lindsay Compton, Supervisory Park Ranger and Visitor Experience & Community Engagement Volunteer Coordinator at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park . Lindsay has a background in studio art, public land management, and education. She has worked toward bridging the gap between public art and national parks for the last 13 years. Lindsay Compton created Artist in Residence programs at Congaree National Park in South Carolina and San Antonio Missions National Historical Par...
May 22, 2023•48 min
Welcome, Neenah Cruz, AKA Miss Neenah. She is a dancer, choreographer, and the founder/director of the New Bedford Performing Arts Center . Miss Neenah has been dancing since the age of two when she soon discovered her love for the performing arts. Throughout that time she has received influential training from several local dance schools, but The most impactful in her career was her time at Hope Spechts School of Dance . Neenah has worked and trained with numerous choreographers throughout the ...
May 15, 2023•58 min
Welcome, Mercedes Bell , a queer Filipino American folk singer-songwriter better known as Mercy Bell . Her writing and experience span multiple genres, including country, pop, rock, and musical theatre. She has independently released 3 albums: “ All Good Cowboys ”, “ Mercy Bell ”, and “ Golden Child ”. Her music has been featured on NPR , in Paste Magazine , American Songwriter , Rolling Stone Country , and more. She’s been an official showcase artist at Americanafest , SXSW , Nashville Pride , ...
May 08, 2023•46 min
Welcome, Kate Frazer Rego , an artist, and educator living in the South Coast of Massachusetts. She attended the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth College of Visual and Performing Art , where she earned a BFA in Sculpture. Kate went on to earn her MFA from Boston University’s College of Fine Art . She has shown her work nationally and is currently in several private collections. Kate Frazer Rego was included in the group show, “Beyond Binary” (February 2 - April 6, 2023) at Bristol Communit...
May 01, 2023•52 min
Welcome, Kyle DeCicco-Carey to In-Focus Podcast Number 146! Kyle is the Library Director at the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and will be speaking with us for the third time about Robert Swain Gifford, also known as R. Swain Gifford. Kyle’s first visit was Episode 132 about William Bradford. His second was Episode 133 about Lemuel Eldred. This is a five-part series on celebrated Fairhaven artists from days gone by. It is supported in part by a grant from the Fairhaven Cultural C...
Apr 24, 2023•57 min
https://theartistsindex.com/podcast-episode-145-chloe-costa/ Welcome, Chloe Costa, a South Coast Massachusetts 13-year-old artist who just recently displayed her work for the very first time in public at The New Bedford Light Fine Arts Club event in March 2023. She says she’s, “been doing art practically all my life, and I really enjoy it. Thanks to the Covid pandemic, I was able to get myself back into art, which I had stopped doing only a few years prior.” Chloe, an outgoing, focused, and budd...
Apr 17, 2023•26 min
Welcome, Dr. Naomi Slipp, the Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator and Director of Museum Learning at the New Bedford Whaling Museum . Dr. Slipp oversees collections, curatorial, and museum learning across the museum, and manages 14 staff and about 100 volunteers. Prior to her arrival at the Museum, she was the Associate Professor of Art History at Auburn University at Montgomery , Alabama where she taught art history from the Renaissance to Modern Art. Naomi also mana...
Apr 10, 2023•46 min
Welcome, artist Carl Simmons to In-Focus Podcast Number 143. He finds inspiration in local history, folklore, and preservation. Carl spoke with The Artists Index co-founder and podcast host, Ron Fortier on Podcast Episode 106 . Carl is a New Bedford, Massachusetts musician, visual artist, performance artist, and the South Coast’s default local historian! Don Wilkinson , Art Beat columnist wrote in Southcoast Today , that Carl is “… a local historian much concerned with preserving the past but in...
Apr 03, 2023•52 min
Welcome, Sam Babineau a songwriter and fiddle player. She hails from the South Coast of Massachusetts. Sam enjoys engaging with personal narratives that echo the storytelling found in traditional folk music, blended with a modern zest. Sam's introduction to playing Irish music began with her involvement in Irish step dancing at the age of 10. Since then, Sam Babineau has adapted her background in fiddle music to support her songwriting. The Artists Index Music Podcast Host, Jeff Angeley , talks ...
Mar 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min
Welcome, Jason Smith, AKA Jazzbo Smitty . He's a drummer, songwriter, and guitarist. Jason lives in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He says he was self-taught for, " the first twenty or so years of playing music. About 15 years ago, I started taking formal guitar lessons." Jason Smith started playing music in front of audiences during college in Ohio; first as a drummer. He was a songwriter for the punk band, The Johnny Depps, then with the classic rock band Maxwell’s Demon , then acoustic guitar an...
Mar 20, 2023•59 min
Welcome, Brian Cass, a guitarist, producer, and professor. Brian spends most of his time teaching Electronic Production and Music Technology at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He is a resident of Fairhaven on the South Coast of Massachusetts. Brian performs regularly with his rock and roll group – Brian & The Cassettes . He also records and performs with The Overclock Orchestra , exploring more electronic and experimental trajectories. Having spent many years away from New Bedford, Brian...
Mar 13, 2023•53 min
Welcome, Dana Smith, a national and international-level photographer/illustrator! Dana lives in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His photos have appeared in publications such as The New York Times Magazine , Time , Bloomberg , Stern , MIT Technology Review , Nature , Boston Globe , and Yankee . Dana was born in nearby New Bedford, Massachusetts. He has accrued a vast editorial background with an additional 10 years of newspaper photojournalism experience behind him. He was also affiliated with the lege...
Mar 06, 2023•55 min
Welcome, Chris Donovan, a shoe designer! Chris lives in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and has had a passion for shoe design since high school. Chris says, that he never thought, "it was a feasible career for me." So, Chris Donovan did the "sensible thing" and got a job at the phone company. He worked there as a repairman for 25 years. However, he says that "all those years I never stopped sketching shoes." At 50 Chris was diagnosed with cancer but it was caught early and cured. He says, "It changed ...
Feb 27, 2023•56 min
Welcome, Dana Morris, a Jack of many visual art trades and disciplines! Dnan Lives on Buzzard’s Bay. A great deal of his current photography is based on images of the bay and Vineyard Sound. “Light is a critical element in all of my paintings and photographs, and I return to the same locations, so have created decades of views from the same point, in different weather, seasons, and times of the day,” Dana says. He attended Framingham State College for Fine Arts. Dana studied with Fosco Picchi, A...
Feb 20, 2023•55 min
Welcome, Robert "Bob" Williamson, the owner of the South Coast's legendary, The Symphony Music Shop in Dartmouth, Massachusetts to In-Focus Podcast Number 136. Bob is a professional musical instrument repairperson and has been since 1982. Bob is also a freelance trumpeter and the leader of The SouthCoast Jazz Orchestra . He talks with The Artist Index performing artists host, Jeff Angeley , about his background, music, travels, and lots more. This episode was recorded in Jeff's recording studio ...
Feb 06, 2023•55 min
Welcome composer; indie rock, folk, and 20th-century minimalism-inspired, Christian Camarao , to In-Focus Podcast Number 135. A New Bedford native, Chris also works as an elementary school teacher. His works largely focus on specific geographic regions. Christian talks with The Artist Index performing artists host, Jeff Angeley , about his background, music, travels, and lots more. This episode was recorded in Jeff’s recording studio in 2023. The In-Focus Podcasts are up close and personal conve...
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr
Welcome performing artist; ambient folk-blues, indie rock, ambient, folk, blues indie rock singer/songwriter guitarist, John Fernandes , to In-Focus Podcast Number 134. A New Bedford native, John performs solo throughout the south coast area. He is also the guitarist for Molly O’Leary (Podcast Episode 124)and the J. Kelley Band. He also teaches guitar in the area at Double Bar Music in nearby Westport, Massachusetts. John talks with The Artist Index performing artists host, Scott Bishop , about ...
Jan 03, 2023•47 min
Welcome, Kyle DeCiccio-Carey to In-Focus Podcast Number 132! Kyle is the Library Director at the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and speaks with us about celebrated Fairhaven resident and painter Lemuel D. Eldred. This is the second of five, Fairhaven Cultural Council grant-supported podcasts with Kyle who will be telling us about some of the town’s artists from days gone by. Lemuel Eldred is a great artist to begin this mini-series of podcasts! William Bradford was born in Fairha...
Dec 19, 2022•51 min
Welcome, Kyle DeCiccio-Carey to In-Focus Podcast Number 132! Kyle is the Library Director at the Millicent Library in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and will be speaking with us about celebrated Fairhaven resident and painter Lemuel D. Eldred. This is the first of five, Fairhaven Cultural Council grant-supported podcasts with Kyle who will be telling us about some of the town’s artists from days gone by. Lemuel Eldred is a great artist to begin this mini-series of podcasts! Lemuel was born and raised...
Dec 12, 2022•52 min
Welcome painter/muralist/art instructor, and production artist on Loving Vincent , Katherine “Kat” Knutsen to In-Focus Podcast Number 131! Kat was our guest on In-Focus Podcast Number 73. This time, she’s speaking with our intrepid Indie Music Host – Scott Bishop about her musical side! Since childhood, Kat has always loved working with her hands. Kat Knutsen survived asthma and brain cancer growing up, which initially led to her nursing studies. She quickly learned it wasn’t for her during the ...
Nov 30, 2022•57 min
Welcome performing artist; award-winning composer, producer, musician, sound engineer, and visual artist/designer, Ryan Rooney , to In-Focus Podcast Number 130. Ryan has lived in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts since 2022. He was born in Germany and has lived in Austin, Texas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Lockhart, Texas, and Marfa, Texas. Ryan talks with The Artist Index performing artists host, Scott Bishop , about his background, hometown, music, travels, and lots more. This episode was recorded ...
Oct 31, 2022•56 min
Welcome performing artist; vocalist, songwriter, and music and culture educator, Candida Rose , to In-Focus Podcast Number 129. Candida is also a budding author. She was born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and is a second-generation, American-born Cabo Verdiana , whose parents were from the Cape Verdean Islands (Cape Verde). She is a mother and grandmother. Candida Rose Baptista’s professional stage name is Candida Rose . Her 10-song debut CD is entitled KabuMerikana: The Sum of Me. S...
Oct 31, 2022•56 min
Welcome artist and designer, Keith Francis, to In-Focus Podcast Number 128. Keith is an educator, graphic designer, mixed media fine artist, and sculptor. He earned a B.A. (1990) in Photography and Visual Communications at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and his M.F.A. (2018) in Fine Arts from Mass Art ( Massachusetts College of Art and Design ), Boston, Massachusetts. Keith also studied Fine Art Photography at Maine Media Workshops & College , Ro...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr
Welcome luthier and musician, Matt Shimala, to In-Focus Podcast Number 127, another podcast by our Indie/Rock Music Host, Scott Bishop. Scott was our podcast guest on Podcast Episode 113 . Matt is a luthier. A luthier is a maker of stringed instruments ranging from violins to guitars. He is an interesting combination of art, craft, and skills for sure! Matt’s focus and his art are focused on the guitars he builds as well as the instruments he repairs. Matt Shimala also has a love for camping, hi...
Aug 15, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Welcome painter, Ricky Gagnon, to In-Focus Podcast Number 126. Ricky is a self-described native Rhode Islander who has created art in many forms since childhood. He is a graduate of Tollgate High School in Warwick and also holds two degrees from CCRI ( Community College of Rhode Island ) with studies in Mechanical Drawing/Architecture and Computer Science. While creating art was always part of his life, he didn’t begin painting until I was about 50. Ricky says, “My paintings are colorful and vib...
Aug 01, 2022•48 min
Molly O’Leary (they/them) is a singer-songwriter from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Molly’s style has been described as indie, folk, Americana, and rock. She performs solo, duo, and with a full band nationally at restaurants, music venues, and popular events/festivals. Holding Space , was their first album recorded in a studio with a full band thanks to their Kickstarter backers. The album is out now on all streaming platforms. Molly loves using songwriting as a form of activism to raise awareness...
Jul 25, 2022•47 min
Welcome musician, Adam Gomes, to In-Focus Podcast Number 124. Adam speaks with our Indie/Rock Music Host, Scott Bishop. Scott was our podcast guest on Podcast Episode 113 Adam’s band, Immuter is an American Indie band from Southcoast Massachusetts. The group fuses elements of classic rock with the sound of influential modern acts such as Muse , The Strokes , and Radiohead . The band produces an imaginative and innovative blend of music. Adam talks with The Artist Index’s Indie/Rock Music Host, S...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr
