Art Dealer Diaries Podcast Mark Sublette

I had Ann M. Wolfe on today, and she is the chief curator and associate director of the Nevada Museum of Art. One of the first things we did is made sure everybody knows what the word is. "Nuh·vada" not "Nuh·vaw·da". 

She really is an interesting person. You can tell Ann has this great dedication to her job and what she does and that there's a big vision for what they're trying to do up at the Nevada Museum of Art. It's a self-proclaimed museum of ideas (that's really a trademarked and copyrighted term that they have for the museum) and they're doing just that. They're exhibiting land art, they work with the 28 tribes in the Great Basin region, and they're doing a show on the ichthyosaurs that used to live in the area.

On top of all of that, opening in 2024 is a Maynard Dixon exhibition called Sagebrush and Solitude, which is the first time that they've actually done a show for Maynard Dixon that's just on Nevada and the surrounding Great Basin/Eastern California region. So that'll be very interesting. We talked a little bit about that. The exhibit is also going to have Don Haggerty writing part of the book that is going to come out with as a companion to the show itself.

So again, very interesting person. I think you'll enjoy it and anyone who hasn't gone and visited the museum - they should. Put this on the top of your list because even the building itself is a work of art and they're really doing some interesting things there. 

I had David Meikle on today, which was really wonderful. I've had David on my podcast in the past, but today we are talking about something that is just so interesting and different from the previous episode.

You see when you're an artist, sometimes you get these opportunities that come out of nowhere. In this case, David had a unique opportunity to work with one of the best directors of all time  - Wes Anderson. They worked closely together to come up with the poster for the movie, as well as some of the art featured in the film itself. David and I talk about the process of how an artist like himself contributes to a film like "Asteroid City" and how it came about. 

Sometimes you get to do very creative work alongside other very creative people. Wes Anderson is clearly one of those people. He's done some of my personal favorite movies and he has a following like no other, let's just put it that way. 

Anyhow, we recorded this episode back in December 2022 and were just recently given the greenlight to release it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. David Meikle on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 244.

Had a wonderful podcast today with Sarah Webber. I've known Sarah for over 20 years and she's a very interesting person. Sarah brings a unique perspective to the podcast because she's an individual who's not only been an artist for over 20 years, but was in art sales, working for various art galleries. 

As a result, she has this component that allows her to look at the world that she inhabits (which is as an artist) but from a different viewpoint that involves the business chops that are required to succeed. 

As I mentioned, this is a very unique podcast featuring a wonderful voice in the world of art. I really had a great time with this interview. Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 243, with Sarah Webber.

I had fine artist and Illustrator Keith Batcheller on the podcast today. He went to ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, got his BFA, and worked with all these interesting folks afterward, including Bob Peak, Mark English, and Bernie Fuchs. 

When Keith became a professional illustrator he worked with big firms in New York, Chicago, and L.A.  He eventually started working for Walt Disney Productions and did artwork for massive animated films like Pocahontas, Beauty and the Beast, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and my personal favorite - Lilo & Stitch.

Disney still uses Keith's illustrations to this day for all sorts of different reasons, whether it's for a Hercules toy or a Star Wars celebration event. It's just a fascinating ride. Keith also worked on the promotional art and packaging for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures that took the country by storm in the late 80s/early 90s. Fast forward to today, and he's moved on from his highly successful illustration career (like many of the artists that I've interviewed have) and is focusing on fine art. 

We talk about the switch from illustration to fine art and explore the concept of beginning your journey on one very specific path, only to arrive at a completely different destination after decades of hard work and dedication to said path. I think the only way you can do that as an artist is that you have to be able to pivot. Keith? Yeah, he's done that quite successfully if you ask me.  Keith Batcheller on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast episode 242.

One of the great things about this podcast is I get to go down memory lane with people that have these insane historical interactions and today that person is Beverly Miller. Her father was Clay Lockett. Now, Clay is this amazingly complex, interesting man who was an archeologist, had a doctorate in anthropology, and was a well-known Indian trader. He ran the Museum of Northern Arizona's trading post inside the gift shop from 1965 until his death in 1984.

Lockett also owned Cloud World by Maynard Dixon, one of the most important works Dixon ever painted. He knew Jimmy K, the Hopi Carver, and painter Harrison Begay. I mean, it's just a litany of histories, important individuals that dealt in Native American art or associated with the Museum of Northern Arizona. 

Beverly herself has an interesting backstory. In this podcast, she shares memories of meeting Maynard Dixon and other important figures in the Western/Native American art scene during her childhood. Beverly and her late husband also played a big role in real estate development in Sedona in the early seventies and eighties. 

I've been wanting to have her on for the longest time because she has a wealth of knowledge and these things can be fleeting. With that in mind, I tried to discuss some of the things that could be important down the line. 

You'll love this podcast. I know had a great time. Beverly Miller on episode 241 of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast.

Had one of my favorite people on the podcast today. Bill Robertson. I've known Bill for more than 30 years and he worked for me for at least 15.

Bill's got an amazing story. He moved to Albuquerque in 1950, and he was an English teacher for 30 years He even taught a young Bob Gallegos, a native arts dealer who's also been on the podcast so that tells you how long Bill's been around. 

He started collecting pottery in the early sixties, and knew all these amazing people like Charles Loloma, Garnet Pavatea, Lucy Lewis, Maria Martinez, and even rented a house from Helen Naha, also known as "Feather Woman." In 1968 where he spent an entire summer in Hopi working on many different academic projects.

So this was a very interesting conversation with a wonderful human being. Bill Robertson on Art Dealer Diaries Podcast Episode 240.