Local Host Hector Niño • Saturdays, 2 p.m.
Join host Hector Niño for The Heart of Art, a KAMU original production featuring artists from the local community sharing their passion for all facets of art. Hector highlights individual artists by focusing on their creative journey and the impact their art has on the Brazos Valley. Tune in as new episodes air every Saturday at 2 p.m.
Episodes
The Heart of Art: Scott Petty – Pastel Painter May 17, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Scott Petty, a pastel painter with a background in construction and special education. We analyze why he uses such vibrant colors in his paintings, how he decides what colors to use, and how his background in construction has influenced his painting.
The Heart of Art: Michael Gayk – Metal Worker & Computational Designer May 3, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to Michael Gayk, an Instructional Associate Professor at the School of Performance Visualization & Fine Arts. We have a great conversation about how his metal work led to many opportunities such as brand character design for General Motors as well as creating 3D models to help people in the medical industry.
The Heart of Art: The World Shakuhachi Festival – Dr. Martin Regan & David Wheeler April 5, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art, we will be speaking to the organizers of The World Shakuhachi Festival, which has not been hosted in the U.S. in 20 years but will be coming to College Station, April 17-20, 2025. Dr. Martin Regan, Professor of Music in the school of Performance Visualization & Fine Arts, along with David Wheeler, one of the founders of the festival, talk to us about what it takes to organize such a massive event. We also discuss how versatile the shakuhachi instrument is with much success in television and video games due to its mesmerizing sound.
The Heart of Art: Dr. David Wilborn – Composer, Conductor, & Trombonist March 22, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to Dr. David Wilborn, conductor, composer, trombonist, and Associate Professor at Texas A&M College of Performance, Visualization, & Fine Arts. We have a great conversation about where his love for music and low brass began, his method of composing music, and the creation of the new music performance degree that TAMU now offers.
The Heart of Art: John Spriggins – Director of the Texas A&M University Art Galleries March 8, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art, we speak to the newly appointed Director of the Texas A&M's University Art Galleries (UART). He shares how his experience in the South Dallas Cultural Center and being a curator for galleries and museums with a focus on community engagement will be an advantage for the UART and the surrounding community.
The Heart of Art: Dustin Kemp ’07 – Vocalist & Performer February 15, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art we speak to Dustin Kempf '07, program coordinator for the Capstones and Honors Programs at Texas A&M, as well as vocalist and performer. His previous band, J. Greene & The Steady, was featured on hit shows such as "Nashville" & "The Fosters." We have a great conversation about music, why he performs, and we learn from his own mistakes balancing his passion for music and academia.
The Heart of Art: Aggie Con ’54 February 8, 2025 This week on The Heart of Art we speak to attendees of the 54th annual Aggie Con, a weekend long convention that celebrated all things anime, comic books, and video games. First, we speak to the Director and Assistant Director about how the convention is ran and why this event is so important for the area. We then speak to some award winners of the cosplay competition and analyze why they enjoy this art and what it takes to become a cosplayer.
The Heart of Art: Zaria White – Crochet Artist December 21, 2024 This week on The Heart of Art we speak to one of KAMU's very own, Zaria White. During the day, you can find Zaria producing and editing videos as a Program Coordinator at KAMU. However, on her off-time you can find her obsessively working on her newest crocheting project. We have a great conversation about why there a resurgence in crocheting interest, crocheting as a maximalist artistic form, and the importance of creating things that are truly tangible.
The Heart of Art: Leslie Bowlin – The Arts Center of Brazos Valley November 16, 2024 This week we speak to Leslie Bowlin, the newly appointed CEO of The Arts Center of Brazos Valley (previously known as The Arts Council of Brazos Valley). We have a great conversation about what positive changes are in store for The Arts Center and her multi-cultural approach to art.
The Heart of Art: Penny Zent – Brazos Breeze Flute Choir October 26, 2024 This week we speak to Penny Zent, a very decorated flutist as well as Artistic Director and Founder of the Brazos Breeze Flute Choir. We have a great conversation about the Halloween season opener of the Brazos Breeze Flute Choir, how her love for the flute instrument was love at first sight, and her time as Station Manager here at KAMU-FM.
The Heart of Art: Brent Hairston – Brazos Valley Acapella October 5, 2024 This week we speak to Brent Hairston, Director of the Brazos Valley Acapella, a men's singing group focusing on barber shop and a capella music. We speak about their recent origins and how they began working on their inaugural show that will be taking place on October 12, 2024. We also go into Brent's person history with singing and ask why he believes singing is good for the soul.
The Heart of Art: Anne Black – OPAS Season 52 “Legends & Icons” September 14, 2024 This week we speak to Anne Black, Executive Director of OPAS. She introduces OPAS's 52nd Season titled, "Legends & Icons", which bring world-class shows from some of the favorite American artist's such as Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, and Cher.
The Heart of Art: Wenyi Zhu – Oil Painter August 31, 2024 This week we speak to Wenyi Zhu, winner of this years Visual Art Society's Professional Division Competition. We analyze why she decided to switch careers from being an environmental scientist to artist, her intricate process for creating her pieces, and her theme of innocence in childhood.
The Heart of Art: Johnny Beikirch – Skunk Money Band August 17, 2024 This week we speak to Johnny Beikirch, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Skunk Money, a local band that has been performing for 6 years. We talk about his childhood dream to become a rock star, his unconventional way of writing music, and how he thinks music affects the human.
The Heart of Art: Teasha Crawford – BCS Ukulele Club July 27, 2024 This week we speak to Teasha Crawford, founder of the BCS Ukulele Club that meets weekly at the Clara B. Mounce Library. We talk about why the ukulele is a great instrument to begin learning music with and how she never saw herself playing a string instrument until it was required of her.
The Heart of Art: Xochitl Flores – Speechless Art July 13, 2024 Xochitl Flores is founder of Speechless Art, a business that sells art made by her two sons, Cuit & Necalli, who communicate mostly through drawings. All funds raised go towards their therapy to help them deal with their Sensory Processing Disorder, a condition that may affect some autistic people.
The Heart of Art: Cynthia Bradford – Theatre & Choir Teacher at IL Texas June 15, 2024 Cynthia Bradford is a person of many talents and a great example of time management. When she is not in her day job as a theatre and choir teacher at IL Texas, you can find her at The Theatre Company both on and off stage as a board member. You may even run into her making TikToks for her viral account that has over 40k followers. Find out how she does it all!
The Heart of Art: Dick Davison – Drawer & Painter, Professor Emeritus at Texas A&M College of Architecture May 18, 2024 Dick Davison, a Professor Emeritus of the Texas A&M College of Architecture, speaks about his immense scale art, how his architecture classes kindled his art career, and how his surrealist and impressionist works invite the unknown.
The Heart of Art: Marianne Henry – Brazos Valley Youth String Chamber Orchestra May 4, 2024 Owner and founder of the Brazos Valley Youth String Chamber Orchestra, Marianne Henry, discusses with us why she felt the need to create an orchestra where students learn alongside their parents. We also dive into her past accomplishments like being in the first African American ensemble to win a classical music competition and having the opportunity to play her violin alongside the voices of Whitney Houston and Patti Labelle.
The Heart of Art: Lyle Lovett ’79 – Texas A&M School of Performance Visualization & Fine Arts April 27, 2024 Singer, songwriter, & 4-time Grammy award winner, Lyle Lovett '79, sits with some students and local media personalities to talk about his time at Texas A&M, how much has changed, and how he sees the future of performance at the School of Performance Visualization and Fine Arts.
The Heart of Art: Beth Ralston – Junk Drawer by Beth April 13, 2024 Beth Ralston, owner and founder of Junk Drawer by Beth, speaks on starting an art business after the pandemic, paint pouring, and her merch creation for local bands.
The Heart of Art: Dr. Amanda Stronza – Photographer, Anthropologist & Conservationist March 16, 2024
The Heart of Art: Vick Vortex – Vortex Studios March 9, 2024
The Heart of Art: Hector Nino – Host of The Heart of Art February 17, 2024
The Heart of Art: Gloria Cooks – Gospel Legend February 10, 2024
The Heart of Art: Tetrachord – Female Vocal Ensemble December 23, 2023
The Heart of Art: Susan Loquat – Musician & Acrylic Painter December 9, 2023
The Heart of Art: Suzanne Moreau – Artistic Director at Ballet Brazos November 25, 2023
The Heart of Art: Anne Black – Executive Director of OPAS October 14, 2023
The Heart of Art: Mathew Walpert – Fantastical Painter September 16, 2023
The Heart of Art: Mat & Mary Barringer – Friends of Chamber Music September 2, 2023
The Heart of Art: Wendy Wright – Nature & Wildlife Painter August 19, 2023
The Heart of Art: Brandon Kempf – Bran The Mystic July 29, 2023
The Heart of Art: Charles Wallis – Impressionist & Abstract Painter, Professional Artists of Central Texas (PACT) July 15, 2023
The Heart of Art: Josie Bettis – Musical Theatre July 1, 2023
The Heart of Art: Brent Maxwell – Oil Painter June 3, 2023
The Heart of Art: Rayna M. Dexter – Costume Design May 20, 2023
The Heart of Art: Katy Baldock – Producer of “Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story” April 1, 2023
The Heart of Art: Sarahi Garcia – DAVA Artisanal Design March 18, 2023
The Heart of Art: Carisa Armstrong & Christine Bergeron – Choreographers of “But Where There Is Hope, There Is Life” March 4, 2023
The Heart of Art: Chase Colston – Co-Founder of Troubadour Festival February 25, 2023
The Heart of Art: Carisa Armstrong & Christine Bergeron – Choreographers of “But Where There Is Hope, There Is Life” February 11, 2023
The Heart of Art: Andre Thomas – Director of the LIVE (Learning Interactive Visualization Experience) Lab February 4, 2023
The Heart of Art: Tamie Dearen – USA Today Bestselling Author January 14, 2023
The Heart of Art: Benjamin Knox – “The Texas A&M Artist” January 7, 2023
The Heart of Art: Catherine Hastedt – Director of TAMU UART / Waylon Lee – President of Hardchord Dynamix Acapella Group December 31, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Mary Koeninger – Executive Director of the BVSO / Jennifer Korolenko – Curator of Education & Public Programs at UART December 24, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Mark Sadoski – Landscape Photographer / Coleen Bradfield – Painter December 17, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Diane Cahill Bedford – Dance Clinical Associate Professor / Luke Knowles – Hair Stylist December 10, 2022
The Heart of Art: Shelby Lancaster – Multimedia Artist / Elena Reece – Artistic Director of the Friends of Chamber Music December 3, 2022
The Heart of Art: Debbie Jasek – Glass Artist / Mariachi Sanchez November 26, 2022
The Heart of Art: Benjamin Lewis – Collage-Style Artist / Priscilla Salisbury – Soprano Opera Singer November 16, 2022
The Heart of Art: Tamie Dearen – Romance Novel Author, USA Today Bestselling Author November 9, 2022
The Heart of Art: Tyler Kay – Visual Artist, Wall Muralist November 2, 2022
The Heart of Art: James Gregg – Photo-Journalist, Freelance Photo Editor at The New York Times October 12, 2022
The Heart of Art: Becky Ricketts – Pen & Paint Artist October 5, 2022
The Heart of Art: Catherine Hastedt – Director of University Art Galleries (UART) September 28, 2022
The Heart of Art: Bill McKinley – Floral Designer, Director of Benz School of Floral Design September 21, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. James R. Ball III – Director of The Academy of Visual & Performing Arts / Assistant Dean at the School of Performance, Visualization, & Fine Arts September 14, 2022
The Heart of Art: Jason Elliott – Tattoo Artist at Hard to Love Tattoo, Ink Master Competitor S10 & S13 August 10, 2022
The Heart of Art: Alok V. Menon – Poet, Author, Activist July 27, 2022
The Heart of Art: Sam Woodfin – Oil Painter July 6, 2022
The Heart of Art: Emily Bujnoch – Computer Graphics Generalist, Creature Creator / Mariachi Sanchez – Music Group June 22, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Mark Sadoski – Landscape Photographer / Mariachi Sanchez – Music Group June 15, 2022
The Heart of Art: James Gregg – KAMU’s Director of Content Development, Photojournalism May 25, 2022
The Heart of Art: Pastora Gutierrez Reyes – Co-founder of Vida Nueva Cooperative benefitting Oaxacan Women Weavers April 20, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Mary Koeninger – Executive Director of the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra April 13, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Warren Waren – Guitarrist, Author of the “Futtuplets” book series April 6, 2022
The Heart of Art: Alok V. Menon – Author, Poet, Activist March 30, 2022
The Heart of Art: Dr. Diane Bedford – Dance Instructor, Clinical Associate Professor at Texas A&M March 16, 2022
The Heart of Art: Shelby Lancaster – Painter March 9, 2022
