Artists Talk with LVA: January 8, 2026

This week, Luanne Smith & Bob Lockhart will discuss her new exhibit, Biophilia, now at Pyro Gallery. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM / Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

For Luanne Smith, painting is both a return and a renewal.  After raising her family, she rediscovered her lifelong passion for art through watercolor.  Her realistic depictions of wildlife, botanicals, and landscapes offer a close look at nature with attention to light and detail.

Primarily self-taught, Luanne continues to develop her skills through workshops and ongoing study with noted watercolor artist Cathy Hillegas.  She has exhibited in numerous community shows and is also a juried member of the Louisville Artisans Guild.  She is a member of Pyro Gallery, where she has just opened an exhibit of new watercolors called Biophilia, which runs through January 25, 2026

Luann Smith will be giving a Gallery Talk at Pyro on January 10 at 1 pm.

Bob Lockhart is an award-winning sculptor whose work is in the permanent collections of the Whitney Museum of Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, the Indianapolis Art Museum, and many others. In addition, Lockhart's pieces have been commissioned by the Louisville Zoo, by numerous churches and schools, and by private collectors.

Artists Talk with LVA: January 1, 2026

Tori Christensen joins us in the studio to discuss her upcoming exhibit at The Little Loomhouse on Artists Talk with LVA on WXOX 97.1 FM / Artxfm.com this Thursday at 10:00 AM.

Tori Christensen’s The Colors of Darkness, A Touchable Art Show will be at The Lou Tate Gallery at The Little Loomhouse from January 10 through February 21.

Tori Christensen is a tactile fiber artist who creates accessible art geared toward those who are Blind. Her art can be seen AND felt.  This is in honor of her brother, who lost his sight at a young age. She is an art teacher, seamstress, and all-around maker! 

This show explores the intersection of touch, language, and textiles. In this series, I weave original poems by Feather Chelle, a blind author and advocate, directly into tapestries using beads as braille dots.

These pieces invite viewers to engage with art beyond sight alone. By integrating braille into fiber, I aim to honor the way blind readers navigate the world. The poems themselves speak of color, connection, and the richness found in the sensory experience.

This collaboration celebrates accessibility as a creative force, not an afterthought. It asks the viewer to slow down, read, and touch. Each tapestry becomes a meeting place between artist and poet, word and material, and sighted and non-sighted audiences.

In weaving these poems into cloth, I hope to create a shared space where color can be felt, language can be honored, and art can be inclusive.

Artists Talk with LVA: December 18, 2025

This week Vian Sora joined us to discuss Vian Sora: Outerworlds which is now on exhibit at The Speed Museum. Tune in to WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 am to hear Artists Talk with LVA.

Vian Sora: Outerworlds is part of Current Speed, a series of contemporary art exhibitions that introduce the Kentuckiana community to new and emerging artists as well as celebrated mid-career artists previously underrecognized in the region. Current Speed exhibitions are open to the public and included with general museum admission. The series is initiated and organized by Tyler Blackwell, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Speed Art Museum.

Born in Baghdad, Iraq, and now based in Louisville, artist Vian Sora (b. 1976) creates dazzlingly layered abstractions that channel the turbulence of history, memory, and the natural world. Outerworlds—her first solo museum exhibition in the United States—assembles major works from the past ten years, charting her transformation into one of today’s most distinctive voices in painting.

Sora’s practice emerges directly from lived experience. Having grown up amid the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the U.S. invasion of Iraq, she witnessed the devastation of her homeland firsthand. Forced to leave Iraq, she eventually resettled in Louisville, Kentucky, where her practice has flourished.

Artists Talk with LVA: December 11, 2025

Artist Cletus Wilcox joins us in the studio this week. Tune into Artists Talk with LVA on WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com each Thursday at 10 AM.

J. Cletus Wilcox hails from Louisville, Kentucky. His work is deeply intertwined with his identity and experiences, particularly his Queerness. Wilcox’s studio practice aligns with harmonious intention. He believes that art aims to represent inward significance rather than mere outward appearance. His work emerges from explorations, experiences, and identity. Remembering that artworks originate in studios and reflect an artist’s journey enhances our understanding of what we see. Wilcox’s inhibited youth and subsequent coming out fueled his current artistic endeavors. Accumulative shame transformed into sincere efforts to enlighten his essential self.

Wilcox’s most recent exhibition, ‘To Myself, Ten Years Ago’ closed at Kore Gallery November 30, 2025.

Artists Talk with LVA: December 4, 2025

Painter Valtcho Tonov and new Kentucky Opera CEO Ben Robinson discuss the production of All is Calm and Valtcho’s exhibit there on Artists Talk with LVA. Tune in each Thursday at WXOX 97.1 FM/Artxfm.com at 10 a.m.

Valtcho Tonov is a mostly self-taught artist born in Bulgaria in 1972. From an early age he was interested in drawing but began to take art seriously at the age of sixteen when his family relocated to Plovdiv.

After moving to the United States in 2001, he soon settled in Louisville, Kentucky. Valtcho has continued his studies under the tutelage of renowned artists such as John Michael Carter, Phil Starke and others. 

Kentucky Opera has appointed Ben Robinson as its new General Director and CEO. An accomplished singer, stage director, and arts executive, Robinson brings creative vision, operational expertise, and a deep commitment to opera as a community-building force. 

For Robinson, the appointment is also a homecoming. He began his professional career as a Kentucky Opera Studio Artist, performing on the stage he will now lead. His mother is from Kentucky, and extended family live throughout the region.Robinson and his husband, bass-baritone Michael Scarcelle, are relocating to Louisville.

Robinson's leadership has emphasized opera's role in fostering community dialogue. At Anchorage Opera, he created a popular concert conversation series that brought together diverse community voices to explore social issues through music. His commitment to building meaningful community collaborations aligns closely with Kentucky Opera's mission, particularly its Awakenings series, which uses opera to bridge divides and spark conversation across the region.