The Safe Spaces Project continues to make strides in our mission to facilitate meaningful dialogues within circles of women, mothers, and caregivers. Our aim is to illuminate unseen scars while fostering tolerance, understanding, and solidarity. To further this cause, we've partnered with Rosa Centrum Pro Zeny to raise awareness about domestic viol…

Welcome to Safe Spaces, an initiative by Art Connect Society dedicated to fostering community engagement through contemporary art. Our mission is to facilitate meaningful dialogues within circles of women, mothers, and caregivers, shedding light on unseen scars while nurturing tolerance, understanding, and solidarity. A behind the scenes look, we'v…

Leila Angelina Freiburg put her longing in a tiny box, until she realised she could break the stereotype in herself that an artist was someone who only concentrated on his/herself. The belief that being an artist meant taking the art more seriously than the needs of ones family. Realizing that taking time for her art was an essential part of meetin…

Join Valentine and inspiring Dutch artist Ellen Holleman as they unpack small but mighty steps toward a more conscious practice and living. In their fun and inspiring conversation, they explore differences in environmental factors, some practical steps for making incremental sustainability shifts in the studio, the concept of doing the least harm, …

“You can plan out success, but you have to leave room for the magic.” What is it to facilitate community and connection? Dive in to some inspiring examples of real life superheroes? Or maybe just artists putting in the work? ;) “Experiencing things is the most important thing and to learn and to know about yourself.” @artsisterspodcast @artconnectw…

Join us for this incredibly fun and inspiring conversation with KAT FURTADO! Valentine connects with Kat, a dynamic multidimensional contemporary mixed-media artist from San Diego, California. Furtado is a certified and licensed Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with a Master's of Art in Communication Science and Disorders. Her background as an SLP…

What led these two hardworking striving artists, sisters in Nigeria to found an international art magazine? What was the best bit of advice given by a MOMA consultant during Matilda's artist residency? Let's dig into the raw behind the scenes. We battled a power outage during the recording, nevertheless persisted and are delighted to share this hon…

Valentine, Kristi, and multidisciplinary visual artist Klara Siska sat down for a warm, connected conversation highlighting the critical need for each of us to trust and lean in to our gut, try new things, and cooperate openly within safe spaces. Klara, has been an instrumental founding member of the Art Connect Society community since its inceptio…

Valentine and Kristi sit down with Jess Burchett, American singer-songwriter and mastering engineer. They talk through the process of building up your career around your passion. Jess walks us through the engineering side of music and how this aspect of music making has combined with her passion for writing songs. The three women discuss the import…

Take a listen to this special episode with inspiring Ukrainian artist and mother of two, Oleksandra! With some laughs and tears, we dive into her art journey following the start of the war and her new relationship with art in her temporary home in Sweden. She was awarded an artist residency through the SWAN residency network, specifically the Artis…

Join Kristi, Valentine, and Ecuadorian figurative painter, lawyer, founder of Female Artists Oslo and Female Artists Nordic, and mother of three, Paulina Ree. The women discuss and share deeply personal examples of doing the hard internal work in order to prioritize your art practice, family, and mental health. Join us in unpacking self-advocacy, b…

Camille Myles is an inspiring multi-disciplinary contemporary artist and creator of public art working and living in Tiny, Ontario. She's a conservation activist and brings this perspective to all her projects. Camille joins the Art Sisters to unpack what it looks like when we trust our value and acknowledge the importance of priorities in order to…

Valentine interviews talented San Francisco based painter and dear friend Ellen Burgin. Ellen talks about the impact of growing up in the South and how it has been woven into the fabric of her life, the importance of her daily practice- even in the so called quieter periods of her life, the role of community and tips for identifying and settling in…

Take a listen to a quick conversation between Valentine and Kristi (plus two surprise guests) all about prepping for a show! The Art Sisters dive into what it is like to connect with a multilingual audience, how they mentally prepare for a show, publicize it, and so much more! @artsisterspodcast @kristileimusic @bellavalentinaart www.artconnectsoci…

Valentine speaks with dear friend Marianna Jimenez Edwards. Marianna has developed a clear voice and vision for her work over the years. She shares about the hard work she's putting in and how being specific about how you share and where you show up can support you in your goals. Frequent trips to stay with family in Mexico exposed Marianna to the …

Join Valentine and Kristi as they sit down with Andrea Ehret, a painter, art therapist, and mother based in Prague to share experiences in building a sense of security while navigating the art world. From finding financial stability to stealing moments in the day to breathe, paint, and create. Andrea and the Art Sisters try to figure out how to not…

Join Valentine and Atlanta, Georgia based, Leslie Anne as they dig into the behind the scenes. Leslie shares about the benefits of staying open and seeking collaboration with other visual and performing artists, and trusting what feels good. Her intuition leading her into claiming her unique space as she creates her art world. Leslie Anne is a self…

This special episode of the Art Sisters Podcast takes place at the Bella Valentina Artist Residency that took place this weekend in the Czech Republic. Valentine shares in conversation with Laura Hanganu, a talented and widely collected abstract artist who shares openly about her creative path. She describes the behind the scenes of her vulnerable …

Curious about how a song is built? Is there a formula? Is it gradual process? How does journaling play in? Kristi unpacks and plays pieces from a new song she's working on as she and Valentine explore the meaning of "Home." Join them as they contemplate the symbolism behind Bedroom Set. www.tinyurl.com/ArtSistersPodcast @artsisterspodcast @bellaval…

Join Valentine and Camille as they dive openly into the behind the scenes of building a cohesive practice as a multipassionate artist. Camille Myles is a French-Canadian multi-disciplinary contemporary artist and conservation activist exploring imagery that is grounded in our identity and reflects our impacts on the environment. Working in public a…

The Art Sisters dig into Valentine’s husband Jan Svihaleks’ path and how that led him to Hill Country Blues and finding his niche. Recently, Jan assisted in managing and producing Kristi’s EP album, Becoming Memories, and continues to be a musical mentor for her. Brno guitarist, singer, composer, and lyricist, Jan Švihálek. In 1995, he founded Hooc…

Join Valentine as she gets to know an incredibly inspirational mother of three who does it all while creating community and maintaining her own art practice. Shannon is such a talented, passionate, and experienced artist and arts educator. That passion led this New Yorker to found the Institute For Visual Arts Los Angeles a community based space to…

Stephanie Barbetta is a truly dynamic international artist from Geneva, Switzerland. Valentine and Stephanie discuss both philosophical and practical components of her work. Here's a little taste of the topics and experiences they discussed in episode 21. She always found a refuge in words. As she says, "writings take care of what bodies fear: care…

Join Valentine as she talks to Allison about how she found the confidence to push out of her comfort zone and start believing in her work. She unpacks the journey that took her from Pennsylvania to Seattle (soon California) and the ways that coaching and supportive community enabled her to let the joy back into her thriving art practice. Allison Ro…

This is definitely our longest episode to date, but it’s simply packed with wonderful conversation with the always inspiring Andrea Ehret! Andrea shared openly about the connection with her Slovak roots, family, and natural environment, collaborations with other artists in Prague and around the world, making artist residencies work, performance art…

Valentine asks Emily Moores about the way her art transforms lives through playful engagement. Can the presence of artwork decrease the amount of medication a patient requires during a hospital stay? Can a whimsical installation stir affect? Listen in as Emily shares her experience. Emily is a visual artist living and working in Cincinnati, Ohio. H…

Community, collaboration, mentorship, grant writing, public art, inspiration and more! Listen in as Valentine interviews artist, arts educator, and friend Isadora Stowe as she shares how she doesn't just fit it all in, but maximizes every moment to fuel her creative practice! Isadora Stowe is a multi-media American visual artist whose artwork focus…

Valentine interviews artist and educator Yvette L. Cummings. Yvette opens up about her path, the process of leaning into her vulnerability, the layers of meaning and significance in her boldly patterned, colorful work, and much more. She received her BFA from Kendall College of Art and Design and completed her Masters of Fine Arts degree at the Uni…

Join Valentine as she talks to Ilze Egle about how growing up with the shift from the Soviet Union to an Independent Latvia stirred something within. How that search for something more led her to a monastery in France on her way to carving out her path as an artist and arts educator, and much more. www.ilzeegle.com @ilzeegleart @artconnectwomen www…