Name: 8. Curating Desert Forest with Sant Khalsa by MOAH Muse: Inspiration from Arts & Culture
Duration: 43 min 20 s
Description: Join us as we chat with artist and activist Sant Khalsa about her experience curating Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees at MOAH. Sant discusses working with artist, scientist, and associate curator Juniper Harrower, her experience with The Getty PST program, and her decades long love and admiration of the iconic Joshua Tree.

Join us as we chat with artist and activist Sant Khalsa about her experience curating Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees at MOAH. Sant discusses working with artist, scientist, and associate curator Juniper Harrower, her experience with The Getty PST program, and her decades long love and admiration of the iconic Joshua Tree.

8. Curating Desert Forest with Sant Khalsa

(Recorded January 2025) In this episode, we explore the importance of civic engagement, public life, and community awareness with Sarah Daleiden. Through the lens of the South Antelope Valley Rural Life Project, we discuss how residents can become more involved, connected, and empowered in shaping their communities.

9. Civic Engagement with Sarah Daleiden

(Recorded in January 2024), Photographer Osceola Refetoff, curator Shana Nys Dambrot, museum manager Andi Campognone, and art coordinator Monica Baker explore how artists are expanding their practices in response to global change.

Touching on film, photography, science, sustainability, and AI, they discuss how creative work intersects with culture, land stewardship, and environmental urgency. The conversation centers on how artists can use aggressive beauty—aesthetic strategies that provoke, engage, and inspire—to meet this pivotal moment as storytellers, visionaries, and changemakers.

Whether you're an emerging or established artist, curator, or cultural thinker, this episode offers valuable insights into the evolving ecosystem of art and its power to influence the future.

11. Artist Opportunities and Expanding Your Practice with Osceola Refetoff and Shana Nys Dambrot

(Recorded March 2024) With special guest speaker January Parkos Arnall we explore how art connects people and communities. Through conversations about culture, creativity, and professional practice, we examine the role of museums and art as spaces for visual storytelling—where the lived experiences and narratives of diverse communities are shared, honored, and brought to life.

12. Combating Barriers of Entry with January Parkos Arnall

(Recorded June 2024) What does art and entertainment PR look like today? Join us as Heidi Johnson, PR expert and founder of Hijinx Arts, takes us behind the scenes of street art, artist management, and elevating emerging voices. We unpack the game-changing role of social media—from Instagram to Cara—and reveal how artists can craft authentic narratives that cut through the noise. If you want to understand the modern art world’s pulse and how to make your story heard, this episode is for you!

13. PR for Artists with Heidi Johnson

(Recorded March 2025) What does it mean to interpret a wild space—and why does it matter?

In this episode, we speak with Dave Martin, a Los Angeles-based artist, filmmaker, and educator whose work explores how we interpret place, image, and meaning. Dave is currently the artist-in-residence at the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve, home to the Elize Clifford Interpretive Center in Lancaster, California.

As both the resident artist at the Preserve and co-founder of Artist In Residence (A.I.R.) in the Antelope Valley, Dave shares how art, storytelling, and signage can deepen our connection to the natural world. From the exhibits inside the Interpretive Center to the open desert trails, Dave explains how creative interpretation fosters curiosity, care, and a sense of stewardship for these wild spaces.

Join us for a thoughtful conversation about the artist’s role as interpreter—and how that lens can shape the way we understand and protect the land around us.

14. Interpreting the Wild with Dave Martin

(Recorded June 2025) Join us for a conversation with local printmaker Francis Robateau—MOAH’s All Media Juried Show 2024 Best of Exhibition artist and multi-year People’s Choice Award winner—as he reflects on his artistic journey and creative process. Facing the challenges of being an emerging artist today, Francis shares honest insights and inspiration—from embracing imperfections and uncertainty to staying fully present in your practice. This episode offers grounded advice and encouragement for anyone ready to create in today’s ever-changing world. Sometimes, the most important step is simply to just make.

15. Just Make - Advice for Emerging Artists with Printmaker Francis Robateau

(Recorded May 2024) In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Peter Mays, Executive Director of Gallery 825 and a champion of emerging artists. Together, we dive into what it really means to pursue art as a career. Whether you're just starting out or redefining your artistic path, Peter shares invaluable insights into navigating the art world, choosing the kind of artist you want to be, and making your mark in a competitive field. Plus, get an inside look at Gallery 825’s role in supporting new talent and building community.
 If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Can I really make it as an artist?” — this episode is for you.

10. Art as a Career with Peter Mays

Our annual Juried Show celebrates bold, emerging voices — and this episode, we’re featuring one of the brightest! Sculptor Catherine Montoya, our inaugural Creative Pollination Fellow, takes us behind the scenes of her journey as an emerging artist: the thrill (and nerves!) of applying to a juried show, the opportunities it unlocked, and how she turned that experience into her playful workshop Sweet Forms at our Creative Pollination event. We also discuss stories from the Juried Show and opportunities at MOAH and MOAH:CEDAR that are available to all emerging artists, along with embracing risk and the power of our voices through sculpture. Step inside the world of emerging art, where courage meets creativity.

16. Sweet Forms, Budding Futures: Juried Show Artist & Creative Pollination Fellow Catherine Montoya

Step inside Legacy of Care: 70 Years of Innovation — an exhibition celebrating Antelope Valley Medical Center’s rich history of healing and its enduring impact on the community.
Presented at MOAH:CEDAR from August 2 through September 28, 2025, the exhibition reflected on seven decades of care, compassion, and progress. In this episode, we sit down with Cynthia Frausto, Director of Marketing & Public Relations, to explore how art and storytelling intertwine to honor the hospital’s lasting legacy of innovation and service within the region.

17. Legacy of Care: 70 Years of Innovation at Antelope Valley Medical Center with Cynthia Frausto

MOAH Muse is your gateway to the world of creativity, hosted by museum curators, art enthusiasts and cultural connoisseurs. Dive into captivating discussions, interviews, and explorations of art, culture, and creativity. Immerse yourself in the vivid tapestry of human expression and let MOAH Muse inspire your creativity and enrich your cultural knowledge.

8. Curating Desert Forest with Sant Khalsa

MOAH Muse: Inspiration from Arts & Culture

Related tracks