The Artist Toolbox is hosted by writer/director/teacher John Jacobsen, who interviews some of the greatest artists in the country discussing how they make great art and great lives.

Each half hour show visits the work place, the neighborhood and often the home of one guest, each of who is a leader in their field and master of the craft. The first season is comprised of John Legend, the chart topping R&B singer; Jason Alexander, the multi-talented actor from Seinfeld; David Garrett, the virtuoso violinist; Ramsey Lewis, the legendary jazz pianist; Isabel Allende, the most widely read novelist in the Spanish language; Sam Gilliam, the influential Color School abstract painter; Zang Toi, haute couture fashion designer; Massimo and Leila Vignelli, the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century; Ruben and Isabel Toledo, the fashion icons; Tom Skerritt, seasoned star of television and film; Hugh Newell Jacobsen, one of the world’s top modern architects; Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky, lead dancers of The American Ballet Theatre Company; and Daniel Boulud, one of this country’s greatest chefs. The show is inspiring to all of us because artists are people who have overcome huge challenges, and learned to follow their passion, building the lives of their dreams.