A young couple at the end of a promising first date has an even more promising first kiss. Girl coyly goes upstairs; boy gets into Chevy, starts car and drives off. A little ways down the block, boy pushes a few buttons, cueing his car to respond by providing audible Facebook status updates, including one from his date: “Best first date ever.”

In an America that gives an Oscar nod to a film about Facebook, it’s safe to say that we as a people have embraced social and digital media on every plane. But that’s not all. Social media is one in a cadre of digital forces that have bred in us a need for instant gratification. We’ve always wanted; now we want right now.

With that in mind, we decided to investigate how the digital age is impacting the arts movement in Northeast Ohio. Most galleries and artists worth their weight in Farmville coins already have a Facebook fan page, a Twitter account or a blog. Which begs the question: Who’s taking an innovative, bleeding-edge approach to the work of infusing digital media with good old-fashioned fine art?

Todd Volkmer, no question.

First and foremost, Volkmer, or Todd V, as he’s better known, is a lifelong visual artist of the fine variety. Likewise, his wife Shelli works in knit media, mainly creating functional pieces like purses and wearables. Volkmer himself paints mainly in acrylic, and more recently ventured into photography. He has a collection of work in We Gallery in Akron’s Northside, as well as in his own studio by appointment (or on his website at ToddV.com), but he’s currently painting mostly commission-based pieces to make time for his more recent passions.

And so his varied talents as a fine artist aren’t the story here. His appreciation for his fellow artists of Northeast Ohio have bloomed into Arts Quest TV, an Internet streaming television show that features visual and performance artists from Cleveland/Akron/Canton and beyond in poignant 30-minute segments. Together with Erin Ludlam, co-host and We Gallery co-owner, he interviews artists from the community in an effort to cultivate an active arts patron base. Using a combination of distribution channels, you can find Arts Quest TV on YouTube, as well as through TiVo, Boxee and other Internet-to-television services.

Why take time out of an already excruciatingly busy schedule to promote the arts in Northeast Ohio?

I think we have a tremendous amount of talent that gets overlooked here. We’re not really a destination city like New York, Chicago or L.A. When people travel to destination cities, they find that piece, they fall in love and they have to have it. Our base tends to be people who live and work here, and that makes for more carefully considered art purchases. Familiarity breeds contempt. Plus, people only have so much wall space. The result is that our collective talent gets overlooked. That’s why I started Arts Quest TV. I want to highlight and introduce artists to our corner of the world, and do it in a way that is instantly and irrevocably accessible.

So you just woke up one morning and decided to create your own television show about local artists?

[Laughing] I saw how people were starting to take advantage of YouTube and other video-on-demand programs, and not just for funny viral clips, but for interesting and unique content. People are so busy, but they’ll pop onto YouTube at work. Using this technology is free. It just takes time and patience on my part. We’ve been doing Arts Quest TV for a year and a half. I find that content distribution over the web is a very exciting model. With the convergence of television and the Internet, people are just finding us!

What’s the gist of Arts Quest?

The show started out almost like an artist reality show, a report on everything that’s happening with the arts locally. When I find something I like, I like to share it with other people. What amazes me is that at the end of each show, when I sit back and think about the whole process coming to fruition, I almost feel the same satisfaction as when I finish a painting. Film has become such an incredible way to tell stories. There are so many stories to tell, and there is no more dynamic way than through film. I never though I’d be a filmmaker because of the cost, but it has become so approachable and affordable. Anyone can be a filmmaker if they roll up their sleeves and put in some hard work and creativity.

What’s up next for you?

I think my primary medium will probably be film, but I don’t think I’ll ever stop painting or practicing fine art — if for nothing else than the rush and release. I find it so relaxing to sit in front of a big easel and move the paint around. I can’t stop that!

I’m currently working on three documentaries through my production company, Wasted Talent Media (WastedTalentMedia.com). One is about the early pioneers of the Akron police force, black officers in Akron during the 1960s. Another was the brainchild of my son, Stone. He was diagnosed with type-1 diabetes, and it came as such a shock to us. We couldn’t believe it when we found out that Akron Children’s Hospital alone is getting four to five new cases a week and often you don’t see any symptoms until you’re rushing to the hospital. The documentary will be told from a child’s perspective, featuring my son and other kids, as a way to convey the disease to other parents.

So I can’t help but ask: What is it that you don’t do?

Ha! I don’t know how to answer that — I do immerse myself a lot. I guess I’m a little ADD. This keeps me from getting bored. More than anything, with all the things I’m doing, I’m still coming to them as an artist. I’m leery of accidentally becoming a videographer and I try to hold my projects to a higher standard. I don’t want someone to see my work and say “Well, that’s good for someone from Ohio.” I’m teaching at Akron Digital Media Center — it’s a citizen journalism school where I teach people to do what I’m doing. I’m teaching people that it doesn’t matter what equipment you’re using — it’s the story you’re telling that’s most important.

I’ve got a great deal of learning to do — that’s my favorite thing about film and my favorite thing about working with Erin. No matter what I get done with, she’s always there to say “Okay, what else can we do to make it better?”

Arts Quest TV episodes can be viewed online at ArtsQuestTV.com and through a variety of content partners. Visit the site to learn about how to be featured on the show.

 

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