Art Works Podcast
National Endowment for the ArtsArt Works Podcast
The National Endowment for the Arts podcast that goes behind the scenes with some of the nation’s great artists to explore how art works.
Public Domain
The National Endowment for the Arts podcast that goes behind the scenes with some of the nation’s great artists to explore how art works.
Public Domain
Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Doctor Strange: the late Stan Lee was there at the creation.
From composing opera to heading SFJAZZ, NEA Jazz Master Terence Blanchard continues to push creative boundaries
Trumpeter, composer, and 2024 NEA Jazz Master Terence Blanchard joins Art Works for a conversation that traces his extraordinary musical journey.
A National Heritage Fellow Reflects on Tradition, Innovation, and a Lifetime of Music
Arena Stage's first Black artistic director curates bold seasons and builds bridges through art.
From Klezmer to Jazz, Andy Statman Redefines Musical Boundaries
Exploring Disability Creativity and Accessibility in Opera
Revisiting "Interior Chinatown": Charles Yu on Identity, Representation, and Adaptation
Celebrate Thanksgiving with Art Works as we revisit our conversation with Nick Spitzer, the creator and host of the radio program American Routes.
Celebrating the lives and music of NEA Jazz Masters Roy Haynes and Lou Donaldson with excerpts from their interviews and music that defined their careers.
Using ancient Greek tragedy, Theater of War brings veterans together to discuss trauma, honor, and the costs of war.
Exploring identity, resilience, and community through monumental art.
A Conversation with horror author Christina Henry about the thrill of fear, the allure of haunted spaces, and her approach to crafting atmospheric, character-driven, scary stories.
From restoring century-old masterpieces to building new ones, Todd Goings combines artistry and engineering to preserve the magic of these iconic rides for future generations.
Revisit our 2015 conversation with Juan Felipe Herrera, the first Latino U.S. Poet Laureate and now a MacArthur Fellow!
Soo Hugh joins Art Works to discuss the series Pachinko, the multigenerational story of a Korean family navigating war, displacement, and identity.
Using humor to shine a light on serious issues
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month: we are revisiting our 2023 interview with award-winning author Meg Medina, the first Latina National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
From Gang Life to National Heritage Fellow: Fabian Debora on Art as a Tool for Healing and Transformation
It's Arts Education Week--Meet Artist/Teacher/Advocate James Rees
In our latest episode, we dive into the impact of theater education on student development with expert Thalia Goldstein. Discover how the arts can shape young minds and foster empathy!
Bril Barrett reflects on the enduring power of tap to connect past, present, and future and how his teaching philosophy—rooted in history, culture, and improvisation—continues to inspire the next generation of tap dancers.
In this 2023 interview, Dr. David Fakunle shares how storytelling and the arts serve as powerful tools for healing and public health, transforming communities through creativity.
The prolific musician and composer Vijay Iyer discusses his diverse musical background, and his parallel careers in jazz and classical composition. nd the recent release of his CD "Vijay Iyer: Trouble" with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.
Revisiting Dr. Joel Snyder's pioneering work in audio description for Disability Pride Month
Author Bonnie Jo Campbell discusses her novel, "The Waters," a tale set in the rich landscapes of rural Michigan that explores the intricate dynamics within a family of women in a shifting society.
Discover how Charleston's Gaillard Center blends history, community, and the arts. Join CEO Lissa Frenkel on "Art Works" to explore this cultural gem.
Joanie Madden: Bronx Roots to Global Stages: The Journey of an Irish Music Icon
This July 4th, let's revisit Lin-Manuel Miranda and his revolutionary musical "Hamilton."
Discover the transformative journey of Adriana Pierce, a trailblazing dancer, choreographer, and director, who is reshaping the ballet world through her initiative, Queer the Ballet.
Discover how 2024 National Heritage Fellow Pat Johnson transformed her former segregated one room school into a thriving center for Black history and culture and community engagement in Pocahontas Arkansas.
Curator Tyler Blackwell Discusses the Innovative Initiatives that Make the Speed a Community Hub
Remembering the late blues musician Phil Wiggins
Join us on Art Works as Shanna Lin discusses the transformative power of the Paterson Music Project. Discover how music education is changing lives!
LGBT and Ethnic Scholar and Author Lillian Faderman discusses her book My Mother’s Wars a reconstructed memoir of her mother’s life as an Jewish immigrant in the United States
A discussion between the NEA and Actors' Equity about the challenges and opportunities facing theater.
Staging Stories: Psalmayene 24 on Directing Across Time
Author Diana Abu-Jaber has thoughts about cultural complexity, memoirs, and fiction
Leslie Sainz: A New Voice in Contemporary Poetry
Suzan-Lori Parks shows up in everything she does!
Bassist and 2017 NEA Jazz Master Dave Holland talks about his life in jazz
Dive into 'Harmonies of Heritage' with Willard Jenkins, a jazz master shaping the genre's future through advocacy and passion.
A Special Edition of Art Works: Talking across disciplines with the Chair of the NEA and the Director of the Census Bureau
Amina Claudine Myers: From gospel to jazz
Kirsten Cappy co-founder of I'm Your Neighbor Books builds bridges through children's literature
A conversation with author and 2020 NEA Literature Fellow Danielle Evans
Get into the soul of tap dancing with Reggio the Hoofer!
"Listening is more important than playing": so says saxophonist Gary BartzIn this tuneful podcast, 2024 NEA Jazz Master Saxophonist Gary Bartz talks about his life and career, touching on his roots, influences, collaborations, and the philosophical underpinnings that have guided his artistic journey. Born in Baltimore in 1940, Gary's musical journey began in a segregated America, where he found music to be a universal language that could transcend societal barriers. He discusses his early encounters with music which were deeply influenced by his family's musical gatherings and his exposure to the records of Charlie Parker, which ignited his passion for the saxophone at the age of six. He talks about moving to New York City in 1958, immersing himself in the city's vibrant jazz scene, his time at Juilliard and the thrill of playing alongside legends like Max Roach (NEA Jazz Master, 1984), Charles Mingus, Art Blakey (NEA Jazz Master, 1988), Miles Davis (NEA Jazz Master, 1984) and McCoy Tyner (NEA Jazz Master, 2002), highlighting the impact of these experiences on his musical direction. He details his approach to music, emphasizing the importance of listening and creativity and expressing his disdain for the term "jazz," preferring to see music as a boundless form of expression. Gary also discusses his work with younger musicians and bands like his collaborations with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge for their Jazz Is Dead label and the spiritual jazz band Maisha, emphasizing the importance of intergenerational dialogue in music. With over two decades of teaching at Oberlin, Gary talks about his approach to education which focuses first on the importance of listening—a skill he deems crucial for any musician. He shares his feelings on being named an NEA Jazz Master, acknowledging it as a significant honor that places him among the heroes who shaped his musical path. Note: On Saturday, April 13, 2024, the National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will celebrate the 2024 honorees with a tribute concert. Keep checking arts.gov for details.
Celebrate Black History Month: Isabel Wilkerson discusses the Great Migration and American Culure
"American Fiction" might be director Cord Jefferson's first film--but it's nominated for five Academy Awards.
Art Might be the Prescription! “From Heritage to Health” brings the diverse cultures of everyday life to medical care.
Meet American Routes creator and host Nick Spitzer
Celebrating 1984 NEA Jazz Master Max Roach’s centenary with a conversation about the documentary “Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes” with co-directors Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro.
A conversation with Director of Presented Programming at the McCarter Theatre Center Paula Abreu halfway through her first season on the job!
Artistic Director of the Folger Karen Ann Daniels says theater starts in the neighborhood
Brandon Victor Dixon--talks about Alicia Keys and "Hells Kitchen"--and "Hamilton" too!
Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky discusses her own family’s journey through deafness and music.
We’re marking the Indigenous Peoples Month by Revisiting Director and Playwright Randy Reinholz (Choctaw)--
“Where there’s flavor, there’s history:” A Look at New Orleans Food Culture with Zella Palmer
Author Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee) makes it real for young readers.
Sebastian Junger wonders if a fragmented society doesn't contribute to PTSD in Veterans.
Novelist Isabel Cañas merges gothic terror with actual history
We’re marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month with a conversation with filmmakers and disability rights advocates James LeBrecht and Day Al-Mohamed
When the Stage Becomes a Hall of Mirrors
Manuel Delgado continues his family’s tradition of hand-building stringed instruments and adds a healthy dose of arts advocacy
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Flamenco Artist and Teacher Eva Enciñias
Meet "Little Joe" Hernandez one of the most prominent musicians in Tejano
Luis Tapia carves his own artistic path
What Inspires a philanthropist and an arts presenter?
Dr. David Fakunle creates better public health one story at a time
Rutabaga Queen and Ace Pilot Kati Texas takes us behind the scenes of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Grand Championship, where art and science go to play.
Back to School: Teaching artist Emmett Phillips creates dynamic arts education programming through hip-hop.
Here's what one rural county is doing to provide equitable arts education for all its districts
Elizabeth James-Perry (Wampanoag, Aquinnah) combines tribal knowledge, science, and history to make dazzling art
Harmonica player Phil Wiggins talks and demonstrates playing the blues
Author and Disability Advocate Rebekah Taussig's Memoir "Sitting Pretty" is like talking to a very smart and very funny friend.
Gil Rose--a force in contemporary music
Ann Meier Baker went to boot camp so she could sing professionally!
Celebrate Black Music Month! It 'sa conversation with 2023 NEA Jazz Master Saxophonist Kenny Garrett
Historian and National Book Award-winner Tiya Miles talks about the challenges of writing fiction
In "The Tradition" Pulitzer Prize winning poet Jericho Brown explores the Black queer body at risk and resilent
Memoirist Nicole Chung explores family and loss with a focus on broader societal failures.
We're closing our celebration of AAPI Month with the great choreographer Dana Tai Soon Burgess
A look at new art programs for veterans and service members
Filmmaker Jason Rhee creates a documentary about EJ Lee "the Korean Magic Johnson of NCAA women's basketball."
Just in time for Mother's Day, Amy Tan Discusses the Joy Luck Club
Author Meg Medina wants young readers to see themselves and others in books
A celebration of the music of the late Ahmad Jamal
Dramaturg and literary manager Otis Cortez Ramsey-Zöe and casting director Joseph Pinzon takes us behind the scenes at Washington DC’s Arena Stage for the revival of “Angels in America.”
It's a musical journey as violinist Regina Carter recalls her spectacular career in jazz.
How violinist Regina Carter moved from classical music to jazz
Let's meet Tsione Wolde-Michael, the execuitve director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH)
Bsura Rehman's novel gives us a portrait of the artist as a young, queer, Pakistani American growing up in Queens
Janis Burley Wilson Has been bringing the arts to Pittsburgh for over two decades!
Drummer Louis Hayes talks about his lifetime in music
Chair Maria Rosario Jackson looks back at her first year leading the Arts Endowment and shares her ideas, plans, and initiatives for the year ahead.
Kyle Abraham creates dance with purpose and artistry
MIT physicist and novelist Alan Lightman looks for meaning in the age of science
Quilter and curator Carolyn Mazloomi tells stories through quilts
Novelist Kevin Wilson discusses the serious issues at the heart of his outrageous (and outrageously funny) novel "Nothing To See Here."
Folklorist and Park Ranger Bobby Fulcher connects traditional culture and the natural environment
Hill Country Blues Musician, Songwriter and 2021 National Heritage Fellow Cedric Burnside talks about bringing his musical roots to the 21st century.
Composer, conductor, and commentator Rob Kapilow takes us on a musical journey through Leonard Bernstein’s Broadway career.
Signature Theatre: Making Musical Theatre Magic in Northern Virginia
Award-Winning Children's and YA Author Renée Watson Talks About Writing for Young People
Navajo/Diné Textile Artist and Weaver and 2022 National Heritage Fellow TahNibaa Naataanii talks about the practice of Navajo/Diné weaving--an art that is a way of life.
: In her novel Crooked Hallelujah, Kelli Jo Ford (Cherokee) gives us the stories of four generations of Cherokee women and the love, support, and conflict they share as they navigate their lives in and out of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
We are celebrating Native American Heritage Month and National Heritage Award by revisiting Penobscot Nation Ash/Sweetgrass Basketmaker and 2016 National Heritage Fellow Theresa Secord who discusses bringing an ancient art into the 21st century.
Learn about the dynamic art of stepping--from the founder of Step Afrika! C. Brian Williams!
The late Kevin Locke talks about learning, performing, and teaching Lakota culture and traditions.
Director of Communications for the Mount Zion Baptist Church Preservation Society in Athens Ohio Dr. Tee Ford-Ahmed talks about repurposing a vacant but historically-significant Black church into a cultural center—with an assist from the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design.
Bluegrass Fiddler and 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellow Michael Cleveland talks about his life immersed in music
Marisel Vera talks about unpacking the history of late 19th century Puerto Rico for her novel “The Taste of Sugar.”
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage with Artist and Teacher Amalia Ortiz
Filmmaker Loira Limbal talks about her 2020 documentary Through the Night which examines a home-based 24-hour day-care center
Flamenco Artist and 2022 National Heritage Fellow Eva Enciñias talks about her life's work in flamenco.
Composer and educator David Serkin Ludwig talks about his life in music both as a composer and as an educator dedicated to new music and expanding the music community
Carlton Turner talks about the work of Sipp Culture which uses story to uncover and support cultural and economic development in Utica, Mississippi.
Revisiting: Novelist Vanessa Hua--Shining a Light on the Many Chinese-American Voices
Filmmaker CJ Hunt discusses his Emmy Award nominated documentary The Neutral Ground which explores the struggle to remove four Confederate monuments in New Orleans
Jenny Mendez talks about a holistic approach to arts programming
Actor Jacob Ming-Trent making a place for himself on the stage, why he left it, and why he returned.
Almeta Ingram-Miller shares the journey of The Legendary Ingramettes and six decades of women-led gospel
Sarah Smarsh discusses her book "Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth" which is 2022-2023 NEA Big Read title.
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Henry Threadgill continues creating on music's edge
Songwriter and instrumentalist Louie Pérez takes us through the 50 year journey of the legendary band Los Lobos
Shanta Thake is expanding Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' programming and audience
Dr. Lisa Donovan discusses successful ways to Increase access to arts education in rural areas
Theater director Saheem Ali talks about directing Shakespeare that centers on communities of color.
In this 2021 interview, singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and artistic director of Silkroad Rhiannon Giddens talks about the Black roots of American music,
Sonja Kostich and Stella Abrera both Asian- Americans, former dancers, and co-leaders of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park talk about the organization's role as both artistic incubator and arts presenter, and their commitment to diversity in programming, performers, staff, and audience.
Composer, lyricist, and playwright Michael R. Jackson talks about creating his Pultizer-Prize winning musical "A Strange Loop."
US Army Veteran Jaymes Poling and Jazz Trumpeter Dominick Farinacci
Daniel K. Isaac
Peng Shepherd
Revisiting Taiko Leaders PJ and Roy Hirabayashi and Slack Key Guitarist Ledward Kaapana
Huascar Medina
Stanley Clarke
Revisiting Tracy K. Smith and Melissa Range
Terence Blanchard
Cassandra Wilson
Revisiting Lynsey Addario
Marjan Kamali
Valerie Boyd on Zora Neale Hurston
Ashleigh Gordon
Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson
Celebrating the late Hank Jones
Donald Harrison, Jr.
Sade Lythcott
Dr. Joel Snyder
Dr. Nicole Fleetwood
Joy Jones
Andrew Krivak
Revisiting Maria Schneider
David Rodriguez
Revisiting Kelly Church (Ottawa/ Pottawatomi)
Arlo Iron Cloud (Oglala-Sioux)
Cedric Burnside
Dr. Niyati Dhokai
Louie Pérez
Snehal Desai
Marisel Vera
Kate DiCamillo
Elena Martínez
Angel Blue
Reginald “Reggio the Hoofer” McLaughlin
Come From Away
Revisiting Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin)
Revisiting Terri Lyne Carrington
Arts Education: Helping Students Move Forward
Creativity, Culture & Capital
David Henry Gerson
Anita Fields (Osage/Muscogee)
CJ Hunt
Katie Bowler Young
Madeline Sayet
Maestro William Henry Curry
Kaitlyn Greenidge
Jericho Brown
Michael R. Jackson
Jenny Koons
Ethan Heard
Charles Yu
Mequitta Ahuja
Darrel Alejandro Holnes
Terri Lyne Carrington
Camille T. Dungy
Albert “Tootie” Heath
Phil Schaap
Sally Wen Mao
Tana French
Nataki Garrett
Rhiannon Giddens
Henry Threadgill
Danielle Evans
Tracy K. Smith
Amanda Morgan
Duke Dang, GM of Works & Process at the Guggenheim
Violinist and Social Entrepreneur Aaron Dworkin
Suni Paz
Joy Harjo (Muscogee/Creek)
Lora Bottinelli
Rick Dildine
Rebekah Taussig
Meet 2020 National Heritage Fellow Wayne Valliere (Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe)
Scott Yoo
Halloween 2020
Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle
Erika L. Sánchez
Maria Manuela Goyanes
Loira Limbal
Hugo Morales
Sonny Rollins
Amanda C. Burdan
Dorthaan Kirk
William Bell
Karen Ann Hoffman (Oneida Nation of Wisconsin)
Gordon Sasaki
Director Jenna Worsham and Playwright Catya McMullen
Randall Kline
Clifford Murphy
Adrian Matejka
Michael R Jackson
Jesmyn Ward
Brent Benjamin
Vanessa Hua
Pt 1 Brandon Gryde Director of Presenting and Multidisciplinary Works -- Pt 2 Peter Szep Founding director of New York Opera Fest and co-founder of New York Opera Alliance
Elizabeth Acevedo
Chick Corea
Joy Harjo
Roscoe Mitchell
Amy Stolls
Charlotte Mangin
Anna Needham (Red Lake Anishinaabe)
Lauren Gunderson
Cord Jefferson
Trey Ellis
Nate Powell
Reggie Workman
James F. Jackson
Colonel Don Schofield, U.S. Air Force
Ken Ludwig
Bob Fulcher
Kevin Gover
Jenifer McShane
Ayana Workman
Jeffrey Palmer
Sam Pressler and Brian Jenkins
Daniel Mason
John Kevin Jones
Crys Matthews
Madeline Miller
Pam Muñoz Ryan
Irene Taylor Brodsky
R.O. Kwon
Dan Ansotegui
Rosa Joshi
Rich Smoker
Julia Alvarez
J. Dash
Matthew Nicola
Junious Brickhouse
Stephanie Kline
Dr. Nina Kraus
Ursula von Rydingsvard
Phil and Lauren Grucci
Victor Lodato
Linda Goss
Jeff VanderMeer
Stephan Wolfert
Jennifer Croft
Edward Gero
Mary Rand Hess
David Horn
Abdullah Ibrahim
Christian McBride
Maria Schneider
Grace Cavalieri
Julia Wolfe
Aislinn Clarke
Renée Watson
Gordon Quinn and Tracye A. Matthews
Rachel L. Swarns and Darcy Eveleigh
Raymond O. Caldwell
Wil Haygood
Eddie Bond (Part 2)
Eddie Bond (Part 1)
Randy Reinholz (Choctaw)
Jeffrey Wright
Kiersten White
David Tomas Martinez
Marion Coleman
Kelly Church
Herman Cornejo
Ofelia Esparza
Don and Cindy Roy
Juliane Dressner, Karoline Jimenez, Christine Rodriguez, and Enoch Jemmott
Dana Nachman and Don Hardy
Rob Kapilow
Douglas Hegley, Samantha Porter and Colin McFadden
Sunni Fass and LuAnne Holladay
Malcolm J. Merriweather
Todd Barkan
Sergeant 1st Class Juan Munoz
Artemio Posadas
Ilya Tovbis
Kiran Singh Sirah
Dria Brown
Creative Forces and Finding A Tribe
Nora Atkinson
Liz Reed
Michael Fields
Jennifer Haigh
Seema Reza
Pat Metheny
Her poetry collection Scriptorium illuminate her Appalachian Roots.
Uncovering new dimensions of music.
Contemporary opera for contemporary audiences.
A novel about what endures when civilization ends.
Making music without boundaries.
Finding the intersection of science and love.
An aural shape-shifter.
His novels take a satirical look at race and identity.
Taking on the role of a lifetime: Rosa Parks in Behind the Movement
The making of the independent film Little Boxes.
Please note: This interview took place before the unexpected death of Nelsan Ellis who stars in the film Little Boxes.
Interpreting history with All the Way and The Great Society.
More than a film festival.
Keeping the blues alive and honoring its history
The Good of the Hive is more than an art project.
Casting Director Walter Ware III brings the right people together. Read all about the behind-the-scenes crew in NEA Arts.
Embracing and reinterpreting Ladino music.
Watch the video Una Noche Al Borde De La Mar.
An iconic role in the iconic play Sunday in the Park with George.
Roz Chast
Reinvigorating a traditional First Nation art.
His book Tribe rethinks PTSD.
They combined gun slingers with werewolves and created a classic, High Moon.
Creating language with paint.
Opens up worlds of complications and riches.
Forty years on, the first Native-American women’s theater is still going strong.
The National Book Award winner talks about Julia Alvarez, Oscar Wao, and the wonder of reading.
Their film Spettacolo looks at a small Tuscan village where each year life is translated into art.
Creating places for the arts and for artists.
Making music with his feet.
The great tenor saxophonist reflects on his life in music.
Circus arts by way of the East Village performance scene.
Behind the scenes of the award-winning documentary STEP.
Shining a light on untold stories.
Finding artistry in intimacy
Making theater happen in DC
Marries food with history to create culinary biographies.
Welcome to Braggsville: A madcap and tragic satire that unpacks attitudes about race.
Living the dream.
Bringing It All Home.
Celebrated by his son Fitz Gitler.
The power of music to make us whole.
Art is alive at the Frist Center!
Photographs that illuminate history, community and culture.
Creating a cultural mosaic of dance.
Her book Balancing Acts takes us backstage with dancers who are mothers.
The prolific award-winning novelist talks about sci-fi and technology.
Kim Roberts brings a poet’s eye to The Scientific Method
His collection Trespass shines a light in dark places
A musical shape-shifter.
Jazz as a way of life
Going her own way.
Celebrate Traditional Irish Music.
Her play Intelligence is a political drama that centers on accountability.
With Another Brooklyn, acclaimed children’s author Jacqueline Woodson creates an adult novel that reads like poetry.
Author and moderator of Face the Nation, Dickerson’s book Whistlestop is a witty, rollicking tour of presidential campaign history.
One of the best jazz organists, ever…and one of the most sampled jazz musicians,
With her character Lou Norton, Hall creates one of the few African American female detectives.
Bringing a love of art to the craft of criticism.
Living a full life on and off the stage.
Wright on the transformative power of theater and his two portrayals of MLK.
Creating a new language of dance.
With her memoir, It’s What I Do, Lynsey Addario explains how and why she covers war.
Winter at Westbeth shines a light on artists and aging.
Bringing a modern sensibility to classic characters.
Surviving the Khmer Rouge and honoring those who didn’t.
Creating art; changing lives.
With Presidential Suite, Ted Nash transforms iconic political speeches into an inventive jazz composition.
Pretty Monsters combines the ordinary and the magical—with flair.
Creating new flavors with traditional food.
Alex Lacamoire on bringing Hamilton and In the Heights to life on the stage.
Moving between Spanish and English on stage and on the page.
Bringing an ancient art form into the 21st century.
No one tells stories embedded in Southern Appalachia with more grit or more beauty.
Restoring wooden boats and keeping alive the culture of the working waterfront.
The Earl Mosley Institute of the Arts uses dance to create a community of young men.
Michael Berry reflects on the art of translating Yu Hua’s influential novel and new Big Read title To Live into English.
Using empty storefront windows as his gallery, Standart exhibits “WE ARE- A Nation of Immigrants” in the heart of New London, CT.
As host of the Emmy Award-winning series, Mickela Mallozzi travels the world learning the traditional dances and music of each place she visits.
Pushing the boundaries of improvisation.
Everyone has a story; Story District helps tell it.
Black Ballerina looks at different generations of dancers, but is it the same story?
Justin Cronin brings his post-apocalyptic Passage trilogy to a close with The City of Mirrors.
Building a community for traditional Irish music.
A personal story that speaks to the moment.
His life in the theater didn’t begin with Hamilton.
Founding her company after a near-fatal accident, Amy’s work is an exuberant affirmation.
In her new book, Rachel Moore gives practical advice and strategic insight for creating a career in the performing arts.
Creating opportunities for veterans who are artists.
Reclaiming the abandoned Bethlehem Steel Plant for the arts gives a region new life.
McBride’s latest book looks to understand what shaped James Brown-- one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
Making history on Broadway.
Shakespeare’s World and Ours.
A young professional autistic actor makes his difference work on the stage.
The poetry of the working class.
One of the great jazz virtuosos take us through his musical journey.
Keeping the music alive and the musicians playing.
Dr. Cole’s mission is to inspire a love of art especially in girls from under-represented communities.
In her novels, Solace and Tender, she paints an unsentimental picture of Ireland.
Wolf Trap is integrating art with fundamental science and math learning for young children and the data show significant results.
In her new work Baltimore, playwright Kirsten Greenidge grapples with the issue of race on college campuses.
Archie Shepp shares his musical biography—and his thoughts about the legacy of African-American music.
Poets and social workers, the twins’ primary audience have been Wilmington’s underserved children.
In his memoir Soul Serenade, Ollison describes how music was a lifeline during a difficult upbringing.
Giving voice to the human cost of workers without work.
Harrell Fletcher shares his passion for social practice—creative projects in communities that are by, for, and of the residents.
Creating American music that’s intense, sensual, and meaningful.
Teaching the next generation of digital artists.
Harriet Wolf’s Seventh Book of Wonders took Julianna Baggott 18 years to write… Julianna discusses how writing 14 other novels in a variety of genres, three collections of poetry, and a children’s series helped her finish Harriet Wolf.
A half-century of musical innovation and self-determination, told by AACM co-founder (currently AACM-New York president) and 2010 NEA Jazz Master Muhal Richard Abrams, current AACM-Chicago chairman Ernest Dawkins, and AACM member and 2014 NEA Jazz Master Anthony Braxton.
Dave Porter’s iconic music is an essential part of the story: Think Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul.
From Pericles to Tupac Shakur, Wayne Carr embodies fully-realized characters on the stage.
Tazewell Thompson may be wowing critics and audiences with his direction of the opera Appomattox, but he’s an equally brilliant theater director and playwright.
After 40 years, Joseph Riley steps down from being mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, leaving a legacy that demands art and beauty in the everyday.
Jane Alexander reflects on her time at the NEA, her life-long love affair with theater, and the centrality of art to the human experience.
Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, still loves drawing monsters.
Richard Hunt talks about creating large pieces of abstract art for public spaces and reflects on his time on the National Council of the Arts.
Karen Zacarias is the most produced Latina playwright in the nation. Now, she brings the telenovela to the stage with Destiny of Desire.
By performing and teaching Lakota flute and dance, Kevin Locke brings the past and the future together.
Most kids run away from home to join the circus. For Dolly Jacobs, it was a family affair.
They got the first grant from the NEA back in 1965 and are celebrating their own long history.
The new poet laureate of the United States and two-time NEA fellow calls for everyone's heart to speak out.
A life in the folk and traditional arts.
Her debut feature film Little Accidents takes us into the heart of a coal-mining town.
How a writer created the music magazine he wanted to read.
Reimagining the presentation of classical music.
Find out about the artistic exuberance that is Squonk Opera.
Equality, justice, and a place on the dance floor.
From beautifully crafted short fiction to page-turning gothic novels, Rebecca Makkai puts art at the heart of her work.
Wayne Henderson on his distinctive guitars and his distinctive sound.
Meet a woman who crawled under barbed wire to get on a professional stage.
Ensemble for the Romantic Century blends chamber music with fully staged dramas and changes both theater and concerts in the process.
Still Dreaming documents octogenarian actors taking on Shakespeare at the Lillian Booth Actors' Home.
Speaking the universal language of music.
We explore the writing of her powerful memoir, Brother, I’m Dying.
2001 NEA National Heritage Fellow Joe Wilson weaves his storytelling spell into the history of Blue Ridge Mountain culture.
Graham Beal takes us behind the scenes of the new exhibit Frida Kalho and Diego Rivera in Detroit and shares his support for the Blue Star Museum Program.
Ric Burns' documentary American Ballet Theatre: A History celebrates dance and ABT’s 75th Anniversary.
Ukrainian embroiderer, weaver and bead worker Vera Nakonechny keeps a traditional culture alive.
Speaking Wiri Wiri and translating the immigrant experience.
He had a childhood no one could make up—with his memoir, he creates order from the chaos.
Writing for big bands, choirs, and small ensembles, Carla Bley remains a graceful and innovative voice for progressive jazz.
Four-time National Poetry Slam champion Taylor Mali connects stage and page.
The saxophonist/flutist/composer talks about expanding the tradition and language of jazz.
Sam White loves Shakespeare and loves her hometown Detroit. So she emptied her bank account and started a site-specific professional theater company, Shakespeare in Detroit. It’s amazing.
Actor Tonya Beckman: a core member of the Taffety Punk Theater Company and a Riot Grrrl in good standing. Classical theater with a difference.
Dual Lives: Deborah Bond sings like a dream, has three cds and tours internationally. But she still needs a day job to pay the bills.
Tayari Jones: an author who loves the process of writing.
Raymond Arsenault's book The Sound of Freedom examines the 30-minute concert by Marian Anderson that helped move a nation forward.
Filmmaker Sam Pollard talks about his new documentary August Wilson: The Ground on which I Stand.
Makes sense of the world through theater.
Carolyn Mazloomi shines a powerful light on the African-American community through narrative quilts.
Auto Mechanic Harold Kyle plays with movement, balance, and shadows in his sculpture.
Maria Rosario Jackson talks about urban planning with art at its heart.
Organizing curator John Vick and consulting curator/editor Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw tell us about its rich history.
In All Our Names, Dinaw Mengestu explores unlikely love in the midst of conflict.
Barry Bergey shares some memories about a lifetime immersed in folk and traditional arts.
Ping Chong, a visionary citizen-artist and six-time NEA grantee, connects racial history to our current unrest in his recent play, Collidescope: Adventures in Pre- and Post-Racial America.
Diana Green and Cathy Gassenheimer have a mission:
Arts Education for Every Alabama pre-k thru 12 Student!
In a slim, lucid and compulsively readable book, Nathaniel Philbrick makes an enthusiastic case for taking a look at Melville’s classic Moby-Dick.
Find out from Maria Jukic, executive director of Cleveland’s Clinic’s Arts and Medicine Institute and Tom Schorgl, director of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture.
The neurologist/holistic practioneer knows first-hand the healing power of the arts for veterans.
Max Brooks, author of World War Z, really isn’t kidding when it comes to zombies.
In her memoir Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward attempts to understand the links in the untimely deaths of her brother and four friends.
Nicole Gomez Fisher brings it all back home in her film, Sleeping with the Fishes. And goes on to win the award for Best New Director at the Brooklyn Film Festival.
Quill worker and 2014 National Heritage Fellow brings a Native-American tradition into the 21st century.
For 40 years, Chunky Sanchez has playing and singing the stories of the Chicano people.
How Dance Place’s open door policy helped transform an underserved neighborhood into a vital arts district.
Rev. Jerry Colbert shares one of the oldest African-American music traditions.
Kevin Doyle talks about his life-long passion for dance.
Blue-collar worker and union organizer Ralph Fasanella would have been 100 this week. His paintings of urban working class people struggling and thriving continue to live on.
The DC Youth Slam Team is an award-winning internationally acclaimed poetry group. Listen to their poems and find out how it all comes together.
Elizabeth McCracken gives us her take on the differences in writing novels, short stories, and tweets.
Believing that music is a unifying force, ETHEL has joined forces with musicians across genres and regions and built a family of artists along the way.
2011 MacArthur Fellow Francisco Nunez brings together New York youth of all backgrounds and together they create beautiful music and an inclusive community.
Ellsworth Kelly: the gloriousness of color and form.
Bora Yoon talks about building the sonic design of her album Sunken Cathedral.
Julie Otsuka’s first novel When the Emperor Was Divine explores her family’s history in the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.
Two legends look at their careers in jazz.
It's a tuneful podcast as we go to the heart of Irish music with Seamus Connolly.
Art-Force: Artists revitalizing rural manufacturing.
For Jennifer Pickering, all art is both local and global and LEAF is that philosophy in action.
The author discusses the NEA Big Read selection, The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears, his novel about an Ethiopian exile in a gentrifying Washington, DC neighborhood.
This Memorial Day Weekend, conversations about Blue Star Museums and the healing power of art, Jacob Lawrences's War Series, and a poem by veteran Lynn Hill.
Behind the scenes of “Sending Messages,” the award-winning monthly podcast produced by incarcerated youth.
Disability through the lens of poetry.
David Mura uses his considerable talents as a poet, novelist, memoirist and performer to explore what it means to be Japanese-American.
With a trunk full of her mother’s saris, Kenyan author and performer Shaija Patel reclaims a lost history.
Sherrie Maricle has played with jazz legends, leads an all-woman big band, and forges new roads for women in jazz.
In Translation: Verónica Castillo expands a traditional Mexican art form, the Tree of Life, to express the need for social justice in the 21st century.
Louisiana Swamp blues singer, composer and pianist Carol Fran looks back at her 60-year career.
Meet some of the greatest back-up singers! It may be only Twenty Feet from Stardom but director Morgan Neville shows us just how long that walk can be.
"Art Makes You Smart" and Brian Kisida co-published a study that proves it! [27:05]
It's a music-filled podcast with New Orleans composer, producer, and pianist Allen Toussaint who combines elegance with funk. [29:29]
Pratibha Parmar discusses making the recent documentary about an iconic American writer, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, which can be seen on the American Masters’ website.
Daniel Beaty's play and bravura performance in The Tallest Tree in the Forest shines a light on the artistry and activism of Paul Robeson.
Tope Folarin becomes the first writer born outside of Africa to win the Caine Prize with his short story set in Texas in an evangelical Nigerian church.
Jen Masengarb explains Chicago's rich architectural legacy and CAF’s role in bringing it public awareness.
Jeff Orlowski goes to the Arctic to film James Balog’s documentation of the rapidly disappearing glaciers. We hear all about it.
Here’s a peak at the Screen Actors’ Guild or SAG Award--the show where actors honor actors.
Pianist Keith Jarrett - letting the music happen. [34:27]
Anthony Braxton may be considered avant garde but he embraces all musical traditions.
Bassist Richard Davis talks about his musical life outside of jazz -- working with folks like Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Bernstein and Igor Stravinsky.
One of the great bassists Richard Davis remembers a few of jazz musicians he's played with -- like Sun Ra, Ahmad Jamal, Sarah Vaughan, Elvin Jones, and Eric Dolphy.
Musician and teacher Jamey Aebersold believes that anyone can improvise and he's developed the tools to show them how. [27:11]
Kati Texas takes us behind the scenes of the Kinetic Sculpture Race, Grand Championship, where art and science go to play. [28:10]
McCraney shares his exuberant passion for live performance and his determination to bring theater to underserved kids in Miami.
Matt Kaplan takes a scientific look at the monsters that scare us…and why we love it.
Sacred Harp singer David Ivey both preserves the tradition and widens the circle.
Nicholson Baker may have written three exuberant sex novels, but he turns to his other passion in his latest book, Traveling Sprinkler: the extraordinary details of the ordinary.
In the second part of a two-part interview, we hear Sheila as storyteller and learn about some of the folks who lived in Sodom, North Carolina.
Singer, musician and storyteller Sheila Kay Adams talks about (and sings) songs brought over from England, Scotland, and Ireland in the mid-17th century and kept alive by the people in the mountains of North Carolina.
In his current novel, Red Moon, Ben Percy serves up a hybrid of horror and literature to tell a story about our lives today. [35:10]
The 78th Old Fiddlers' Convention in Galax, Virginia. Where music happens on and off the stage. [32:13]
In the second of our two-part interview, talk about his latest play and his screenplay for the movie, Lincoln.
In part 1 of a two-part interview, Tony Kushner talks about his early attraction to theater and writing Angels in America. [28:50]
Laurie Olin on the work of landscape architecture—balancing nature and cultivation. [32:45]
Nancy Buirski discusses her prize-winning documentary, The Loving Story, a look at a couple’s decision to remain a family and challenge Virginia’s miscegenation laws.
Founder of Philadanco!, Joan Myers Brown reflects on what goes into building a leading African-American dance company and school. [27:29]
16 year-old Daisy Castro gets to the heart of gypsy jazz.
Heather Wood talks about the joys and challenges of performing Shakespeare.
Andre Dubus III's memoir Townie isn’t a literary coming of age story. It’s an exploration of violence and absence.
The City of Devi, an apocalyptic sex comedy and love story, is the third book in Manil Suri’s trilogy centered on Mumbai. [26:08]
Teaching Portland's children core curriculum through the arts. [30:06]
Stephan Jost discusses how the Honolulu Museum of Art works to serve its military community.
Toward the end of his life, Robert Ward discussed his remarkable career in music.
In her latest book, When Women Were Birds, Terry Tempest Williams explores the legacy of her mother’s journals. [28:11]
The team behind the new app Poems by Heart discuss how they combine great gaming with classic poetry.
2010 NEA Literature Fellow Adam Johnson talks the challenges of setting a novel in North Korea.
Antonio Sanchez talks about the melody of jazz drumming and his new CD, New Life.
Lynn Hill discusses her participation in "Holding It Down" -- Vijay Iyer's and Mike Ladd's performance piece based on the dreams of veterans of color. [26:44]
A conversation with George Wein, the man who launched the first outdoor jazz festival in the US--the legendary Newport Jazz Festival.
Lillian Faderman's writes a "reconstructed memoir" about her mother's life as an immigrant factory worker and single mother during the Great Depression.
At the intersection of theater and social activism: Citizen Artist Rachael Holmes.
M. Evelina Galang's work spans generations with her writing of young Filipina-Americans and the surviving World War II "comfort women."
Mary Zimmerman discusses her approach to creating a play.
The winner of the 2012 Joyce Wein Artist Prize discusses the relationship in her work between visual art and sonic art.
In the 2nd part of our interview, Frank Price talks about the business of film making as well as some of the iconic films he’s made, including Tootsie, Gandhi, and Boyz in the Hood.
In the first of a two-part interview, Frank Price talks about his early days as a television writer and producer of shows like The Virginian and Columbo.
Nick Cave, chosen to participate in the U.S. State Department's Arts-in-Embassies program, talks about his Sound Suits, a unique blend of sculpture, fashion, and dance.
Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas discusses his dual career as conductor and educator. [30:49]
Bread and Roses in a Brooklyn shelter: Caron Atlas demonstrates how the arts can be a critical component of disaster relief.
Taylor Branch discusses his trilogy of the Civil Rights Movement America in the King Years.
Pianist, bandleader, composer and 2013 NEA Jazz Master talks about his innovative music blending Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz.
The owner of the legendary club, The Village Vanguard, talks about her life in jazz.
Sweet Poppa Lou talks about the musical roots of his swinging bop saxophone sound. [38:23]
Pete Seeger returns to talk about his music and its roots. [31:50]
Pete Seeger remembers his friend, Woody Guthrie. [21:13]
Singer/songwriter Mel Tillis tells stories about his career and how performing helped him cope with his stutter. [29:43]
Dennis Yerry discusses his multi-faceted career as Native American composer, arranger and musician AND as a jazz pianist and cabaret performer. [29:27]
The founder of a young people's theater organization discusses the critical need children have for theater and arts education. [29:40]
Josh McManus talks about the thousand little things that make up creative placemaking. [27:17]
Mystery Writer Laura Lippman talks about the terrifying brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe. [29:32]
Indie singer Josh Ritter talks about writing, composing, and performing. [27:58]
Clive Gillinson on bringing Carnegie Hall to all New Yorkers. [34:36]
Three generations of Paschalls have brought beautiful harmonies to their community.
Harold Burnham keeps the Essex shipbuilding tradition alive and vibrant.
Author Margot Livesey discusses The Flight of Gemma Hardy -- her reimagining of Jane Eyre. [32:40]
Arts Advocate Al Head discusses the profound impact of traditional arts on communities. [28:50]
Backstage with the director of Gatz, a play that takes as its text F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic of and about the Jazz Age.
Christopher Paul Curtis
Bryan Doerries discusses how bringing Greek tragedies to service members opens up new conversations.
A writer and Vietnam Veteran discusses Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.
Michele Lowe discusses the process that moved her award-winning play Inana from page to stage. [32:07]
Ron Capps helps returning service members write their way home.
Capital Bop expanding the DC’s jazz audience in unexpected places. [32:22]
Yeohlee Teng talks about her design philosophy and her work with Making Midtown, an initiative to reinvigorate creative production in NYC’s garment district.
Sarah Cash discusses the making of a great collection of American art.
In part 2 of our conversation with Andy Statman, we follow his musical path as he blends klezmer, jazz, blues, and bluegrass into a distinctive musical voice.
In the first of two-part interview, musical wonder Andy Statman talks about his early musical career, including the importance of bluegrass for a boy born in Brooklyn. [31:04]
Dean Bakopoulos discusses his first novel about fathers and sons in middle America's working class.
You may know him as the guy who takes surreal pictures of his Weimaraners; but that's just one strand of William Wegman's long and varied career.
Na'alehu Anthony discusses his documentary about traditional Polynesian open sea canoeing and its significance to the revitalization of Hawaiian culture. [29:47]
Melissa Walker discusses healing wounded service members through art at Walter Reed.
Natalie Merchant discusses her love of poetry.
Maxine Hong Kingston discusses her path-breaking books.
Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, discusses the new science of creativity.
Delfeayo Marsalis: it's all in the family. [34:32]
Claudia Rankine discusses her play The Provenance of Beauty: A South Bronx Travelogue.
Benny Golson ‘s life is a who's who in jazz! [40:38]
Ahmad Jamal discusses his long and celebrated career.
Sheila Jordan talks about her life in jazz.
The editor of My Faraway One: Selected Letters of Georgia O'Keeffe and Alfred Stieglitz, Vol 1 discusses the relationship of the two artists.
Liz Carroll talks about and demonstrates the multiplicity of Irish music.
Laura Lippman talks about crime fiction, journalism and the social novel.
Aditi Brennan Kapil discusses the ways her mixed cultural background informed her play, Agnes Under the Big Top: A Tall Story. [29:32]
André Watts remembers the early years of his career.
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove talks about her writing with a focus on her most recent book of poems, Sonata Mullatica.
Stanley Nelson discusses his award-winning documentary Freedom Riders. [29:39]
Robert Battle discusses his first season as artistic head of the Alvin Ailey company.
Meredith Monk reflects on her 45-year career as a performance artist.
Meejin Yoon talks about creating work at the intersection of art, architecture, landscape, and technology.
Part 2: The 2012 Jazz Master discusses his approach to music.
Part 1: Legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette talks about his early career.
The gifted 26-year-old pianist talks about making a career in jazz.
Stephen Manes discusses his book Where Snowflakes Dance and Swear, his inside look at a full season of Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet. [24:58]
Trumpeter and flugelhorn player, composer, arranger, educator, and advocate Jimmy Owens talks about his life in jazz.
Literary biographer Brenda Wineapple discusses her book, White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. [28:47]
Keri Putnam discusses Film Forward, an initiative of the Sundance Institute and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Now in its second year, the program aims to enhance cross-cultural understanding, collaboration and dialogue through film. [25:49]
Tim O'Brien, who served in Vietnam, talks about his novel (and Big Read selection) The Things They Carried and how fiction can often tell a deeper truth about war. [29:34]
Saxophonist, composer and arranger Jimmy Heath talks about his storied career and some of the jazz greats he’s played with.
Marc Scorca celebrates opera in America and the 2011 NEA Opera Honorees.
Kerry Henderson talks about co-creating a festival from scratch in a small mountain town with little money and a lot of help from friends and neighbors.
Stage Designer John Conklin discusses opera as a collaborative event.
Billy Luther explores different facets of his heritage in his documentaries. His latest looks at a little known celebration of the Laguna Pueblo, Grab Day.
Meet Morris Robinson, who was an All-American at The Citadel, started studying voice at the age of 30, and sings at the great opera houses throughout the country.
The 1994 NEA National Heritage Fellow, violinist, and oud player discusses his merging of Arab and western musical traditions.
Slack key guitar master Led Kaapana talks about making music the Hawaiian way.
A conversation with songwriter/novelist Wesley Stace who performs under the stage name John Wesley Harding.
Co-Founder of the Vermont Performance Lab, Sara Coffey talks about creating spaces and community support for contemporary dance in rural Vermont. [26:06]
Co-founders of San Jose Taiko, Roy and PJ Hirabayashi talk about the importance of this traditional art in the Asian American community. [28:34]
Innovative director Nic Muni talks about the challenges and rewards of producing opera.
David Seidler talks about his film, The King's Speech, and his own struggle with stuttering.
Jazz writer Gary Giddins on the incomparable Louis Armstrong.
A look at Wormfarm where art, agriculture, community, and creativity blossom.
Three of Miami’s cultural organizers talk about the power of art in building community.
John Maeda: designing at the intersection of art and technology.
In part 2 of our conversation with Choreographer Liz Lerman, we explore false dichotomies, including the one that opposes art to science.
Liz Lerman: Conversing through dance.
2010 National Heritage Fellow Jim "Texas Shorty" Chancellor talks about the great tradition of Texas fiddling. [25:43]
Director Debra Granik discusses her award-winning film, Winter's Bone. [24:16]
Youngblood co-directors Graeme Gillis and R.J. Tolan talk about a unique organization for up-and-coming playwrights. [22:25]
Here's part 2 of our conversation with Sean Wilentz, author of Bob Dylan in America. [28:26]
Sean Wilentz discusses his biography of 2009 National Medal of Arts recipient Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan in America.
Charles Randolph-Wright talks about directing Lynn Nottage's play Ruined at Arena Stage.
Howard Shalwitz talks about the theater company’s production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Bruce Norris, Clybourne Park.
The great jazz writer Gary Giddins talks about the great jazz legend Duke Ellington.
Poet Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz talks about slam poetry and community.
Jazz Master Randy Weston talks about the music he loves.
Poet Kevin Young talks about his book, Ardency: A Chronicle of the Amistad Rebels. [23:45]
Bassist Christian McBride talks about jazz.
A talk about art and design with National Medal of Arts recipient, Milton Glaser.
Novelist Jennifer Egan talks about her National Book Critics Circle Award-Winning book, A Visit from the Goon Squad. [29:24]
Linda Murray talks about her organization Solas Nua, the only organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to contemporary Irish arts.
Biographer Valerie Boyd talks about the life and work of Zora Neale Hurston.
2009 National Medal of Arts recipient, composer John Williams discusses the art of scoring films.
NEA National Heritage fellow Mary Jackson talks about the art and tradition of sweetgrass basketmaking.
NEA Jazz Master Ron Carter, bassist/cellist/educator extraordinaire, talks about his career playing jazz and classical music.
Playwright, actor, and activist Anna Deveare Smith talks about her extraordinary career and her current one-woman show, Let Me Down Easy.
Isabel Wilkerson talks about her book, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, focusing on the transfer of Southern culture to the North, creating a new, vibrant culture in the country.
Author of two memoirs about her life in Iran, Reading Lolita in Tehran and Things I've Been Silent About, Azar Nafisi talks about her books, her life in Iran, her parents, the Iranian Revolution, and, of course, the power of literature.
Bert Crenca talks about founding the community arts center AS220, its interaction with the city Providence, and its arts education offshoot AS220 Youth.
Author Luis Alberto Urrea talks about the inspiration for and writing of his novel Into the Beautiful North, which takes place from Sinaloa, Mexico, all the way up north to Kankakee, Illinois.
Dan Morgenstern, recipient of the 2007 A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Award for Jazz Advocacy, discusses the 2011 class of NEA Jazz Masters. [27:27]
Molly Smith talks about American theater, including the often-overlooked musical, her commitment to new play development, and her vision for the newly-renovated Arena Stage at the Mead Center.
Shirley Sneve talks about the mission of the Native American Public Telecommunications organization, which shares stories of Native American people through the creation, promotion, and distribution of Native media on television and radio.
2010 MacArthur Fellow Sebastian Ruth talks about the community-based arts organization he founded, Community MusicWorks, which won a 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award for its teaching, mentoring, and performing activities with urban youth in Providence, Rhode Island. [27:11]
Choreographer Parker Esse talks about his experience creating new choreography for Arena Stage's revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical Oklahoma!.
Jeffrey Sweet talks about the revitalization of theater in Chicago through the Second City and other theater companies, as well as his own experience as a playwright and the art of theater and musical theater.
One of the most well-regarded postwar American artists still working, Frank Stella discusses his five-decade career in the visual arts, from paintings to sculptures to murals to architecture.
Musician Chuck Brown talks about his career, from honing his chops in prison in Lorton, Virginia, to developing his own musical genre in DC: go-go music.
The only general director to found and lead two opera companies (Michigan Opera Theatre and Opera Pacific), David DiChiera talks about his career, bringing opera to Detroit audiences, and composing his first opera in his 60s.
Legendary soprano Martina Arroyo talks about her career in opera, including working with such luminaries as Leonard Bernstein, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti.
Natasha Wimmer was awarded an NEA Literature Fellowship in 2007 to translate Roberto Bolaño's epic novel 2666. In this interview, she discusses the complexities of translating Bolaño's work and other tribulations of working as a translator. [27:08]
Rudolfo Anaya talks about the writing of his acclaimed novel Bless Me, Ultima as well as in the influence of the oral tradition and folk tales on his writing and his life growing up in New Mexico.
Awarded the 2010 Bess Lomax Hawes Award for the preservation of cultural heritage, Judith McCulloh talks about her extensive work as a folklorist and editor at the University of Illinois Press.
Mike Rafferty talks about growing up in East Galway, Ireland, and learning flute playing from his father, as well as coming to America and eventually returning to Irish music in his 50s as both a performer and teacher.
Bluegrass legend Del McCoury discusses his 50-year career, from joining Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the 1960s to multiple appearances at the Bonnaroo music and arts festival in the 2000s.
Writer Julia Alvarez discusses how her life as a reader led to her life as a writer and the rich source material she finds in her family's immigrant experience.
Ed Herendeen talks about founding and sustaining a theater festival committed to supporting bold, daring new works for the stage. [18:27]
Basque writer Unai Elorriaga and Amaia Gabantxo, translator of Elorriaga's novel Plants Don’t Drink Coffee, discuss the book as well as the art of translation and the Basque language. [25:50]
Joel Nelson talks about how he grew to love poetry and how he writes and recites poetry, as well as growing up on a ranch and his love of horses, among other subjects. [27:00]
Ken Burns talks about his most recent documentary series on the National Park system, as well as his approach to filmmaking and his attraction to iconic American subjects. [22:24]
Operatic tenor Everett McCorvey talks about how he was drawn into the music, how he helped build the opera program at University of Kentucky, and the difference between spirituals and gospel, among other topics. [26:17]
John Hickenlooper discusses his efforts to use the arts to revitalize Denver and promote economic development and increased livability. [23:37]
A look at the Washington, DC roots of Duke Ellington and their impact on his development as a musician and composer. [8:40]
U Street NW
Amy Tan talks about her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, her relationship with her mother, and the art of writing. [27:49]
Carlisle Floyd talks about his extensive career in opera, including writing some of his most famous pieces, Susannah, Of Mice and Men, Willie Stark, and Cold Sassy Tree. [29:55]
David Baker discusses his immersion into jazz, from playing to composing to teaching. [26:46]
The Birmingham Sunlights discuss the creation of their group and their unique "Birmingham sound" [28:50]
Rajiv Joseph talks about developing and writing his play Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, a 2010 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Theater, and his burgeoning career as a playwright. [22:13]
Recipient of the 1997 NEA/Seaver Conductors Award, Alan Gilbert discusses his first year as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. [28:49]
Star of stage and screen--and winner of just about every performance award--Rita Moreno talks about her life as a performing artist. [28:06]
An appreciation of the life and legacy of one of our greatest choreographers. [22:52]
Hear about New York City's best kept secret, where nature and art provide a urban unique oasis. [12:42]
Dean Stull talks about the latest developments at one of the nation's outstanding music conservatories. [28:07]
Hank Jones talks about his long career in jazz, including playing with such jazz greats as Charlie Parker and fellow NEA Jazz Master Ella Fitzgerald. [24:52]
U.S. Poet Laureate talks about her teaching career, her reaction to that initial phone call from the Library of Congress, and, of course, poetry. [21:52]
Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the Hulk, Doctor Strange: Stan Lee was there at the creation. [29:56]
One of America's most beloved stars spills some backstage secrets while discussing career highlights. [27:52]
A world without Mary Poppins? No way. The two-time Oscar winner lets us in on how great show tunes get written. [29:58]
Queen Ida Guillory discusses the Zydeco tradition and how she became a part of the band. [25:22]
In the Beginning: the Late Stan Lee Gave Us the Marvel Superheroes
August 22, 202330min 22sec
In this visit to our archives, we dive deep into the mind of the legendary late Stan Lee, the maestro behind Marvel Comics' most iconic characters. From the origins of Spider-Man's creation, inspired by a simple insect on a wall, to the inception of the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee recounts his journey of transforming the world of comics. He delves into the realism he injected into his characters, from Peter Parker's New York residence to the X-Men's mutant origins. While discussing his desire for characters to be relatable, Lee highlights the importance of infusing everyday, human elements into the grandeur of superhero tales. Whether you're a Marvel aficionado or just a casual fan, this episode offers a unique glimpse into the creative process of one of the most influential figures in the comic book industry.
The origin stories of our favorite characters are more grounded than one might think. The iconic Spider-Man, for instance, was born from Lee's observation of a mere spider scaling a wall. It made him wonder: what if a human had the abilities of a spider? Such simple, yet profound musings led to the birth of Peter Parker, a character whose human struggles resonated as much as his superhuman feats.
But the revelations don't stop there. The Fantastic Four, Marvel's first superhero team, weren't just an assemblage of abilities but a reflection of family dynamics, friendship, and human resilience. Lee's brilliance lay not just in creating superheroes but in giving them depth, layers, and a touch of realism. He shares his thought process behind anchoring his characters in real-world cities, like Peter Parker's residence in New York, a tangible place that readers could identify with.
In this episode, the late Stan Lee underscores a philosophy that became the hallmark of Marvel Comics: the marriage of the ordinary and the extraordinary. It wasn't just about capes, superpowers, or intergalactic wars. It was about heart, emotion, and the very human journey of self-discovery.