Art Works Podcast

 In this podcast, folklife presenter, educator, host and producer of “American Routes,, and 2023 National Heritage Fellow Nick Spitzer discusses his multifaceted career, his upbringing, and his understanding of cultural innovation in America. We talk about his life-long passion for radio and his discovery and embrace of American vernacular culture, his career as folklorist in academia, government,...

In today’s podcast, filmmakers Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro discuss their film “ Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes .”   In our conversation, they place Max Roach within the context of American culture, emphasizing his legendary status as a drummer, a composer, and a significant figure in Black consciousness and activism.  Sam Pollard shares his 40 year journey in  making this documentary, while Ben...

A conversation with Director of Presented Programming at the McCarter Theatre Center Paula Abreu halfway through her first season on the job!  Abreu took over from her predecessor Bill Lockwood who ran the program for 60 (yes, 60) years. We discuss the balance between honoring his legacy and introducing her own vision, some history about the McCarter Theatre Center , its connection to Princeton Un...

Karen Ann Daniels explores her dual roles at the Folger Shakespeare Library as the Director of Programming and Artistic Director at the Folger Theatre , and her innovative approach to programming and audience engagement in the evolving landscape of theater post-pandemic. Daniels discusses her arrival at the Folger during a period of significant change, including the pandemic, racial reckoning, and...

A conversation with singer, actor, and producer Brandon Victor Dixon . We talk about his role in Alicia Keys’s play “ Hell’s Kitchen ”  currently at the Public Theater , collaborating with Keys and the other performers in the play, what goes into creating a role in theater, his stepping into the role of Burr in “Hamilton” and the challenges that brought, and playing Judas in “Jesus Christ Supersta...

In this  2019 podcast, filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky discusses her project "Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements," and her commitment to making films accessible to differently-abled audiences.  We talk about her first feature documentary, "Hear and Now," which won the Audience Award at Sundance in 2007 and explored her deaf parents’ experiences when they were 65 with cochlear implants an...

We’re marking the end of Indigenous Peoples Month by revisiting my 2018 interview with Randy Reinholz (Choctaw),  the producing artistic director and Founder of Native Voices at the Autry a Los Angeles theater company that produces new work by Indigenous playwrights.  For almost 30 years, Native Voices at the Autry has been providing opportunities and support to Native American playwrights…and by...

  Dr. Zella Palmer is a professor, food historian, author and filmmaker and serves as the Chair and Director of the Dillard University Ray Charles Program in African American Material Culture in New Orleans, Louisiana. In this podcast, she discusses the Ray Charles program, the importance of material culture, especially to African Americans and other historically marginalized groups,  her commitme...

Today, we are celebrating Indigenous Peoples Month with an interview with author Cynthia Leitich Smith .  A member of the Muscogee (Creek) nation, Smith is a bestselling, award-winning children’s-YA writer and the author-curator of the Native-centered  Heartdrum imprint   at HarperCollins Children’s Books. She also is the 2024 Southern Mississippi Medallion Winner and the  2021 NSK Neustadt Laurea...

To mark Veteran’s Day, we’re revisiting our2017 interview with author Sebastian Junger a journalist deeply engaged with war and the people who fight in them. As a contributing editor for Vanity Fair, he’s covered international stories including the war in Afghanistan, a region and subject he’s returned to over the course of his career. In this podcast, Sebastian Junger discusses his book Tribe: On...

We're marking Halloween and Dia De Los Muertos with a conversation with Mexican American author Isabel Cañas . She employs gothic frameworks and tropes with historical detail in her novels—a combination as terrifying as it is informative. In this podcast, we discuss her books The Hacienda  which is frightening haunted house mystery set in Mexico soon after its War of Independence and Vampires of E...

We’re marking National Disability Employment Awareness Month with a conversation with James LeBrecht and Day Al-Mohamed —two founding members of FWD-Doc -- a global, intersectional community of disabled creators and allies working in media to build a more inclusive, accessible, and equitable entertainment industry that cultivates and champions disabled media-makers, and elevates stories by, for, a...

In this podcast, actors Sylvia Kwan and Jacob Yeh discuss their many roles in Lauren Yee's play  The King of the Yees-- a semi-autobiographical comedy about community, culture and the connection between fathers and daughters—now playing at Arlington, Virginia’s Signature Theatre . It is funny and wildly imaginative— with Act II centered on a fabulous quest through San Fransisco's Chinatown. Kwan a...

We close out Hispanic Heritage Month with Manuel Delgado—a luthier who carries on a multi-generational family legacy of hand-crafting string instruments—a history that goes back to 1928. In this podcast,  Delgado talks about his family’s tradition of instrument-making and working closely as a boy with his father and grandfather in their shop in East LA. He discusses the craftsmanship that goes int...

Flamenco Artist and 2022 National Heritage Fellow Eva Enciñias has transformed and broadened the performance and study of flamenco in the United States generally and in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M. particularly. In this podcast, Eva Enciñias talks about the artistry and history of flamenco and her family’s roots in this art form;  her dual loves: flamenco and teaching,  her 43 year-long caree...

In this podcast, 2023 National Heritage Fellow “Little Joe” Hernández describes his musical journey, explaining how his culture, family, and personal experiences shaped his legendary style. Coming from a musical family, he took the traditional Mexican songs he grew up hearing and blended them with jazz, country, rock 'n roll, and blues to create a distinctive voice in Tejano music. He discusses hi...

Sculptor and 2023 National Heritage Fellow Luis Tapia has helped to revitalize and transform the art of the  santero  (a person who makes religious imagery), a Hispanic tradition practiced in New Mexico and southern Colorado that goes back over 400 years. In this podcast, Tapia discusses his artistic journey. He began by reproducing traditional Santos (carved and painted statues of saints). But th...

It’s a two-part podcast looking at one topic: exploring ways arts are being encouraged in communities.  First up, philanthropist Adrienne Arsht.  Arsht discusses her long-term support for the arts-- at The Kennedy Center , at Lincoln Center, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art , and reflecting upon her decision to make a sizable donation to sustain the performing arts center in Miami ---now the Adri...

A conversation with Dr. David Fakunle who uses the art of storytelling to promote public health by listening, understanding, and addressing the personal, social, and structural factors that contribute to health disparities. He powerfully combines science with art and is transforming discussions about the role of storytelling in healing.  Dr. Fakunle shares his personal story of growing up in a fam...

We are revisiting one of my favorite interviews—a 2013 conversation with Kati Texas about the Kinetic Sculpture Race. The Kinetic Grand Champion Race is a one-of-a-kind, multi-day event that combines engineering, art, athleticism, and a strong sense of fun. It involves teams competing with human-powered, artistically-themed contraptions that are engineered to race over land, mud, sand, and water t...

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, fro...

Emmett Phillips is a hip-hop artist,  actor, poet, and teaching artist based in Des Moines, Iowa. In this podcast, Emmett shares his journey from his early days in hip-hop through his time in the military to becoming a teaching artist who empowers youth through the arts, specifically hip-hop. Emmett discusses hip-hop as a cultural movement that uplifts people, amplifies the voices of the oppressed...

As we’re gearing up for “back to school”, it seemed like a good time to revisit my interview with Dr. Lisa Donovan about her work at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) to increase access to arts education equitably in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.  The college collaborates with numerous arts organizations, educators, business leaders, and social workers through a network funded by...

Wampum & Fiber Artist and 2023 National Heritage Fellow Elizabeth James-Perry (Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah) is a brilliant artist, marine biologist, and advocate for cultural preservation, Native lifeways, and environmental stewardship. In this podcast, Elizabeth talks about the intersection of art and science and explains how these two passions inform her work.  She discusses the vi...

This week, we’re revisiting 2017 National Heritage Fellow Phil Wiggins , a true master of the blues harmonica. In this music-filled podcast, Phil discusses the significance of Piedmont blues, the art of blues harmonica, and his own commitment to preserving and passing down the blues heritage to future generations.  He recounts how his passion for the instrument grew, meeting legendary guitarist an...