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. She discusses the philosophy that guides her vision for the NEA: "artful lives" and "arts In all" and reflects upon her travel throughout the country meeting with artists and arts administrators as well as local and civic … [Read more...] about Maria Rosario Jackson Discusses Her First Year as Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts
Quick Study: Persistence in Music Education
This episode looks at a study identifying factors that predispose 8th-graders to persist with music education when they enter high school. A transcript is available here. … [Read more...] about Quick Study: Persistence in Music Education
MIT physicist and novelist Alan Lightman looks for meaning in the age of science
Author and physicist Dr Alan Lightman is the co-writer and host of the new PBS series “Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science.” In this podcast, Dr. Lightman discusses the experience that led to him to write the book Searching for Stars on an Island in Maine, why he agreed to develop the book into a series, his explorations with scientists, philosophers, and … [Read more...] about MIT physicist and novelist Alan Lightman looks for meaning in the age of science
Classifying Songs and Societies to Promote Cultural Equity—Can It Be Done?
When most empirical researchers in the arts think of Alan Lomax (1915-2002)—which is probably not often, or not often enough—they might envision a man in a rumpled suit, hauling a reel-to-reel tape machine in the backseat of his car, bound for Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta to record a folk or blues artist. Or maybe they picture him in a hotel room, asking questions and … [Read more...] about Classifying Songs and Societies to Promote Cultural Equity—Can It Be Done?
Novelist Kevin Wilson tackles serious issues through an outrageous premise
Kevin Wilson, the author of the NEA Big Read title Nothing to See Here, explains his long-time obsession with spontaneous human combustion—a condition that figures prominently in the novel. In a nutshell, 28-year-old Lillian is tasked with minding the stepchildren of a wealthy old school friend whose politician husband has two kids who literally burst into flames … [Read more...] about Novelist Kevin Wilson tackles serious issues through an outrageous premise