Seasons & episodes
10 seasons · 123 episodes
Episode 01
On Winding Paths
After her father George died, Mira Nakashima inherited his shop and set to work continuing the artistic legacy of a master craftsman in wood. Despite only occasional glimpses of the mainstream, tap dance remains an iconic American art form. With custom-composed pieces employing a staggering range of vocal styles, Roomful of Teeth makes music that can be difficult to define.
Episode 02
Thinking Allowed
Performance anxiety is common even among the most accomplished professionals. Moe Brooker is rightly regarded as one of the greats of American abstract painting. By melding art and science, Brandon Ballengée promotes awareness of endangered species.
Episode 03
Envisioning the Possible
The ceramics of Roberto Lugo pay homage to their classical past but are firmly rooted in the realities of his inner city upbringing. Zaria Forman & Nick Pedersen are using art to reframe the climate change conversation. Composer Gerald Busby could not have guessed that after surviving heartbreak, HIV and drug addiction, he would experience an artistic rebirth in his twilight years.
Episode 04
Burgeon and Bloom
For Sugar Tongue Slim, wordplay is a way of life; hip-hop lines his pockets, poetry feeds his soul. Fine art jeweler Bruce Metcalf refuses to use traditional metals and gems in his work. For generations, 20th century American writer H.P. Lovecraft has been terrifying readers.
Episode 05
Seeing Clearly
20 years on, Kevin Barnes is as much an enigma to those close to him as he is to his fans. Long before selfies, commissioned portraits provided a way to shape one's public image. Designer Walé Oyéjidé is on a mission to help all men unleash their inner fashionisto.
Episode 06
Finding Place
Conducting opera may be classical music's toughest job. Fabio Luisi does it with grace. Scholarly translations are a battle between literal accuracy and literary interpretation. Elizabeth Streb may well be the most fervently anti-dance choreographer you’ve ever met.
Episode 07
Unique Visions
Spoken word poet-turned-rapper Watsky pulled no punches in his first collection of essays. If life is itself a performance, what can theatre teach us about how to be ourselves? Dindga McCannon helped pioneer art quilting, a fresh approach to a traditional medium.
Episode 08
Objective Expressions
For more than thirty years, Judith Schaechter has been applying avant-garde sensibilities to a once traditional art form; stained glass. In the past century or so, tattoos have gone from being a mark of the outsider to a more socially accepted expression of self. With a voice and stage presence as big as his personality, Eric Owens is among the most celebrated bass-baritones in the opera world.
Episode 09
Self Collaborations
Tango is a complex improvised form that’s danced the world over. Jesse Krimes describes his six years in federal prison as a kind of “artist residency.” Celebrated opera tenor Stephen Costello has been both blessed and betrayed by his voice.
Episode 10
Willing Suspensions
Bach’s Goldberg Variations continue to challenge pianists and fascinate audiences. Kevin Cornell’s illustrations tend to evoke childlike emotion, even in adults. Sculptor Michael Murphy’s installations are perceptual puzzles.
Episode 11
Further and Farther
Though she's a successful visual artist, Ellen Harvey remains obsessed with failure. Bharatanatyam survived colonial oppression to embody Indian identity at home and abroad. Xenia Rubinos’ complex music is infused with simple messages about big ideas.
Episode 12
Living in Color
Carsie Blanton uses an old musical form to help change the way women are perceived today. From a very young age, life has been a dance for choreographer Matthew Neenan. Amedeo Modigliani died a broken man, but his art has endured. Cuban-American artist Luis Cruz Azaceta reflects on modern society’s great tragedies.
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