Art Works Blog

Quote by Jane Chu on blurred multicolor background

#TuesdayThought: Jane Chu on the Power of the Arts

April 10, 2018
"The arts push us to new frontiers of innovation. They open our eyes to new ways of seeing, thinking, and doing. And they are a means for creating the world we all want to live in, where everyone has access to new opportuities and the chane for their dreams to be realized." -- Jane Chu Looking for...
collage of photos of poets Adrian Matejka and Alberto Rios with text that says National Poetry Month

Bringing Poetry to Communities: A Behind-the-Scenes Look from Two NEA Big Read Poets

April 6, 2018
Happy National Poetry Month! We thought this would be a great time to introduce the two newest poets added to our NEA Big Read library: Adrian Matejka and Alberto Ríos . Both poets are poet laureate of their state (Matejka in Indiana and Ríos in Arizona). They’re fierce believers in poetry’s place...
a girl stands in front of an image of a neon light drawing of several different types of musical instruments

Taking Note: Two New Research Articles Explore Long-Term Benefits of Musical Training

April 5, 2018
During a January 2017 research workshop held at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), participants rapidly became aware that at least two different expert groups had converged on a shared agenda. Working together, music therapists and neuroscientists sought to identify research needs and...
photo of Helen Sung at the piano with her quote

#WisdomWednesday: Helen Sung

April 4, 2018
"I really believe that if things don't happen a certain way or if I don't get opportunities that I really, really, really want, it's going to be okay. Because if I keep the art pure, if I protect the art, then I will get the things that I need." -- Helen Sung Read the full interview with Helen Sung...
Portrait of a woman wearing glasses.

NEA Arts magazine spotlight: Brenda Laurel: Girls Just Wanna...Play Video Games

April 3, 2018
In the early 1970s, Brenda Laurel was studying theater at Ohio State University. One night a friend invited her to take a look at some computer imaging he was working on, and that, as they say, changed everything. As she recalled, “I kind of fell to my knees and said, ‘Oh, my God, whatever this is...
headshot of children's author Erin Entrada Kelly

Art Talk with Erin Entrada Kelly

March 30, 2018
Acclaimed children’s novelist Erin Entrada Kelly will tell you honestly that she prefers children over adults because, in her eyes, she’s still kind of like a kid. Kelly discovered her connection to young people and her knack for writing children’s literature when she wrote a collection of short...
a theater auditorium with red velvet seats, boxes, a proscenium arch and a painted fire curtain

ThrowbackThursday: Wonder Women of Opera

March 29, 2018
More and more, women are cutting a wide swath across the opera landscape. It used to be that women in opera were mainly on-stage or in the costume shop, however now they are beginning to be involved in every aspect of the business of opera. Some are managing opera companies as general directors,...
Portrait of woman.

NEA Arts magazine spotlight: Diane Rodriguez: Sharing the Latina Experience

March 28, 2018
Writer, director, and performer Diane Rodriguez has long been a part of the Latino artistic community, making her professional theater debut with El Teatro Campesino in the mid-1970s. In subsequent roles as co-director of the Latino Theater Initiative, board president of the Theatre Communications...
quote by madeline sayet with photo of ms. sayet

World Theater Day Notable Quotable: Madeline Sayet

March 27, 2018
"For me, every good story makes you think differently about the world. The thing that's happening that's really exciting is the more voices that are included in theater, the more types of stories you get, and the more interesting stories you get that ask you big questions and that more people can...
a white woman in Western dress holds a film camera while sitting amidst a crowd of Rwandan women

FlashbackFriday: Art Talk with Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson

March 23, 2018
"The arts matter because they help us reimagine our situation, our place in the world. They help us create ourselves." -- Kirsten Johnson Acclaimed cinematographer, director, and camera person Kirsten Johnson has spent more than 25 years shooting documentary films across the world. Whether...

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