Art Works Blog

Dean David Stull accepting the 2009 National Medal of Arts from President Obama on behalf of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Photo by Richard Frasier

Where the Jazz Is

April 29, 2010
In our newest podcast with David Stull, Dean of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (which received a National Medal of Arts from President Obama in February), the NEA's Josephine Reed talks with him about the international aspect of the conservatory and finds out that there is an explosion of jazz...

Postcard from Poetry Out Loud 2010

April 29, 2010
April 29. 2010 Washington, DC That's me on the far right after the POL finals with Poetry Foundation President John Barr and 2010 Poetry Out Loud National Champion Amber Rose Johnson, who is also Rhode Island's state champion. Photo by James Kegley On Tuesday night I attended the Finals round of...

And then there were nine . . .

April 27, 2010
April 27, 2010 Washington, DC Approximately 325,000 high schoolers from across the U.S. participated in Poetry Out Loud this year. After a full day of semi-finals competition with all 53 state champions , nine of the talented teens are moving on to the National Finals competition tonight in DC...

Celebrating the Arts of Tradition, Part 2

April 26, 2010
Last Friday on the blog, Folk and Traditional Director Barry Bergey reported back on a UNESCO exhibit celebrating U.S. and Flemish tradition-bearers. Here's a video look at Recognizing Our Cultural Heritage: An American and Flemish Dialogue . Video of aH4g2sKbnz8 Film by Documentary Arts...

Celebrating the Arts of Tradition

April 23, 2010
2005 NEA National Heritage Fellow Michael Doucet with his portrait by Alan Govenar at UNESCO's Recognizing Our Cultural Heritage exhibit. Photo by Barry Bergey NEA Director of Folk and Traditional Arts Barry Bergey represented the NEA several weeks ago at an UNESCO exhibit celebrating NEA...

But is it jazz?

April 22, 2010
April 22, 2010 Washington, DC Pianist Hank Jones was named an NEA Jazz Master in 1989. Photo by Tom Pich What makes jazz jazz? Not a question most people want to answer, but NEA Jazz Master Hank Jones takes a crack at it in the newest edition of Art Works podcasts. The NEA?s Josephine Reed also...

Postcard from MICD 46

April 22, 2010
Washington, DC Last week I was very glad to get to be part of the Mayors? Institute on City Design (MICD) in New York City. It was my first time, and I want to be a regular attendee. Ron Bogle at the American Architectural Foundation and all the MICD staff do a really terrific job with this event...

How do you get to Poetry Out Loud. . .

April 22, 2010
April 22, 2010 Washington, DC Photo by James Kegley To borrow from an old joke : "How do you get to Poetry Out Loud? Practice, practice, practice." I bet that any one of the 53 state champions participating in next week's POL National Finals would tell you that he or she wouldn't have it made this...

Take a Look Back

April 21, 2010
April 21, 2010 Washington, DC In 1967 the NEA funded the original production of Howard Sackler's The Great White Hope , starring James Earl Jones and future NEA Chairman Jane Alexander. Photo courtesy of Arena Stage. Tomorrow we're announcing the second round of NEA grants for fiscal year 2010. You...

Countdown to POL: I'll be the judge of that!

April 21, 2010
April 21, 2010 Washington, DC Washington Poet Laureate Samuel Green was among the judges when BreAnna Jones took top honors at the the state's Poetry Out Loud competition in 2008. Photo by James Kegley As anyone on the Poetry Out Loud (POL) team would tell you, the program wouldn't be possible...

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