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Making Art Happen

American Artscape | 2016 No. 4
NEA Arts 2016 no. 4 Cover
Illustration by June Park. Cover design by Rodrigo Corral Studio. Rodrigo Corral has designed covers for dozens of bestselling authors, including Junot Díaz, Lauren Groff, Chuck Palahniuk, Gary Shteyngart, and NEA Fellows Jeffrey Eugenides and Jonathan Franzen. 
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About this Issue

Actors, singers, authors, painters, dancers—when it comes to the arts, it’s central characters such as these who get the lion’s share of the spotlight. But truth be told, these figures represent only the tiniest fraction of the cultural landscape. For every artwork created, there is a massive cast of supporting characters, from editors and stagehands to agents and costume designers. Rarely heralded, these unsung heroes are in large part responsible for making art happen.

In this issue of NEA Arts, we go behind the scenes with individuals—many of them trained artists themselves—who help bring the art we celebrate to life. We’ll see how Ellen Freund, the Hollywood property master behind Mad Men, sets the scene with objects sometimes scrounged from grandmothers’ garages. We’ll hear how lighting designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew integrates art and science to create entire environments through light. We’ll see the coordination and details that go into executing a performance at Millennium Park, and will explore the process of making the perfect pair of pointe shoes. We’ll also talk with book designer Rodrigo Corral—who designed this issue’s cover—about how he balances artistry and marketing for manuscripts that often become bestsellers.

There are countless other professions involved in the arts, each of them fascinating and creative in their own right. As you read through this issue, we hope you’ll gain a better sense of the myriad pieces and people that help make art happen. 

Included in this Issue

Display of props from the TV series Mad Men

Making the Character Whole

The Importance of Objects to Property Master Ellen Freund
Two people in spotlight playing with a joystick

Telling Stories with Light

The World of Lighting Designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew
The silver Pritzker Pavilion in with audience in front sitting on grass

Controlled Chaos

At the Pritzker Pavilion with Stage Manager Dayna Calderón
Rows of pink pointe shoes on a shelving unit

When the Shoe Fits, Dance In It

The Art of Making Pointe Shoes with Capezio
Man with brown hair, beard and mustache looking at camera

Judging A Book by Its Cover

Reading Along with Book Designer Rodrigo Corral
Museum filled with sculptures and mobiles

Inside the Calder Installation with Mark Leithauser

Video Available
Man wearing sunglasses outside holding coffee cup.

Reading Between the Lines with Dialect Coach Jerome Butler

Video Available

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