Arts

Arts

Anna Deavere Smith Wants Playgoers To Do What They Can To Counter Violence

5:45am December 07, 2015

by Michele Norris

Through powerful monologues, Anna Deavere Smith has tackled race riots, integration and health care. In Notes from the Field, she's using her characters to explore the school-to-prison pipeline.

Pindar Van Arman in his studio with paintings created by his bitPaintr portrait-painting robot.

Arts

You Can Give A Robot A Paintbrush, But Does It Create Art?

9:09am December 06, 2015

by Allie Caren

Pindar Van Arman is a painter — and a software designer. His latest project? A portrait-painting robot. Its paintings "dance on the edge" between creations by humans and machines, he says.

A Vast Archive, Long Closed, Opens Its Doors Again In Jerusalem

5:44pm December 05, 2015

by Dalia Hatuqa

The century-old Khalidi library holds the largest private manuscript collection in Jerusalem. It closed shortly after the Six-Day War. Now the Khalidis have decided it's time to reopen.

Barbershop: San Bernardino, Chicago And The Yellow Brick Road

5:28pm December 05, 2015

In the Barbershop, Arsalan Iftikhar, Bridget Johnson and Jimi Izrael discuss the San Bernardino shootings, the shakeups in the Chicago Police Department, and NBC's live production of The Wiz.

The photographer brings a surreal touch to the epidemic that struck West Africa in photos titled "Le Temps Ebola." The suits worn by the people portraying health professionals evoke carnival masks and animal masks. The question the photographer ponders: "

Ghost Towns, Surreal Ebola Docs, Hip Hats: It's Africa's Big Photo Show

11:42am December 05, 2015

by Vicky Hallett

This year, the Biennale of Photography is all about "Telling Time" — and it comes at a telling time for the host country of Mali.

Left: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the COP 21 United Nations conference on climate change, in France on Monday. Right: Gollum in the 2012 film Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

One Meme To Rule Them All — And Maybe Get A Man Tossed In Prison?

11:35am December 05, 2015

A man in Turkey is on trial for creating a meme that compares the character Gollum to Turkey's president. Michael Drough, a Lord of the Rings scholar, talks about whether Gollum is a true villain.

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Jeff Daniels poses for a portrait at the Film Lounge Media Center during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 18, 2009, in Park City, Utah.

Arts

Not My Job: We Ask Actor Jeff Daniels About People Named Steve And Their Jobs

11:29am December 05, 2015

Daniels portrays former Apple CEO John Sculley in the new film Steve Jobs. We'll ask Daniels about three other people named Steve, and what they do for a living.

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Justin Theroux (shown with Darby Camp) deals with the grief and mystery of being left behind in season 2 of the HBO series, The Leftovers.

Arts

Fresh Air Weekend: HBO's 'Leftovers'; Adele's '25'; Broadway Composer John Kander

11:24am December 05, 2015

Damon Lindelof and Tom Perrotta, the co-creators of The Leftovers, discuss the series. Rock critic Ken Tucker weighs in on Adele's popularity. John Kander reflects on a career of Hidden Treasures.

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Pediatric surgeon and author Dana Suskind

Books
Arts

Simple Number, Complex Impact: How Many Words Has A Child Heard?

10:24am December 05, 2015

by NPR Staff

The Thirty Million Word Initiative, created by University of Chicago Hospital pediatric surgeon Dana Suskind, attempts to close the achievement gap between poorer and more affluent students.

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'The Game's Not Over' Takes On The Traumas Of Football

10:24am December 05, 2015

by NPR Staff

The most popular sport in America causes head trauma. Some famous players have been convicted of domestic abuse, or accused of cheating. But author Gregg Easterbrook won't give up on the gridiron.

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