Art Works

Series produced by National Endowment for the Arts

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Image by: Kelli Rogowski for the National Endowment for the Arts 

Art Works is the weekly program produced by the National Endowment for the Arts. It goes behind the scenes with some of the nation's great artists to explore how art works. New shows are posted on Tuesdays. Find out more at arts.gov

Art Works is the weekly program produced by the National Endowment for the Arts. It goes behind the scenes with some of the nation's great artists to explore how art works. Guests have included the co-founder of Los Lobos Louie Pérez, National Medal of the Arts winner and the man behind Marvel comics, Stan Lee, Mohegan theater artist Madeline Sayet, National Book Award Winner Charles Yu, and NEA Jazz Master Grammy Award winning drummer Terri Lyne Carrington. You can find the current and archived programs at https://www.arts.gov/stories/podcast or by subscribing to Apple podcasts

Thanks for listening!


564 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Carlisle Floyd talks about his extensive career in opera, including writing some of his most famous pieces, Susannah, Of Mice and Men, Willie Stark...

  • Added: Jul 26, 2011
  • Length: 29:55
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Author Amy Tan talks about her first novel, The Joy Luck Club, her relationship with her mother, and the art of writing.

  • Added: Jul 26, 2011
  • Length: 27:50
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Once known as the "Black Broadway," U Street is again a vibrant cultural place in the city, as evidenced by Arena Stage's smash production of Sophi...

  • Added: Jul 26, 2011
  • Length: 25:58
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A look at the Washington, DC roots of Duke Ellington and their impact on his development as a musician and composer.

  • Added: Jul 26, 2011
  • Length: 08:41
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One of America's most beloved stars spills some backstage secrets while discussing career highlights. Arguably most famous for her role as Melanie ...

Bought by WABE


  • Added: Jul 22, 2011
  • Length: 27:53
  • Purchases: 1
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John Hickenlooper discusses his efforts to use the arts to revitalize Denver and promote economic development and increased livability.

  • Added: Jul 26, 2011
  • Length: 23:37
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Operatic tenor Everett McCorvey talks about how he was drawn into the music, how he helped build the opera program at University of Kentucky, and t...

Bought by WEKU


  • Added: Jul 26, 2011
  • Length: 26:18
  • Purchases: 1
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The team behind the new app Poems by Heart discuss how they combine gaming with classic poetry. [28:20]

Bought by KPIP-LP


  • Added: Feb 18, 2014
  • Length: 28:20
  • Purchases: 1
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Ken Burns talks about his most recent documentary series on the National Park system, as well as his approach to filmmaking and his attraction to i...

  • Added: Jul 27, 2011
  • Length: 22:24
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Joel Nelson talks about how he grew to love poetry and how he writes and recites poetry, as well as growing up on a ranch and his love of horses, a...

  • Added: Jul 27, 2011
  • Length: 27:00
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Basque writer Unai Elorriaga and Amaia Gabantxo, translator of Elorriaga's novel Plants Don’t Drink Coffee, discuss the book as well as the art of ...

  • Added: Jul 28, 2011
  • Length: 25:51
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Ed Herendeen talks about founding and sustaining the Contemporary American Theater Festival, which is committed to supporting bold, daring new work...

Bought by KPIP-LP


  • Added: Jul 28, 2011
  • Length: 18:27
  • Purchases: 1
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Bluegrass legend Del McCoury discusses his 50-year career, from joining Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the 1960s to multiple appearances at the B...

Bought by Prairie Public and KPIP-LP


  • Added: Jul 28, 2011
  • Length: 26:39
  • Purchases: 2
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A NEA Literature Fellow and renowned writer, Rudolfo Anaya talks about not only his acclaimed novel Bless Me, Ultima, but the influence of the oral...

  • Added: Jul 29, 2011
  • Length: 23:56
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Awarded the 2010 Bess Lomax Hawes Award for the preservation of cultural heritage, Judith McCulloh talks about her extensive work as a folklorist a...

  • Added: Jul 29, 2011
  • Length: 24:05
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Natasha Wimmer was awarded an NEA Literature Fellowship in 2007 to translate Roberto Bolaño's epic novel 2666. In this interview, she discusses the...

Bought by WABE


  • Added: Jul 29, 2011
  • Length: 27:08
  • Purchases: 1
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Jeffrey Sweet talks about the revitalization of theater in Chicago through the Second City and other theater companies, as well as his own experien...

  • Added: Jul 29, 2011
  • Length: 26:51
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One of the most well-regarded postwar American artists still working, Frank Stella discusses his five-decade career in the visual arts, from painti...

  • Added: Jul 30, 2011
  • Length: 21:40
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Three generations of Paschalls, now NEA Heritage Fellows, have brought beautiful harmonies to their community. [35:21]

Bought by KPIP-LP and KPIP-LP


  • Added: Feb 11, 2014
  • Length: 35:22
  • Purchases: 2
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Do you feel like busting loose? NEA Heritage Fellow Chuck Brown talks about his career, from honing his chops in prison in Lorton, Virginia, to dev...

  • Added: Aug 02, 2011
  • Length: 28:49