Arts

In his 1942 mural The Underground Railroad, Woodruff shows slaves about to cross the Ohio River to freedom.

Arts

With Powerful Murals, Hale Woodruff Paved The Way For African-American Artists

8:04am December 19, 2015

by C.J. Janovy

The pioneering African-American artist and teacher is the subject of not one but two exhibitions in Kansas City. His great nephew Shawn Hughes remembers him as reserved but with "an awesome presence."

Books
Arts

New French Book Is One 27 Years In The Making

8:04am December 19, 2015

NPR's Scott Simon notes that one of the best selling books in France this holiday season is by a man who begged on the streets of Paris for 27 years: Jean-Marie Roughol.

Arts

Here's One TV Show You Might've Missed: 'You're The Worst'

8:04am December 19, 2015

NPR's Scott Simon talks to TV critic Melanie McFarland about television shows that have flown under the radar. She recommends "You're the Worst" - a romantic comedy with a dark twist.

Arts

Native American Storyteller Receives Artistic Honor

8:04am December 19, 2015

Dakotah storyteller Mary Louise Defender Wilson has won a $50,000 United States Artist Fellowship. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with the 85-year-old North Dakota traditionalist about her work.

In real life, Jonathan Sun is a Ph.D. candidate at MIT in the Department of Urban Studies + Planning. On Twitter, he's an alien who struggles with spelling and is baffled by human culture.

Arts

An Odd, Uplifting 'Alien': Meet The Man Behind A 'Weird Twitter' Star

6:19am December 19, 2015

Jonathan Sun, MIT student: "I thought it would be interesting to look at the world as an outsider." Jonnysun, Twitter celebrity: "*pets a skeleton* u used to b a baby"

Arts

'Star Wars' Superfan Describes Episode VII As 'The Movie We Always Wanted'

8:10pm December 18, 2015

by Becky Sullivan

Sixteen years ago, Daniel Alter was first in line to see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. NPR tracked him down to get his thoughts on the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens.

Queue Listen Now

Mark Hamill (right) and Anthony Daniels reprise their roles of Luke Skywalker and C-3PO in the radio adaptation of Star Wars.

Arts

That Time NPR Turned 'Star Wars' Into A Radio Drama — And It Actually Worked

7:05pm December 18, 2015

by Derek John

In the 1980s, NPR looked to the film saga to help boost audience numbers. it bought the rights from George Lucas (for $1) and got the original Luke Skywalker. The result was an overwhelming success.

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The Graffiti Education and Mural Arts program in San Diego aims to keep kids off the streets — and maybe even make art like this, an example of the famous chicano artists murals found on a series of freeway overpasses, someday.

Preventing Juvenile Detention With A Blank Canvas And A Can Of Spray Paint

7:05pm December 18, 2015

by Quinn Owen

San Diego County is successfully revamping its juvenile justice system: The number of children in detention is down by nearly half from just six years ago. How are kids diverted from a life of crime?

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An excerpt from Victor Alfred Lyon's notebook.

Bad Poetry, Great Booze: The Story Of The Hidden Bootlegger's Manual

5:41pm December 18, 2015

by Angus Chen

The book's outside cover boasted poems by a disgraced writer. But inside was page after page of handwritten recipes for alcohol — the secretly preserved know-how of a Prohibition-era doctor.

Saul (Géza Röhrig) is almost always seen in a near close-up in Son of Saul, putting you right there next to him.

Arts

Shallow Focus Creates Depth Of Feeling In 'Son Of Saul'

5:10pm December 18, 2015

by Bob Mondello

NPR's Bob Mondello reviews Son of Saul, a Hungarian film about 24 hours in the life of one man trying to bury the body of a boy under the most dire of situations.