Art & Design

Arts

The Man Who Casts The Metal For The Master Sculptors

8:15pm October 14, 2014

by Karen Michel

If you're an artist with an idea for a metal masterpiece, you'd probably turn to Dick Politch to cast it. His foundry has done works for over 500 artists. We get a look at an exhibit of his creations.

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The face in Jorge RodrÃÂguez-Gerada's larger-than-life portrait is a composite of photos the artist took of young men from many racial backgrounds.

Arts

On The National Mall, An American Portrait In Sand And Soil

1:14pm October 12, 2014

by Ari Shapiro

This month, the National Portrait Gallery presented its largest portrait yet, a 6-acre face rendered in sand and soil on the National Mall.

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Books
Arts

'Schiaparelli': The Shocking, Shadowed Life Of A Fashion Icon

2:20pm October 11, 2014

by Jacki Lyden

A new biography by Meryle Secrest looks at the troubled life of designer Elsa Schiaparelli — renowned as the Queen of Fashion, a glamorous innovator whose career never recovered from World War II.

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The broadcast tower at Alexanderplatz looms over the city center. A crossing point of tourists, commuters, shoppers, lovers, artists and bums, Alexanderplatz was rebuilt by the communist authorities of former East Germany in the 1960s. Today, it's a popul

In Berlin, Remaking The City Can Rekindle Old Frictions

10:54pm October 10, 2014

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

City planners rushed to erase divisions between East and West Berlin after the wall came down in 1989. But the fate of communist-era buildings can still provoke friction a quarter-century later.

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Fashion designer Natalie Chanin stands in front of in-progress garments at the Alabama Chanin Factory. Chanin and Billy Reid, internationally acclaimed designers, have teamed up to test the concept of organic, sustainable cotton farming and garment-making

Reviving A Southern Industry, From Cotton Field To Clothing Rack

3:31pm October 10, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

Garment-making once thrived in the South. Two acclaimed designers are trying to bring it back with a field-to-garment concept, creating a clothing line from their own organic cotton grown in Alabama.

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Arts

'This Impromptu Dance': Geoffrey Holder's Son Tells One More Story

11:52am October 09, 2014

by Leo Holder

Dancer, choreographer, director, actor and painter Geoffrey Holder died Sunday. His son, Leo, writes about the remarkable last night he spent with his father.

Plaster casts taken from soldiers' mutilated faces (top row), new sculpted faces (bottom row), and final masks (on the table) sit in the studio of Anna Coleman Ladd in 1918.

One Sculptor's Answer To WWI Wounds: Plaster, Copper And Paint

2:02pm October 06, 2014

by NPR Staff

World War I left many soldiers with disfiguring scars. For those whose faces were no longer recognizable, an American artist, Anna Coleman Ladd, sculpted masks to cover their injuries.

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Achy Feet Rejoice! Designers Are Showing Flats For Spring

7:36am October 03, 2014

Audie Cornish talks to Sally Singer of Vogue.com about the latest from the world's runways. She's been attending Fashion Weeks in New York, Milan, Paris and London.

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The WeBike cycling desk can be found at airports and train stations across in Western Europe.

Arts

The Cycling Desk: Work Out And Charge Your Phone During A Trip

4:35pm October 02, 2014

by Elise Hu

Stationary bikes that power your gadgets as you pedal are this week's innovation pick. They've already appeared in railway stations and airports in Europe and may be for sale later this year.

David Tennant, left, and Anna Gunn star in the Fox TV crime drama, Gracepoint.

Arts

Fox's 'Gracepoint': An American Remake Best Viewed With Fresh Eyes

1:00pm October 02, 2014

by Eric Deggans

Fox's new show Gracepoint is a remake of a British murder mystery, Broadchurch. NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans says those who saw the original might want to watch the new series with someone who hasn't.