Art & Design

Raeanne Rubenstein first photographed Johnny Cash at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. "It was just the most amazing experience," she says.

Arts

Meeting Country Music's Superstars: Behind Each Portrait, A Story

6:29pm September 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

Nashville-based photographer Raeanne Rubenstein recalls working with charismatic stars like Johnny Cash. Jerry Lee Lewis, on the other hand, dodged her (and his audience) by leaping out a window.

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Ai Weiwei's With Wind greets visitors to his exhibit, "@Large," on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.

Confined In China, Ai Weiwei Directs Alcatraz Exhibit From Afar

5:03pm September 27, 2014

by Mina Kim

The dissident Chinese artist uses San Francisco's former island prison to contrast themes of freedom and restriction.

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These pastel boxes originally owned by Mary Cassatt were acquired recently by the National Gallery of Art. Click here for a closer look.

Arts

Now That's An Artifact: See Mary Cassatt's Pastels At The National Gallery

1:20pm September 23, 2014

by Susan Stamberg

Cassatt gave the three well-loved, wooden boxes of pastels to a friend's 10-year-old granddaughter, who later recalled: "I wasted lots of them on playing and swapping them with my friends."

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This human-scale lab rat cage is parked near a skate park in Denver, Colo., to make a point about the lack of science on marijuana.

Colorado Tries Hard To Convince Teens That Pot Is Bad For You

10:29am September 19, 2014

by Maanvi Singh

Do you want to be a lab rat? That's what teenagers are doing when they smoke marijuana, the state of Colorado says. But since hard evidence of marijuana's harms is scanty, it may be a tough sell.

Neonta Williams (left) shares family letters dating back to 1901 with preservationist Kimberly Peach during the Smithsonian's Save our African American Treasures program at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Peach advises her to use archive-quality po

Preserving Black History, Americans Care For National Treasures At Home

12:28am September 17, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

The relics of African-American families help tell the story of America, the Smithsonian says. Museum experts are traveling the country to help identify and care for items of cultural significance.

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Deaccessioning — the permanent removal of an object from a museum's collection — has been a big issue in Detroit. When the city declared bankruptcy, it had to put all of its assets on the table. Turns out, the most valuable asset was the art collectio

Arts

As Museums Try To Make Ends Meet, 'Deaccession' Is The Art World's Dirty Word

5:57pm August 13, 2014

by Elizabeth Blair

Deaccessioning is the permanent removal of an object from a museum's collection. And there are a lot of rules surrounding it — for one, selling art to pay off debt will get you in big trouble.

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Mark Rothko, Panel Four (Harvard Mural), 1962

Arts

After Decades In Storage, Damaged Rothko Murals Get High-Tech Restoration

8:15am August 11, 2014

by Andrea Shea

In the early 1960s, abstract artist Mark Rothko created five murals for a penthouse dining room at Harvard University. By the late '70s they were trashed — sun-faded and splattered with cocktails.

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Artist Willie Baronet has been collecting signs from the homeless since 1993.

Arts

Handmade Signs From Homeless People Lead To Art, Understanding

6:52pm July 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

Artist Willie Baronet is on a 24-city, 31-day trek across the country this month, buying handmade signs from homeless people. He says the project has changed the way he views homelessness.

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Arts

Banksy Buyer Turns $60 Art Purchase Into $215,000

7:52am July 04, 2014

At an anonymous sidewalk stall, British graffiti artist Banksy put dozens of his signed spray-painted works up for sale for $60. Only 3 people bought something. Two pieces have been sold at auction.

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Keone Nunes, a Native Hawaiian tattoo artist, says prayers to "awaken" the tattoo tools and bless the ink. Two "stretchers" pull the skin tight on the chest of Kaiola Farin to enable Nunes to tap straight lines.

Honolulu Police Chief's Ban On Visible Tattoos Sparks Criticism

7:37pm July 01, 2014

by Wayne Yoshioka

Native Hawaiians on the police force have criticized the ban. Many say tattoos are part of their cultural heritage and should remain in plain sight.

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