Art and Culture

From the beginning of the American republic, artists have played a role in shaping the image of the presidency.

The U.S. presidency is much on people’s minds these days, to put it mildly, and over the past few years there’s a been lot of talk about the proper kind of image the President should put forward.

Today is George Washington’s birthday and I’m thinking of an interesting book entitled The Painter’s Chair: George Washington and the Making of American Art by historian Hugh Howard. It tells the story of the many times Washington patiently 

I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Susan Minot is a tremendously gifted writer who reminds me of two of my favorite writers—Henry James and Iris Murdoch.  To me, they recall the fluid language, thoughtful introspection, and voices with memorable prose.  Susan is the author of Monkeys, Lust & Other Stories, and Folly.  A mesmerizing experience is how I describe Evening by Susan Minot.  

When a great artist returns to a topic over and over again it’s a sign that if we pay attention we could experience something significant.

Last week I mentioned that I hope to someday read through all of August Wilson’s “Pittsburgh Cycle” plays from start to finish. I think that in doing so, what I would get out of it would be a better understanding of Wilson’s vision of life and a very different and valuable angle on American history.

There’s another author I’m already doing something like this with.  A friend and colleague of mine in the history department and I have undertaken to read through an entire cycle of novels by a French writer named Emile Zola. 

Zola was a master of a genre that in Europe was called “naturalism,” but among most

I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

According to the jacket, Gina Wilkinson is, “an award-winning journalist, author, foreign correspondent, and documentarian.  While in Iraq, she was under tight surveillance.  Gina now works in international development, supporting efforts to end poverty in the developing world.  When the Apricots Bloom is her first novel.

One of the oldest and rarest pieces of vinyl in the Black Gospel Music Restoration Project is “The Fire is Always Burning in My Soul” by the Heavenly Gospel Singers.
 

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Hear the full SHOUT! segment here. 

Listen to this week's featured song here:

I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

Over the last few years, I have devoured the works of Fredrik Backman.  He hails from Sweden, and he has written seven superbly funny, interesting, and moving novels.  His latest book is Anxious People.  Two-thirds of the book are full of humor and outright laughter, while the last third is a wonderfully described set of characters who supply all the fun for these characters.  

Art has the ability to express emotions that words are incapable of relating.

I once heard songwriter David Crosby—of the group Crosby, stills, and Nash—remark that as an artist, his job was to put into words things that basically weren’t compatible with language. It was 2014 and he was speaking in the context of a medical procedure he had had and how, upon emerging healthy from it, he was, for the first time in his life, speechless at what the doctors had done for him.  He said as an artist, he was completely unfamiliar with that feeling.  It revealed to him the gravity of the situation he’d been through.  

That quotation stuck with me.  Indeed, it was a sign of his ability as an artist that he was able to grasp and express that role for an artist. It’s not just songwriters who do this.  All artists take upon themselves the job of making communicable

Anita Butler’s towering “Every Day of My Life” is one of several highlights from the otherwise unknown Richburgh Record label.

Click the title above to read along.
Hear the full SHOUT! segment here. 

Listen to this week's featured song here:

Anita Butler’s towering “Every Day of My Life” is one of several highlights from the otherwise unknown Richburgh Record label.

Click the title above to read along.
Hear the full SHOUT! segment here. 

Listen to this week's featured song here:

ARTprenticeship project manager Stefanie Wheat-Johnson sits down with host Kennedy Sam to give an update on this year's project. She is joined by young artists and instructors in not only the art and design portion, but also filmmaking. Featured on the show are Vincent Thomas, Thalia Tran and Andreas Zaloumis.

I’m Jim McKeown, welcome to Likely Stories, a weekly review of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

The Falling Woman, Richard Farrell’s debut novel, is interesting, exciting, and guaranteed to keep you reading with no brakes!  Richard is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a former pilot.  He has a number of works to his credit.  He holds an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.  He currently lives in San Diego, with his wife and two children.

What you read can open up the doors of the art world.

This episode orginially aired July 15, 2019

As a historian, I’m often asked if I can recommend books to people who are interested in learning more about art and the art world. I love questions like this because I’m a perfect example of how easily you can educate yourself about things. All it takes is curiosity and the desire to do it.

One good place to start is with an overview of American art. My favorite is critic Robert Hughes’ 1997 book “American Visions: The Epic History of Art in America.” It’s not written as a scholarly text, but for general readers who want to know. Such an overview provides a good chronology of the artists and movements that come and go through the ages.

The Lockhart Singers were one of the great COGIC groups to record for Chicago’s legendary Vee-Jay Records label.

Click the title above to read along.
Hear the full SHOUT! segment here. 

Listen to this week's featured song here: