Episodes
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June 27, 2025 - Week in Review: Anna Wintour, Trump's F-bomb, tourists damaging art, and Boston Calling's hiatus
Today Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons go over the latest arts and culture headlines on our week-in-review.First up, Anna Wintour. She is stepping down as Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue after 37 years at the helm. For decades she has coolly controlled the rhythms of fashion the world over…all with a steely precision. Which is why she’s also not really stepping down. She’ll remain Global Editorial Director and Chief Content officer for Condé Nast, which oversees more than nearly two dozen publications– including "GQ," "Vanity Fair," and "Bon Appetit" magazines.From there; President Trump drops the f-bomb on live TV. For someone who uses coarse language it was still shocking and it sent the media scrambling about how to report on a president swearing while saying something newsworthy.Then it’s off to Florence and Verona where tourists have damaged works of art while taking selfies.Finally, Boston Calling announces that it’s taking a gap year, returning in June 2027, and the Boston Public Library Roxbury branch will be renamed in honor of Sara-Ann Shaw, the city’s first Black woman TV reporter. -
June 26, 2025 - Boston Poet Laureate Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah, Alfredo Jaar, and Victor Oliveira
In April, Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture announced that Ghanaian American poet, editor, and educator Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah will serve as Boston’s next Poet Laureate. Oppong-Yeboah will officially assume the role in July 2025 and serve until July 2029. They join The Culture Show to talk about their poetry and vision for their role as Poet Laureate.From there the widely acclaimed conceptual Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar joins us. This Sunday he’ll be honored with the 65th Annual Edward MacDowell Medal In recognition of his contributions to American culture. MacDowell, the nation’s oldest artist residency program, has awarded the Medal to artists such as Toni Morrison, Aaron Copland, and David Lynch. This award ceremony is a public and free event. It starts at 12:15 at MacDowell in Peterborough, New Hampshire. To learn more go here.Finally Victor Oliveira, Director of Merchandising for the Peabody Essex Museum, joins The Culture Show to talk about his approach to retail, his commitment to sustainability, and supporting local artists and institutions. To learn more about recent developments, go here. -
June 25, 2025 - As You Like It in Boston Common, Frederick Douglass' July 4 speech, and the Queer (Re)Public Festival
This summer Commonwealth Shakespeare Company brings “As You Like It,” to the Parkman Bandstand for this year’s annual - and free - Shakespeare on the Common production. Actress Nora Eschenheimer, who stars as Rosalind, and actor Michael Underhill, who stars as Orlando, join The Culture Show for an overview. “As You Like It” runs July 23rd through August 10th. To learn more go here.From there we revisit Frederick Douglass’ 1852 Fourth of July speech, which confronted the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom in a country that still endorsed the forced labor and bondage of more than 3 million people. It’s a speech with deep resonance today. This is why Mass Humanities sponsors public readings of it, which happen across the region. Brian Boyles, executive director of Mass Humanities, and Kyera Singleton, Executive Director of the Royall House and Slave Quarters join The Culture Show to talk about this year’s events. To learn about upcoming readings go here.Finally Giselle Byrd, Executive Director of The Theater Offensive, previews their inaugural “Queer [RE] Public Festival” showcasing art and performance by and about queer and trans artists of color. It kicks off on June 26th and runs through June 29th at Arrow Streets Arts in Cambridge. To learn more go here. -
June 24, 2025 - "The Dream of a Common Movement" and the legacy of Urvashi Vaid, Subject:Matter, and Mary Grant
The new book “The Dream of a Common Movement” collects essays, interviews, and speeches by the late Urvashi Vaid, whose writing and organizing fundamentally shaped the LGBTQ+ movement. It’s edited by Jyotsna Vaid and Amy Hoffman, who will be at Porter Square Books tomorrow and at RiffRaff Bookstore and Bar in Providence this Thursday. Amy Hoffman - a writer, editor, activist, and the author of five books - joins The Culture Show.From there Ian Berg, a choreographer, composer and founder of Subject:Matter, the Boston-based tap ensemble, joins The Culture Show to talk about their latest album “With Far Hand.” Finally Mary Grant, president of MassArt, joins The Culture Show for her monthly appearance. Today she discusses Governor Healey’s BRIGHT Act, which aims to invest money to modernize college campuses and create jobs. Mary Grant’s summer list:To read: Waiting on the Moon: Artists, Poets, Drifters, Grifters, and Goddesses by Peter WolfTo watch (television): Dept Q and The Four SeasonsTo watch (film): I’m Still Here -
June 23, 2025 - Pedro Alonzo and Nicholas Galanin, Vincent Petryk of JP Licks, and Moonbox's New Works Festival
Today we’re continuing our exploration of The Boston Public Art Triennial, with Culture Show contributor, Pedro Alonzo, the Triennial’s Artistic Director and one of the featured artists, the widely acclaimed Indigenous sculptor Nicholas Galanin. Galanin’s works are on view at the MassArt Art Museum, and Evans Way Park, 1 Evans Way. To learn more go here. From there we get the inside scoop on J.P. Licks with the owner and founder Vincent Petryk. He discusses new, seasonal flavors, a collaboration with Levain Bakery, and how he has built a community and a beloved institution that has been a fixture in the region for more than 40 years.Finally Bridget O’Leary, Director of New Play Development at Moonbox Productions, previews Moonbox’s 4th annual New Works Festival, which features seven new plays by local playwrights. To learn more about the festival go here -
June 20, 2025 - Week in Review: Jaws at 50, the Louvre, and the Karen Read ceiling fan
Today Jared Bowen, Edgar B. Herwick III and Culture Show contributor Lisa Simmons go over the latest arts and culture headlines on our week-in-review.First up, “Jaws” at 50. They look at how it changed the film industry, it’s mixed legacy on shark conservation, the iconic score and how it has managed to frighten audiences with a mechanical shark named Bruce.Then it’s off to Europe where the Louvre abruptly closed when workers spontaneously went on strike amid unmanageable crowds and in Venice locals are threatening to disrupt Jeff Bezos’ and Laura Sanchéz’s multi-million dollar wedding.Finally, public art as a stress test for an authoritarian regime and Miss Sassy, the cat at the center of a pet eating controversy gets her moment in the spotlight–an art exhibition. -
June 19, 2025 - Mass. Poet Laureate Regie Gibson, Club Passim, and Nina MacLaughlin on the Summer Solstice
Regie Gibson, an assistant professor at Berklee College of Music and an instructor at Clark University, has been selected as Massachusetts’ first Poet Laureate. He joins The Culture Show to talk about how he’ll define this role, his path to poetry and to share some of his work. Gibson is a songwriter, author, spoken-word poet and former National Poetry Slam Individual Champion. From there Michael Busack, the new Executive Director of Club Passim, joins The Culture Show to talk about his vision for the legendary music venue.Finally the best-selling author Nina MacLaughlin joins The Culture Show to talk about her essay book “Summer Solstice,” which is a meditation on a season full of long days, hot nights and fat red tomatoes. -
June 18, 2025 - Annette Gordon-Reed, J. Courtney Sullivan, and the Boston Pizza Festival
Historian, lawyer and Pulitzer-prize winning author Annette Gordon-Reed joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book “On Juneteenth,” which explores the holiday commemorating the day Union troops announced the end of slavery in Texas. From there best-selling author J. Courtney Sullivan joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest novel, “The Cliffs.” It is an intricately layered novel of family, spirits, and secrets set on the seaside cliffs of Maine.Finally, we top things off with a preview of this year’s Boston Pizza Festival. The festival co-directors, Raffaele Scalzi and Giancarlo Natale, join the Culture Show to talk about New England’s largest pizza festival. It’s this Saturday and Sunday at City Hall Plaza. To learn more go here. -
June 17, 2025 - Imari Paris Jeffries, Dread Scott, and the 50th anniversary of Jaws
Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show to preview the Embrace Ideas Festival. Kicking off on Juneteenth, this year’s festival is a celebration of joy, power, prosperity and black creativity. Imari Paris Jeffries also gives an overview of Embrace Boston’s latest report, which explores how cultural festivals can help build and strengthen communities. To keep on top of everything Embrace Boston is doing, go here.From there, it’s the interdisciplinary artist Dread Scott. In 1989, the US Senate outlawed his artwork and President Bush declared it "disgraceful" because of its transgressive use of the American flag. Dread became part of a landmark Supreme Court case when he and others burned flags on the steps of the Capitol. He is a revolutionary artist who gives us a new way to see some ugly truths about America. He joins The Culture Show ahead of his event at the Boston Public Library. Tomorrow night you can catch him at the Central Library in Copley Square. His appearance is part of the Lowell Lecture series. To learn more go here.From there we get a jump on the real shark week. As Martha’s Vineyard prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” with Amity Week, Culture Show producer Kate Dellis finds out how the blockbuster film forever changed the island. -
June 16, 2025 - Frederick Douglass in opera, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, and the Battle of Bunker Hill at 250
Frederick Douglass had a life that could be described as operatic. The late composer Ulysses Kay, in his last major work, saw that it was. The Boston Modern Orchestra Project, in partnership with Odyssey Opera, is presenting the New England premiere of “Frederick Douglass ” on June 20th at Jordan Hall. The piece centers on a fictionalized account of the final year of the renowned Black abolitionist and statesman. It’s conducted by Gil Rose, who is the founder and conductor of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and founder and General-Artistic Director of Odyssey Opera. The lead vocalist is bassist Kenneth Kellogg as Douglass. They join The Culture Show at GBH’s Fraser Performance studio to talk about the work and to perform. To learn more about the opera go here.From there we head to the Berkshires for the 93rd annual Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, which runs from June 25 to August 24 in Becket, MA. Pamela Tatge, the Executive & Artistic Director of Jacob's Pillow, joins The Culture Show for an overview. To learn about their lineup go hereFinally we continue our countdown to 2026 with a look at the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the upcoming reenactment. Sheila Green, the MA 250 Coordinator for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism and Annie Harris, CEO of Essex National Heritage Commission join The Culture Show for an overview. The Battle of Bunker Hill Reenactment is June 21st at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, MA. To learn more go here.
