Episodes
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October 23, 2024 - Swoon, Keefer Glenshaw, and Mahesh Daas
Today we’re having another edition of countdown to 2025, as in countdown to the first Boston Triennial of public art, which opens next year. It’s curated by Culture Show contributor Pedro Alonzo who is also the Artistic Director of the triennial. It will feature dozens of large-scale public art commissions by local, national and international artists, which includes the acclaimed street artist and filmmaker Caledonia Curry aka SWOON. She and Pedro Alonso join The Culture Show for a preview.From there it’s Keefer Glenshaw. The artist has turned playing cello into an endurance sport. In May he performed for 24 hours. In July another work took him into the woods of Lexington. We caught up with him this summer. Now that his debut album, PURITY, has been released, we’re rebroadcasting that conversation and in-studio performance. Glenshaw is also partnering with Leesta Vall to record vinyl singles of the album. You can learn more here.Finally it’s another edition of AI: Actual Intelligence with Mahesh Daas. He is president of Boston Architectural College and the co-author of the graphic novella about artificial intelligence, titled “I, Nobot.” This month he discussed the Walter Hood exhibition, Native(s), which is on view at the BAC McCormick Gallery. -
October 22, 2024 - Catherine Allgor, Project STEP, and Jenny Johnson
Today on The Culture Show we continue our series, “Countdown to 2026,” with historian Catherine Allgor leading the way. This month she focuses on slavery in Boston and Massachusetts and how much a part of life it was and how central it was to the business of trade and Boston's economic structure. Catherine Allgor is an author, President Emerita of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and visiting scholar with the Department of History at Tufts University. Her book recommendation for this month is “Belonging: An Intimate History of Slavery and Family in Early New England,” by Gloria McCahon Whiting.From there Culture Show’s James Bennett II discusses Project STEP, a rigorous program that trains young, minority students to be professional, classical musicians.Finally, Jenny Johnson joins The Culture Show to talk about a new cookbook that she co-authored with longtime media partner, Billy Costa. “A Taste of Boston!: The Definitive Cookbook of the City We Love,” is filled with recipes from the city's most legendary chefs and restaurateurs. Jenny Johnson and Billy Costa co-host NESN's "Dining Playbook" and "Meet Boston with Billy and Jenny." -
October 21, 2024 - Hugh Hayden, Harry Potter: The Exhibition, and the Post-Meridian Radio Players
Artist Hugh Hayden’s solo exhibition, “Hugh Hayden: Home Work,” is on view at the Rose Art Museum. It surveys Hayden’s extensive body of work over the last decade, including a site-responsive installation newly conceived for the Rose Art Museum. “Home Work” focuses on the artist’s exploration of the “American Dream,” its pathways, and architecture. Hayden states, “All of my work is about the American dream, whether it’s a table that’s hard to sit at or a thorny school desk. It’s a dream that is seductive but difficult to inhabit.” Hayden, who also has a commission currently on view at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, joins The Culture Show to talk about his work.From there we enter the world of wizardry and witchcraft by way of “Harry Potter: The Exhibition.” It’s an interactive experience, on view at CambridgeSide through January 5th. Created and developed by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Entertainment, in partnership with Imagine Exhibitions and Eventim Live, the show celebrates the iconic characters, creatures, and scenes from the “Harry Potter” books and films. Tom Zaller, president and CEO of Imagine Exhibitions joins “The Culture Show,” for an overview.Finally, Culture Show producer Kate Dellis takes us into the old-timey world –and behind the scenes – of The Post-Meridian Radio Players ahead of their upcoming Halloween performances of “The Unseen Worlds of H.G. Wells.” -
October 18, 2024: Week in Review - BOS Nation, Liam Payne, and boba backlash
Today Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley, and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up: The National Women’s Soccer League Franchise. It made a dangerous play this week when it debuted in Boston. For starters its name, BOS Nation was universally panned, then they added injury to insult with their slogan “Too Many Balls,” considered male-centric and transphobic, the league is now on the defensive apologizing for being so out of bounds.From there they look at the brief but influential life of the singer-songwriter Liam Payne who died at age 31. As a leading member of One Direction he helped to reinvent the boy band, creating one of the most definitive pop groups of his era along the way.Plus, a painting by abstract expressionist Norman Lewis is rescued from a condemned house on Cape Cod.Finally, What’s black, white and ridiculously adorable all over? Pandas. -
October 17, 2024 - Nicholas Ma and upcoming film festivals
Nicholas Ma joins The Culture Show to talk about his latest documentary, “Leap of Faith.” It follows 12 Christian pastors who are working to find hope and fellowship even though they hold deeply different beliefs .As they grapple with rifts within the Christian community they’re trying to reconcile that friction with their calling to promote tolerance and connection at the pulpit. “Leap of Faith,” has its opening night at The Coolidge Corner Theatre on Friday, October 18th.From there, Culture Show Contributor Lisa Simmons, artistic and executive director of the Roxbury International Film Fest and program manager at Mass Cultural Council, joins us to talk through the bumper crop of film festivals this season and she’ll offer some recommendations for horror films to take in ahead of Halloween. -
October 16, 2024 - Casey Soward and Imari Paris Jeffries
Casey Soward has been a force in the performing arts sector. Recently he was named President and CEO of the Boch Center, home to the iconic Wang and Shubert Theatres. He joins us to talk about his vision and what it takes to have one of the most high-profile jobs in Boston’s art scene.From there Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, reflects on Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. With Election Day on the horizon, he focuses on King’s fight for voting rights and his mission of fostering peace in a nation on edge. He also gives us a preview of this year’s Embrace Boston's Arts and Culture Summit. -
October 15, 2024 - Nassim Soleimanpour on his play "Nassim"
“Nassim,” is Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour's audacious new theatrical experiment. Each night a different VIP performs, while the script waits unseen in a sealed box. Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, “Nassim” is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us. Presented by The Huntington Theatre Company, it’s onstage through October 27th at At the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. Nassim Soleiman joins The Culture Show to talk about this work, his background and his creative process. -
October 14, 2024 - Billy Bragg, Jeffrey Gibson, and Indigenous public art
Billy Bragg, one of the most outspoken singer-songwriters of his generation, he’s known for his labor activism and for his lyrics that range from romantic to radically political, with a constant throughline of hope for a better tomorrow. He’s released music and toured extensively with Wilco, putting unreleased lyrics by legendary American protest singer and activist Woody Guthrie to music. His latest album, “The Roaring Forty,” compiles dozens of iconic and deep-cut tracks from his now forty-plus year career. Billy Bragg’s “Roaring Forty” tour is well underway. He’ll be performing at the Chevalier Theater in Medford tonight.From there, Boston is now brighter and bolder by way of a new mural by Jeffrey Gibson at Dewey Square on The Greenway. Jeffrey Gibson is a multidisciplinary artist who is representing the United States at this year’s Venice Biennale. And it is historic. Gibson, whose ancestry includes Choctaw and Cherokee forebears, is the first Indigenous American to receive the honor of a solo show in the U.S. pavilion. He is an artist who fuses Indigenous aesthetics, history, politics, and pop culture –packing a powerful punch. Not just for the electrifying visuals but because in Gibson’s work there is a message as it grapples with questions of identity, oppression, and the struggle for freedom. Titled “your spirit whispering in my ear,” the mural is commissioned by The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy in collaboration with Mass MoCA. In addition to the mural, Jeffrey Gibson’s project at MASS MoCA, titled “POWER FULL BECAUSE WE’RE DIFFERENT,” will open on November 3rd. Finally, to commemorate Indigenous People's Day, Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson takes us on a tour of public artworks that honor Indigenous culture. She’s a multidisciplinary artist and award winning photographer who is the creator of The Art Walk Project, a series of self-guided micro tours. -
October 11, 2024 - Week in Review: TikTok lawsuits, The Apprentice biopic, and Bond girls
Today Jared Bowen, James Bennett II and Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.First up, more than a dozen states, including Massachusetts, are suing Tik Tok, alleging that its algorithm was deliberately designed to get people hooked – violating consumer protection laws and causing a teenage mental health crisis along the way. We’ll look at what it means to be a society under the influencer.From there, the controversial Trump biopic, “The Apprentice,” is out, following a beleaguered journey to its theatrical release, from legal fights to fighting to find a distributor. Plus it’s the end of an era for Boston's fine-dining scene. Chef Barbara Lynch, whose reputation has been marred recently by reports of being abusive and volatile, is closing all of her remaining restaurants. -
October 10, 2024 - Michael Patrick MacDonald and Every Body Belongs
Writer Michael Patrick MacDonald’s bestselling memoir, “All Souls” is about growing up in South Boston during the 1970’s. It was a place that was ravaged by extreme poverty, Whitey Bulger’s crime ring, drugs and racial strife amid the Boston busing crisis.Published in 1999, Michael Patrick Macdonald is marking the 25th anniversary of “All Souls” with a new edition and a series of events. He joins us to talk about what’s changed and what hasn’t since “All Souls” sent so many readers soul searching about a community in distress. You can catch Michael Patrick MacDonald on October 27th at the Jamestown Arts Center in Jamestown, Rhode IslandFrom there we get a jump on Boston Fashion Week, which kicks off on October 13th. Amid the events is one that is celebrating inclusivity by truly being inclusive, it’s called “Every Body Belongs.” It is a celebration at the intersection of fashion and community, featuring designs from both adaptive and traditional designers, with models of all ages and abilities. Kristie Raymond, founder and owner of HumanKind Casting, which is organizing the event, joins The Culture Show with a preview. “Every Body Belongs” is on October 15th, 6:00-8:00 at Garage B at the Charles River Speedway in Brighton.
