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Vintage recording details an eyewitness account of Lexington, Concord battles
In the 1950 recording, preserved by GBH Archives, a Waltham doctor recalled his great-grandmother’s childhood account of the chaos on the first day of the Revolutionary War.
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April 28, 2025 - Robert Pinsky, arts funding and advocacy, and public art in Kendall Square
Three-time U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky joins The Culture Show to talk about retiring from Boston University where he has been a professor since 1989. He’ll preview his retirement celebration, which is this Thursday, May1st atop “The Jenga Building” on the BU campus. He’ll recite poetry, there will be screenings and a reception. The event is open to the public and it's free. To learn more, go here.From there it’s Creative Sector Advocacy Week. We’re using this as an opportunity to look at the state of the arts and culture sector in Massachusetts with a focus on funding. Julie Wake, Executive Director at Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and Ami Bennitt, an advocate and founder of Art Stays Here, join The Culture Show for this conversation.Finally, Culture Show contributor Julia Swanson takes us on a tour through Kendall Square with a look at SciArt. Julia Swanson is a multidisciplinary artist and award winning photographer who is the creator of The Art Walk Project – a series of self-guided micro tours of art across Greater Boston. -
April 25, 2025 - Week in Review: Pope Francis' cultural impact, YouTube at 20, and Ryan Coogler's Sinners deal
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, Pope springs eternal. Pope Francis was a champion of the arts. He is the only pontiff who has attended the Venice Biennale, he opened up a gallery for contemporary art in the Vatican Library and he convened over 100 comedians to share a communal laugh at the Vatican.From there, YouTube turns 20. Everything from “Hot Ones,” to “how to” videos have become online mainstays and along the way, the most-viewed “Baby Shark” has accumulated nearly 16 billion views.Finally, a roundup of high profile trials, from Harvey Weinstein facing a new jury to Karen Read’s retrial to Sean Combs heading to court next week. -
April 24, 2025 - Dana Caspersen, Loudon Wainwright III, and Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now at Smith College
Dana Caspersen is a conflict engagement specialist, award-winning performing artist, and best-selling author. She joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Conflict Is an Opportunity: Twenty Fundamental Decisions for Navigating Difficult Times.”From there, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and folk music legend Loudon Wainwright III, joins The Culture Show ahead of his show in Northampton, MA at The Iron Horse and at The Town and The City Festival in Lowell. Finally Emma Chubb, Charlotte Feng Ford '83 Curator of Contemporary Art at Smith College Museum of Art joins The Culture Show for an overview of their exhibition, “Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now,” which is on view through July 13, 2025. To learn more, go here. -
April 23, 2025 - Devo, Alan Michelson, and the Old North Church's angels
Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, the cofounders of the new wave band Devo join The Culture Show to talk about cultural de-evolution, the genesis of their band, how they came to be one of the most original groups in the history of rock music. In 2023 they kicked off their 50th anniversary tour, which has been extended.” Devo: 50 Years Of De-evolution...continued!” comes to MGM Music Hall at Fenway on May 9th. To learn more, go here.From there acclaimed artist Alan Michelson discusses his “The Knowledge Keepers,” his site-specific sculptures created for the Museum of Fine Arts inaugural “Huntington Avenue Entrance Commission.” His installation honors local Indigenous presence and is, in part, a challenging response to Cyrus Dallin’s Appeal to the Great Spirit (1909), a sculpture that has occupied the entrance plaza since 1912. The MFA commissioned Michelson for this project and produced this in partnership with the Boston Public Art Triennial. Alan Michelson is a Mohawk member of Six Nations of the Grand River and School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University alumnus.Finally, an interior revolution is underway at Boston’s Old North Church with artisans working on a conservation and restoration project to uncover 18th-century painted angels lost to history and layers of paint - until now. -
April 22, 2025 - Martín Espada, Radius Ensemble, and Lisa Genova
National Book Award winner Martín Espada joins The Culture Show to talk about his new collection of poetry, “Jailbreak of Sparrows.” On April 23rd Martín Espada will be at Porter Square Books in Cambridge at 7:00. To learn more, go here. In celebration of MIT’s new Thomas Tull Concert Hall, Radius Ensemble will perform works by MIT faculty on April 24th. Oboist Jennifer Montbach, Radius Ensemble’s Artistic & Executive Director and Eran Egozy, a clarinetist and Professor of the Practice in Music Technology at MIT join The Culture Show for a preview. To learn more about the concert, go here. Finally Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest novel, “More or Less Maddy,” which is about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
