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Four smiling people in the center of a colorful graphic with the words "The Culture Show" written beneath them
Weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m.

GBH Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen and a rotating panel of cultural correspondents and co-hosts provide an expansive look at society through art, culture and entertainment, driving conversations about how listeners experience culture across music, movies, fashion, TV, art, books, theater, dance, food and more. To share your opinion, email thecultureshow@wgbh.org or call/text 617-300-3838.

The show also airs on CAI, the Cape, Coast and Islands NPR station.

Come see The Culture Show LIVE at the  GBH BPL Studio every Friday at 2pm, and streaming on  GBH News YouTube.

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Listen to previous shows

  • Artist Steve Locke’s exhibition at Mass MoCA, “The Fire Next Time,” is a nod to James Baldwin’s 1963 book by the same name. Like Baldwin, in this exhibition Steve Locke contemplates American history, racism and violence directed at Black and queer people. Formerly a fixture in Boston where he was on the faculty of MassArt, Locke is now based in New York where he’s a professor of fine art at Pratt Institute. He joins the Culture Show to talk about his work.From there Edgar B. Herwick III literally goes into the underworld to find out if the cave at Dungeon Rock in Lynn, MA is haunted.Finally Gary Sohmers, the writer, lyricist, creator and producer of “Beasties: A Sci-Fi Rock Opera” joins The Culture Show to talk about its world premier at the Regent Theatre in Arlington.
  • Music Worcester’s THE COMPLETE BACH is an audacious 11 year project, which Music Worcester has launched to present all of the known works of J. S. Bach. Every season, beginning with 2024-2025, will feature a dozen concerts with music from each genre of Bach’s massive compositional output. it will wrap up on March 21, 2035—the 350th anniversary of the Baroque master’s birth.And it all begins with the inaugural BACHtoberfest, which kicks off October 25th and runs through October 27th at Mechanics Hall.Adrien Finlay, Music Worcester’s Executive Director, and Chris Shepard, Artistic Director of THE COMPLETE BACH and also the director of both The Worcester Chorus and CONCORA joinThe Culture Show to talk about it all.From there Ben Van Leeuwen, CEO and cofounder of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, gives us the scoop on the third Van Leeuwen scoop shop to open this month in Harvard Square. In April they opened up a scoop shop in Chestnut Hill and in September they opened a location in the Seaport District and there are more to come.Finally, we look at a public art movement, “Be the Change.” One of the traditions of the Jewish faith is the Tzedakah box, which is used to collect change for those in need as well as being a symbol of a commitment to justice. Now in its third year, “Be the Change” is both a response to global injustices and a call to action. Six artists have created large, outdoor sculptures–a variation on a tzedakah box – which interprets their chosen social justice issues. These are located at 92 Van Ness street in the Fenway. The installation is on view through October 24th and it’s presented by the Jewish Arts Collaborative. Laura Mandel, Executive Director of JArts, joins The Culture Show.
  • Today The Culture Show’s co-hosts Edgar B Herwick III, Callie Crossley and James Bennett II go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review,First up, Merriam-Webster Dictionary adds 200 new words to the lexicon, which includes Gen Z slang such as “touching grass,” and “ FYP,” And after guiding the Celtics to victory, Jaylen Brown lands on the cover of TIME Magazine’s 100 list. From there we remember baseball legend Pete Rose, and the huge asterisk that gambling left on his legacy; we’ll reflect on the career of actor John Amos, known for being outspoken and playing the patriarch on “Good Times,” and we’ll listen to the influence that Kris Kristofferson had on country music.
  • Pianist and composer Barron Ryan joins The Culture Show ahead of his performance tonight at Mechanics Hall. As part of their “Beyond the Frames: A Series in Jazz,” he will debut an original work inspired by William and Martha Brown, business owners and abolitionists who lived in Worcester in the 1800s.From there Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark Art Institute, joins The Culture Show to discuss their current exhibition, Guillaume Lethière, which is the first major exhibition of the painter's work.Finally, Father Frank Sevola is Guardian of St. Anthony Shrine, the Church on Arch Street and George Comeau is Senior Manager of Destination Events for the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District join The Culture Show to preview this Sunday’s Blessing of the Animals and the 10th annual Doggone Halloween Parade. Both pet-friendly and pet-centric events will take place at Downtown Crossing.
  • Reynaliz Herrera is a classically trained percussionist who found her voice when she realized that a bicycle is a wildly versatile percussive instrument. She is a musician, an educator and founder of Ideas, Not Theories, a theatrical percussion company for unconventional percussion instruments. She joins us to talk about her debut album, “BIKEncerto: a concerto for solo bicycle and orchestra”, Reynaliz Hererra has two upcoming performances. One is at the Museum of Science On October 5th, and on November 14th she’ll be performing at the MIT Museum as part of their “After Dark” series.From there Courtney O’Connor, Producing Artistic Director at The Lyric Stage Company of Boston, joins The Culture Show to talk about their production of “Urinetown: The Musical,” which is onstage through October 20th. Finally, R. Tripp Evans joins The Culture Show to talk about his book, “The Importance of Being Furnished: Four Bachelors at Home.” and the exhibition that he guest curated for Historic New England, The Importance of Being Furnished, which is on view through October 27, 2024. R. Tripp Evans is Professor of the History of Art at Wheaton College.