Special Features http://whyy.org/cms/specials Special Features from WHYY.org Fri, 24 May 2013 16:08:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 Artworks May 2013 http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-may-2013/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-may-2013/#comments Wed, 22 May 2013 14:14:20 +0000 Sarah Kaizar http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=480

WHYY’s ArtWorks draws on the best performing and visual arts stories from its sister PBS stations, to bring viewers a unique and geographically diverse arts experience. In ArtWorks, topics will cover myriad aspects of the arts, including theatre, dance, drama, fine arts, music, performance, sculpture and literature.

In this edition of ArtWorks we discover where art meets agriculture; a sculptor delves into her self portrait; a photographer shows us that the past is often just an arm's length away and we meet a renowned violinist who made his mark during the cold war.

Photographer Abrahán Garza

Abrahán Garza is a native Houstonian. He began taking photos in 1994 when asked to cover the senior prom for the school paper as a freshman. He's an early pioneer in the cell phone photography movement, having shown at Talente Bilingual de Houston in October of 2005 with an installation called "The View from My Cell Phone."

Recently published on a cover of the Houston Press, Abrahán’s Houstoric Project has gained notoriety and was also featured on local television in 2012. In January 2013, he had photographs showing at TWO GALLERIES at the same time. Ratio: Photography Exhibition at El Rincon Social & at the 2013 Houston Press Artopia at Winter Street Studios.

Elmar Oliveira

Unsurpassed in his combination of elegance and impeccable artistry, Elmar Oliveira is one of the most distinguished violinists in the world today. His commitment to a wide spectrum of the violin world manifests itself in numerous ways, such as consistently expanding repertoire boundaries as a champion of both contemporary music and rarely-heard works of the past, devoting considerable energy to the development of younger artists, and enthusiastically supporting the efforts and art of modern violin makers.

Elmar Oliveira remains the only American violinist to win the Gold Medal at Moscow's prestigious Tchaikovsky International Competition. He was also the First Prize winner at the Naumburg International Competition and the first violinist to receive the coveted Avery Fisher Prize.

The son of Portuguese immigrants, Mr. Oliveira was nine when he began studying the violin with his brother John. He later continued his studies with Ariana Bronne and Raphael Bronstein at the Hartt College of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, where Mr. Oliveira also received an honorary doctorate. Other honors include an honorary doctorate from Binghamton University and the Order of Santiago, Portugal's highest civilian honor. He has served on the juries of numerous violin competitions including the Montreal, Indianapolis, Naumburg, and Vianna da Motta.

Below: Meditation from the opera "Thais" by Jules Massenet. Performed by Elmar Oliveira – violin and Robert Koenig – piano. Recorded February 23, 2008 at Lynn University Conservatory of Music.

Artist Judith Shea

Judith Shea is best known for her haunting bronze sculptures of clothing formed around an absent yet implied figure. Heavily influenced by her undergraduate study of fashion design at Parsons, Shea’s sculptures are formally striking and psychologically powerful in their simplicity. Her work is both socially and art historically conscious, referencing everything from ancient Egyptian royalty, to Bernini, to feminist theory while still grounding itself in her own experience and memories.

In 2011 Shea received the Artists Legacy Foundation Award and Anonymous Was A Woman Award. In 2012 she received the Fellowship of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in Fine Arts. Sculpture from her LEGACY COLLECTION work is currently on view at the Yale University Art Gallery. She was given the 2013 Award in Art from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Art Farm Nebraska

Art Farm’s mission is to support artistic vision, which may be impractical, obscure, and independent of commercial recognition—where failing is no less welcomed than succeeding. To offer artists, writers, performers, and others: studios, time, and resources for pursuing their range of expression, for experimenting, for developing projects, but most of all, for distilling the promise and potential of their creative enterprise, while working and living in a rural environment.

Art Farm's physical presence is in its buildings and land. More elusive to describe is the ambiance—the subtle influence of the environment's impact on time and space. The sun and stars measure your time, not clock and calendar. Space is shaped by proximity to sound and silence. The sky: your eyes: your ears will fill with the sound and shapes of an incredible number of birds and bugs. And, like it or not, the weather will be your collaborator in all undertakings.

  • Art Farm Nebraska
    Art Farm in Nebraska

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-may-2013/feed/ 0 Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall http://whyy.org/cms/specials/superstorm-sandy-a-live-town-hall/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/superstorm-sandy-a-live-town-hall/#comments Thu, 09 May 2013 16:42:46 +0000 Admin http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=462

What worked. What didn't. What's next.

More than six months after Superstorm Sandy caused $50 billion in damage, questions still remain regarding the region's infrastructure, its disaster response capabilities, and what the future holds.

Seeking answers and conversation about the storm and recovery efforts, New Jersey and New York public television stations teamed up to broadcast a special multi-platform live Town Hall event. Hosted by Mike Schneider, managing editor of the NJTV's news program NJ Today with Mike Schneider, expert panelists fielded questions before live studio audiences at Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre in West Long Branch, NJ and the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City next week.

Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall aired live on Thursday, May 16 at 8:00 p.m. on WHYY-TV in Philadelphia; NJTV, New Jersey's public television network; THIRTEEN in New York City; WLIW21 on Long Island; and their websites, in collaboration with media outlets WNYC at 93.9FM and AM820, New Jersey Public Radio, The Star-Ledger and NJ.com, NJ Spotlight, NJ News Commons and The New York Times.

Topics of discussion included: infrastructure: maintenance, parameters for the future and how New York and New Jersey's infrastructure compares to other regions; building codes in the post-Sandy era; the storm's environmental consequences: what can we fix, what may not be reparable; storm response: the effectiveness of Sandy response by FEMA, the government, the utility companies and the region overall; economic ramifications: who is paying the debt the storm left behind, government funds versus constituent responsibilities, and looking to the future: the region's ability to plan ahead for extreme weather.

Guest panelists included experts in an array of fields, from infrastructure and engineering to climatology and charities. The live program also featured reporting from various locations across New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island. Lauren Wanko from NJ Today with Mike Schneider, MetroFocus' Rafael Pi Roman, and Long Island Business Report's Jim Paymar will revisit communities and individuals that they covered when the storm hit in November, continuing their in-depth reporting from the worst hit towns and cities. Other special reports came from WHYY, The Star-Ledger and WNYC.

Panelists at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey
- Richard Constable, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
- Nicole Gelinas, Searle Freedom Trust Fellow, Manhattan Institute
-Vivien Gornitz, Special Research Scientist, Columbia University
-Ralph LaRossa, President & COO, PSE&G
-Mayor Matt Doherty, Belmar, NJ
-Patrick Murray, Director, Monmouth University Polling Institute
-Peter Reinhart, Director, Kislak Real Estate Institute, Monmouth University
-Bill Ulfelder, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy of New York
-Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken, NJ

Panelists at the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in Manhattan
- John Boulé, VP, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Ret. Col. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- John Cameron, Chair, Long Island Regional Planning Council
-Bud Griffis, Professor of Civil Engineering and Construction, Polytechnic Institute of New York University
-Joe Nocera, Op-Ed Columnist, The New York Times
-Richard Ravitch, Former Lieutenant Governor, New York
-Sheena Wright, President & CEO, United Way of New York City

On Twitter #sandytownhall.

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/superstorm-sandy-a-live-town-hall/feed/ 2 Artworks: April 2013 http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-april-2013/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-april-2013/#comments Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:28:57 +0000 Sarah Kaizar http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=441 ArtWorks airs on WHYY-TV on the last Thursday of the month at 10:30 p.m.

WHYY’s ArtWorks draws on the best performing and visual arts stories from its sister PBS stations, to bring viewers a unique and geographically diverse arts experience. In ArtWorks, topics will cover myriad aspects of the arts, including theatre, dance, drama, fine arts, music, performance, sculpture and literature.

The April edition of ArtWorks features a profile of photographer Michael Eastman, an introduction to The Menil Collection in Houston, the work of painter Michael Birawer, and performance artist Rosie Herrera. Learn about this month's featured artists below.

Photographer Michael Eastman

Michael Eastman has established himself as one of the world's leading contemporary photographic artists. The self-taught photographer has spent four decades documenting interiors and facades in cities as diverse as Havana, Paris, Rome, and New Orleans, producing large-scale photographs unified by their visual precision, monumentality, and painterly use of color. Eastman is most recognized for his explorations of architectural form and the textures of decay, which create mysterious narratives about time and place. He still relies on capturing the image on film and continues to print the images himself.

Eastman's photographs have appeared in Time, Life, and American Photographer, and they reside in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and other prestigious institutions. His books include Havana (2011, Prestel), Vanishing America (2008, Rizzoli) and Horses (2003, Knopf), which is now in its fifth edition. Eastman lives in St. Louis.

Rosie Herrera Dance Theater

Rosie Herrera is a graduate from New World School with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has been commissioned by The Miami Light Project in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing and the American Dance Festival. As a rehearsal director, co- choreographer and performer Rosie was in residency at the Chat Noir Cabaret in Miami Beach with the interdisciplinary performance ensemble Circ X.

In 2009 she was in residency at the American Dance Festival recreating her work “Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret” on ADF dancers. Subsequently her company was presented at the festival in 2010 and 2011 where she premiered the ADF commissioned works: “Pity Party” and “Dining Alone” to sold out audiences.

Rosie is a classically trained lyric coloratura soprano and performs with the Performers Music Institute Opera Ensemble as well as choreographs and stages operas independently throughout Miami. She has also collaborated on productions with The South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center, New World School of the Arts, Zoetic Stage and with theater artist Rudi Goblen as well as filmmakers Adam Reign and Lucas Leyva. Rosie is a 2010 MANCC choreographic fellow and a 2011 Miami Dance Fellow.

Painter Michael Birawer

Nationally-acclaimed artist, Michael Birawer, has brought a new look to the face of urban neighborhoods through his unique style of painting. A combination of graffiti, cartoon, illustration and heavy textures, his paintings have received praise from both art critics and patrons, who describe his work as “one of the best examples of the contemporary revival of urban art.”

When asked about his work Birawer states, “In my work, I strive to capture the connections between people and place that create identity. Where we stop for coffee in the morning, have a beer with a friend, or celebrate an anniversary all become a part of who we are as individuals, neighbors, and community members. By exaggerating the personalities of the people and architecture, I hope to inspire emotions and evoke memories for the viewer; feelings that may go unnoticed or under-appreciated in the routine of life. Additionally, I hope that my work makes people think about the importance of community in a world that seems to be increasingly individualistic.”

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-april-2013/feed/ 0 Artworks: March 2013 http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-march-2013/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-march-2013/#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:35:28 +0000 Sarah Kaizar http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=352

ArtWorks airs on WHYY-TV on the last Thursday of the month at 10:30 p.m.
WHYY’s ArtWorks draws on the best performing and visual arts stories from its sister PBS stations, to bring viewers a unique and geographically diverse arts experience. In ArtWorks, topics will cover myriad aspects of the arts, including theatre, dance, drama, fine arts, music, performance, sculpture and literature.

The March edition of ArtWorks features a chef who reveals the fine art of making sushi; a painter who finds art in nature; an artist who uses company logos to create intricate patterns and an animator whose work tells real-life stories in an improvisational style. Learn about this month's featured artists below.

Tyson Cole of Uchi Restaurant in Houston, Texas

Tyson Cole is a passionate student of the Japanese tradi­tion. He has trained for more than 10 years in Tokyo, New York, and Austin, under two different sushi masters. He continues his path of study and exper­i­men­ta­tion at Uchi, devel­oping unprece­dented, multi-cultural combi­na­tions using his impec­cable knowl­edge of tech­nique.

"Ingre­di­ents and flavors from all over the world are easily acces­sible now," says Cole. "The cuisine I create is play­fully multi-cultural, mixing the Japanese tradi­tion with tastes that inspire me."

Artist Ning Hou

Ning Hou was born in 1957 in Shanghai, China. He received his BA degree from the Shanghai Art Institute. He was instructed by noted Chinese artists Chang Show Wu, principal of Fine Arts Institute, Chinese Painting College and Director of Shanghai Artists Association; Yan Wan Leong, a silver medal winner of Paris, France, in the 1930's; and Liu Hai Su. He has also learned from numerous other contemporary artists as well.

Ning arrived in the United States in 1983 to pursue his career in art at the Academy of Art College where he graduated with his MFA from the Academy of Art College, June 1986.

I believe that the highest ideal for anyone to achieve is to make a difference in this world. If one person has a way to bring to others an increased respect and appreciation for life, love and our miraculous existence then they have accomplished something important.

Ning Hou

Animator Tom Schroeder

Tom Schroeder has been drawing and producing his own animated films since 1990. His 2002 film, "Bike Ride," which humorously chronicles a teenager's trip to see his out of town girlfriend, has played over 60 festivals internationally (including Annecy, Rotterdam, Edinburgh and Ottawa) and has won seven awards. "Bike Ride" (left) has been featured on Independent Lens and on the "Best of ResFest, Vol. II" DVD. Regular new film projects keep Tom busy in between commercial work and teaching at The Minneapolis College of Art and Design.


Artist Gunilla Klingberg

In this video by Walley Films, Swedish artist Gunilla Klingberg explores her interests in everyday consumerism and forms of Eastern spirituality. To do this, she covers the Rice Gallery floor and windows with a repetitive pattern that she creates by transforming common household product logos. The large-scale, circular pattern resembles a sacred mandala. It begins at a central point and expands outward as if it could continue to infinity.

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-march-2013/feed/ 0 ArtWorks: February 2013 http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-february-2013/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-february-2013/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:37:07 +0000 Sarah Kaizar http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=299 WHYY’s ArtWorks draws on the best performing and visual arts stories from its sister PBS stations, to bring viewers a unique and geographically diverse arts experience. In ArtWorks, topics will cover myriad aspects of the arts, including theatre, dance, drama, fine arts, music, performance, sculpture and literature.

In February's edition of ArtWorks, meet a photographer whose subjects are in ruins; an artist who keeps his priorities straight; someone who puts his heart, soul and sweat into his work; and a printmaker whose work brings constant surprises.

Watch ArtWorks on WHYY-TV on Thursdays at 10:30 p.m., following On Canvas. Preview this month's episode below, and check back on Friday, March 1 to watch the full episode online.

A.D. Wheeler

For A.D. Wheeler, it's all about location. He focuses on the old, the broken-down and the abandoned, traveling the country taking beautiful photos of ruins and remains. The photos below are from his series The Art of Decay.

Says Wheeler: "The Art of Decay is an attempt to show beauty in all things abandoned and forgotten as well as attempting to raise awareness of the importance of preserving our historic buildings and sites. I travel to abandoned, forgotten, and sometimes dangerous places to capture my images. Some places are rich with history, and often steeped in controversy."

Aaron Casey

Aaron Casey is a student at the University of Houston who is quickly climbing the ranks in the opera world. The young tenor was chosen for HBO's Young-Arts Master Class series (trailer on the left), where he performed with Bobby McFerrin, Renee Fleming and violinist Yo-Yo Ma.

Eric Meek

Eric Meek has been creating art out of glass for nearly 20 years and is considered a master of his craft. He has been a full-time gaffer at the The Corning Museum of Glass since 2005. After graduating from Bowling Green State University, Eric studied glassblowing at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass and the production studio at the Henry Ford Museum. He received his M.F.A. from Kent State University and teaches workshops internationally. His artwork is exhibited throughout the United States and Europe. When working with glass, Eric likes to draw upon tradition and fine craftsmanship to realize modern, elegant forms.

Emily Gray Koehler

Printmaker Emily Gray Koehler's childhood was split between the forest and the farm. Koehler explains her background: "Born and raised in Northern Lower Michigan, the arts and the natural world have long been a part of my life. After graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in printmaking, my work has largely focused on regional environmental and modern land use concerns. I have sought to develop a dialogue between the viewer and the natural world through colorful woodcuts and collagraphs. Using these media I hope to convey not only my sense of our place in the environment but also a desire to understand and protect the natural world."

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/artworks-february-2013/feed/ 0 Valentine's Day Recipes http://whyy.org/cms/specials/valentines-day-recipes/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/valentines-day-recipes/#comments Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:58:26 +0000 Admin http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=292 Heat things up this Valentine’s Day with these decadent chocolate recipes from America’s Test Kitchen:

Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Chewies
Chocolate-Raspberry Torte

Watch America's Test Kitchen Saturdays at 4 p.m. on WHYY-TV.

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/valentines-day-recipes/feed/ 0 Remembering Sally Starr http://whyy.org/cms/specials/remembering-sally-starr/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/remembering-sally-starr/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:10:11 +0000 Admin http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=272 Children's television pioneer Sally Starr died Sunday, January 27. She was 90 years old.

In this clip from the WHYY production "Philly's Favorite Kids Show Hosts," "Our Gal Sal" talks about her long career in television.

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/remembering-sally-starr/feed/ 0 Conversations with Jo Ann Allen: The Steagles http://whyy.org/cms/specials/conversations-with-jo-ann-allen/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/conversations-with-jo-ann-allen/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:03:39 +0000 Sarah Kaizar http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=282

Sunday's Superbowl game officially concludes the 2012 NFL season. However, Eagles' fans turned the page long ago on one of the team's worst years ever and many have their fingers crossed now that Andy Reid has left the building.

While Eagles fans look to the future, WHYY's Morning Edition Anchor Jo Ann Allen and WHYY amateur historian Ed Cunningham looked back at pro football in the time of war: 1943 to be exact.

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/conversations-with-jo-ann-allen/feed/ 0 Pioneers of Television: Funny Ladies http://whyy.org/cms/specials/pioneers-of-television-funny-ladies/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/pioneers-of-television-funny-ladies/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:21:44 +0000 Admin http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=263 Pioneers of Television: Funny Ladies

This episode features the first standup comediennes to appear on television — legends such as Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers. It also looks at Lucille Ball’s breakthrough on “I Love Lucy” and the sitcom stars who followed, including Mary Tyler Moore, Betty White and Marla Gibbs. The episode covers television’s most enduring variety star, Carol Burnett, and features interviews with contemporary actresses including Tina Fey and Margaret Cho.

See the first standup comediennes to appear on television and the sitcom stars who followed. Visit Pioneers of Television online »

Can't get enough of the Funny Ladies? We've scoured the Fresh Air archive for more —

]]> http://whyy.org/cms/specials/pioneers-of-television-funny-ladies/feed/ 0 2012: Public Media Year in Review http://whyy.org/cms/specials/2012-public-media-year-in-review/ http://whyy.org/cms/specials/2012-public-media-year-in-review/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:20:48 +0000 Sarah Kaizar http://whyy.org/cms/specials/?p=101 We don't just make Public Media. We love to watch and listen to it as much as you do! Here you can find some of the best in public media picked by the staff of WHYY.

Be sure to give us YOUR picks in the comments section below. And the best part – we'll be bringing you more in 2013. Enjoy!

Staff favorites: Video

  • WHYY's Chief Content Officer, Christine Dempsey, picks "Call the Midwife"
    Christine says: "One series that came across my desk this past year was Call the Midwife. Aside from the joy of being transported to London’s East End in the 1950’s, I fell in love with these women and their stories. From the nuns to the novice nurses, their compassion came across more and more with each episode."
  • Film critic Patrick Stoner picks his favorite 2012 interviews
    Patrick Stoner's top Flicks picks for 2012 include his interview with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench for Skyfall, the best reviewed James Bond film since Sean Connery left the role, and his interview with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones for Hope Springs where the actors shared their preferences for camera shots.
  • Friday Arts producer Michael O'Reilly shares his top picks
    Michael O'Reilly's 2012 highlight was interviewing the filmmakers of RESURRECT DEAD, a documentary delving into the mystery of the "toynbee tile" installations in Philadelphia. Another of his favorites is a short video exploring the fascinating, untold story of the relationship between Georgia O'Keefe and Dr. Albert Barnes.
  • On Canvas producers share their 2012 favorites
    Lisa Gray chose Grace Potter & the Nocturnals because she finds each band member is interesting to watch, and the interview with Grace is very genuine. Steve Kwasnik's favorite performer of the year is Frank Turner because of his Springstein-esque qualities and because he also shares Turner's birthday!
  • Fresh Air's John Myers picks "Inventing David Geffen"
    John Myers explains: "I loved the 'Inventing David Geffen' episode of American Masters. It's a must-see for anyone interested in the music business. I've always felt like I should have been living in Laurel Canyon in the 70's. Watching this is as close as I'll get."
  • Friday Arts producer Monica Rogozinski picks "Metropolitan Bakery"
    Monica says: "One episode I feel particularly proud of producing this year is Metropolitan Bakery. To be able to feature a business I so admire like Metropolitan Bakery, and feature not only their fabulous breads and pastries, but their admirable commitment to this community, was both a challenge and an honor."

Top Local Video of 2012

Top 2012 Pick:
The Barnes Collection

  1. On Canvas: Anoushka Shankar
  2. Flicks: The cast of the Hunger Games
  3. Friday Arts: September 2012
  4. On Stage at Curtis: Music for Violin, Piano, Voice and Guitar
  5. First: Friday, January 27, 2012


National Video Favorites of 2012

Top 2012 Pick:
NOVA — Inside the Megastorm


Staff favorites: Radio

  • Tim Roll picks Here's the Thing
    Here's the Thing is a bi-weekly interview program hosted by Alec Baldwin and is available online or as a podcast. WHYY's corporate underwriting manager, Tim Roll, says he heard it live once while driving to Connecticut and became hooked.
  • Cookbook author and food blogger Lari Robling rediscovers Pepper Pot Soup
    Lari Robling shares: "My work with my book, Endangered Recipes, made me acutely aware that our food history is slipping away. So, being able to do a story on Pepper Pot Soup, a dish that once identified Philadelphia and is now obscure was near and dear to my heart (and taste buds!)."

Top audio tracks of 2012

Favorite Audio Tracks of 2012

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