WHYY’s arts and culture reporter Peter Crimmins first became interested in radio in the fourth grade, when he smuggled a contraband crystal-diode radio into the Boy Scout summer camp. Subsequent radio projects were more successful.
Crimmins has been reporting on arts and culture for WHYY News since 2010, as well as filing award-winning radio and print stories locally and nationally. He started his career in the San Francisco Bay Area, cutting his teeth at community station KALX and producing syndicated radio programming for Ben Manilla Productions. He lives in Fishtown with his wife and two dogs.
More from the Contributor
A time to mourn, a time to sell: Freeman’s offers vast collection of mourning art
Freeman’s auction house in Philadelphia now has on display what might be the largest collection of jewelry designed for grieving the dead.
9 years ago
Listen 2:20
50 years later, sustaining vivid memories of Fishtowners killed in Vietnam
Five decades later, its caretakers worry about how much longer they can keep Cpl. Charles J. Glenn 3rd U.S.M.C. Memorial going.
9 years ago
Listen 4:09
Philly Asian American Film Festival brings attention to forgotten star of silent movies
The 10th annual Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival opens with "The Dragon Painter," a silent film with live indie pop score.
9 years ago
76 trees to be planted in Independence Park
The Daughters of the American Revolution donate 76 trees to Philadelphia's historic park, in preparation for the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026.
9 years ago
Soul searching: Reggae artist finds goldmine in Drexel’s Philly Sound archive
A music recording archive at Drexel University is feeding a reggae songwriter based in London.
9 years ago
Listen 5:08
Church in Chestnut Hill debuts art and music about gun violence
A weekend arts festival at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill will feature choral music, a new play reading, and painted portraits of shooting victims.
9 years ago
Listen 2:15
Penn Museum breaks ground for long-overdue overhaul
The 118-year-old museum at the University of Pennsylvania houses millions of archaeological and anthropological artifacts from around the world.
9 years ago
Art Museum celebrating great works left by Philadelphian, even if some not so great
Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibit focuses on extensive Johnson Collection of Old Masters.
9 years ago
Day of the Dead festival to honor victims of natural disasters
Penn Museum hosts Dia de los Muertos celebration with traditional music, food, and painted skeletons while remembering those lost to recent earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires.
9 years ago
Art project helps Philadelphia celebrate collective consciousness in monumental way
“If you had to pick a monument that represented contemporary Philadelphia, what would you choose?”
9 years ago
Listen 0:00
Donors chip in to restore Mt. Carmel headstones after rampage at Jewish cemetery in Philly
In February, a person or group desecrated hundreds of headstones at the Wissinoming cemetery. Donors from around the world contributed $300,000 to repair the damage.
9 years ago
Listen 0:00
Paper flowers bring messages of freedom from Berks Detention Center
A Monument Lab project brings to City Hall 1600 paper flowers made by detained immigrants and their supporters.
9 years ago