October 23, 2009
At this fall's ArtPrize -- the massive visual arts contest in Grand Rapids, Michigan -- 37,000 members of the public voted for their favorite work. A 19-foot-wide oil painting, "Open Water no. 24," beat out more than 1,200 entries. Kurt spoke to winner Ran Ortner about how the prize has changed his life -- and made him a quarter million dollars richer.
Every year at Yale, 14 male seniors are tapped to sing in an elite a cappella group called the Whiffenpoofs. Their repertoire ranges from Cole Porter to Gladys Knight, and they perform around the world. In early October, 600 Whiffenpoof alumni (aged 22-92) gathered in New Haven for their 100th reunion. And they sang. A lot. Produced by Gretta Cohn.
Additional concert recording by Roger Arnold.
Hear how the Whiffenpoofs got their strange name.
Sonos takes a creative detour when it comes to a cappella. The L.A.-based indie outfit favors Radiohead, Björk, and Fleet Foxes for its unlikely harmonies. Kurt talks with the group and they perform live in the studio –- unaccompanied, of course.
Indie rocker Mitch Davis recently got to collaborate with his childhood idol: 80's guitar hero Billy Squier. Davis performs as Orba Squara -- his new album features Squier and brings everything full circle. Produced by Studio 360's Derek John.
Has a work of art changed your life? Tell us.
For years Richard Powers has based his novels on challenging ideas and controversies from modern science. His latest is Generosity: An Enhancement -- Powers tells Kurt how he came to the story of an inexplicably happy young woman and the genetic engineer who wants her secret.
The author reads an excerpt from Generosity: An Enhancement.
British artist Jeremy Deller created the traveling art exhibit "It Is What It Is: Conversations About Iraq" to get (and keep) people talking about the Iraq War. It's on view now at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Produced by Josie Holtzman.
(Originally aired: May 1, 2009)
Studio 360 is a co-production of
Public
Radio International and
WNYC New York Public Radio, and is funded in part by
Ken and Lucy Lehman, the
National Endowment for the Arts, and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation. Studio 360's American Icons series is supported in part by the
National Endowment for the Humanities. Our series on creativity and science is supported in part by the
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Our series on Underground Heroes is supported in part by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. 
