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Art & Design NPR explores the visual arts including design, photography, sculpture, and architecture. Interviews, commentary, and audio. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

Art & Design

Friday

Portugal Opens World's Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge, And It's A Trip

The 516 Arouca, the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, hangs above the Aguieiras Waterfall in the Paiva Gorge in Arouca, Portugal. It is opening to the public next week. Octavio Passos/Getty Images hide caption

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Octavio Passos/Getty Images

Architecture

Portugal Opens World's Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge, And It's A Trip

The record-breaking bridge measures roughly 1,692 feet long and is suspended more than 570 feet above a rushing river. Officials in the town of Arouca called it "frighteningly beautiful."

Sunday

'Renegade' Rug Makers Create Community, Tufting On TikTok
Trish Andersen

Fine Art

'Renegade' Rug Makers Create Community, Tufting On TikTok

With industrial metal tufting guns, fiber artists can make colorful, textured designs — Pokémon characters, candy wrappers, portraiture — worthy of walls, floors or social media feeds.

'Renegade' Rug Makers Create Community, Tufting On TikTok

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House Of Yes Performers At Home: How Artists Persevere

Tanya Karina, a resident artist at the House of Yes, was in Texas waiting to perform at South by Southwest when the news broke about the severity of the pandemic. Since March 2020, Karina has been using their free time studying holistic therapy and learning the dance form of waacking. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

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José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR

The Picture Show

House Of Yes Performers At Home: How Artists Persevere

The House of Yes performance venue in Brooklyn is closed for now, but the artists that were active in it are busier than ever, finding themselves and making art that speaks to the times we live in.

Friday

Dispatches From Quarantine: How Young People Are Documenting History

Ciera Amaro's art is one of the submissions to a project called Dispatches from Quarantine. Ciera Amaro via Alexandra Zapruder hide caption

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Ciera Amaro via Alexandra Zapruder

The Coronavirus Crisis

Dispatches From Quarantine: How Young People Are Documenting History

Enticed by what young adults had to share about the pandemic, historian Alexandra Zapruder set out to document history through an online gallery called Dispatches from Quarantine.

Dispatches From Quarantine: How Young People Are Documenting History

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Tuesday

Sunday

'Filled With Her Spirit,' A Louisville Art Exhibition Honors Breonna Taylor

Amy Sherald, Breonna Taylor, 2020, oil on linen Joseph Hyde/© Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth hide caption

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Joseph Hyde/© Amy Sherald. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth

America Reckons With Racial Injustice

'Filled With Her Spirit,' A Louisville Art Exhibition Honors Breonna Taylor

LPM News

Just over a year after police officers shot and killed Taylor in her home, the Speed Art Museum has opened a show in her memory. "To see it all come together is just a blessing," says Taylor's mother.

'Filled With Her Spirit,' A Louisville Art Exhibition Honors Breonna Taylor

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PHOTOS: Mumbai Falls In Love All Over Again With Its Forgotten Fountains

Mumbai's grand Keshavji Nayak fountain towers above the street and serves as a place of respite for thirsty passers-by. It's one of dozens of ornate fountains in the city, built during the British colonial era. Viraj Nayar for NPR hide caption

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Viraj Nayar for NPR

Goats and Soda

PHOTOS: Mumbai Falls In Love All Over Again With Its Forgotten Fountains

They're majestic. They're neglected. And now they're slowly being fixed up. Conservationists are preserving them — and officials hope the fountains will supply free water for the city's impoverished.

PHOTOS: Mumbai Falls In Love All Over Again With Its Forgotten Fountains

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Friday

Amanda Williams: How Can Color Bring New Life To Old Houses?
Callie Giovanna/Callie Giovanna / TED

TED Radio Hour

Amanda Williams: How Can Color Bring New Life To Old Houses?

Back in 2015, Chicago's Englewood neighborhood was lined with blocks of houses tagged for demolition. Before they were torn down, artist Amanda Williams used color to bring them back to life.

Amanda Williams: How Can Color Bring New Life To Old Houses?

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Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Not Heading To Paris This Summer? The Louvre Has Digitized 482,000 Artworks

The Apollon Gallery at the Louvre museum in Paris on Jan. 14, 2020. Stephanie de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Stephanie de Sakutin/AFP via Getty Images

Fine Art

Not Heading To Paris This Summer? The Louvre Has Digitized 482,000 Artworks

One of the world's mightiest museums has made much of its vast collection available online. The Louvre steers digital visitors well beyond marquee works like the Mona Lisa to reveal hidden treasures.

Not Heading To Paris This Summer? The Louvre Has Digitized 482,000 Artworks

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Sunday

A Cultural Triumph: Microbiology Student Makes A Petri Dish Masterpiece

Microbial Peacock by Balaram Khamari Balaram Khamari hide caption

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Balaram Khamari

A Cultural Triumph: Microbiology Student Makes A Petri Dish Masterpiece

Balaram Khamari has been spending a lot of time in his lab in Puttaparthi, India, culturing colorful bacteria and artfully arranging it on a jelly like substance called agar.

A Cultural Triumph: Microbiology Student Makes A Petri Dish Masterpiece

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Tuesday

Sunday

Illustrators Build A Bridge For Young Readers, Says Artist James Ransome

James E. Ransome, Quilt Folks, acrylic and paper collage James E. Ransome hide caption

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James E. Ransome

Fine Art

Illustrators Build A Bridge For Young Readers, Says Artist James Ransome

Ransome is well-known and loved for his illustrations, especially for his many children's books. But at age 60 he recently earned an MFA, and is developing a parallel career as a painter.

Illustrators Build A Bridge For Young Readers, Says Artist James Ransome

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