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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

Saturday

Thursday

At This Baltimore Museum, Security Guards Will Be The Ones Curating The Exhibit

A man covers himself from rain with an umbrella as he walks by the Baltimore Museum of Art on April 21, 2020. An upcoming exhibit at the museum will be curated by security guards. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption

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Julio Cortez/AP

At This Baltimore Museum, Security Guards Will Be The Ones Curating The Exhibit

Opening in March 2022, the new "Guarding the Art" exhibit will feature hidden gems selected by the museum's own security guards.

At This Baltimore Museum, Security Guards Will Be The Ones Curating The Exhibit

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Monday

Iranian Railway, Ancient Chinese City Among New UNESCO World Heritage Sites

People mourn their ancestors and the deceased at a cemetery in Quanzhou during the traditional Qingming Festival, or "Tomb-sweeping Day." VCG/VCG via Getty Images hide caption

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VCG/VCG via Getty Images

World

Iranian Railway, Ancient Chinese City Among New UNESCO World Heritage Sites

What do a railway in Iran, a mountainous national park in Thailand and a spa town in the Czech Republic have in common? They're all part of a newly announced group of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Sunday

Friday

TED Radio Hour

Matthew Mazzotta: How Can We Redesign Overlooked Spaces To Better Serve The Public?

Artist Matthew Mazzotta says every community needs public spaces to gather, discuss, and address issues. He works with towns to reimagine overlooked buildings and give them a new public purpose.

Matthew Mazzotta: How Can We Redesign Overlooked Spaces To Better Serve The Public?

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Shari Davis: What If You Could Decide How The Government Spends Public Funds?

Shari Davis presentation on the TED MainStage, as part of TED2020: Uncharted. July 02, 2020. Photo courtesy of TED. Courtesy of TED hide caption

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Courtesy of TED

TED Radio Hour

Shari Davis: What If You Could Decide How The Government Spends Public Funds?

Public places don't always fully meet the needs of a community. Shari Davis explains how participatory budgeting can give us all a voice in creating safer and more equitable public spaces.

Shari Davis: What If You Could Decide How The Government Spends Public Funds?

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Sunday

PHOTOS: What Item Is Giving You Joy In A Pandemic? Your Beautiful And Quirky Answers

We asked NPR readers to share the items they can't live without in the pandemic. From left to right: Kenji Hall with his traditional Japanese pot, Trish Kandik with her foster dog Penelope and Lauren Morton with a takeout container of Indian food. Kenji Hall, Trish Kandik, Lauren Morton hide caption

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Kenji Hall, Trish Kandik, Lauren Morton

Goats and Soda

PHOTOS: What Item Is Giving You Joy In A Pandemic? Your Beautiful And Quirky Answers

We asked NPR readers to share photos of the objects they can't live without during the pandemic. Their responses are funny, surprising — and some might make you tear up.

Friday

Paris Fashion Week Returns, Making The Case For In-Person Haute Couture

A model walks the runway during the Zuhair Murad Couture Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2021/2022 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 7, 2021. Kristy Sparow/Getty Images hide caption

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Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Paris Fashion Week Returns, Making The Case For In-Person Haute Couture

Paris Fashion Week returned with 33 in-person shows and 24 digital presentations. As audiences gathered along runways in the French capital, the haute couture industry faces an fragile future.

Monday

A Story Of War, Theft And A Beautiful Woman, Back In The U.S. After 70+ Years

Sandro Botticelli, Ideal Portrait of a Lady ("Simonetta Vespucci"), 1475-80, tempera on poplar panel Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin hide caption

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Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

Art Where You're At

A Story Of War, Theft And A Beautiful Woman, Back In The U.S. After 70+ Years

After World War II, 202 paintings stolen by the Nazis toured the U.S. Now, the Cincinnati Art Museum has four of them back on view in the exhibition "Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men."

Thursday

Why Surrounding Yourself With Art Matters — And How To Do It
Simone Martin-Newberry for NPR

Life Kit

Why Surrounding Yourself With Art Matters — And How To Do It

How you decorate your home can be a form of self-expression and a way to share personal stories. Curator and author Kimberly Drew explains how to find art and objects that fit your taste and budget (framing concert tickets counts!), and how to safely display the work in your space.

Why Surrounding Yourself With Art Matters — And How To Do It

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Tuesday

A Greek Construction Worker Has Been Arrested Over The Theft Of A Picasso Masterpiece

Greek police says they have recovered two paintings by 20th century masters Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian, nearly a decade after their theft from the country's biggest state art gallery in Athens. Petros Giannakouris/AP hide caption

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Petros Giannakouris/AP

A Greek Construction Worker Has Been Arrested Over The Theft Of A Picasso Masterpiece

Authorities said that Picasso's "Woman's Head" and a work by the Dutch master Piet Mondrian, "Stammer Mill with Summer House," were stolen in January 2012 from the National Gallery in Athens.

Friday

Wednesday

New Grants Are Available For Arts Groups Sidelined During The Pandemic

With in-person shows cancelled, costume designer Ivania Stack has been making personalized coasters to make a little extra money during the pandemic. Courtesy of Ivania Stack hide caption

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Courtesy of Ivania Stack

Culture

New Grants Are Available For Arts Groups Sidelined During The Pandemic

The American Rescue Plan set aside $135 million for arts and culture, nearly doubling the amount that was available in President Trump's CARES Act, and makes more groups eligible for funding.

New Grants Are Available For Arts Groups Sidelined During The Pandemic

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Saturday

In New York City, A Juneteenth Event Examines The Meaning Of Freedom

The Lincoln Center campus, presently adorned in a green carpet of synthetic grass, hosts a Juneteenth experience June 19. Sachyn Mital/Lincoln Center hide caption

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Sachyn Mital/Lincoln Center

Juneteenth

In New York City, A Juneteenth Event Examines The Meaning Of Freedom

Lincoln Center observes Juneteenth, now a federal holiday, with "I Dream a Dream That Dreams Back at Me," an ambulatory experience conceived by Carl Hancock Rux.

In New York City, A Juneteenth Event Examines The Meaning Of Freedom

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Thursday