Art Works Podcast

Bluegrass legend Del McCoury discusses his 50-year career, from joining Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the 1960s to multiple appearances at the Bonnaroo music and arts festival in the 2000s.

2020 NEA Literature Fellow Danielle Evans is author of two collections of stories Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self and The Office of Historical Corrections, published ten years apart and to great acclaim. Today, we’re revisiting my 2021 interview with Danielle. In this podcast, we explore her intricate narratives that weave through the themes of history, race, and grief. Danielle shares her approach to writing, the importance of allowing stories to develop organically, and her commitment to fostering depth and cohesion in her collections. She discusses the recurring motifs in her work, including the impact of history and memory on identity, the complexities of grief, and the nuances of racial and societal dynamics. We discuss *The Office of Historical Corrections *and the titular novella which introduces an imaginative agency dedicated to correcting historical inaccuracies. Evans explains the genesis of this idea and its reflection on our contemporary struggles with truth and reconciliation. She reflects on the shifts in the publishing industry regarding diversity and representation, acknowledging progress while also pointing to the ongoing challenges in creating equitable spaces for diverse voices. And finally, Danielle shares how the NEA Literature Fellowship has supported her creative process, allowing her to research and develop her forthcoming work.

We close out Hispanic Heritage Month with Manuel Delgado—a luthier who carries on a multi-generational family legacy of hand-crafting string instruments—a history that goes back to 1928. In this podcast, Delgado talks about his family’s tradition of instrument-making and working closely as a boy with his father and grandfather in their shop in East LA. He discusses the craftsmanship that goes into the making the instruments in the Delgado Style with an emphasis on "old-world luthier" techniques, a marriage of art and science. Delgado also talks about his move to Nashville after his father’s passing and opening his own shop Delgado Guitars—bringing the same fine craftsmanship and personal touch to Nashville. He also discusses his advocacy for arts education--especially his support for music educators, stressing the scientific evidence of music's impact on the brain and its benefits in other academic areas. He talks about his involvement in Music Makes Us where he created a mariachi program for kids at risk, the Music City Mariachi Festival that he was instrumental in creating, and Music Makers Stage—a venue he created for the community and for artists. Finally, he talks about passing the tradition down to his daughters and the emotional connection he still feels for his father and grandfather as he crafts an instrument. We’d love to know your thoughts--email us at [email protected].

In honor of Veterans’ Day, we’re revisiting an episode of Art Works that tells the origin story of the transformative project Theater of War Productions. Co-founded by classicist, translator, and director Bryan Doerries, Theater of War began with a simple yet profound concept: presenting staged readings of Sophocles' plays Ajax and Philoctetes to military communities as a means of addressing both the challenges veterans face and the lasting impact of war on families and relationships.

In this episode, Doerries recounts how he was inspired to bring these ancient military tragedies to contemporary audiences, believing they would unlock conversations around trauma and healing. With excerpts of performances by actors Bill Camp, David Strathairn and Adam Driver, this episode explores the initial journey of Theater of War and its impact on military communities, offering insight into how ancient drama opens pathways for veterans to process their experiences. Now, with over 20 specialized programs, Theater of War Productions reaches diverse communities worldwide, addressing not only the struggles of veterans but also broader public health and social justice issues, including homelessness, racialized violence, and natural disasters. Doerries also discusses the arts’ power to heal, showing how storytelling and shared experience allow individuals to confront, process, and share pain. Theater of War taps into this capacity, creating safe spaces that support connection, resilience, and recovery.

Violist Ashleigh Gordon and pianist Anthony R. Green were students at the New England Conservatory of Music and were frustrated by the lack of representation of Black voices in classical music. So, in 2013, they co-founded Castle of our Skins—a music initiative in Boston focused on celebrating Black artistry in music. Ashleigh Gordon is the organization’s artistic and executive director as well as violist who performs in many of the concerts. From its successful first outing, “Castle of our Skins”—the name comes from a poem by Nikki Giovanni—has grown into a distinguished concert and music education series with creative programming that weaves music with visual art, dance, history, and storytelling. In this podcast, Gordon talks about the organization’s founding, how its mission has evolved and expanded throughout the years, the centrality of interdisciplinary work and partnerships to its programming, and how, as a Black arts organization, Castle of our Skins, which received an ARP grant from the NEA, is moving forward through “a health pandemic and a racial pandemic.”

Follow Art Works on Apple Podcasts!

You can listen to Castle of our Skins’s YouTube channel here.

Music Excerpts from today’s podcast:

“Love Let The Wind Cry...How I Adore Thee" by Undine Smith Moore, performed by soprano Sirgourney Cook and pianist Sarah Bob. Performed live May 26, 2018 at Hibernian Hall, Boston as part of Castle of our Skins's "Ain't I a Woman" project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8GV-bTW740

“Wade in the Water” from Spiritual Fantasy No 12 by Frederick Tillis, performed by Gabriela Díaz, violin; Matthew Vera, violin; Francesca McNeeley, cello; Ashleigh Gordon, viola. Recorded live in the Boston Athenaeum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c68p3p_JT1g

“Positive Negativity” by Gary Powell Nash, performed by Ashleigh Gordon, viola and Anthony R. Green, from Castle of our Skins's Black Composer Miniature Challenge. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlkrqPTkLl0