Elizabeth Blair
Elizabeth Blair is a Peabody Award-winning senior producer/reporter on the Arts Desk of NPR News.
Blair produces, edits, and reports arts and cultural segments for NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. In this position, she has reported on a range of topics from arts funding to the MeToo movement. She has profiled renowned artists such as Yayoi Kusama and Mikhail Baryshnikov, explored how old women are represented in fairy tales, and reported the origins of the children's classic Curious George. Among her all-time favorite interviews are actors Octavia Spencer and Andy Serkis, comedians Bill Burr and Hari Kondabolu, the rapper K'Naan, and Cookie Monster (in character).
Blair has overseen several, large-scale series including The NPR 100, which explored landmark musical works of the 20th Century, and In Character, which probed the origins of iconic American fictional characters. Along with her colleagues on the Arts Desk and at NPR Music, Blair curated American Anthem, a major series exploring the origins of songs that uplift, rouse, and unite people around a common theme.
Blair's work has received several honors, including two Peabody Awards and a Gracie. She previously lived in Paris, France, where she co-produced Le Jazz Club From Paris with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and the monthly magazine Postcard From Paris.
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"I love you right up to the moon — and back," Big Nutbrown Hare tells Little Nutbrown Hare. Their affections were translated into 57 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide. -
The pandemic has made for a bleak outlook for the arts. Enter the 92nd Street Y in New York, which outlasted the Depression, Sept. 11 attacks and is making changes to stay afloat during the pandemic.
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As a veteran stand-up comedian, Quinn has spent decades on the road, performing in 47 out of the 50 states he now affectionately eviscerates in his new book, Overstated. -
The Hulu comedy follows Keef, a cartoonist (based on Knight) who doesn't want to fill his comic strips with racial justice issues. But a run-in with the police changes Keef's perspective. -
Burners can attend an art class, DJ dance party — or even join a virtual group hug — via webcam or virtual reality. In place of statue burning, the event will end with backyard fires and candles. -
Vocal ensembles that normally would be touring the summer festival circuit have organized a virtual concert series. Groups hail from 10 different countries including the U.S., Zimbabwe and France.
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"Content is king" was Redstone's mantra. Known for his shrewd deal-making and public family feuds, the powerful corporate leader reigned over an astonishing wealth of networks, studios and brands. -
"We haven't seen the cats get superexcited about seeing people, but that's honestly to be expected," says Craig Saffoe, curator of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, which reopens Friday. -
Imahara was best known as a member of the "Build Team" on the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters. A constant tinkerer, he was undaunted by even the most outlandish technical challenges.
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Brothers Billy and Nick Smith have designed a reusable mask that's knit, not sewn. Seamless and sustainable, it's made from polyester, spandex, nylon and an antimicrobial silver-coated yarn. -
Of the 819 artists and executives invited to join this year, the Academy says 45 percent are women and 36 percent are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities. -
Christo Vladimirov Javacheff, who went by Christo, was a conceptual artist known for wrapping buildings and other large landmarks in fabric. He died Sunday at his home in New York City.
