Videos

Daniel Weiss, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, talked about the life of poet and musician Michael O’Donnell, who went missing in action during the Vietnam War after the…

University of California, Davis, art history professor Heghnar Watenpaugh discussed objects of native American culture in museum collections as well as repatriation efforts.

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker spoke about her development as a writer and activist. The Dallas Museum of the Arts hosted this virtual program.

Executive Director Jan Turnquist gave a tour of Orchard House, providing a glimpse into the Alcott family’s life in Concord, Massachusetts. Purchased by Amos Bronson Alcott in 1857, Orchard House became the home…

President Biden held a ceremony at the White House to honor recipients of the 2021 National Humanities Medal and the National Medal of Arts. (The ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19…

St. Joseph’s University professor Katherine Sibley taught a class about African American women who were writers and artists during the early Civil Rights era. She described the…

William Cross talked about his biography of painter Winslow Homer, who was capturing the American experience as the Civil War erupted in 1861 and who continued working through…

Stephen Kent, creator of “Beltway Banthas,” a Star Wars podcast, talked about the social, economic, and political lessons from the Star Wars movies. This interview was conducted at…

University of Mary Washington professor Stephen Farnsworth talked about actor Charlie Chaplin and the political dynamics of his films. This talk was part of the University of Mary Washington’s…

Vice President Harris swore in Maria Rosario Jackson as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts.

First lady Jill Biden made remarks at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden groundbreaking in Washington, D.C.

Authors Emily Bernard, Brittany Cooper, and Nicole Dennis-Benn spoke about gender, sexuality, and feminism in Black literature. The National Black Writers Conference sponsored this event at…

Authors Jelani Cobb, Marlon Jones, Maaza Mengiste, and Khalil Gibran Muhammad talked about how their books speak to the experiences of Black people. The National Black Writers Conference…

Morten Høi Jensen, Shawn McCreesh, and Becca Rothfeld discussed the role of the modern essay in today’s literary environment. They spoke the 2022 Library of Congress National Book Festival.

Hudson Institute senior fellow Melanie Kilpatrick talked about her biography of Godey’s Lady’s Book editor Sarah Josepha Hale, considered one of the most influential women in America during…

Authors Ibram Kendi, Kevin Powell, Ladee Hubbard, and Maurice Ruffin looked at race relations and Black literature. The National Black Writers Conference sponsored this event at Medgar…

Joy Harjo reflected on her life and experience as the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate. This virtual program was part of the 2021 Miami Book Fair.

Authors Monica Coleman, Kiese Laymon and Martha Southgate offered their thoughts on Black literature as a catalyst for social change & healing. The National Black Writers Conference…

President Biden awarded the National Humanities Medal to Elton John “for moving our souls with his powerful voice...found purpose to challenge convention, shatter stigma, and advance the simple truth: that everyone deserves to be treated with…

Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch and other arts officials testified at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the fiscal year 2023 arts and humanities budget request.…