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Rick Karr Rick Karr reports from New York on culture and technology for NPR News. He has also been a contributor to the PBS show NOW with Bill Moyers.
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Rick Karr

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Saturday

Ex-Sawdust Factory Is Transformed Into A NYC Musical Venue

National Sawdust is aiming to be the kind of institution that can do what the Metropolitan Opera or the New York Philharmonic does for mainstream artists. Vicente Muñoz/National Sawdust hide caption

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Vicente Muñoz/National Sawdust

Music News

Ex-Sawdust Factory Is Transformed Into A NYC Musical Venue

The nonprofit located in Brooklyn functions as performance space, record label and artist incubator. Despite its small size, it has a foundation with a $450,000 fund to develop new work.

Ex-Sawdust Factory Is Transformed Into A NYC Musical Venue

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Wednesday

Why 'Seven Nation Army' Is The One Jock Jam To Rule Them All

The White Stripes officially broke up in 2011, but the band's presence is still felt in sports stadiums around the world thanks to the song "Seven Nation Army." Jessica Bindernagel/EyeEm/Getty Images hide caption

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Jessica Bindernagel/EyeEm/Getty Images

American Anthem

Why 'Seven Nation Army' Is The One Jock Jam To Rule Them All

From the Queen of England to the hounds of hell, just about anyone can sing its hypnotic riff. Here's why The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" is the world's biggest sports anthem.

Why 'Seven Nation Army' Is The One Jock Jam To Rule Them All

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Saturday

Music

'We Shall Overcome' Ruled Public Domain In Copyright Settlement

The civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" is now in the public domain. The music publishers that copyrighted the song in the 1960s settled the lawsuit on Friday.

'We Shall Overcome' Ruled Public Domain In Copyright Settlement

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Monday

Culture

Current And Former Guantanamo Bay Detainees Create 'Ode To The Sea' Art Exhibit

Artwork by current and former detainees of Guantanamo Bay is on display at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. But what does the art represent and why did the college choose to display it?

Current And Former Guantanamo Bay Detainees Create 'Ode To The Sea' Art Exhibit

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Wednesday

Fine Art

Why Da Vinci's Last Privately Owned Painting Probably Won't End Up In A Museum

The last known privately owned painting by Leonardo da Vinci is going up for auction. But it will probably go back into private hands because no museum can afford the price. "Salvator Mundi" is likely to sell for more than a $100 million.

Why Da Vinci's Last Privately Owned Painting Probably Won't End Up In A Museum

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Tuesday

Culture

Guggenheim Pulls Animal Art From Upcoming Chinese Exhibition

The Guggenheim Museum in New York City announced late Monday night that it would be withdrawing three works from an upcoming exhibition of contemporary Chinese art over protests from animal rights groups.

Guggenheim Pulls Animal Art From Upcoming Chinese Exhibition

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Wednesday

All Things Considered

Sentinel Awards Celebrate TV Depictions Of Health, Climate Change And Security

The Norman Lear Center at the University of Southern California hands out the Sentinel Awards to TV shows for outstanding accurate depictions of health, climate change and security issues.

Sentinel Awards Celebrate TV Depictions Of Health, Climate Change And Security

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Friday

Culture

Big Bird, Bowie And Muppets: Museum Of Moving Image Honors Jim Henson

The New York museum opened a permanent exhibition on the work of the late Jim Henson, including a Big Bird puppet, David Bowie's costume from Labyrinth and Muppets, all gifts of Henson's estate.

Big Bird, Bowie And Muppets: Museum Of Moving Image Honors Jim Henson

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Thursday

'Sgt. Pepper's' At 50: Why The Beatles' Masterpiece Can't Be Replicated

The complex soundscape of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was created under technological limitations that have since disappeared. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music News

'Sgt. Pepper's' At 50: Why The Beatles' Masterpiece Can't Be Replicated

In crafting Sgt. Pepper's, producer George Martin, engineer Geoff Emerick and the Fab Four pushed the recording-studio technology of the late '60s to its limits.

'Sgt. Pepper's' At 50: Why The Beatles' Masterpiece Can't Be Replicated

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Saturday

Music Interviews

Gary Lucas Uses Film Music 'To Shed Light On Obscure Corners Of Culture'

Gary Lucas, known for playing with the late Captain Beefheart and as the late Jeff Buckley's songwriting partner, built reputation with film music. His latest is for an early Orson Welles comedy.

Gary Lucas Uses Film Music 'To Shed Light On Obscure Corners Of Culture'

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Thursday

Lou Reed's Wide-Ranging Archive Finds A New - And Public - Home

Lou Reed performs in Sweden in 1977. The musician's widow, Laurie Anderson, is donating his personal archive of recordings, photos and business records to the New York Public Library. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images

Music News

Lou Reed's Wide-Ranging Archive Finds A New - And Public - Home

Reed's widow, Laurie Anderson, is donating his personal archive to the New York Public Library on the occasion of what would have been his 75th birthday.

Lou Reed's Wide-Ranging Archive Finds A New - And Public - Home

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Saturday

Art & Design

Prize-Winning Immigrant Artist Addresses Issues Of Identity Through Sculpture

The Vilcek Prize recognizes immigrant artists who make a contribution to U.S. culture through their art. This year's winner, Jamaican sculptor Nari Ward, received $100,000.

Prize-Winning Immigrant Artist Addresses Issues Of Identity Through Sculpture

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Sunday

A Prog-Jazz Suite About Architecture? Jacob Garchik Does It All

Trombonist and composer Jacob Garchik enlisted three guitarists and a drummer for his winding new concept album, Ye Olde. Peter Gannushkin/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Peter Gannushkin/Courtesy of the artist

Music News

A Prog-Jazz Suite About Architecture? Jacob Garchik Does It All

The composer and trombonist has covered a lot of territory, from jazz to Balkan brass bands to arranging for Kronos quartet. His latest album enlists three guitars and one very esoteric concept.

A Prog-Jazz Suite About Architecture? Jacob Garchik Does It All

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Sunday

The Guitar In The Window: How One Instrument Steered Sir Richard Bishop's Life

To create his album Tangier Sessions, Sir Richard Bishop had to learn to love a mysterious and temperamental acoustic guitar. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Music News

The Guitar In The Window: How One Instrument Steered Sir Richard Bishop's Life

Bishop's new album, Tangier Sessions, springs from a love affair with a mysterious and temperamental guitar, found in a secondhand store in Switzerland and inscribed with indecipherable writing.

The Guitar In The Window: How One Instrument Steered Sir Richard Bishop's Life

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Sunday

Music

Karen Haglof, No-Wave Guitarist Turned Doctor, Relaunches Music Career

Karen Haglof made her name as a guitarist on the ultra-competitive New York no-wave scene of the 1980s. Then she stopped playing and launched a career in medicine. Now she's back with a solo album.

Karen Haglof, No-Wave Guitarist Turned Doctor, Relaunches Music Career

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Friday

Culture

Robert Downey Sr., Underground And Off The Cuff

Robert Downey Jr. is a name well-known to moviegoers, but did you know that the actor's father also happens to be in the movie business? Robert Downey Sr. is an acclaimed director whose early underground films have just been restored.

Robert Downey Sr., Underground And Off The Cuff

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Thursday

Art & Design

An Art Star Creates a Splash in New York

New Yorkers woke up this morning to new landmarks in the city's harbor and along the East River: four waterfalls. They're actually a public art project, courtesy of artist Olafur Eliasson.

An Art Star Creates a Splash in New York

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Tuesday

Books

Joe Andoe: An Artist's Wild Tales

Painter Joe Andoe has lived in New York for more than 20 years, but he never stopped thinking about his hometown. Tulsa, Okla., inspires his paintings, and it's where Andoe built a reputation as a wild man and party animal. Now Andoe has cleaned up his act and written a memoir about his journey from juvenile delinquency to a successful career in art.

Joe Andoe: An Artist's Wild Tales

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Wednesday

Art & Design

Summer of Love at the Whitney

The Summer of Love exhibit at the Whitney is a sure draw for summer tourists. There are light shows and album covers and music, along with art: Robert Indiana, Richard Avedon, and Jimi Hendrix (a watercolor) are represented.

Summer of Love at the Whitney

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Friday

The Future of Television

Advertisers Search for New TV Strategies

TV viewers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for the programming they want, when they want it -- and often, they want it free of ads, too. That's a huge challenge for companies trying to pitch their products in a medium dominated by the fast-forward button.

Advertisers Search for New TV Strategies

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Thursday

The Future of Television

Customizing Content for New TV Devices

In the second of a three-part series on the future of television, Rick Karr looks at how new technologies are influencing what television viewers are more likely to watch -- shorter, more immediate clips of longer shows.

Customizing Content for New TV Devices

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Wednesday

The Future of Television

Video Programming Wherever, Whenever

Flat-screen televisions, iPods and the Internet are radically changing how viewers consume video programming. In the first of a three-part series of reports on the future of television, Rick Karr looks at the ways technology is changing how viewers watch TV.

Video Programming Wherever, Whenever

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Saturday

Media

Nielsen, Networks Face Changing Times

With Tivo, DVDs, video games and multiple TV households, who can keep track of viewing habits well enough to effectively use smart ads? The Nielsen rating service and TV networks are confronting the challenge.

Nielsen, Networks Face Changing Times

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Tuesday

Media

Low Power FM Movement Makes Waves

As new ways of receiving radio programs gain hordes of fans -- from satellite services like XM Radio to Internet tools like Audible.com -- a decidedly lo-fi approach is making waves. Low Power FM radio is being touted as an alternative to generic, commercial programming.

Low Power FM Movement Makes Waves

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