Art

Sculptor Duane Hanson explains how his worked evolved from abstraction to realism.

John Cage reads from his "Empty Words" works and discusses his effort to create a "non-syntactical language."

Cartoonist Dave Berg discusses his work and Mad Magazine.

Painter and photographer Chuck Close discusses his influences, career, and photorealism.

As part of Fresh Air's AudioVisions series, sculptor JODY PINTO offers this untitled "radio-sculpture," which explores the line between interview and interrogation, and explores themes such as amputation and excavation. Pinto is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She is known for her installation pieces, which sometimes evoke strong feelings.

Alvin Epstein and Martha Schlamme have teamed up to perform cabaret songs by Kurt Weill. They talk about how they came to work together, along with the difficulties of translating Weill's lyrics from the original German.

Tepilit Ole Saitoti is a Maasai warrior and conservationist who was the subject of the film "Man of Serengetti." After the film, the Kenyan earned a degree in creative writing in the U. S. He joins the show to discuss his new book of photography with Carol Beckwith, "Maasai."

Minnie Pearl is a country comedian and star of the Grand Ole Opry. She joins the show to discuss her life, career, and new memoir, "Minnie Pearl, an Autobiography."

Writer and director Garson Kanin's new book explores the success of certain actor pairings in Hollywood history, arguing that the team members brought out the best in one another.

The renown artist was born in South Philadelphia. In contrast to many of his contemporaries, he has eschewed abstraction in his work, instead choosing to pursue realist painting.

The artist's iconic LOVE statue can be see in Philadelphia's JFK plaza. Indiana, now based in Maine, tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the trajectory of his career as a literary painter to a socially-conscious sculptor.

Philadelphia-based artist Raphael Ferrer gave up a career in jazz to become a visual artist. He has just completed a sculpture in Fairhill Square Park. He tell Terry Gross about his unique aesthetic and his particular investment in vibrant Latino neighborhoods thriving in blighted areas of the Bronx and Philadelphia.

The artist was commissioned to create a piece for the city, which he titled Philadelphia Cornucopia. The installation features whimsical portrayals of historical figures from early American history. His public art has also been featured in New York and Minneapolis.

In addition to being an in-demand bass player, Milt Hinton is an accomplished photographer. His portraits offer a candid look into the lives of famous jazz musicians. He and Fresh Air host Terry Gross talk about the experience of black musicians touring the segregated South and listen to highlights from Hinton's recording career.

Paul Fussell is an academic who has written several works of cultural history and literary criticism. His is particularly interested in the writing, photography, and art produced during World War II. His latest collection of essays is "The Boy Scout Handbook and Other Observations."

Painter Neil Welliver is known as "neoimpressionist" and for his landscapes of the Maine countryside. He divides his time between Maine and Philadelphia where he works at the University of Pennsylvania. The Institute of Contemporary Art at the University is hosting a exhibition of his work, "Neil Welliver: Painting 1966-1980."

Jules Feiffer is a cartoonist known for satirizing the middle class, politicians, and sexual attitudes in his comic strip "Feiffer.". He began his career at The Village Voice and is now syndicated nationally. Feiffer has also written several screenplays, including "Little Murders." A new collection of his work "Jules Feiffer's America: From Eisenhower to Reagan."

Fresh Air arts critic Judy Stein shares upcoming arts events in Philadelphia and reviews the New Expressionist show of painting and photography, "The Raw Edge," at the Cheltenham Arts Center, as well the show of Post-Modern prints, "The New Image" at the Association of American Artists Gallery.

Poet and performer Lane Kiyomi Nishikawa will be performing his one-man show about being Asian American "Life in the Fast Kabe: Requiem for a Sansei Poet" in Philadelphia. The show contains stories and poems based on his life in Hawaii and San Francisco. He joins the show to discuss his work and life.

After relocating to England and publishing a book documenting Chinese life, Eve Arnold returned to her home country to capture different facets of the American experience, including Native Americans, biker gangs, Jerry Falwell, and the Ku Klux Klan,