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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Redbone's hit cracked the Billboard Top 5 this month in 1974. It was a first for a band with all Native and Mexican American members — but the song itself had a quietly political message, too. -
For Smithsonian Folkways' 75th anniversary, Cass McCombs and preschool teacher Greg Gardner wrote a collection of new folk songs for children. One of them is a tribute to gay activist Harvey Milk. -
Even when forced online by the pandemic, music therapy sessions continue to help patients in some ways talk therapy can't. "Music is this portal," says one therapist and COVID-19 long-hauler. -
President Trump upset the architectural world in February when he proposed an executive order mandating traditional, classical architecture for new federal buildings. That order is now a reality. -
In a move that infuriated supporters of museums to be dedicated to Latinos and women on the National Mall, the Republican senator blocked legislation Thursday that would lead to the creation of both. -
With so many people hunkered down due to the coronavirus pandemic, jigsaw puzzle sales are booming — and retailers are struggling to meet the increased demand. -
With increased car and foot traffic, the ground underneath the Tidal Basin — home to memorials to Thomas Jefferson, FDR and MLK Jr. — is sinking. As sea levels rise, the walkways flood daily. -
"I am eager to engage further directions in the museum's mission, embracing our digital present and future while furthering conversations around Black history, art, liberation and joy," Young says. -
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. -
"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.
