Art Beat

What You Might Have Missed

As we said earlier, while Art Beat may have been down for the last three weeks, we were still producing stories. Here they are, in case you missed them.

…And We’re Back

After repair work by our colleagues on the PBS tech team, we're back in business and resuming our regular weekday daily publishing schedule.

Photos from ‘My Perestroika,’ Then and Now

By Saskia de Melker

"My Perestroika," a documentary by Robin Hessman, follows five ordinary Russians who lived through extraordinary times. Borya, Olga, Andrei, Ruslan, and Lyuba reflect on their Soviet childhoods and navigate today's ever-changing post-Soviet Russia.

‘Chasing Aphrodite’ Explains How Looted Antiquities Landed in Museums

An expanded detective story based on a series of reports from the Los Angeles Times, 'Chasing Aphrodite' looks at the relationship between museums and looted treasures.

Raphael Saadiq Revives Soul Sounds for New Album

Music man Raphael Saadiq has gone from church choir to the R&B pop charts in the 1980s, and now back to his retro roots with new music that reflects the classic sounds of his youth.

For ‘Chambergrass’ Group Crooked Still, Everything Old is New Again

Music group Crooked Still goes back to old source material to create modern takes on traditional tunes by reworking instrumentation and lyrics.

Rock Band Hot Tuna Returns to Recording For ‘Steady As She Goes’

Hot Tuna, the blues-rock band formed by members of Jefferson Airplane in the late '60s, has just released a new album for the first time in 20 years.

The Real Life Drama of Being a Playwright

By Tom LeGro

Gary Garrison of the Dramatists Guild of America and David Dower of Arena Stage talk about the challenges of being a working playwright.

U.S. Athletes Are Part of the Art at Venice Biennale

By Molly Finnegan

This year's Venice Biennale features installations by artists Allora and Calzadilla, who recruited U.S. Olympic athletes to become part of the exhibit.

The David Wax Museum’s ‘Mexo-Americana’ Show

Musical duo The David Wax Museum combine traditional Mexican music and instruments with bluegrass roots.