Local Beat

All-male choir at Detroit school shares a hopeful vision

By WTVS, Detroit Public Television

The Vision Male Ensemble from Detroit provides training and mentorship for boys at the Detroit School of the Arts.

Finding catharsis through the art of tattoos

By Kaysie Ellingson, Indie Alaska

Para-rescuer Roger Sparks found that the art of tattooing helped him deal with his grief following a deadly military operation in Afghanistan. Now he's trying to help others who are suffering from emotional trauma.

Column: After artist’s murder, mural work takes on new meaning in Oakland

By Kelly Whalen

When 27-year-old artist Antonio Ramos was shot and killed last fall while painting a mural under a highway overpass in West Oakland, the story of his death captured national headlines and inspired other young people to honor his legacy through…

A veteran makes art from fishing lines, and he’s blind

By Rocky Mountain PBS

Former army sergeant Jim Stevens hasn't let his blindness prevent him from creating art that inspires others to look at paintings in a new way.

Empowering young girls of color with art that looks like them

By Jackie Shafer, WOSU

When she couldn't find paper dolls that looked like her, she made her own. Today, Katurah Ariel creates art to inspire and empower girls and women of color.

Opera Colorado sings about sin in ‘The Scarlet Letter’

By Brad Turner, Colorado Public Radio

Hester Prynne is one of the great feminist characters in all of literature, says librettist David Mason: full of dignity and courage, in a story that is as relevant today as when it was written.

War and sexuality overlap in Egyptian-American playwright’s work

By Laila Kazmi, KCTS

Weaving themes of war, betrayal and sexuality, Yussef El Guindi's latest play addresses the current atmosphere of mutual distrust between America and Arab countries.