Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.

First up, Pope springs eternal.  Pope Francis was a champion of the arts. He is the only pontiff who has attended the Venice Biennale, he opened up a gallery for contemporary art in the Vatican Library and he convened over 100 comedians to share a communal laugh at the Vatican.

From there, YouTube turns 20. Everything from “Hot Ones,” to “how to” videos have become online mainstays and along the way, the most-viewed “Baby Shark” has accumulated nearly 16 billion views.

Finally, a roundup of high profile trials, from Harvey Weinstein facing a new jury to Karen Read’s retrial to Sean Combs heading to court next week.

Dana Caspersen is a conflict engagement specialist, award-winning performing artist, and best-selling author.  She joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest book, “Conflict Is an Opportunity: Twenty Fundamental Decisions for Navigating Difficult Times.”

From there, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and folk music legend Loudon Wainwright III, joins The Culture Show ahead of his show in Northampton, MA  at The Iron Horse and at The Town and The City Festival in Lowell. 

Finally Emma Chubb, Charlotte Feng Ford '83 Curator of Contemporary Art at Smith College Museum of Art joins The Culture Show for an overview of their exhibition, “Younes Rahmoun: Here, Now,” which is on view through July 13, 2025. To learn more, go here.

Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale, the cofounders of the new wave band Devo join The Culture Show to talk about cultural de-evolution, the genesis of their band, how they came to be one of the most original groups in the history of rock music. In 2023 they kicked off their 50th anniversary tour, which has been extended.” Devo: 50 Years Of De-evolution...continued!” comes to MGM Music Hall at Fenway on May 9th. To learn more, go here.

From there  acclaimed artist Alan Michelson discusses his “The Knowledge Keepers,”  his site-specific sculptures created for the Museum of Fine Arts inaugural “Huntington Avenue Entrance Commission.” His installation honors local Indigenous presence and is, in part, a challenging response to Cyrus Dallin’s Appeal to the Great Spirit (1909), a sculpture that has occupied the entrance plaza since 1912.  The MFA commissioned Michelson for this project and produced this in partnership with the Boston Public Art Triennial. Alan Michelson is a Mohawk member of Six Nations of the Grand River and School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University alumnus.

Finally, an interior revolution is underway at Boston’s Old North Church with artisans working on a conservation and restoration project to uncover 18th-century painted angels lost to history and layers of paint - until now. 

National Book Award winner Martín Espada joins The Culture Show to talk about his new collection of poetry, “Jailbreak of Sparrows.” On April 23rd  Martín Espada will be at Porter Square Books in Cambridge at 7:00. To learn more, go here. 

In celebration of MIT’s new Thomas Tull Concert Hall, Radius Ensemble will perform works by MIT faculty on April 24th. Oboist Jennifer Montbach, Radius Ensemble’s Artistic & Executive Director and Eran Egozy, a clarinetist and  Professor of the Practice in Music Technology at MIT join The Culture Show for a preview. To learn more about the concert, go here. 

Finally Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author  Lisa Genova joins The Culture Show to talk about her latest novel, “More or Less Maddy,” which is  about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Alton Brown, the television personality, food show presenter, food scientist, author, voice actor, and cinematographer joins The Culture Show to talk about his  book  “Food for Thought: Essays and Ruminations.”  

From there we head to candlepin city: Worcester. Vanessa Bumpus, Exhibits Coordinator  for the Museum of Worcester gives us an overview of a recent exhibition that focussed on the history of Candlepin Bowling.

Finally, Orville Peck joins The Culture Show to talk about what it’s like to be regarded as country music’s most mysterious outlaw.

Culture Show co-hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B. Herwick III go over the latest headlines on our arts and culture week-in-review.

First up, Blue Origin’s all-female space flight and the backlash that followed. 

From there how venerated architect Antoni Gaudí may become a saint and as we near the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary war, the surplus of events in Massachusetts that await history buffs, from the reenactment of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride to the reconstruction of the battles of Lexington and Concord.  Finally, “Phantom of the Opera,” returns to New York under a new name–”Masquerade,” and with an immersive experience twist.

Bring your big appetite to Boston’s Big Queer Food Fest, a multi-day  happening, celebrating the contributions of the queer community to the culinary world. It kicks off on April 28th and wraps up on May 4th.  David Lewis, co-founder of Big Queer Food Fest, and participating Chef, restaurateur and Food Network's Tournament of Champions winner Tifanni Faison join The Culture Show for a preview. To learn about the Big Queer Food Fest and to get tickets, go here.

From there we continue our ongoing series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution with historian Sean Osborne. He’s the co-founder of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington, which recently launched the Black Patriots of Lexington. A project that includes a nine-part YouTube series exploring the lives of soldiers and residents who fought for freedom and were witnesses to history.

Finally Mary Grant, President of Mass Art joins The Culture Show for her monthly appearance. Today she talks about Project Beethoven, a collaboration between Mass Art and Handel + Haydn Society. 

As we near the 250th anniversary of Patriots’ Day, Kate Fox  and  David Wood join The Culture Show for a conversation about the major events that ignited the first year of the American Revolution:  the battles of Lexington and Concord.  Kate Fox is the Executive Director at the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, which is leading the Massachusetts 250 campaign. David Wood is the Curator at Concord Museum. His latest book is “Eyewitness to Revolution: The American Revolution Collection at the Concord Museum.”

From there, Karina Corrigan joins The Culture Show for an  overview of the Peabody Essex Museum’s exhibition  “Saints, Sinners, Lovers and Fools: Three Hundred Years of Flemish Masterworks." Karina Corrigan is  PEM's Associate Director–Collections and The H.A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art.

Then, Culture Show contributor Pedro Alonzo joins us for his monthly appearance. He is a Boston-based independent curator who specializes in public art projects. He is also  the Artistic Director of the Boston Public Art Triennial.

Finally, we return to 1775 by way of some archival audio from WGBH’s vault, a recording of the late Doctor Alfred Worcester recalling the story his great grandmother told him about experiencing Patriots’ Day in 1775. 

Imari Paris Jeffries, President and CEO of Embrace Boston, joins The Culture Show to talk about the 60th Anniversary of the 1965 Freedom Rally. As part of the Everyone 250 Initiative and other 250 celebrations, Embrace Boston, in collaboration with the City of Boston and other community partners, will gather at the Embrace Monument/Parkman Bandstand. To learn more about the event, go here.

From there Jeremy Siegel, the global transportation correspondent for The World and GBH News, joins The Culture Show to talk about his recent travels to Tokyo, and the lessons Boston can learn from their world class transportation system.

Finally, Culture Show contributor Joyce Kulhawik joins The Culture Show for a roundup of the latest plays, movies and television to see right now. Joyce Kulhawik is a Culture Show contributor, Emmy-award winning arts and entertainment reporter and president of the Boston Theatre Critics Association. You can find her reviews at Joyce’sChoices. 

David Grann, author of “The Wager,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon,  is a #1 “New York Times” best selling author and an award-winning staff writer at “The New Yorker” magazine.  He joins The Culture Show to talk about  his writing and reporting process, and adapting his work for the screen. On April 27th he’ll be honored at the Associates of the Boston Public Library's 35th annual Literary Lights dinner.

From there Ian Judge, Creative Director at The Somerville Theatre, gives us an overview of  “Wonderful & Strange: A Tribute to David Lynch. It kicks off on April 16th and runs through April 19th. To learn more, go here.

Finally, Daniel Mendelsohn—Charles Ranlett Flint Professor of Humanities at Bard College, and frequent contributor of essays to The New Yorker and The New York Review of Books where he is Editor-at-Large—discusses  his new translation of Homer's “The Odyssey.” Tonight he’ll be at Harvard Bookstore for an event at 7:00. To learn more, go here.