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.
-
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. -
The Movie The Opening Act follows the trials and tribulations of a stand-up comedian. It stars Jimmy O. Yang, Cedric the Entertainer, Alex Moffat along with cameos by comics who've been there.
-
Irving Berlin's classic musical turns 85 this year, and a group of artists are paying tribute with a brand-new video version of one of its songs, "Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)?"
-
A new fund created by the Andrew W. Mellon and Ford Foundations awards unrestricted grants to fellows working in a range of disciplines including architecture, dance, multimedia and journalism.
-
"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.
-
The Walt Disney Company's theme parks, resorts and cruises have been devastated by COVID-19. Disney announced it is laying off the workers from its Parks, Experiences and Products division.
-
After closing its doors in March and laying off hundreds of workers, the Kennedy Center held its first concert Saturday night (9/26). Renee Fleming and Vanessa Williams performed for an audience of about 40 people. NPR's Elizabeth Blair was there.
-
"I love you right up to the moon — and back," Big Nutbrown Hare tells Little Nutbrown Hare. Their affections were translated into 57 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide.
-
The pandemic has made for a bleak outlook for the arts. Enter the 92nd Street Y in New York, which outlasted the Depression, Sept. 11 attacks and is making changes to stay afloat during the pandemic.
-
As a veteran stand-up comedian, Quinn has spent decades on the road, performing in 47 out of the 50 states he now affectionately eviscerates in his new book, Overstated.
