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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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.
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The Smithsonian is closing its seven museums and the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. because of the recent spike in COVID cases. Other cultural institutions also announced closures. -
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. -
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.
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"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. -
Brothers Billy and Nick Smith have designed a reusable mask that's knit, not sewn. Seamless and sustainable, it's made from polyester, spandex, nylon and an antimicrobial silver-coated yarn.
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The Roots drummer, DJ and cookbook author isn't letting a pandemic slow him down — he's still performing on The Tonight Show, and now he's hosting a virtual potluck dinner party on the Food Network. -
Live audiences help comics get exposure and work out new material. Colin Quinn says virtual platforms don't replicate "the tension" of being in front of a room full of strangers. -
The company's new CEO Bob Chapek said on the earnings call Tuesday that when he started in the role, "None of us could've imagined the suffering and sacrifice that we're now seeing around the world."
