Exploring American Routes: A Conversation with Nick Spitzer

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Art Works Podcast

National Endowment for the Arts

696 episodes

3 weeks ago

The National Endowment for the Arts podcast that goes behind the scenes with some of the nation’s great artists to explore how art works.

Arts

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The National Endowment for the Arts podcast that goes behind the scenes with some of the nation’s great artists to explore how art works.

Arts

Exploring American Routes: A Conversation with Nick Spitzer

Art Works Podcast

39 minutes 11 seconds

12 months ago

Exploring American Routes: A Conversation with Nick Spitzer

In this special Thanksgiving episode of Art Works, we’re revisiting our interview with Nick Spitzer, folklorist, radio host, and the 2023 Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellow. Nick discusses his path from college radio to producing the award-winning American Routes, a program that has spent 25 years exploring the intersections of Cajun, Creole, jazz, blues, gospel, and more. He shares stories of cultural discovery, the concept of creolization, and his commitment to bringing traditional and vernacular arts to national audiences. Nick reflects on his formative experiences—from fieldwork in Louisiana to curating programs for the Smithsonian’s Folklife Festival—and the profound impact of mentors like Bess Lomax Hawes. (Don’t miss the special Thanksgiving episode of American Routes celebrating the 2024 National Heritage Fellows!)