History

For the next four weeks we will be airing a series of videos produced by the George Eastman Museum that explain various photographic processes. The George Eastman Museum has unveiled a new exhibit called Photography and America's National Parks - this exhibit features images captured in various photographic styles, from Daguerreotype to Digital. Our first installment touches on the earliest form of photography, the Daguerreotype. Aired 5/27/16. 

High fashion isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when you think of what might be displayed in an art museum. But you'd be remiss if you didn't think it belonged. High fashion can be sculptural, the designs can be groundbreaking, but they can also be historically significant. The Ebony Fashion Fair was all of those things, it not only redefined beauty within the world of high fashion, but it changed peoples lives. Just take a look at the impact it had and why it fits perfectly in the Memorial Art Gallery. Aired 4/15/16. 

Earlier this year we were visited by a true master of the banjo. Bela Fleck dropped by Rochester to work with students at the Eastman School of Music and while he was in town he visited us here at WXXI to speak with our very own Julia Figueras. The conversation touched on the back story of the instrument and Bela Fleck's place in that history. Take a look. Aired on 5/13/16

In the late 1930's and early 1940's the Federal government funded the Works Progress Administration or WPA. While the WPA mostly funded public construction projects, one of its initiatives was to fund the making of art. Carl Peters was a WPA artist who worked here in Rochester. The Memorial Art Gallery helped administer the art program here in Rochester. The Gallery funded muralist Carl Peters for a series of artworks, some of which are still on display in local school buildings.

We have the pleasure of highlighting local legend, blues musician, Joe Beard. Joe has been a mainstay of the Rochester music scene for as long as we can remember. He's graced the stages of venues across the globe with some of the most famous blues musicians. Joe calls Rochester home, and we're so glad he does. We had the opportunity to sit down with Joe to hear him play and talk about some of his influences, take a look. Aired 8/21/15.

The Rochester Museum and Science Center has mounted a comprehensive exhibition of the work of Leonardo Da Vinci. 'Da Vinci - The Genius' gives us a peek into the mind of an inherently curious man. A man who worked to further his understanding of the world around him and who built the foundations of much of what we know today. From civil and military engineering, to anatomy and, yes, art. The world famous Mona Lisa painting has a special place in this exhibit and we had the opportunity to sit down with Mona Lisa expert, Pascal Cotte, to learn some of the secrets of the painting.

The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that, worldwide, we Americans will send about a billion valentine's this year. It's the second most popular card-sending occasion, right behind Christmas. And it's all about love. Or is it? WXXI's Brenda Tremblay, morning host on Classical 91.5, discovered a trove of valentines that might make you flinch. Aired 2/13/15.