Pop of Culture

S03 E21 - We Come from the Ground Up

We're extending the holiday weekend! This week, we're listening back to some of our favorite pieces, including: our visit to the powerful illustrative work in "Nora Krug: Belonging" at the David Owsley Museum of Art, our sit-down with local potter John Peterson, live music from Jess Jones, and canning family recipes with farmer Riley McDermott.

S03 E20 - We're in Cowboy Couture

This week, Indianapolis-based fashion designer Jerry Lee Atwood tells us how he went from embroidering behind the bar at a coffee shop to seeing his looks on the red carpet. He has a new exhibition at the Eiteljorg Museum titled "Cowboy Couture: The Fashion of Jerry Lee Atwood." Also: we get tips from 2025 "DWNTWN Idol" winner (and returning guest) India Potter ahead of this years competition, and LaShanta Vaughn (President and CEO of Horizon Convention Center) and Carl Schafer (co-owner of Gordy Fine Art and Framing) talk about their project to fill Muncie's convention center with art. And after all that, we say goodbye to a member of the Pop team.

S03 E19 - We Tell an Untold Story

You've likely never heard of US Marine Oliver Sipple, who saved President Gerald Ford from an assassination attempt in 1975. His complicated story is brought to light in "Arlington, or Your Forgotten American Hero," a new play from American Lives Theatre in Indianapolis. Ahead of the play's world premiere, we welcome back Andrew Kramer (playwright) and Chris Saunders (director) from ALT—joined by Dan Nicoletta, a photographer with first-hand knowledge of Sipple's story. Also this week, journalist and TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi jumps on for an electrifying chat about her new book "Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being." Consider this your sign to listen to the podcast while walking...

S03 E18 - We Insult the French

This week, Scott Simon regals us with tales about tails! The NPR legend has a new book "Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known" chronicling a lifetime of remarkable relationships with pets. He even reveals which pet he named after IPR! Also: We'll sit down with Yaniv Segal, Orchestra Indiana's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, ahead of the final concert of their current season (Saturday, May 9). That show will open with his original composition “…the light that breathes…” We'll celebrate Mother's Day in the U.S. with "The Inside of Bones [https://riverteethjournal.com/beautiful-things/the-inside-of-bones/]"—a Beautiful Thing from Kelly McMasters. And, our usual "WAYWO" and Arts Calendar check-ins!

S03 E17 - We Cross Blades

This week, we join a Fencing Club class at Cornerstone Center for the Arts in Muncie! Instructor Christian Achgill (and his intermediate-level students) take Michelle and Jen through the basics—culminating in a back-and-forth bout! Also in the show: we talk to metal artist Tracy Davidson, who's made sculptures as big as trees and as small as earrings; she explains how she started jewelry-making as a form of pain management. We'll hear three local musicians (Laura Switzer, Cari Cambridge, and Foxxy) go Behind the Song. And, "WAYWO" takes us onto the stage with Zeus Currie!