Great Art, Big Ideas

Who gets to call America home, and who decides? Four authors talk about race, citizenship and writing themselves into the national story.Victoria Buitron (A Body Across Two Hemispheres) answers the question every immigrant hears: “But where are you really from?” Zakiya Dalila Harris (The Other Black Girl) remembers being told she didn’t sound Black enough, and finding her people anyway. Christine Kandic Torres (The Girls in Queens) describes growing up in a borough where every stop on the 7 train is a different country. Krystal Marquis (The Davenports) talks about digging up history that was never taught, through libraries and archives that are now in danger themselves.The conversation is moderated by Ife Michelle Gardin, founder of Kulturally Lit. It was recorded live at the New Haven Museum as part of the 2026 International Festival of Arts & Ideas.Great Art, Big Ideas is the podcast of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut. This episode is supported by Kulturally Lit, Possible Futures Bookstore and Connecticut Public.Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

She was checking a track listing for a Method Man album when she noticed an unused interlude. She pitched it as a duet, got Mary J. Blige on the vocal and Puff Daddy on the mix, and the result — “I’ll Be There For You / You’re All I Need To Get By” — became one of the defining records of the era. Her name wasn’t on it.Drew Dixon spent the 1990s in rooms where hip-hop was being decided. She started as an unpaid receptionist. At Zomba she signed Nas to a publishing deal before Illmatic came out. At Arista, under Clive Davis, she pushed until Lauryn Hill was in the producer’s chair for Aretha Franklin’s “A Rose Is Still A Rose”; she brought Wyclef Jean’s songs to Whitney Houston and to Carlos Santana. Then she left the business entirely.In conversation with Dr. Hanan Hameen of the New Haven Hip Hop Conference, Dixon is unusually precise about how women’s names go missing from the record — and her explanation has less to do with any one man than you’d expect. She talks about what she withheld from the makers of On the Record, and for how long. About what it actually costs to ask for credit. And about what she’s building now, decades after walking away.Recorded June 21, 2026 at the New Haven Museum as part of Queens of the Culture: Women Who Made Hip-Hop, presented in partnership with Artsucation Academy Network and CT Public. Includes discussion of sexual harassment and assault..Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

In a cypher, nobody owns the floor. You take your turn, you give it back, and the circle is what holds.Recorded live at the New Haven Museum as part of our Queens of the Culture series, this conversation puts three women in that circle — each of whom built the culture in a different medium. Kim D. Holmes is a choreographer and dancer called one of the premiere luminaries of the urban dance movement, with a twenty-year career that runs from the floor to Beyoncé and Missy Elliott to teaching at Alvin Ailey and NYU. That’s the movement. Zeb Powell, known on air as Homegirl Zeb, is Music Director at WYBC 94.3 FM and co-hosted The Power Hours Rap Show, one of Connecticut’s first commercially successful hip-hop programs and one of the first anywhere fronted by women. That’s the music. Courtney Brown is a veteran journalist, former editor at The Source, and host of The Boogie Brown Show, where she pairs long-form interviews with lost audio from hip-hop’s archive. That’s the media.Moderated by Dr. Hanan Hameen-Diagne, founder of the New Haven Hip Hop Conference, the three trace the culture from Bronx block parties to global stages — and talk about what it was like to grow up inside something before anyone had agreed it was history. Hip-hop, as they describe it, has always been three things at once: a movement, a message, and a mirror.Recorded June 21, 2026 at the New Haven Museum, presented in partnership with Artsucation Academy Network and CT Public.Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

We are thrilled to honor Lhakpa Sherpa, a true trailblazer whose impact and achievements continue to inspire across communities and generations. Set against the stunning backdrop of the historic New Haven Harbor, this evening features an intimate conversation with Lhakpa, moderated by Dr. Quan T. Tran.In 2000, Lhakpa Sherpa became the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest and survive. She has since summited Everest more times than any woman in history — 10 in total — and has also conquered K2. Beyond the mountains, Lhakpa runs her own Connecticut-based guiding business, Hiking With Lhakpa, and continues to climb in pursuit of a better life for herself and her daughters, championing Nepali women and girls along the way. Her story — as an immigrant, single mother, and survivor of intimate partner violence who reclaimed her agency and independence — was told in Netflix's 2024 documentary Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa.The Visionary Leadership Award, presented annually by the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, honors a leader whose trailblazing work is impacting the world — carrying forward the legacy of Festival co-founder Jean M. Handley.Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

Every oyster shell tells a story — and together, they're helping bring Long Island Sound back to life. Watch "Shucking the Status Quo," a conversation on local aquaculture, indigenous stewardship, and community shell recycling, and how they're working hand in hand to restore one of our most treasured waterways. Featuring shellfish farmer Beth Simonds, Chief Sagamore Buddy Pocknett, and Tim Macklin of CORR-CT (Collective Oyster Recycling & Restoration), moderated by Tagan Engel of The Table Underground. Recorded live at the New Haven Museum as part of the 2026 International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Featuring:  Beth Simonds, co-owner of Stonington Farms Shellfish  Chief Sagamore Vernon "Buddy" Pocknett, Mashpee Wampanoag  Tim Macklin, co-founder of CORR-CT  Moderated by Tagan Engel, The Table Underground #NothingWasted #ArtIdea2026 #LongIslandSound #CTOystersThanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

What's the most powerful weapon against fascism we've nearly forgotten?Jack Hitt and Chenjerai Kumanyika, hosts of the Peabody Award-winning podcast Uncivil, turn their lens on the labor movement — tracing the buried stories of workers who fought back against gilded-age oligarchs, accumulated wealth, and authoritarian drift. This is not a history lesson. It's a warning — and a call to action.Recorded live at New Haven Museum as part of America 250: Democracy at a Crossroads, presented by the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.Featuring:Jack Hitt, journalist and co-host of Uncivil Chenjerai Kumanyika, journalist, scholar, and co-host of Uncivil Learn more about the festival: https://www.artidea.org #America250 #DemocracyAtACrossroads #ArtIdea2026 #UnCivilPodcastThanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

 | What does it really mean to cook local — and why does it matter? Chefs Emily Mingrone, Arturo Franco-Camacho, and Damon "Daye" Sawyer get honest about sourcing close to home, building relationships with local farmers and fishers, and what sustainable food can look like on a Connecticut plate. Moderated by Tagan Engel of The Table Underground. Recorded live at the New Haven Museum as part of the 2026 International Festival of Arts & Ideas. Featuring:  Chef Emily Mingrone, Tavern on State, Provisions on State, Fair Haven Oyster Co. and The Pearl  Chef Arturo Franco-Camacho, Geronimo Southwestern Kitchen, Shell & Bones Oyster Bar, and Camacho Garage  Chef Damon "Daye" Sawyer, 29 Markle Ct  Moderated by Tagan Engel, The Table Underground #NothingWasted #ArtIdea2026 #EatLocalCT #ChefsRoundtableThanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

 | Historians Elizabeth Hinton, Joanne Freeman, and Beverly Gage sit down with CT Public's Lucy Nalpathanchil to ask: what does the past actually tell us about democracy under strain right now?Drawing on centuries of American history, they explore how democracies have been tested before, what we can learn from those moments, and why understanding the past has never felt more urgent — whether you're a history buff or just trying to make sense of today's headlines.Recorded live at New Haven Museum as part of America 250: Democracy at a Crossroads, presented by the International Festival of Arts & Ideas.Featuring: Elizabeth Hinton, Professor of History, Black Studies, and Law at Yale University Joanne Freeman, Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University Beverly Gage, John Lewis Gaddis Professor of History at Yale University Moderated by Lucy Nalpathanchil, CT Public  #America250 #DemocracyAtACrossroads #ArtIdea2026Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

This deeply moving special episode honors Denise Santisteban, the festival's beloved curator of ideas and storytelling events, who passed away in April 2025. Host Tiffany Hopkins shares four of Denise's most powerful personal stories, performed live between 2017 and 2020, showcasing her remarkable gift for storytelling.In these intimate narratives, Denise takes us on journeys both physical and emotional:"Leo" - A heartwarming tale told from the perspective of an aging dog who finds joy in watching a runner pass by his window each morning, leading to an unexpected connection."Peru Trek" - Denise confronts her fears during an eight-day trek through the Peruvian mountains to Machu Picchu, discovering what it truly means to persevere when facing terrifying bridges, steep ledges, and her own panic attacks."The Little Brown Girl" - A powerful exploration of identity and racism, tracing Denise's experiences from a childhood incident in a schoolyard to adult encounters with prejudice, and her journey toward embracing who she is."What's in a Name?" - Denise reflects on a lifetime of navigating her difficult-to-pronounce surname, family heritage, and the surprising moment she learned she'd been pronouncing her own name wrong.Through these stories, listeners experience Denise's humor, vulnerability, courage, and the deep humanity that made her such an influential voice in the storytelling community. This episode celebrates her legacy and the transformative power of sharing our truths.Season 4 is dedicated to Denise's memory, featuring programs she was preparing before her passing.Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!

In this intimate and inspiring conversation, legendary Chef Jacques Pépin reflects on his extraordinary culinary journey spanning nearly eight decades. From his wartime childhood in Lyon, France, to becoming one of America's most beloved cooking teachers, Pépin shares the profound philosophy that has guided his life: food as a universal language of love and connection.Thanks for listening and don't forget to subscribe on YouTube!