Arts & Culture

From artistic collaborations to creative problem solving, the arts have the power to lift us up and transform our future. These stories celebrate art, creativity, and culture in all its forms.

Image: loaves of artisan sourdough bread

The Bread as Unique as the Place You Make It

There is a revival happening. And it's coming in the form of something we all love: bread! Sourdough has been a connection to the bread ovens of our ancestors for more than 5000 years, and now you can travel the kitchens of the world from a unique library in Belgium!

Image: A girl smelling a rose with deep satisfaction

Walk Through the City You Didn’t Know You Were Smelling Everyday!

Perfume has influenced our lives for more than 4000 years! But did you know many of the perfumes we know best today have their origins in the fields and flowers of one city in France? Let's travel to this city behind some of the most iconic smells in history to learn how perfume has shaped our cultures.

Image: Japan's "Do-Nothing Guy" walking through Tokyo

Tokyo’s “Do-Nothing Guy” Shows Us the Power In Being Present for Others

Would you rent a guy to do absolutely nothing? In a society where productivity is praised, can someone make a living by just being around? Today we’re introducing Shoji Morimoto, Tokyo’s “Do-Nothing Guy”, who gets paid to simply show up. He’s enriching the lives of others without hardly saying a word, and his approach to making a career out of his seemingly useless talent is brilliant. Here’s why.

5 min read

Image: A young girl helping a young boy get up off the ground in the woods. Representative of the public's gravitation towards movies like Casablanca, where people end up selflessly helping each other.

Here’s Looking at You Kid! A Lesson from Casablanca

Oftentimes, the most compelling and transcendent media are those in which characters act in other-centered manners, overcoming their petty personal concerns for the sake of someone else or a greater cause. Take Casablanca, for example. One of the most well known films of all time does just this...

How Cecilia Chiang Changed Food in America

If you’ve ever enjoyed Chinese food in the United States, like potstickers and Peking duck, then we’d like to introduce you to Cecilia Chiang. She's the "Julia Child" of Chinese cuisine, and the story of how she changed the way Americans eat is as remarkable as her influence!

Image: Students in a classroom learning from their teacher. 1 in 7 of these students experience food insecurity, and their primary source of food is the school cafeteria.

Heroes of the Cafeteria, Keeping 9 Million Children from Going Hungry

School cafeterias are some of the busiest kitchens in America, and when 1 in 7 kids relies on school meals as their major source of nutrition, the job of cafeteria worker becomes even more important! It’s time we take a minute to thank those cafeteria workers and to get a glimpse into their world.

282 Lawyers Defend a Client Without a Voice: Planet Earth with Elspeth Jones (Episode #117)

Today's episode will give you hope and a sense that the tide is actually turning, if just thinking about the state of our planet makes you sad or fearful. Our guest—Elspeth Jones—is the warm, funny, brilliant Deputy CEO of an environmental law charity called ClientEarth whose main client is just what the name implies: their client is our planet! Turns out, there is a group of global lawyers whose only client is The Earth. And with a support team of experts in conservation, they are defending our planet and making real change legally binding.

Image: Three Andean children standing next to an alpaca in Cusco, Peru, smiling.

How Indigenous Knowledge Helped Plant Over 3 Million Trees in the Andes

Over 30 years, the work of one man eventually brought together 25,000 families to make an immeasurable difference in the lives of his community for generations to come. Using Indigenous knowledge to save the planet saves lives, and that has never been easier. How, you ask?

Are Video Games Bad for You, Really?

On the quest to find out the effect that video games have on the brain, researchers may have stumbled into something that could change the nature of medicine. We're on the verge of prescribing video games, and these awesome creators walk us through it!

Image: People standing on a subway platform in NYC, a train rushing behind them. The place where Benny plays his trombone, after the accident where he lost all his memories.

If You Lost 29 Years of Memories, What Would Bring You Back to Life?

After a car accident, Benny couldn’t remember his name, that he had a son, or even where he was. But Benny had a trombone, and he did remember one thing: how to play it. With that, he brought his music to the street to bring joy to others.

Image: Artist Andrew Meyers painting the portrait of George Wurtzel that's made of nails.

What if Art Was Meant to be Touched?

Ever wanted to touch the art in a museum? Artists like these fellows are encouraging all of us to! Here's a touching story about the power that tactile art can have across many communities.

Image: A worm silk farmer hanging silk up to dry.

What the Worm?! How Vietnam’s 4000-year-old Silk Industry Is Making a Comeback

What the worm?! Where does silk come from and why is it so expensive? We’re taking a glimpse along the historic tapestry of Vietnam’s silk industry, and leaving you with a greater appreciation for the luxurious fiber, the farmers and weavers who make it, and why working together is key.

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