CultureNOW | A Celebration of Culture & Community

Architect Jim Collins Jr., principal and president of Payette, talks about the infill development project that expanded and renovated the original group of buildings at MIT, known as the Main Group, for the Physics, Dept. of Material Science, Spectroscopy and Infrastructure Project.

Jim Collins talks about the inspiration for the MEDITECH Computer Science Building. Sited near the decaying mills of Fall River's industrial past, this computer science building for a leading health informatics software company is part of a new 17-acre campus on the Fall River waterfront. The program called for open office areas, conference and meeting spaces, and a full kitchen and dining area. The design is organized around a south-facing atrium which visually connects the building's four levels and a continuous curved glass wall facing the water.

Architect Jim Collins talks about the unique sustainable aspects of Gary Comer Geochemistry Building that has been recognized as a 70,000 GSF LEED Silver geochemistry building, and a key addition to Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory campus, located on the Palisades bluffs north of Manhattan. Its researchers seek fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution and future of the natural world, and much of the group's work is at the forefront of climate change science. The program called for highly specialized and unique performance requirements that introduced significant challenges for developing a sustainable design.

Architect Jim Collins talks about the URI campus quad which are comprised of different buildings. CBLS represents the first phase of the North District at URI, a new science and technology hub which transforms a series of irregular campus spaces into two, well-defined campus quadrangles bordered by a new pedestrian promenade. The highly cost-effective, LEED Gold building accommodates 30 faculty members and their research groups, in addition to teaching labs, classrooms, a 300-seat auditorium, a genomics lab and a GSL-3 lab for life sciences education.  The relationship that these buildings have to the quad and to each other holds them together as an academic ensemble of buildings.

Larry Chan discusses the architectural renovations at 8 Story Street. The original building was completed in 1965 by Walter Gropius and TAC. 

Boston-based architect Larry Chan discusses the Signature Aviation terminal at Logan Airport 

Boston-based architect Larry Chan discusses the design of the City Hall Plaza Arcade.

Boston-based architect Larry Chan discusses the 27-acre proposal that makes up the Central Artery in the city.

Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice of Urban Design, Emeritus at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, discusses the urban renewal of Boston city, describing what it was, how it was done and what it looks like today.

Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice of Urban Design, Emeritus at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, discusses the urban renewal of Boston city, describing what it was, how it was done and what it looks like today.

Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice of Urban Design Emeritus at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, discusses the urban renewal of Boston city, describing what it was, how it was done and what it looks like today.

Author Nancy Seasholes talks about how Bostonians used materials to add land to marshes and other landmaking techniques. 

Author Nancy Seasholes discusses how the development of land making techniques used in Boston changed over time. 

Author Nancy Seasholes defines what "landmaking" is in terms of adding land to the city of Boston. 

Author Nancy Seasholes talks about the famous buildings along the Boston Harbor that no longer exist. 

Author Nancy Seasholes discusses the Tri-Mountain, the three peaks of Boston. Beacon Hill was cut down in the 1820s, and its dirt was used to fill in other areas of the city.

Author Nancy Seasholes discusses the Tri-Mountain, the three peaks of Boston. Beacon Hill was cut down in the 1820s, and its dirt was used to fill in other areas of the city. 

Author Nancy Seasholes talks about the building of Back Bay in Boston. 

Author Nancy Seasholes discusses the history and creation of Back Bay Fens, a park and saltwater marshland in the Back Bay neighborhood in Boston. When the area became heavily polluted in the 19th Century, Frederick Law Olmsted was challenged to restore and reinvigorate the marshy area and create an urban wildlife refuge. 

Architect Peter Kuttner. Principal at CambridgeSeven, discusses the Boston Children's Museum, which was the second children's museum in the United States. The museum was originally founded in Jamaica Plain and was moved to its current location in 1979. The Smith Family Waterfront Park at the Boston Children's Museum is designed to engage children in the programming of the museum and in the life of the city. The architects followed Dr. Spock's mantra, "Please Touch", in designing the building and its exhibitions. 

Peter Kuttner, Principal Architect at CambridgeSeven, discusses the New England Aquarium's architecture and exhibits. The Aquarium in Boston opened in 1967 and became a precedent-setting prototype for many future aquariums.  It is a phenomenal tourist draw in its urban waterfront setting; an educational resource serving its community and region; and an early example of Cambridge Seven's ability to offer both entertainment and education through experiential design, integrating exhibits and architecture. This unique institution is credited with a major role in the redevelopment of Boston's waterfront. 

Peter Kuttner, Prinicipal Architect at CambridgeSeven, talks about the creation of MBTA stations, focusing on the Porter Square Station. The architects worked closely with engineers, government agencies and community representatives to construct Porter Square Station, which serves both the rapid transit and the commuter rail systems. The goal was to create for this neighborhood a sense of place, and a sense of destination. This visually impressive station is situated 105 feet below ground under the heavily-traveled Massachusetts Avenue.

Architect Peter Kuttner, of CambridgeSeven, discusses the New England Aquarium, which is often credited by planners as the catalyst for public investment in an under developed part of Boston.

Matthew Broderick invites us to come meet him at Bryant Park, located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.

Matthew Broderick takes us on a walk through Bryant Park, using the scenery and passersby as inspiration for creating memorable characters. 

Matthew Broderick reveals to us the hidden world of the chess tables, the players, and the strategies.

Matthew Broderick takes us back to his childhood, as well as introduces us to the German writer and poet Goethe.

Matthew Broderick invites us to observe the daily interplay between the City's movers and shakers at the Bryant Park Grill.

Matthew Broderick breaks it down for us through a statistical collage: the facts and figures of Bryant Park.

Matthew Broderick helps us to see the park through the eyes of one of its most important and eloquent employees.

Matthew Broderick takes us back in time to an older New York, through the power of the written word.

Matthew Broderick shows us the philosophical path of most enjoyment, through the game of petanque.

Matthew Broderick gives us a new way to appreciate the relationship of the Park and the City. 

The artist, REZIN, talks about the commission for the mural and about his decision to paint a fish on the side of the building.

In this podcast, the artist REZIN discusses how he created his mural, "Queen Park Garden," in Inglewood, California.  

The artist REZIN discusses the process of creating his mural, "Kids Come in All Sizes," located in Inglewood, California. 

Anne Cheek LaRose discusses Randy's Doughnuts and Googie architecture in Inglewood, CA.

The architect Lawrence Scarpa talks about the design of the new Animo Leadership High School. Compounding these issues is the school's location, near Los Angeles International Airport and within a quarter mile of the 105 Freeway, adding noise and air quality to the list of concerns.

Anne Cheek LaRose discusses the modern architecture in Inglewood, CA, including the Rudolph Schindler designed residences and the Gregory Ain medical building.

Anne Cheek LaRose talks about the origins and fate of the Hollywood Park Race Track.

Anne Cheek LaRose discusses the original and remodel of the Forum in Inglewood, CA.

Anne Cheek LaRose discusses the history and design of the Inglewood Cemetery.

Jonathan Kuhn, Director of Arts and Antiquities of NYC Parks, sheds light on the John Ericsson sculpture in Battery Park. The sculpture depicts Ericsson, a Swedish-American inventor and engineer, who was important in revolutionizing maritime and military technology and travel. 

Jonathan Kuhn, director of Arts & Antiquities for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, discusses the Monitor and Merrimac Monument, celebrating the life of John Ericsson. This statue honors the esteemed Swedish-American engineer and inventor John Ericsson (1803 - 1889), as well as the Monitor, the ironclad ship he designed. Created by the Italian-American sculptor, Antonio de Filippo (1900 - 1993), this sculpture was dedicated in 1938. The statue depicts a heroic male nude pulling a rope attached to a capstan, and symbolizes Ericsson's role in military-maritime technology, and honors the memory of the men of the Monitor.

Located at the southeast corner of Madison Square Park this forthright, bronze full-standing statue of political figure Roscoe Conkling (1829-1888) is by the distinguished artist John Quincy Adams Ward (1840-1910), and dates to 1893.On March 12, 1888, while on his way to the New York Club at 25th Street, Conkling suffered severe exposure in Union Square, during the famous blizzard which gripped the city on that day. As a result his health rapidly declined, and he died on April 18th, 1888. Five years later friends of Conkling petitioned the Mayor and Park Board to erect a sculpture of him in Union Square. Park officials believed Conkling not of a stature to warrant placement of this work alongside existing sculptures in the park of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and the Marquis de Lafayette, but granted permission at the present location of the work.

Jonathan Kuhn, director of Arts & Antiquities for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, discusses the statue of Balto, a famous Siberian husky responsible for delivering diphtheria antitoxin to the town of Nome, Alaska. The glowing bronze of this statue on a rock outcropping near the East Drive at 67th Street reflects the loving pats of countless children and adults who recall the story of a heroic dog. In January 1925, the city of Nome, Alaska experienced an outbreak of diphtheria. At that time, Nome had a population of 1,429 people and there was only enough antitoxin serum in distant Anchorage to treat about 300 people exposed to the disease. A train line did run over 325 miles from Anchorage to Nenana, the station closest to Nome, but Nome was icebound seven months out of the year. Alaska's two open-cockpit planes were not safe in the frigid and windy weather.A relay of mushers and their dog-sled teams was the only way to deliver the fur-wrapped twenty-pound package of serum to the ailing community 674 miles from Nenana. The route followed the old Iditarod Trail used by mail drivers from Anchorage to Nome (now the route of the dog-sled championships). The 20 teams of over 200 dogs covered the frozen terrain at about six miles per hour, in blizzard conditions with temperatures of 50 degrees below zero. An international audience listened over their radios and read in their newspapers of the race to Nome. The last musher, Gunnar Kasson, and his team lead by Balto, a black and white Alaskan malamute, raced over the frozen tundra in only five days and seven hours - a world record time. Within days after the arrival of the serum, the epidemic, which had claimed five lives, was over.

Jonathan Kuhn, director of Arts & Antiquities for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, discusses the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument in Riverside Park. The figure was sculpted by Jencks, the boulder and foot stone by Dwyer. The artwork consists of a figure (heroic scale) half-seated against a boulder, a circular foot stones, an earth pedestal encircled by a low wall, two inscribed pavers, and two plaques. The figure, lettering on pavers, and plaques are made of bronze, the foot stone of Belfast black granite, and the low wall and pavers of granite.

Mayor Abraham De Peyster (1657–1728) was born in New Amsterdam, now known as Manhattan. De Peyster came from a prosperous mercantile family. He was influential in the young city; he had many positions, including alderman, mayor, member of the king's council, and acting governor. By the end of his life, De Peyster was allegedly one of the city's wealthiest inhabitants. The sculpture has moved around several times in lower Manhattan.  It was originally in Bowling Green and then rested in Hanover Square till 2003.  Then it was removed and put into storage to make room for the British Memorial Garden.  It is currently in Thomas Paine Park.

Jonathan Kuhn, director of Arts & Antiquities for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, discusses 'Puerto Rican Sun', by Rafael Ferrer, which celebrates Puerto Rican culture. The 25-foot-tall, brightly colored painted Cor-Ten steel archway, was dedicated at Fox Park on October 16, 1979.  The 12,000-pound sculpture, fabricated by Lippincott Inc., represents arching palm trees embracing the sun on its face, and the moon on its back.

Jonathan Kuhn, director of Arts & Antiquities for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, discusses the John F. Kennedy bust in Grand Army Plaza. Neil Estern's bust of John F. Kennedy was first installed on May 31, 1965. When the Plaza underwent a major renovation in 2002, the bust was removed. On August 24, 2010, the bust was re-installed and rededicated in the Plaza. 

Jonathan Kuhn, director of Arts & Antiquities for the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, discusses the Straus Memorial, honoring the lives of Ida and Isidor Straus, who perished on the maiden voyage of the Titanic.