The best things in life are free: in Boston, that includes the arts. This February, Mayor Michelle Wu will launch a pilot, making a handful of arts and culture institutions free for Boston public school students and their families, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Science. Could this experiment become permanent? And what's to gain from free admission? The Culture Show hosts Jared Bowen, Callie Crossley and Edgar B Herwick III discuss the announcement and more in our weekly arts and culture news review on Friday’s show.
From there, it’s a darker reality. In Massachusetts and beyond, natural history museums are reckoning with their collections of human remains. From how they acquired them to what it will take to repatriate them, the still-unfolding story has widespread ramifications, particularly in Indigenous communities, as Harvard announces a new Director for their Museums of Science and Culture.
And, we knew it was trouble when the New York Times published an opinion piece speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality. We’ll look at the backlash.
Plus, artificial intelligence takes the stage this week, from a “new” George Carlin standup under the AI influence to all the new tech toys emerging from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
And, is receiving an honorary Oscar an honor? Or an asterisk? The recent ceremony honoring Angela Bassett and Mel Brooks brings the question back to the cultural forefront.
Finally, we give respect to "The Sopranos," which premiered 25 years ago and forever changed our expectations of what TV could be.
It's all on The Culture Show — listen to the full episode above!
