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By Any Measure

By Any Measure

No art unconsidered

Meet the Creator and Host of “American Routes”, Nick Spitzer

January 25, 2024 by Josephine Reed Leave a Comment

In this podcast, folklife presenter, educator, radio producer, and 2023 National Heritage Fellow Nick Spitzer discusses his multifaceted career, his upbringing, and his understanding of cultural innovation in America. We talk about his life-long passion for radio and his discovery and embrace of American vernacular culture, his career as folklorist in academia, government, and media, including his NPR and Smithsonian collaborations and “American Routes”, Spitzer’s renowned radio program which blends music  from many different traditions with cultural storytelling. Spitzer discusses his fieldwork in Louisiana and experiences with Afro-French Creole music, his understanding of cultural dynamism, and his journey through different American regions, absorbing and understanding not just the diversity but the dynamic and innovative interactions among American cultures. He also reflected upon the significance of receiving the Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, the privilege and responsibility of working in American vernacular culture, and the future of “American Routes” and Spitzer’s commitment to its continued contributions to cultural understanding.

For a transcript, click here

Filed Under: Music, Radio, Traditional Art

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About Sunil and Josephine

Sunil Iyengar directs the Office of Research & Analysis at the National Endowment for the Arts. Under his leadership, the office has produced dozens of research reports, hosted periodic research events and webinars, led strategic plan development for the agency, and established research and … [more] about About Sunil and Josephine

By Any Measure

Aesthetics meets analysis in a monthly series of podcasts and blog posts from the National Endowment for the Arts.  Once upon a time, writers and artists were skeptical—if not morbid—about the application of science to questions of natural beauty, aesthetics, and arts and culture. Think of … [more] about By Any Measure

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