Bloomington is renowned for its unflappable, ferocious, and world-class pursuit of culture. Likewise, WFIU has produced a hardy corps of talented reporters who have been equally ravenous for their subject matter, dedicated to telling well-crafted radio stories, and ardent in their belief that creativity is a core function of being human.
As part of WFIU’s 75th anniversary celebration, Yael Ksander is curator, producer, and host of an anthology of stories created for broadcast by the Arts Bureau she led during the 2010s. Spanning the cultural landscape from historic preservation to punk rock, these stories are united both by their protagonists’ passion for their art form and the producers’ desire to express why it matters.
The features we're spotlighting include:
- A 2014 profile by James (J.D.) Gray of a Bloomington legend known as Beanpole
- From 2015, a deep dive by Yael Ksander into the world of ambitious and eccentric art collector Onya LaTour
- A report by Betsy Shepherd about the 2014 reunion show — the first in 37 years — of the seminal Bloomington punk band The Gizmos
- A 2014 trip with Colleen Leahy to Bloomington's historic Rose Hill Cemetery for an unorthodox choral performance by Voces Novae
- A trip to the cinema in 2016 with Mark Chilla to Trailerfest — a series of previews for movies that don't exist
- Annie Corrigan embedding in 2013 with the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls as they prepared for a big roller derby match
- The tale of the transformation of the McDoel Switchyard into Switchyard Park, as told by Josh Brewer in 2016
- And a conversation between Yael Ksander and the late, beloved woodworking pioneer and preservation advocate Nancy Hiller, the author of books including 2011's A Home of Her Own.