After her father George died, Mira Nakashima inherited his shop and set to work continuing the artistic legacy of a master craftsman in wood. Despite only occasional glimpses of the mainstream, tap dance remains an iconic American art form. With custom-composed pieces employing a staggering range of vocal styles, Roomful of Teeth makes music that can be difficult to define.

Performance anxiety is common even among the most accomplished professionals. Moe Brooker is rightly regarded as one of the greats of American abstract painting. By melding art and science, Brandon Ballengée promotes awareness of endangered species.

The ceramics of Roberto Lugo pay homage to their classical past but are firmly rooted in the realities of his inner city upbringing. Zaria Forman & Nick Pedersen are using art to reframe the climate change conversation. Composer Gerald Busby could not have guessed that after surviving heartbreak, HIV and drug addiction, he would experience an artistic rebirth in his twilight years.

For Sugar Tongue Slim, wordplay is a way of life; hip-hop lines his pockets, poetry feeds his soul. Fine art jeweler Bruce Metcalf refuses to use traditional metals and gems in his work. For generations, 20th century American writer H.P. Lovecraft has been terrifying readers.

20 years on, Kevin Barnes is as much an enigma to those close to him as he is to his fans. Long before selfies, commissioned portraits provided a way to shape one's public image. Designer Walé Oyéjidé is on a mission to help all men unleash their inner fashionisto.

Conducting opera may be classical music's toughest job. Fabio Luisi does it with grace. Scholarly translations are a battle between literal accuracy and literary interpretation. Elizabeth Streb may well be the most fervently anti-dance choreographer you’ve ever met.

Spoken word poet-turned-rapper Watsky pulled no punches in his first collection of essays. If life is itself a performance, what can theatre teach us about how to be ourselves? Dindga McCannon helped pioneer art quilting, a fresh approach to a traditional medium.

For more than thirty years, Judith Schaechter has been applying avant-garde sensibilities to a once traditional art form; stained glass. In the past century or so, tattoos have gone from being a mark of the outsider to a more socially accepted expression of self. With a voice and stage presence as big as his personality, Eric Owens is among the most celebrated bass-baritones in the opera world.

Tango is a complex improvised form that’s danced the world over. Jesse Krimes describes his six years in federal prison as a kind of “artist residency.” Celebrated opera tenor Stephen Costello has been both blessed and betrayed by his voice.

Bach’s Goldberg Variations continue to challenge pianists and fascinate audiences. Kevin Cornell’s illustrations tend to evoke childlike emotion, even in adults. Sculptor Michael Murphy’s installations are perceptual puzzles.

Though she's a successful visual artist, Ellen Harvey remains obsessed with failure. Bharatanatyam survived colonial oppression to embody Indian identity at home and abroad. Xenia Rubinos’ complex music is infused with simple messages about big ideas.

Carsie Blanton uses an old musical form to help change the way women are perceived today. From a very young age, life has been a dance for choreographer Matthew Neenan. Amedeo Modigliani died a broken man, but his art has endured. Cuban-American artist Luis Cruz Azaceta reflects on modern society’s great tragedies.

The Very Fortunate Daniel Handler, Lisa Hannigan: Stalking the Muse, Nina Chanel is Selling Out (In a Good Way)

Janet Echelman's giant sculptures are the net result of technology, engineering, and civic engagement. Arturo Rios discovered his true passion while working in a hat maker’s mail room. Since time immemorial, we’ve been using art to cope with our inevitable fate. Justin Bettman uses found materials to create public “sets” for his portraits.

Producer Ian Brennan truly believes in the democratic power of music. Nina Berman blurs the line between fine art and editorial photography. Leroy Johnson has lived on the edges of the art world for all his 80+ years.

Teacher-turned-cartoonist Gene Yang believes in the educational power of comics. If you feel like you missed out on 1970s glam rock, The Struts are here to help. Believe it or not, romance is alive and well…and living in your phone.

Reuben Margolin attempts to evoke the natural world with his kinetic sculptures. Composer Jennifer Higdon makes classical music, but still loves Beyonce. The art of skater/painter Chemi Rosado-Seijo is founded in community activism. Rahbar has found the antidote to her existential angst in her work.

Mark Mothersbaugh’s sustained a life in art far removed from his band, Devo. Much of haute couture feeds off Liz Casella’s creativity. In illustrating the human brain’s complexity, Greg Dunn creates great beauty.

The works of choreographer Kyle Abraham feel like a memoir. Nelson is one of her generation’s most celebrated writers and critical thinkers. Nelson is one of her generation’s most celebrated writers and critical thinkers. Woolfalk’s imaginary world is populated by mutants, governed by utopian values.

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah is leading the charge into jazz's next chapter. Tommy Pico designed his epic poetry for a thoroughly modern medium. Ron Nagle’s hit songs and ceramics are born of dedication to harmony and craft. Sidney Hutter’s plate glass creations have pushed the boundaries of his medium.

Allora & Calzadilla are one of the art world’s most dynamic power couples. Doug Balliett has created a career as diverse as his own musical talents. Veruschka Stevens uses polymer clay to create joyful statement jewelry. Levitin’s lifelong love of music has served him in recordings and on the page.

Kenny Scharf’s exuberant cartoons infuse daily life with a dose of whimsy. Buffy Sainte-Marie's 1960s protest songs made her the subject of FBI attention. Artists find unconventional ways to express patriotism.

The characters in Michelle Cuevas’s children’s books leap off the page. Mason Bates challenges existing notions of what belongs in the concert hall. Antonio Martorell has been at the forefront of Puerto Rican art for over half a century. The anthropological perspective of singer-songwriter Joan Shelley.

Wealth, insecurity, and...partying? Articulate’s season 3 premieres with Andrew W.K. and Lauren Greenfield.

Knowing the rules, then breaking them is common to all Articulate’s subjects this week: Caroline Shaw, Lizzo, and Robert Janz.