No Place Like Home

Introducing No Place Like Home, a new documentary podcast about one of the largest public arts campaigns in American history: Arts For Everybody. Narrated by Marc Bamuthi Joseph.

Phillips County, Arkansas, is home to one of the deadliest racial conflicts in U.S. history - the Elaine Massacre of 1919. Today, it still grapples with the lasting effects of systemic inequality, poverty, and ever present environmental issues - particularly the fight for clean water. How can art play a role in healing these historic divides?In our very first episode, narrator Marc Bamuthi Joseph dives into Arts For EveryBody – Phillips County, focusing in particular on the inspiring work of the Living Waters Gospel Choir.

The news media sometimes portrays life at the Southern border as dangerous and chaotic. For the residents of Edinburg, Texas, that’s a big problem. Especially because it’s not true. In our second episode, we explore how the Edinburg community embraces the Arts for Everybody campaign with arms and creative minds wide open. By reclaiming their narrative through an original musical, they create a piece that would make even the legendary Frida Kahlo proud.

COVID-19 impacted people all across America. In Providence, Rhode Island, the impacts of the pandemic were felt especially acutely in the city's public housing projects. Perhaps most frustrating for residents – many of the decisions about how those communities ran were made by people who did not live there. In 2024, residents and local artists embarked on a unique project to make their voices heard. 

Wing Luke was the first elected Asian-American in Seattle, a civil rights hero who fought for visibility for Seattle's Chinatown International District. Decades later, the museum founded in his memory continues that fight. This July, the Wing Luke Museum planned a festival to celebrate the neighborhood as part of the Arts For Everybody campaign. But then, an international news event upended those plans – and challenged the very existence of the museum itself. 

As a boy growing up in Kansas City, Enrique Chi connected to his culture through music. Years later, as a Latin Grammy-nominated artist, he and his bandmates wanted to help young musicians find that same connection. This past July, they staged an ambitious arts and music festival, allowing emerging talent to perform alongside national acts. But first, they had to get through rehearsals.