WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

German sculptor Wolfgang Laib favors materials that are ephemeral and natural, like beeswax and pollen. Sometimes they are natural materials that are also foods, like rice and milk.  His pieces are usually placed on the ground, giving them a humility, but also a monumentality.

At age 12, while eating lunch with her mother in a Washington, D.C. McDonalds, Deb Sokolow watched a man enter the restaurant bathroom with a suitcase.

Most people can identify whether or not a piece of art appeals to them--they know it when they see it. But what about the intent of the artist; their history and point of view? Some critics contend that certain artists lack exposure– particularly those who are gay.

William is an "epitaphorist," set with the task of assisting families to create the perfect life summation of their loved ones, to be carved into gravestones. Things get lost in the distillation process. A revolutionary can become the model husband if you cross out all of the bomb throwing.

In many schools across the nation, there's little overlap between what's taught in science and art classrooms. But a conference in Chicago this week challenges the notion that those two disciplines should be kept separate.