Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. And to end the show today, end our week on a lighter note as the newness of the new year wears off, we're still thinking about New Year's resolutions. We've asked how they're going in a certain few categories already this month, and and for the last few minutes of the show today, we're going to ask about your New Year's resolutions that have anything to do with arts and culture. What were your arts and culture resolutions for 2025 and are you sticking to them or taking advantage of them yet? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. These can be about making art of any kind or consuming art of any kind. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. I have a friend who said his New Year's resolution, one of them was to go see more live theater this year. Anybody make a resolution like that?

212-433-9692 and how have you followed up? Maybe this can result in some culture tips for other listeners or maybe you promised yourself that you'll finally learn to play the guitar, or that this is the year you'll dive into the complete works of Toni Morrison. Have you set out to see more independent films or give modern dance a try with your own feet?

212-433-WNYC. Anything that would get you a little out of your comfort zone? Is this the year you'll push yourself to explore experimental theater even if you don't understand it or pick your art form? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. With any arts and culture New Year's resolutions, and what have you done so far that our listeners might like to hear about? Call or text us. 212-433-9692.

Few more to get you thinking. Is there an artistic skill you've always wanted to learn or improve, a cultural activity you've been too shy or unsure to try until now? A type of art, music, or performance that always been outside your comfort zone, or is there something you already love but want to deepen your relationship with?

I have a friend who has just gone back to improv quilting, not making the standard quilts, but things that are really works of art. Anybody in that field or any other? Your resolutions can be big or small as well. It's your chance to set some creative intentions for the year, either as a maker or a consumer of any kind of arts and culture. Let's hear them. How's it going for you so far?

And maybe the things that you're doing or the things that you're going out to see or staying on your couch and reading or whatever might give other people some ideas for things that they'll appreciate and enrich their lives. 212-433-WNYC, 433-9692, call or text. We'll take your arts and culture New Year's resolutions and activities right after this.

Brian Mahrer on WNYC. Now to your New Year's resolutions in the arts and culture fields as a consumer or a maker and Catherine in Mineola, you're on WNYC. Hi, Catherine.

Catherine: Hi, Brian. My resolution was to finish an art project that I started in 2016 when Trump was elected President. It's a fiber art project called Armor for an Artist and it's metaphorical armor made out of cotton and found metal objects. I have a collection of 12 pieces and I made it to protect sensitive artists.

I thought I'd finish it when Biden was President and now here Trump is again. It's been an eight year project and my resolution is to finish it because I have a show on April 12th in New York City at the Loft at Agora Gallery.

Brian Lehrer: All right. Hopefully that piece of-- symbolic right, it's not actually meant to be worn.

Catherine: No, it's--

Brian Lehrer: Armor for artists. April 12th at where?

Catherine: At the Loft at Agora Gallery. It's going to be April 12th and the 13th and people can follow #ArmorforanArtist.

Brian Lehrer: Catherine, thank you very much. Santos in Park Slope, you're on WNYC. Hi, Santos.

Santos: Hey, Brian. Nice to speak to you again. Brian, I'm bilingual in English and Spanish, but I'd like to learn how to speak French.

Brian Lehrer: Are you starting?

Santos: Well, I just subscribed to Babbel so yes, I just started. It's fun. It's not easy, but it's fun.

Brian Lehrer: Santos, thank you very much. Ray in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Ray.

Ray: Hi, Brian. How are you doing?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What are you doing?

Ray: Good. My resolution this year is to figure out a way to expand and expose my string instrument rental company to different people that would not normally use it.

Brian Lehrer: Who usually does rent string instruments.

Ray: Well, it was surprising. This year turned out to be more than just your aspiring violin and cello players, but television studios and fashion companies but I feel like the minority and the lower income sections of the city, which reside in upper Manhattan outer Boroughs don't have the exposure to these kind of instruments that make a big impact in the long run.

Brian Lehrer: It can be fun to just rent an instrument and mess around. I grew up playing the flute, so I'm trained in that.

Ray: There we go.

Brian Lehrer: But one year, because I've always loved the sound of the bass clarinet, I just rented, so I have experience doing this, I just rented a bass clarinet for a month just so I could mess around with a bass clarinet, even though I didn't think I was going to get good at it or use it in any way and so people can do that--

Ray: Did you have fun?

Brian Lehrer: I had a lot of fun.

Ray: That's the most important thing. Yeah.

Brian Lehrer: There you go. You want to shout out your business.

Ray: Oh, that would be great. It's an online website called newyorkstringsource.com and all the letters are spelled out and actually one of our old customers is Jeff Mogul.

Brian Lehrer: Ray rents to moguls. Ray, thank you very much. Molly in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi, Molly. What are you doing?

Molly: Hi. I'm a longtime knitter and one of the things that has helped me this past year going into this new year is I've been knitting emotional support chickens for friends as gifts and strangers and everybody else and it's a huge hit in the knitting and crochet community and it's just something that people can hug and love and makes them feel good. Who doesn't love a chicken?

Brian Lehrer: Who doesn't love a knit chicken?

Molly: Exactly.

Brian Lehrer: Sparking joy. Molly, thank you very much. I'm going to move on for time so I can get some people in here. Patrick in the Bronx, you're on WNYC. Hi, Patrick.

Patrick: Hi, I'm blind. I love the theater and in order for me to enjoy the theater, I need producers to offer audio described performances. Some are more accommodating than others. The Brooklyn Academy of Music is very accommodating and there's a performance of a streetcar game deserve coming up in in March and April.

We've been requesting and they're looking into it and then we're quite hopeful that they'll accomodate us this time as they have in the past. Additionally, I try to catch as many jazz mobile concerts as possible. Even in the winter, they offer performances at the church center 61 [unintelligible 00:08:32]. I encourage people to avail themselves of it. It's not just available in the suburb.

Brian Lehrer: Patrick, thank you very much. All right. And so anybody who runs a theater out there and heard that, do the best you can at making your productions as accessible as possible to blind audience members. Craig in Astoria, you're on WNYC. Hi, Craig.

Craig: Hi. Thank you for taking my call. I am changing careers from web development to focusing on making art. I paint with egg tempera paint and two weeks ago, I led a workshop here in Queens at a place called The Collaboratory. They hosted the workshop and it was a lot of fun. It's great. I would like to do more workshops and I keep a time sheet so that right now I'm focused just on putting time in to making art.

Brian Lehrer: All right, and I hope you have success with the career change and you can make a living at it. Nick in the East Village, I think, has a high concept, one that we're going to end on. Nick, we have 10 seconds for you. Go for it.

Nick: What up, everyone? Creation much more important than consumption. We're all good at consuming, but if we can create just a little bit, we'll feel much more fulfilled so Brian, that's my resolution. Create more than I consume.

Brian Lehrer: Great way to end. Nick, thank you very much. Thanks to all of you creators and consumers of arts and culture for your calls and that's the Brian Lehrer show for today, produced by Mary Croke, Lisa Allison, Amina Cerna, Carl Boisrand, and Esperanza Rosenbaum. Have a great weekend.

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