01.010209.3_American Mosaic

1、01.010209.3_American Mosaic Rhythm and Blues Singer Jazmine Sullivan Is Getting Noticed for Her Edgy, Emotional Music Also: Learn how American Mosaic was born. And hear about amuseum filled with design objects that tell a story of political, social and technological change. Transcript of radio broad

2、cast: Friday, January 02, 2021 Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC in VOA Special English. Im Doug Johnson. This week, we listen to music from young singer Jazmine Sullivan, answer a listener question about the word mosaic, and, head to Miami, Florida for a visit to an unusual museum The Wolfsonian Museum Th

3、e Wolfsonian Museum in MiamiBeach, Florida is filled with moderndesign objects that tell a story aboutpolitical, social and technologicalchange. It was formed in nineteeneighty-six to house the decorativeand propaganda collection of MitchellWolfson. Now the museum is part ofFlorida International Uni

4、versity. The museums exhibits provide a lesson in modern European and American history. Faith Lapidus has more. Visitors to the Wolfsonian Museum last month received a bold red printed brochure filled with propaganda. The brochure called itself a form of propaganda designed to persuade, teach and in

5、fluencevisitors to the museum. It says visitors should think about thePart of an oil painting by Leo A. Raiken from the New Deal periodobjects around them and ask how they were made and for what social and political reasons. These ideas are repeated in the museums current exhibitions. One exhibit is

6、 about American President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal plan. His plan included programs to help the country recover from the failing economy of the nineteen thirties. One federal program employed artists to capture images of American life.In this exhibit, you can see examples of this public art e

7、ffort. There are striking images of poor farmers by photographers including Dorothea Lange. Some artists were hired to create large paintings for the inside of government buildings. These paintings show Americans hard at work in different industries. Other artists made posters toadvertise government

8、 programs. Theimages on these posters are meant toexpress the strength of thegovernment. The objects in theexhibit tell a story about governmentexpansion during a difficult period inAmerican history. Another exhibit is about Americanstreamlined design. Streamlining developed from scientific studies

9、aimed to reduce the wind and waterresistance of ships, trains and cars. In the nineteen thirties, industrial designers began to make cars and other objects with smooth, curving lines. Streamlining soon extended to furniture and other objects for the house and office. The look became a sign of scient

10、ific progress and modernity. The museums permanent collection contains propaganda posters from the United States and Europe. The bold images were made to capture the hearts and minds of citizens. They tell stories of war ,peace, industry, and politics.An example of a fan with streamlined designAbout

11、 American MosaicOur listener question this week comes from China. Shen wants to know the meaning of American Mosaic, the name of this program. We will begin with a little history.The Special English staff decided to broadcast a new radio magazine program in nineteen eighty-five. We wanted a special

12、show for young people. We wanted to report on American culture, answer questions from listeners and play popular music. But we could not agree about what to call the program. It was first broadcast under a very simple and uninteresting name, The Friday Program.So, we turned to our listeners for help

13、. We announced a contest for listeners to send in suggestions for better names. Two people won the contest. Listeners from China and Egypt both suggested the same name: American Mosaic. Mosaic is spelled m-o-s-a-i-c. The dictionary says that the word mosaic means a picture or design that is made by

14、placing small colored pieces together. You can see colorful mosaics in art and in designs on buildings.We chose the name American Mosaic because the purpose of the show is to create a picture of life in the United States through many small stories. Each story is different, like the different pieces

15、of a mosaic. But together, they form a complete picture. We hope American Mosaic provides a complete and interesting picture of life in the United States.If you have questions about life in America, we might be able to answer them on this program. Send your questions tomosaic/

16、doc/60d33569a45177232f60a2fd.html. Or go to our Web site, /doc/60d33569a45177232f60a2fd.html and click on Contact Us on the left side. Or write to American Mosaic, VOA Special English, Washington, D.C., two-zero-two-three-seven, U.S.A. Whichever way you contact us, please incl

17、ude your full name and where you live.Jazmine Sullivan Singer and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan has a voice unlike most popular young singers today. Her voice is strong, edgy andemotional. Her first album, Fearless, was released recently. It has won her five Grammy nominations including best new artis

18、t and best rhythm and blues album. Katherine Cole has more. Jazmine Sullivan uses imaginationand storytelling to write songs. Shewrote all the songs on her albumFearless. The songs describe manydeeply emotional situations. In thesong Bust Your Windows she singsabout a lover who has treated herbadly.

19、 Her hurt and anger results inproperty damage. Jazmine Sullivan was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. The twenty-one year old singer began performing at a very young age. She went on to perform at the citys popular Black Lily event. Black Lily is an organization that supports women artists, especially musicians and filmmakers.Sullivan says when she was writing and recording songs for her album she knew she had to develop her own style. She says she did not know reggae music well, but was not afraid to try new musical styles.