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These tough economic times have forced many artists to get creative about survival. Bartering paintings for goods is one way of coping when cash is in short supply. An exhibition that began in Philadelphia and opened in New York this weekend puts art up for barter.

When artwork funded by the National Endowment for the Arts caused a commotion in the late '90s, the agency developed a transparent strategy for doling out public funds. That strategy will be applied as the NEA doles out the $50 million it received as part of the stimulus package.

Can superhero movies teach audiences about science? Dave Gibbons, author and artist of the Watchmen comic series, discusses the science behind the superheroes in his story. Physics professor James Kakalios talks about teaching science to the Watchmen actors and stuntmen.

Broadway producer Rocco Landesman has been nominated to head the National Endowment for the Arts. Landesman's Jujamcyn company owns five Broadway theaters and his production credits include Angels in America and The Producers.

This is the time of year when TV executives decide which shows should continue into the fall season, and which should be canceled. While poor ratings can help doom a series, a host of other factors contributes to the decision.

Set in a tough Texas border town in the 1970s, Octavio Solis' new play Lydia is fast becoming one of the buzziest dramas of 2009. NPR's Neda Ulaby talks to the playwright about his inspirations — and his past.

At 92, film legend Kirk Douglas has returned to live theater for a one-man show that's a biography of his life and career. The last performance is Sunday at, fittingly enough, the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, Calif.

The popular No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels by Alexander McCall Smith have been made into a series for HBO. Jill Scott plays heroine Precious Ramotswe. In an article for The Daily Beast, Stanley Crouch hails her nuanced performance, and the show's depiction of Africa.

After six seasons on Showtime, The L Word aired its final episode on Sunday. It was the first show on TV aimed at a general audience that featured a largely lesbian cast. Now that it's over, there are no lead lesbian characters on mainstream TV.

A family spokesman said the tall, deep-voiced star of TV's Maude and The Golden Girls died at home early Saturday. He said Arthur had cancer, but he declined to give further details.

Laleh Khadivi's The Age of Orphans tells the story of a young Kurdish boy forced to join the Iranian army. The Siege, by Man Booker Prize Winner Ismail Kadare, gives us the tale of a medieval siege by a Turkish army of a Christian citadel in Kadare's native Albania.

Rowan LeCompte's wit and wonder have been on display in the stained glass windows of the Washington National Cathedral for more than half a century. Now, he's working on a final design — one that will bring light to one of the darkest works of his career, the cathedral's so-called Black Window.

Poet and professor Craig Arnold is a volcano enthusiast. Three days ago, he went missing on a Japanese island where he had gone to see a local volcano. He has visited many volcanoes around the world and written poems and essays about them. His colleague Peter Parolin talks about Arnold's life and passions.

In a final salute to National Poetry Month, Elizabeth Alexander talks about moving poetry away from the ivory tower and into people's lives. Alexander read a poem at President Obama's inauguration and is a professor of African-American studies at Yale University.

IBM has unveiled a computer that will match its wits against human contestants on the TV quiz show Jeopardy. David Ferrucci, an artificial intelligence researcher for IBM and project director of "Watson," the system that will compete on the popular game show, says "Watson" is "pretty close" to being competitive with Jeopardy's grand champions.

NPR's Scott Simon talks with humor writer Joe Queenan about "Closing Time," Queenan's memoir of growing up in a Philadelphia housing project with an abusive father and indifferent mother.

The 2009 Pritzker Prize for architecture — one of the highest honors in the field — has been awarded to 65-year-old Swiss architect Peter Zumthor.

Megan Holley was working with crack-addicted rats when she heard a piece on NPR about women who cleaned up crime scenes. So she wrote a movie script that became the new release Sunshine Cleaning. Holley talks about her strange journey.

Actor Oliver Platt takes the stage in the latest revival of the legendary musical Guys and Dolls. Platt tells NPR that modern audiences can still relate to his classic character: Good Old Reliable Nathan Detroit.

Filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck talk about Sugar, their new drama about a Dominican baseball player who follows his major-league dreams to the United States.

In 2006, Grammy-winning rock singer Rick Springfield returned to the ABC soap opera General Hospital, reprising the role of Dr. Noah Drake, which he played in the early 1980s. Madeleine Brand talked with Springfield, co-star Jacklyn Zeman and others about Springfield's return.

Filmmaker Pete Docter's new movie is Pixar Studio's animated film Up. Docter discusses how his team of writers and animators struck a balance between the very adult themes in the film and the colorful and buoyant adventure story for kids.

Television season finales get dangerous this year: Seven characters from major shows will bite the dust, four will get married, and two will be institutionalized — plus, we'll have a new "Idol," and Tyra will tell us who America's next top model is. What makes a good season finale? TV critics weigh in.

The Hollywood Reporter says that a remake of the Three Stooges is on the way. The surprising thing is the casting: The stooges will be played by Jim Carrey, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro.

Showtime's series The L Word says goodbye Sunday night after six years as one of the few outlets for lesbian characters on mainstream TV. Ilene Chaiken, the show's creator, and actress Laurel Holloman talk to host Jacki Lyden about what they'll miss when the show is gone.