Newscast: Friday, May 25, 2012, 12:04 p.m.

Each week, VPR will turn its attention to the arts and culture in our region, providing insight into topics and trends throughout the state. This week, Neal Charnoff speaks with Alex Aldrich, the Executive Director of the Vermont Arts Council.

Woody Jackson and film maker Jay Craven have recommendations for music and art.  And find out what Pecha Kucha is.  This is our first episode of Art Hounds.  Thanks all who helped get us started.

VPR Recording Engineer, Sam Sanders presented Broadway star Bernadette Peters a recording he made of her in 1966.

Faced with the the high cost of going digital, the Playhouse Theater in Randolph, one of the state's oldest theaters, hopes to transition from private ownership to a community-owned cooperative model.

The Burlington-based music label, NNA Tapes, releases albums on cassette tape and vinyl. NNA co-founder, Toby Aronson, relates why they've decided on an analog approach to releasing music.

Burlington songwriter Ryan Power is receiving plenty of attention in indie music circles.

UVM Classics Professor Jacques Bailly relates his experiences as the pronouncer at the National Spelling Bee and we hear about the Vermont music scene's Ryan Power and NNA Tapes.

A new arts initiative is gaining momentum in Chester, thanks to its founders who pride themselves on pushing the limits and following their passions. The Vermont Institute of Contemporary Arts, or VTica is part gallery, part school, and part community center.

There's some good news for book lovers in the Northeast Kingdom.