Visual arts/museums

Bagge's cartoons are a mixture of bitter social observation and slapstick silliness. He's best known for his "Hate" bi-monthly comic books published by Fantagraphics, about the life of Seattle slacker Buddy Bradley, his pal Stinky, and his girlfriend, Val.

Pop artist and sculptor Claes (klaus) Oldenburg. He turns everyday objects into colossal public monuments. He created a giant clothespin for Philadelphia, a rubber stamp for Cleveland, a fruit bowl for Miami, and others. Before taking on the large public sculptures, CLAES worked in multiples, where a small object is repeated. A new book about this period of his work is called, "Claes Oldenburg: Multiples in Retrospect 1964-1990." (by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.)

Macabre cartoonist and illustrator Edward Gorey talks to Terry from his house in Cape Cod (he's not fond of leaving home). His longtime favorite children's books include "The Curious Nosebleed," (Dodd, Mead) "The Loathesome Couple," (Dodd, Mead) and "Amphigorey," (G.P. Putnam's Sons) which was recently made into a musical that's currently playing in Philadelphia. You might have also seen his illustrations on the opening credits of the PBS show "Mystery."

Time magazine art critic Robert Hughes. Despite his huge influence in the art world, Hughes prides himself on being a perennial outsider in that world. He'll talk about the current state of the arts.

Maureen Corrigan considers the New York City subway system. She reviews Jim Dwyer's new book, "Subway Lives," and she discusses an exhibit of Walker Evans subway photographs from the 1930s and 40s. It's now at the National Gallery in Washington.

Photographer Susan Meiselas (My-SELL-us). She went to Nicaragua in the late 70s to photograph the Sandinista Revolution. She returned to Nicaragua recently to talk to the people she photographed more than ten years ago. Only this time she made a film about it, "Pictures From a Revolution."

Comic book artist Diane Noomin. She's the editor of (and a contributor to) a new collection of underground comics drawn by women. It's called "Twisted Sisters." It's published by Penguin.

Village Voice art critic Peter Schjeldahl ("shell-dahl"). He's just published a new collection of his writings from the late 70s to 1990. The collection's called "The Hydrogen Jukebox." It's published by the University of California Press.

Marine artist Richard Ellis. He's been studying and painting whales for the past two decades. His new book "Men and Whales," is the history of the relationship between the two, beginning with the hunting of whales. It's just been recent in history that whaling has been outlawed in most areas of the world. (published Alfred A. Knopf).

Cartoonist John Callahan. Callahan comes up with comics that are both funny and often offensive (a typical example: an obese man stands with his obese son in front of the refrigerator, saying "Son, someday all of this will be yours."). Callahan often pokes fun at alcoholics and the disabled, something he's qualified to do. Callahan was a alcoholic for many years, and he was left a quadriplegic after a drunk driving accident.