Alfred Steiglitz led the photography fine art movement in the United States and became renowned internationally for his advocacy, as well as his photographs.

For inspiration, there’s nothing quite like hearing John F. Kennedy. If you’re an artist, or simply appreciate art, listen to this 1963 SPEECH that JFK delivered at Amherst College, Massachusetts, honoring the poet Robert Frost.

The Bush era calls for continuing reflection, not the least of which, about the Enhanced Interrogation Techniques implemented by the CIA to break down detainees during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The complex arguments for and against the program are clarified in this stirring 2009 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Now five years old, this video is as fresh as ever.

We are so used to the socio-political matters of the Middle East, we seldom stop to wonder about its artists and creators. This must-see blog is refreshingly devoted to brilliant artists, curators and exhibitions from Abu Dhabi and Amman to Tehran and Zurich.

The Simone de Beauvoir Prize for Women’s Freedom was awarded to 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai, whose blog for the BBC earned her a bullet in the head from the Taliban in Pakistan. I found an amazing VIDEO of her story, and how her father’s school stood strong in the Swat Valley, while living under the terror of the Taliban.

If you love to hear new important voices, or you’ve ever endured the creative struggle, listen to this podcast. It will touch bone.

Many Americans realize that during the Viet Nam War, music was blasted from speakers in an attempt to subdue the enemy on the field. But how many of us know that music was co-opted by the CIA’s “Enhanced Interrogation” program installed during the Bush administration?

The best art often takes us not further from, but instead, closer to, reality. Chinese artist and activist Ai Wei Wei is a prime example. His artistic statements demonstrate a rare boldness, often pointing to the repressive underside of his society, putting him dangerously at odds with the Chinese communist state. A key element of his remarkable career has been powerful use of the internet.

Who is Vivian Maier? It just might be, that she herself didn’t really know. Maier was completely unknown until a young Chicago real estate agent, John Maloof, discovered her work in an attic space after her death at age 83. Many are saying that the treasure trove of street photography she left behind ranks her…

The year’s end brings reflection on the power of great creative work. This December, I Interviewed Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehan Harney about her film “Dream of America,” which documents Iraqi men who fled to America after risking their lives in defiance of Saddam Hussein. Listen to how the men’s story literally made Washington Post headlines earlier in 2010. The resulting publicity garnered welcome support for the film’s main subject, a father of four, whose fidelity to the U.S. led him into serious and continuing personal struggles.