Front Row Center

"Political modes of argument and debate have infiltrated all of our spheres," says "On Being" host Krista Tippett. "The way we take up any important subject, even in a community, even in a religious institution, it's very contentious. It's about turning issues into a debate between this extreme and that extreme, it's about competing answers. It's not about what are the questions before us that we all have a stake in. There are some simple things that we can do that are actually very hard because they feel so counter-intuitive because of the set of instincts and reflexes that we've worked up."

Krista Tippett joins us to talk about politics and civility and the upcoming "Repairing Public Discourse" event in Missoula Tuesday night.

Greg Johnson, who has served as artistic director of the Montana Repertory Theatre since 1990, joins Michael Marsolek to talk about the Rep's Opening Night Gala, and their 2018 tour with "On Golden Pond."

"It's a huge international global cultural exchange where the topic of the week is the role of the arts in human communication," says Charlene Campbell Carey, artistic director for the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre. She's describing Ballet Beyond Borders which is happening this week in Missoula. Listen in to learn more.

"There are no survivors of this war [WWI] at this time, so we need to be reminded of this particular history," says Barbara Koostra, the executive director of the Montana Museum of Art & Culture.

"We are honored to honor veterans and the history of our country and world with "Over There: Montanans in the Great War,"  Koostra says.

She joins UM Professor of Art History and Criticism Rafael Chacón for a look at the exhibition focusing on experiences of individuals from Montana during World War I.