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About Art

Heidi Zuckermanpodcasters.spotify.com
Heidi Zuckerman is a globally recognized voice in contemporary art and a passionate believer in how art can make life more better. On her podcast About Art, she has real, inspiring conversations with people she finds interesting—artists, collectors, creatives, and more—about their lives, their values, and why art matters. It’s about living artfully, seeing differently, and finding joy and connection through art—wherever you are on your art journey.
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Episodes

141. Tess Lukey

Tess Lukey is co-curator of the inaugural Boston Triennial and Associate Curator of Native American Art at The Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees), the nation’s first and state’s largest land conservation nonprofit. Lukey, an Aquinnah Wampanoag tribal member and lifelong New Englander, previously worked for the Museum of Fine Arts and the Society of Arts and Crafts in Boston, and the John Sommers Gallery in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has also completed fellowships at the Peabody Essex Muse...

May 14, 202449 min

140. Charles Gaines

American artist Charles Gaines’ body of work engages formulas and systems that interrogate relationships between the objective and the subjective realms. In his drawings, works on paper and photographs he investigates how rule-based processes and systems construct the experiences of aesthetics, politics, and language. By employing multi-layered practices, including images, texts, and grids, as well as working in a serial character, Gaines examines image structures while critically questioning fo...

May 14, 202455 min

139. Nicholas Baume

Nicholas Baume is the Artistic & Executive Director at Public Art Fund in New York City since 2009. A native of Australia, his career began in Sydney with Kaldor Public Art Projects and later the Museum of Contemporary Art. He was Contemporary Curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut, before moving to Boston to join the Institute of Contemporary Art as Chief Curator. He and I discuss being artist centric, the American museum industry, the moment his eyes opened to contempor...

Apr 16, 202459 min

138. Bjorn Geldhof

Bjorn Geldhof is Director of the PinchukArtCentre. Founded in September 2006 by businessman and philanthropist Victor Pinchuk, the PinchukArtCentre is an international hub for contemporary art committed to developing the Ukrainian art scene while generating critical public discourse as a whole. Since war broke out in Ukraine in 2022 they have held important exhibitions including When Faith Moves Mountains, a major group exhibition with over 45 artists opening 143 days after the beginning of the ...

Apr 02, 202458 min

137. Amanda McCreight

Digital content creator Amanda McCreight specializes in digital storytelling, utilizing photography and filmmaking as her medium to challenge conventional norms, guide discourse, and foster meaningful connections. McCreight started the brand Aytuhzee noting that she “wanted to create a persona around feeling free to try everything from A to Z. Aytuhzee is many things…the Full Expression of whatever medium I’m feeling called to!” Additionally, she is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of All Da...

Mar 19, 202456 min

136. Charles Long

Since the early 1990’s, Charles Long has explored the possibilities of sculpture through a rich vocabulary of materials, colors, images and shapes. Incorporating references to art history, popular culture, nature and his own experiences, Long’s work embraces modernist convention as a means of connecting inner and outer realities, forming pathways between one’s mental and bodily experiences and the surrounding environment. Through his many bodies of work over the years, the artist has consistentl...

Mar 05, 202454 min

135. LJ Rader

New York-based writer LJ Rader is the person behind the social media account ArtButMakeItSports, which features images of sports compared to fine art. He works full-time in the sports world as a Director of Product at a sports data and technology company. He and Zuckerman discuss his curatorial choices, unique moments, a sports related lens, sports equality, feedback he gets, his favorite artists, his image filing system, feelings on AI, meme fuel, the legacy of art, and of course why art matter...

Feb 20, 202456 min

134. Rodney McMillian

American artist Rodney McMillian’s paintings, sculptures, videos, and performances address the African-American experience while examining race, gender, and class in a broader political context. Aspects of his work negotiates between the body of a political nature and the politic of a bodily nature. McMillian modifies familiar and found objects into new – he offers an alternative reality that reveals how past ideas relate to the present. He is now a professor of sculpture at the School of Arts a...

Feb 06, 202450 min

133. Stephanie Stebich

Art historian and curator Stephanie Stebich is the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She was named director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in January 2017. Stebich serves on the Smithsonian’s Capital Board as well as the Smithsonian-London Strategic Advisory Board. In May 2018, she was named co-chair of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative. Before coming to Washington, D.C., Stebich was executive director of the Tacoma Art Museum for...

Jan 30, 202434 min

132. Cliff Einstein

Cliff Einstein is the founding partner of Dailey Advertising with a noted history of creating positions for some of the world’s major brands. Throughout a career spanning a half century he has received a long list of industry honors, among them, the American Advertising Federation naming him their Leader of the West. Cliff is Chair Emeritus of the Board of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and a Trustee of Otis College of Art and Design. He is a recipient of the California Govern...

Jan 09, 20241 hr

131. Mindy Shapero

Mindy Shapero creates lively, meticulous sculptural and canvas works comprised of materials as various as studio scraps, spray paint, gold, copper, and silver leaf. Her works on canvas are formed by stencils sourced from discarded sculptural bits, and portions of those stencils eventually find their way back into the artist‘s sculptural work. In this process, Shapero transmutes negatives from past sculptural pieces into positive shapes that form the bedrock of her cosmic abstractions. Shapero’s ...

Dec 26, 202353 min

130. Oliver Barker

Sotheby's Principal Auctioneer Oliver Barker joined Sotheby’s in 1994 moving to the Contemporary Art department in 2001, rising to Chairman, Sotheby’s Europe, Senior International Specialist in 2016. He is a key figure on the rostrum at the major auctions in both London and New York. Barker oversaw the iconic sale of Banksy's "Love is in the Bin," famously shredded by the artist moments after hammering for $1.04 million in 2018. Additionally, Barker participated in the livestream hybrid auctions...

Dec 12, 202357 min

129. Charlotte Burns

Journalist Charlotte Burns is the founder of Studio Burns, which creates and commissions original editorials and provides strategic advice. She is also the co-founder of the Burns Halperin Report, which analyses equity in museums and the art market. She also produces the weekly podcast "The Art World: What If...?!" for Art& at the New York advisory, Schwartzman&. The second season of the show launches 18 January 2024. Previously the executive editor of In Other Words , a weekly newslette...

Nov 28, 20231 hr 2 min

128. Fred Tomaselli

Fred Tomaselli has shown his work in museums, biennials and galleries around the world, including MoMA, MoCA, the MET and SFMoMa. Biennials include the Whitney Biennial, Berlin Biennial, and the Lyon Biennial. Solo museum shows include the Whitney Museum at Philip Morris, The Aspen Art Museum, The Brooklyn Art Museum, and the Orange County Art Museum. Tomaselli is known for his intricate, engulfing images of earthly and cosmic realms made by suspending collage and painted imagery as well as an u...

Nov 14, 202356 min

127. Tim Griffin

Tim Griffin is the Executive Director of the Industry. He joined the organization in June 2023 and continues the organization’s commitment to reimagining art’s relationship with its publics. Previously, Griffin was executive director and chief curator at The Kitchen (2011–2021) where he developed projects across disciplines with artists such as Chantal Akerman, ANOHNI, Charles Atlas, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Joan Jonas, Ralph Lemon, Aki Sasamoto, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, and Danh Vo, among ...

Oct 31, 202353 min

126. Ebony L. Haynes

Writer and curator Ebony L. Haynes, originally from Canada, is a Director at David Zwirner gallery in New York and runs 52 Walker. Haynes was a recent visiting curator and critic for Yale School of Fine art in the Painting and Printmaking class of 2021. She also runs an online “school” where free professional practice classes are offered to Black students, world wide. Prior to joining David Zwirner, Haynes served as director at Martos Gallery and Shoot The Lobster NY & LA, and was responsibl...

Oct 17, 202350 min

125. Tony Lewis

Chicago-based artist Tony Lewis’s practice focuses on the relationship between semiotics and language to confront social and political topics such as race, power, communication, and labor. Lewis creates drawings using graphite, pencil and paper, mediums the artist uses to trace and develop abstract narratives and reflections on the notion of the gestural. By pushing the boundaries of drawing and the possibilities of abstraction, he expands the use of the “material” of language. He currently has ...

Oct 03, 202353 min

124. Lauren Haynes

American curator Lauren Haynes is Director of Curatorial Affairs and Programs at the Queens Museum. Prior to joining the Queens Museum, Haynes worked at museums across the United States including Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Studio Museum in Harlem. Haynes is a specialist in contemporary art by artists of African descent – her curatorial vision aims to challenge traditional narratives and push boundaries within the art world, embracing both established artists and emerging tale...

Sep 19, 202352 min

123. Shigeru Ban

Shigeru Ban is a Pritzker Prize winning architect and humanitarian. Ban has developed a unique style known for its blend of traditional Japanese architecture with elements of American Modernism. One of Ban's notable achievements is his pioneering work in using recycled materials, particularly paper tubes, as building components. He believes that architecture should serve the needs of society, especially in times of crisis. Notable projects include the Paper Dome in Japan, which provided temporar...

Sep 05, 202350 min

122. Sumayya Vally

Sumayya Vally is the founder and principal of Counterspace, a Johannesburg-based architecture and research studio. Counterspace is committed to developing a design language that acknowledges and resonates with the African continent. In 2019, Counterspace was invited to design the 20th Serpentine Pavilion in London, making Vally the youngest architect ever to win this internationally renowned commission. She recently curated the first Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. Vally is currently collaborat...

Aug 22, 202356 min

121. Thom Mayne

Pritzker Prize-winning American architect and educator Thom Mayne is the founder of Morphosis, an innovative architecture, urbanism, and design collective. Named after the Greek term for ‘to form or be in formation’ – Morphosis has gained recognition for its sustainable designs. Notable projects include the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Emerson College in Los Angeles, New York’s Cooper Union building, and the Orange County Museum of Art. Alongside his architectural practice, Mayn...

Aug 08, 202356 min

120. Sarah Cain

Artist Sarah Cain creates playful, abstract paintings and installations that feature a bold use of color, improvisation, and a variety of perspectives. Cain redefines abstraction in feminist terms as an architecture for transformative, embodied, emotive experience – intentionally subverting male-dominated art historical traditions. Known for expansive, site-specific murals, often she makes decisions about the palette, gestures, and composition onsite. She and Zuckerman spoke about personal relat...

Jul 25, 202356 min

119. Narsiso Martinez

Artist Narsiso Martinez details the vital, but often unseen, labor carried out by farmworkers in the United States in his mixed media installations, predominantly using discarded cardboard produce boxes. His work resonates with the spirit of social realism from the 1930s – drawing from his personal experiences as a former farmworker. In 2023, Martinez was honored with the prestigious Frieze Impact prize for his exploration of the immigrant experience within the agriculture industry. He and Zucke...

Jul 11, 202349 min

118. Allison Berg

Allison Berg, Founder and Executive Director of the A&L Berg Foundation, is a lawyer turned arts and culture writer, philanthropist, museum trustee, art collector, producer and more. Her work is informed by the desire to ensure everyone has access to equity in career pathways along with inclusive platforms for their narratives. Allison is LALA Magazine’s former executive editor and has contributed to Design LA, Hamptons, Gotham, Cultured and C magazines. She was a Producer of “The Art of Mak...

Jun 27, 202358 min

117. Simphiwe Ndzube

Simphiwe Ndzube stitches together a subjective account of the Black experience in past and present-day South Africa from a mythological perspective creating universes with his sculptures, paintings, and assemblages. Living and working between Los Angeles and Cape Town, South Africa, Ndzube’s work was recently on view in the California Biennial 2022: Pacific Gold exhibition at the Orange County Museum of Art/OCMA. He and Zuckerman discuss the hero’s journey, magical realism, mothers, play, love, ...

Jun 13, 202354 min

116. Catherine Opie

Catherine Opie is an American photographer known for her portraits and landscapes that explore the complexities of contemporary life. Opie documents how individuals interact with the spaces they inhabit, expanding the dialogue on community, identity, and the marginalized subcultures of America. She was a recipient of The Guggenheim Fellowship in 2019, and The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art Medal in 2016. Opie holds the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Endowed Chair in Art at UCLA where she is a...

May 30, 202355 min

115. Robert King “Bob” Wittman

Robert King “Bob” Wittman is a highly decorated former Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent who was assigned to the Philadelphia Field Division from 1988 to 2008. Having trained in art, antiques, jewelry and gem identification, Wittman served as the FBI's "top investigator and coordinator in cases involving art theft and art fraud". During his 20 years with the FBI, Wittman helped recover more than $300 million worth of stolen art and cultural property, resulting in the prosecution and ...

May 16, 202351 min

Episode 114: José Kuri and Mónica Manzutto

Mónica Manzutto and José Kuri founded the gallery that united their surnames in Mexico City in 1999, and soon became an international reference for Latin America and to the world: kurimanzutto. The gallery helped plant the seeds of Mexico City’s thriving art scene. Recently the husband-and-wife couple expanded their North American presence to a 622 sqm New York gallery that their artists helped design. We spoke about how they met, the Fridays workshop, Gabriel Orozco’s role in their founding the...

May 02, 202348 min

113. Neville Wakefield

Neville Wakefield is a curator and writer interested in exploring the ways in which art behaves outside of institutional contexts. He offers that art is most successful, enlightening, and provocative when it goes beyond stereotypical labels and white spaces and is revealed in new spaces that suggest new paradigms. Previously MoMA PS1’s Senior Curatorial Advisor and Frieze Projects’ Curator, Wakefield is the co-founder of Elevation1049, a site-specific biennial in Gstaad, Switzerland, Artistic Di...

Apr 18, 202342 min

112. Hilary Pecis

Hilary Pecis makes paintings and drawings in which tableaus rich with interlocking fields of saturated color, geometric patterning, and bold linework provide views of sun-drenched domestic still lifes and landscape environments. Books crowding a coffee table, the remains of a dinner party, and terrains lush with Southern California succulents make frequent appearances in her work; these meticulously arranged interiors and vibrantly rendered exteriors amount to an overarching portrait of the self...

Apr 04, 202347 min
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