A Spotty History of Patterns

From Minnie Mouse to Marilyn Monroe, polka dots are a pattern worn by everyone - and there’s a reason they still haven’t gone out of fashion. We talk to artist Allison McKeen and “Patternalia” author Jude Stewart about how dots have represented everything from disease to modernity, and Leigh Wishner, from the FIDM Museum in LA, explains how (and why) a collection of dots has so much to say. 

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This episode includes audio clips from The Seven Year Itch (1955) and One, two, three (1961) both by Billy Wilder, Polka Dots and Moonbeams (1940) by Frank Sinatra, and Tritsch Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss performed by the National Symphonic Orchestra.