The MoMA Magazine Podcast

Join artist and photographer Lola Flash for a six-part podcast series exploring New York City during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ‘90s. In this final episode, Flash takes a quick trip north to Harlem, where Idris Mignott and Pamela Sneed discuss the impact of AIDS on Black and Brown folks in the city. Then, she concludes with a reflection on the state of AIDS today, calling upon the perspectives of a queer elder who lives through the crisis and a younger person who was born after its peak. Learn more about Lola Flash, her work, and the stories shared in this project at https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1222

Join artist and photographer Lola Flash for a six-part podcast series exploring New York City during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ‘90s. For episode four, Flash wanders through memories of Christopher Street and the queer histories that took shape there. She’s joined by fellow artist Agosto Machado, as well as familiar friends Pamela Sneed and Idris Mignott, to discuss different places and spaces along the street. They share memories of the people they met on Christopher Street, and the ways love and loss shaped their lives during and after the AIDS crisis. Learn more about Lola Flash, her work, and the stories shared in this project at https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1222

Join artist and photographer Lola Flash for a six-part series exploring New York City during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ‘90s. Episode two reunites Flash with her longtime friend Aldo Hernandez. They discuss their involvement with ACT UP and two sites that helped shape their activism: the LGBT Center in Greenwich Village and Aldo’s apartment near Tompkins Square Park. Learn more about Lola Flash, her work, and the stories shared in this project at https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1222

A climate scientist and an architect discuss how design can be a force for positive environmental change. “I certainly remember, as a child growing up in the UK, we had a lot more snow than we do recently,” says UK-based climate scientist Ed Hawkins in this month’s episode of the Magazine podcast. Hawkins’s work, which visualizes the globe’s warming temperatures over the last 160 years, is striking in more ways than one, showing us just how quickly and dramatically the environment has been changing. But climate change is more than escalating temperatures. It has tangible effects on how people live, and architects like Marina Tabassum have been using design as a tool to address hazardous conditions like flooding and soil erosion. For this Earth Month edition of the Magazine Podcast, we’ll also hear from Tabassum about her collaboration with Bangladesh’s landless populations and her project Khudi Bari (tiny house). Access a transcript of the conversation at https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1212.

Hear from two artists and an educator about how they use improvisation to engage with art. Improvisation informs all kinds of creative practice. But how does chance really play out in an artist’s work? And how might it inform their everyday lives? Choreographer and dancer Mariana Valencia and artist and musician Jazmin “Jazzy” Romero test these ideas in the performance Jacklean (in rehearsal). In this episode of the Magazine podcast, they discuss how chance operates in their work, what a performance score for improvisation looks like, and share more about their collaboration. Their story of friendship and innovation is bookended by anecdotes from Sarah Dinkelacker, an educator at MoMA who uses improvisation to help people engage with art. Tune in to hear more about improvisation as a tool for life—a way to make it up as you go and move through the world with others. Access a transcript of the conversation at https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1201

Hear from artists, writers, and therapists about what happens when art and grief collide. When was the last time you grieved? What is for a person or an animal? A place or a thing? Did you experience grief at the loss of something intangible? These questions are not meant to cause pain. Rather, they offer an opportunity to acknowledge the grief that may be hiding within us—even if it’s been several years since you experienced the loss. Many artists have used their talents to document, understand, and share their experiences of death, dying, grief, and loss. In this Magazine podcast episode, we discuss three of these artists: Kay WalkingStick, Georg Kolbe, and Käthe Kollwitz. We’ll explore how grief entered their lives and how art helped them see it in new ways. We’ll also hear from a somatic therapist and a thanatologist (a person who studies death and grief). Together, they’ll help us make sense of this complex experience that affects our bodies, minds, and spirits, and discuss the role of art in helping us heal. Access a transcript of the conversation here: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1178

A hundred years later, a Surrealist artwork continues to inspire curiosity in all who encounter it. “It is an object that—once you’ve seen it, it’s there in your imagination forever,” says former MoMA senior curator Anne Umland about Meret Oppenheim’s Surrealist Object. Objects conservator Caitlin Gozo Richeson had a similar reaction on seeing the fur-lined teacup, saucer, and spoon for the first time as a MoMA intern. “I remember seeing it in the galleries and just being floored,” she recalls. “For me, it’s always been one of those objects that is just so burned into my memory and my senses.” Oppenheim’s Object is one of the most celebrated works in MoMA’s collection—and for good reason. It’s an artwork full of wonder and humor, often leaving us with more questions than answers. For this edition of the Magazine podcast, we plumb the mysteries of an artwork that has come to embody Surrealism, an artistic and literary movement celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Access a transcript of the conversation here: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1133

Hear from current and former teens about their experiences of growing up queer. When was the last time you thought about your teenage self? For a lot of us, our teenage years were an uncomfortable time. Sure, there were some good moments, but there were also a lot of confusing thoughts and big emotions that we couldn't figure out. For Pride 2024, we invite you to enter the world of Open Art Space (OAS), MoMA’s weekly drop-in program for LGBTQ+ high school students and their allies. You’ll hear from different community members about the ways they discovered and embraced their identity as queer people. They discuss what it was like growing up queer, the role of art in their lives, and the places and spaces that played a vital role in making them feel safe.

Jazz in the Garden, Episode One: “In the Beginning” Our story begins on June 16, 1960, when George Wein and the Storyville Sextet played the first jazz concert in MoMA’s Sculpture Garden—and launched more than a decade of legendary performances and recordings from some of the leading lights of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and Sonny Rollins. In this episode, you’ll hear about the first era of jazz at MoMA from some of the musicians who were there. Writer/producers: Naeem Douglas, Alex Halberstadt, Jason PersseHost: Naeem DouglasAdditional readings: Karen ChiltonEngineer, mixer, original music: Zubin HenslerSpecial thanks: Prudence Peiffer, Arlette Hernandez, Ellen Levitt, Kelsey Head, Dore Murphy, Allison Knoll, Tina James, Michelle Harvey, Marc-Auguste Desert II, Omer Leibovitz, Peter Oleksik Music:“That’s a Plenty” (Live) (2014 remaster). Written by Lew Pollack. Performed by George Wein and the Storyville Sextet. Courtesy of Bethlehem Records. By arrangement with BMG Rights Management; “Soloscope.” Written and perfrormed by Sonny Rollins. Courtesy of Concord Records. By arrangement with Kobalt obo Son Rol Music Company; “Namesake.” Written and performed by Milt Jackson. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. Bt arrangement with Reecie Music; “September in the Rain.” Written by Al Dubin, Harry Warren. Performed by George Wein and the Storyville Sextet. Courtesy of BMG. By arrangement with WC Music Corp. (ASCAP); “Undecided.” Written by Charles Shavers. Performed by George Wein and the Storyville Sextet. Courtesy of BMG. By arrangement with Universal Music Publishing; “Novamo.” Written and performed by Milt Jackson. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. By arrangement with Hall Leonard; “Take the A Train.” Written by Billy Strayhorn. Performed by Clark Terry. Courtesy of The Orchard. By arrangement with Reservoir Media and WISE; “Take Three Parts Jazz.” Written by Teddy Charles. Performed by the Teddy Charles New Directions Quartet. Courtesy of 43 North Broadway LLC. By arrangement with Raybird Music; “A Night in Tunisia.” Written by John Gillespie, Frank Paparelli. Performed by the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. Courtesy of Universal Music Group; “On Green Dolphin Street.” Written by Kaper Bronislaw, Ned Washington. Performed by Sonny Rollins. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. By arrangement with Reservoir Media, BRTS, and BMG; “The Quota.” Written by Jimmy Heath. Performed by Milt Jackson. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. By arrangement with Hall Leonard; “Now’s The Time.” Written by Charlie Parker. Performed by Clark Terry. Courtesy of The Orchard. By arrangement with Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing

Is art the secret to everlasting love? It’s no secret that some of the most powerful art has been inspired by love, that singular, indescribable feeling that, as it turns out, we are all capable of experiencing. “We all have the 12 brain areas that are critical for love,” says Dr. Stephanie Cacioppo, a leading figure in the neuroscience of social connections. It doesn’t matter if that love we feel is for our friends, our community, or our romantic partners, the only thing that changes between these relationships is the intensity we feel and see in the brain. What’s more, when we embrace that love, amazing things can happen and our brains become stronger. In this Valentine’s Day episode of the Magazine Podcast, we’re exploring the science of love and how art can help foster it. We’ll hear from Dr. Cacioppo about her research, and from a couple who met at MoMA more than 50 years ago. Together, they’ll teach us that we don’t need to look far for love—sometimes we’ll find it where we least expect. Access a transcript of the conversation here: moma.org/magazine/articles/1027

A neuroscientist discusses how smell influences everything from emotions and relationships to identity and wellbeing. Our sense of smell is something many of us take for granted, but this sensation is more powerful than you may think. “It literally filters through all aspects of our existence,” explains neuroscientist Rachel Herz, “and the more we deliberately use our sense of smell…the better our brain health is, and even the general health of our bodies.” Smell also plays an important role in art, with many artists using scent as a way to prompt questions. These artworks encourage us to slow down and engage our senses. As Herz reminds us, when we stop and smell the metaphorical roses, “it can really ground us and bring us into that moment.” For this month’s Ten Minutes podcast, we dig into the complex process that takes beans to bars, and the real-world impact chocolate has on the people who make it. Access a transcript of the conversation here: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1017

Beekeepers reflect on how fear transformed into love after they realized the huge impact of these tiny creatures. In 2016, Tim Jackson and Nicole Lindsey founded Detroit Hives, a local organization dedicated to transforming vacant lots into urban bee farms, where they not only produce honey for their communities but also host educational programs about the crucial role of bees. This month’s Ten Minutes podcast is all about bees—what they do, how they’re organized, and why we need them. Bees do more than just produce honey—they help our ecosystem grow and keep the produce sections of our supermarkets plentiful. Even more importantly, they can teach us about living and thriving in community. Access a transcript of the conversation here: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/965