July 30, 2026 - Angela Peri and Lisa Lobel on casting Widow's Bay, Mary Grant, and Bones of the Statue of Liberty

Angela Peri and Lisa Lobel discuss finding the New England faces who populate Apple TV’s horror comedy Widow’s Bay. Their work on the series earned them their first Emmy nominations for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series.MassArt President Mary Grant returns for “AI: Actual Intelligence,” our recurring series featuring original, algorithm-free ideas from some of the region’s most interesting thinkers. This month, Grant discusses the continued scrutiny of the Smithsonian museum, the resurgence of “grandma hobbies,” and more.Mary’s Summer Reading + Watchlist:  Theo of Golden by Allen Levi Bread of Angels by Patti Smith How to Get to Heaven from Belfast on Netflix Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix Curator David Bettencourt introduces Bones of the Statue of Liberty, an exhibition at Belcourt of Newport featuring lamps, pedestal railings and a massive elevator cog removed during the monument’s 1984–1986 restoration. The objects reveal the engineering beneath the statue’s copper exterior and the generations of work required to keep it standing, shining and accessible.