PODCAST · arts
Museum Confidential
by Philbrook Museum of Art
Museum Confidential is a behind-the-scenes look at museums hosted by Jeff Martin. The show is a co-production of Philbrook Museum of Art and Public Radio Tulsa. New episodes every two weeks.
Episodes
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And one last thing...
On this edition of Museum Confidential -- which is, yes, the very last one (!) -- we speak with Megan Whittaker Nesbit, the CEO and President of Philbrook Museum of Art. Nesbit, who joined the Philbrook team nearly a decade ago, talks with us about her tenure at the museum thus far, her…
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Photographs and Memories: On Gordon Parks
"Homeward to the Prairie I Come: Gordon Parks Photographs from the Beach Museum of Art" is on view at Tulsa's Philbrook Museum of Art through June 19th; this striking exhibit features 70+ works, including iconic photo-journalism, portraits, and experimental photography. Recently, MC host Jeff...
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On Anishinaabe Art
We're discussing a fine show now on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts; it's the first major Native American exhibition at DIA in three decades. "Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation" (which runs through April 5th) celebrates indigenous work from across the Great Lakes region by way of...
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Goff Comes Alive!
For the first time in more than 30 years, a leading museum is hosting a major exhibition of work by the noted architect Bruce Goff (American; 1904-1982). The Art Institute of Chicago -- drawing primarily upon its own extensive Goff collection -- has recently opened "Material Worlds." It's on view...
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The Case for Baskets
On this newest episode of MC, we speak with Welana Queton; she's currently the Mellon Fellow for Native Art at Philbrook Museum of Art. Recently, Welana was asked to shine a light on a specific area of the museum's collection: baskets. This work led to a newly-launched exhibition -- INTERWOVEN:...
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Museums and Marketing: It's Complicated
Our friend Stephen Reily of REMUSEUM returns to the MC podcast to discuss his think-tank's report on marketing in the museum sector. According to this newly-issued REMUSEUM case study: "Museums invest, on average, less than 3% of their operating budgets on marketing, which is a level consistent...
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Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt
They say timing is everything, but acclaimed filmmaker Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, Meek's Cutoff) could have never predicted a rise in museum heists when prepping her latest, THE MASTERMIND. Kelly joins us to talk about the film, her career, and what it took to create a fictional Massachusetts...
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The Louvre Heist
Of course we're talking about the recent theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which occurred on October 19th and promptly made news headlines worldwide. Four masked and hooded thieves took more than $100 in jewels before exiting the museum (in broad daylight) and speeding away on motor scooters....
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A Patrick Gordon Retrospective
On this edition of MC, we hear from the celebrated Tulsa-based artist, Patrick Gordon. The first-ever retrospective of this remarkable artist's work -- "Wall Flowers: Patrick Gordon Paintings" -- is now on view at Philbrook Museum of Art through January 3rd, 2026. The show presents 50+ works,...
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Meet a Cultural Anthropologist
From time to time we look at a specific museum job or title and ask the question: what is that exactly? Today we're exploring the role of the cultural anthropologist with Aaron Schoenfeldt, the Duane H. King Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Tulsa's Helmerich Center for American Research.
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On The Road: The Peabody Essex Museum
For the Season 10 premiere of Museum Confidential, we travelled all the way to the land of witches and whales in order to experience once of the best museum collections in the country. On this episode we have an in-gallery chat with Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, CEO and Executive Director of The Peabody...
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Pop Goes the Museum
Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) turns 25 this year. On our Season 9 finale we light out to the Pacific Northwest for a fascinating conversation with MoPOP CEO Michelle Y. Smith.
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America's National Churchill Museum
1946, in the wake of the Allies winning World War II, Sir Winston Churchill came to the US and gave his famous (and famously cautionary) "Iron Curtain" speech at a small college in Mid-Missouri. That school, Westminster College, is the home of America's National Churchill Museum, which celebrates...
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Ralph Steadman
Ralph Steadman is an English artist and illustrator best known for his long collaboration with the iconoclastic Hunter S. Thompson, notably illustrating "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Their partnership helped define "Gonzo" journalism. On this episode we catch up with Ralph, who turns 89 next...
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On "Japonisme"
When Japan opened its borders for trade and travel in the 1850s, the goods that hit markets across Europe and America sparked an international craze known as "Japonisme." On this episode we explore the history, legacy, and a new exhibition on this era with Rachel Keith, Deputy Director for…
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What's a Creative Director?
Museum staff titles are often lengthy, so "Creative Director" seems pretty straightforward. But what exactly does it mean? And what exactly do they do? Bhadri Verduzco holds this position at Philbrook, so on this episode we go straight to the source.
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Crip Curation and Disability Art
Why are museums built the way they are? Why do we hang art at that height? If a disabled artist makes art, is it necessarily Disability Art? Who gets to decide? On this episode we explore these questions and more with "Crip Curator" and acclaimed author Amanda Cachia.
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Reimagining Native Art
As Season 9 resumes, we travel to New Jersey's Montclair Art Museum to experience the Museum's stunning new installation, Interwoven Power: Native Knowledge / Native Art and a chat with Laura Allen, the acclaimed curator behind the long-gestating project. Featuring artists including Shan Goshorn,...
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Introducing: Immaterial
While our midseason break here at MC continues, we would like to introduce our beloved listeners (that would be you) to something special. It's a podcast called Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time; it's produced by our pals over at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. We...
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Return To Taliesin West
Four years ago, deep in the pandemic, we travelled to Frank Lloyd Wright's Arizona compound, Taliesin West, to see how they were weathering the unprecedented challenges. We just went back to see what was learned and what remains with Niki Stewart, Chief Learning and Engagement Officer for the…
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Charles Gaines
A dispatch from the Phoenix Art Museum where we recently traveled to speak with acclaimed conceptual artist, Charles Gaines prior to the opening of a new retrospective. Charles Gaines: 1992–2023 runs through March 9, 2025.
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Live from Tulsa
This special episode of MC was recently taped before a live audience at Philbrook Museum of Art. Our host Jeff Martin is joined by on stage by interdisciplinary artist Cannupa Hanska Luger, Brooklyn Museum curator Kimberli Gant, and Philbrook Chief Curator Kate Green. They speak in detail about…
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What is American Art?
What makes American art "American"? Let's discuss. On this episode we welcome back Philbrook curator, Susan Green to chat about the new exhibition, "American Artists, American Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776-1976." It's a sweeping, varied exhibition offering more than...
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From Haiti with Love
On recent trip to Washington, D.C. we stopped by the National Gallery of Art to chat with curator Kanitra Fletcher about a new show she was preparing to debut, the first show dedicated to Haitian art in the history of the institution. As with most things in life, timing is everything. Spirit &...
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Re-imagining Museums
On our Season 9 debut we talk with Stephen Reily, attorney, entrepreneur, and former Director of Louisville's Speed Art Museum about REMUSEUM, his ambitious new project to reimagine what museums can be.
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Banksy Unmasked
Psyche! We're not actually unmasking Banksy on this episode, but we are taking a closer look at the recently-opened museum in New York City dedicated to the famously anonymous street artist/activist. William Meade is the Executive Director of the Banksy Museum in Manhattan and we have no idea if…
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Art Fair Diaries: Chicago
On the final installment of our ART FAIR DIARIES trilogy, Philbrook Chief Curator and roving MC correspondent, Kate Green takes us to the land of John Hughes movies and deep-dish pizza. Welcome to EXPO CHICAGO.
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The Things We Keep
Acclaimed artist Chris Ramsay's work deals with big, universal subjects: time, space, impermanence, what we discard, and what we choose to keep. Now, after receiving an incurable cancer diagnosis, Chris is confronting the biggest questions of all.
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Art Fair Diaries: Mexico City
For this new installment in our Art Fair Diaries series, Philbrook Chief Curator (and occasional roving Museum Confidential correspondent) Kate Green reports from the biggest art fair in one of the world's biggest cities. Welcome to Mexico City.
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On Sovereign Futures
Our guest is curator Allison Glenn; we previously spoke to Glenn a few years ago about her Breonna Taylor-inspired show, "Promise, Witness, Remembrance." Now Glenn is curating a multi-venue, multi-day, multi-focused convening titled Sovereign Futures, which runs April 4th through the 7th. Per the...
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The Insider
Our guest is acclaimed journalist Bianca Bosker, who tells us that -- when it comes to which topics she chooses to investigate and cover -- she's "obsessed with obsession." Bosker's latest book is "Get the Picture: A Mind-Bending Journey among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who...
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The Future of Museum Funding?
A recent headline in The New York Times read: To Save Museums, Treat Them Like Highways. There's no shortage of conversations about museum funding models. But after reading this one, arguing that museums should be thought of more like infrastructure, it was time for another. On this episode we...
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Live in Reno with Cannupa Hanska Luger
The Nevada Museum of Art invited us out for a live show in Reno with acclaimed indigenous artist Cannupa Hanska Luger. Futurism and speculative fiction are just two of many terms that describe Luger's unforgettable work and the special exhibition, SPEECHLESS. On this episode we chat with Luger…
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Film & Fashion: Killers of the Flower Moon
Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon just nabbed ten Oscar nominations, including one for Costume Design. But how do you authentically take people back to the Osage Nation of the 1920's? How do you get every detail just right? Meet Julie O'Keefe, the Osage Nation wardrobe consultant hired...
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Edward Hopper Abides
On our first episode of 2024, we chat with the co-directors of an acclaimed new PBS American Masters documentary on legendary New York painter, Edward Hopper. "Hopper: An American Love Story" has it all; lonely people in rooms, quiet city streets, difficult relationships, and plenty of secrets...
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Art Basel Miami Beach: A Diary
Art Basel Miami Beach, the biggest international modern/contemporary art fair in North America, took place earlier this month; thousands of art dealers, artists, collectors, curators, and art aficionados showed up. Kate Green, the Chief Curator & Nancy E. Meinig Curator of Modern & Contemporary…
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Sharon Stone
You probably know Sharon Stone the actress. It's time you get to know Sharon Stone the ARTIST. Over the past few years, the Oscar nominee has turned painting into a dedicated daily practice. On this episode we talk about inspiration, early museum experiences, a new exhibition, and so much more.
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Impossible Music
We travel to Pittsburgh's Miller Institute of Contemporary Art (Carnegie Mellon University) for the special exhibition, IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC, a fascinating collection of sounds, scores, sculptures, video, live performances, and more. First up we have a big picture chat with the ICA's Director,...
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Trade & Transformation
Every object holds a story. That's the idea behind the thought-provoking new Philbrook exhibition, TRADE & TRANSFORMATION. Curator Kalyn Fay Barnoski (Cherokee Nation enrollee, Muscogee descent) originated and organized the exhibition. On this episode she joins us to chat about how she came to...
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Live in Iowa: Words & Pictures
In 2008, a catastrophic flood shut down the art museum on the University of Iowa campus. 15 years later, the museum has finally reopened with a new building, new name (The Stanley), and a new catalog created in partnership with the legendary Iowa Writer's Workshop. They invited us up to chat…
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Scorsese, Songs, and More with Randall Poster
From time to time we explore the question, "what is a curator?" For the past 30 years, Randall Poster has been searching for, securing rights for, and working alongside directors to find the perfect moment for music in countless films. The official job title is Music Supervisor. It could easily…
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Erasing History
Video journalist Alexandra Eaton of The New York Times joins us to share an unforgettable story that begins with a painting created in 1837 New Orleans. It depicts a well-to-do family's three children and a Black enslaved child named Bélizaire. Decades later, Bélizaire was removed from the...
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Summer Vacation to "Dalíland"
In the new biopic, Dalíland, acclaimed director Mary Harron give us a glimpse into the Salvador Dalí's later years in 70s New York City via the immense talents of Academy Award-winner, Sir Ben Kingsley. From her look at attempted assassin Valerie Solanas in I Shot Andy Warhol to the murderous...
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Live from Hawaii
For our Season 7 finale, we travel to the Honolulu Museum of Art (HoMA) to chat with an architect and a neurologist about the intersections of art, science, and nature.
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Preserving the Digital World
With more and more of our lives now being lived online -- and with more and more of our stuff existing only in the cloud -- how best should we preserve art...and culture...and everything else worth saving? On this go-round of Museum Confidential, we speak with Richard Rinehart, the Director of…
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Life in the Archives
On this edition of MC, we've got mad props for all the archivists and librarians in the house. The stewardship that these professionals bring to MuseumLand is as multifaceted as it is vital: caretaking, cataloging, researching, locating, documenting, preserving, updating, etc. Our guest is Saige...
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The Art of the Record Store
Founded by artist Theaster Gates, the Rebuild Foundation has been transforming buildings and neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago since 2009 with art projects, community gathering spaces, small businesses, and more. Their latest venture is a vinyl shop called Miyagi Records. On this episode...
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Sir Roger Deakins & James Deakins
This episode offers a career-spanning chat with Oscar-winning cinematographer, Sir Roger Deakins, and his wife/longtime collaborator, James Deakins. Known for his collaborations with Coen brothers (Fargo), Sam Mendes (1917), and Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049), Deakins began his life in film...
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Rembrandt to Monet
Museums rarely allow their most beloved works to travel. But Omaha's Joslyn Art Museum is under renovation. An opportunity arose. Now through May 28, Philbrook presents 500 years of European treasures from that acclaimed collection. Featuring paintings by the likes of Rembrandt, Monet, El Greco,...
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The American South...at the Royal Academy of Arts
London's Royal Academy of Arts will soon open a special exhibition titled, SOULS GROWN DEEP LIKE RIVERS: BLACK ARTISTS FROM THE AMERICAN SOUTH. Created in partnership with the Souls Grown Deep Foundation in Atlanta, the exhibit will showcase 60+ works by notable Black artists over the last…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Museum Confidential have?
Museum Confidential currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Museum Confidential about?
Museum Confidential is a behind-the-scenes look at museums hosted by Jeff Martin. The show is a co-production of Philbrook Museum of Art and Public Radio Tulsa. New episodes every two weeks.
How often does Museum Confidential release new episodes?
Museum Confidential has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Museum Confidential?
You can listen to Museum Confidential on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Museum Confidential?
Museum Confidential is created and hosted by Philbrook Museum of Art.
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