Museum Confidential

The Rothko Chapel, established in 1971 in Houston, is both a sacred space and a modern art mainstay. Dedicated to non-denominational prayer and private contemplation -- and also to international peace and fellowship -- the building routinely hosts lectures, concerts, interfaith gatherings, and similar events. And at its heart, of course, are fourteen very dark, luminous, large-scale paintings by the late Mark Rothko. We speak with David Leslie, the executive director of the Rothko Chapel.

Let’s be honest, conceptual art is polarizing. Sometimes intentionally so. We explore this and more in a wide-ranging and fascinating chat with self-proclaimed Experimental Philosopher, Jonathon Keats. From his early childhood days selling rocks for a penny to large-scale thought experiments commissioned by prestigious institutions, his career is nothing if not unique. As described in the pages of WIRED magazine by science fiction author Bruce Sterling, “the guy is tireless.” 

On this episode we take an in-depth look at the very first Director of Philbrook, Eugene Kingman. An acclaimed artist in his own right, Kingman’s journey included stops at Yale, The Rhode Island School of Design, the offices of The New York Times, and the organization that would become the C.I.A. 

 We chat with Mark Brown, longtime journalist and current assistant to the current Philbrook Director.   

What are we saying when we refer to a piece as "bad" art? All of us probably have guilty pleasures, or maybe a favorite mistake or two, but what does it mean to seek out and really cherish certain works of bad art? This episode of our podcast features a conversation with Louise Sacco, the so-called Permanent Acting Interim Executive Director of MOBA (a/k/a The Museum of Bad Art).

For our special Valentine’s Day episode we explore many different kinds of love, from the boomtown couple that founded Philbrook to the supposed foot fetishism of an iconic French artist. Keep an ear out for a brief cameo by Marie Antoinette. 

Hosted by Jeff Martin with Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa.  

Gilcrease Museum houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West. This episode features a discussion with Gilcrease Senior Curator Laura Fry and special appearances by Neil Young and Henry Kissinger.

Hosted by Jeff Martin with Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa.  

We explore the bookish side of museum-going in a revealing conversation with poet Kenneth Goldsmith, who in 2013 was the first and only Poet Laureate at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). 

Hosted by Jeff Martin with Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa.  

 Arguably at the height of his career with work in Vanity Fair and Vogue, regularly shooting the likes of Jesse Owens, Gary Cooper, and Katharine Hepburn, photographer Lusha Nelson died in 1938 at the age of 30. His personal archive remained lost until 2015 when it was rediscovered by Philbrook. Hear the amazing true story. 

Hosted by Jeff Martin with Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa.  

Movies and museums. Museums and movies. They go together like popcorn and Milk Duds. On this installment of our podcast, we speak with Charles Elmore of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. Topics include memorable motion pictures of 2017, what makes a film an "art film," how today's so-called Golden Age of Television relates to (or doesn't relate to) today's films and filmmakers, and so forth.

Our first in-depth artist chat, with acclaimed photorealist, Karl Haendel. Topics range from the best types of pencils and football to Dutch artist M.C. Escher and politics. See Haendel's work in the current Philbrook Downtown show, "Game On." 

Hosted by Jeff Martin with Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa. 

Sweetness! It's an extended, ever-so-tuneful edition of our podcast for the extended holiday weekend. Listen in as Jeff Martin (of Philbrook Museum) and Scott Gregory (of Public Radio Tulsa) dig various songs and/or bands inspired by art and/or artists and/or museums and/or The Muse. Sonic bliss? Odd audio? Both? Neither? It's in the ear of the beholder, friends.

An in-depth chat with Hrag Vartanian and Sharon Louden, two of the most prominent thought leaders in the art world today. Topics range from early museum experiences to a one-way trip to Mars.

Hosted by Jeff Martin with Philbrook Museum of Art and produced by Scott Gregory with Public Radio Tulsa.

Explore a different side of legendary actor Vincent Price for our special Halloween episode with Philbrook curator, Christina E. Burke. Guest starring Michael Jackson, Johnny Carson, and Jack Nicholson. 

Hosted by Jeff Martin and produced by Scott Gregory.