Museum Confidential

"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 Martin had the opportunity to chat with one of Parks's good friends, the fellow photographer Fred Sweets. An award-winning photographer and photo editor who worked over the years at The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press, Sweets was greatly inspired by the photography of Gordon Parks (as were so many others). On this episode, we hear Sweets reflecting on his life and work with the camera -- as well as that of the legendary Gordon Parks.

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 60 different artists and nearly 100 works. Our guest on MC is the show's curator, Dr. Denene De Quintal.

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 through March 29th of this year. On this episode of MC, we catch up with the show's curator, Alison Fisher.

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: CHEROKEE, MUSCOGEE (CREEK), & YUCHI BASKETS. Presenting a variety of styles, both decorative and functional, and spotlighting baskets made from a wide range of materials, INTERWOVEN runs ay Philbrook through February 8, 2026.

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 with the American mining and construction industries." Lots to discuss here. We caught up with Stephen via phone, as he was visiting Miami in order to take part in Art Basel.

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 museum in Indiana and Ohio.

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. Amid the many articles and written reports concerning this theft that appeared just after it happened, one piece that caught out eyes was "The Louvre Heist Was a Colonial Wake-Up Call" (from Hyperallergic, the arts/cultural website). Our guest on Museum Confidential is the author of this piece, Dr. Emiline Smith, a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland (UK).  

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, including still life scenes, large florals, portraits, and a striking series of paintings titled "Men in Ballgowns." Conversation moderated by Karl Jones of The Center for Queer Prairie Studies. Presented in partnership with Tulsa Artist Fellowship. 

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.

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 Essex Museum, originally established in 1799.

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.

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 the life, work, thought, and leadership of the "British Bulldog." How does a museum dedicated to the man who saved Western liberal democracy endeavor to stay relevant at a moment when, around the world, democracy itself seems endangered? Our guest is Timothy Riley, Director and Chief Curator of this museum.

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 month, and his daughter, Sadie, to discuss a career spanning exhibition now on view at Oklahoma State University.

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 Audience Engagement & Curatorial Affairs at Philbrook Museum of Art.  

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.      

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.            

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, Fritz Scholder, Holly Wilson, Oscar Howe, Rose Simpson, and dozens of others, the installation reimagines and presents a new template for what it means to display Native Art.   

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 dig it. You will, too. For more episodes, or more information, please visit HERE. 

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 Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.

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.