About Art

What does it mean to be seen—and to see yourself clearly? In this episode of  About Art , Heidi Zuckerman speaks with Sarah Hoover about identity, perception, and the space between how we understand ourselves and how others experience us. Their conversation moves fluidly between art and life, exploring visibility, expectation, and the emotional complexity of navigating the art world. Together, the...

In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with designer, maker, and HomeMade Modern founder Ben Uyeda about access, creativity, and the power of making. After leaving behind a traditional architecture practice and academic career, Ben chose to share design directly with a global audience. His open-source approach has reached more than 500 million people and inspired builds on six contin...

In this episode of About Art, I speak with  Jeremy Deller , an artist whose work expands beyond museums into public space, where it is shaped by the people who encounter it. Deller reflects on how he came to understand that art does not need to live inside institutions—and how some of the most meaningful work happens when the public is not just viewing but participating. We discuss processions, mu...

What is the role of art today—and does all art matter? In this episode of About Art, I speak with  Judy Chicago , a pioneering feminist artist whose work has transformed contemporary art and feminist art history for more than six decades. Best known for  The Dinner Party , Chicago has consistently challenged traditional narratives in the art world—bringing women’s experiences, history, and creativ...

Most people feel intimidated by art history—until a podcast removes the "secret club" barrier. Tamar Avishai, creator of  The Lonely Palette , reveals how storytelling and sound can transform our relationship to art, making centuries-old paintings feel immediate, personal, and even fun. Her approach dismantles the idea that art is only for experts, empowering everyday listeners to see th...

What if architecture is not just about buildings—but about values? In this episode of  About Art , Heidi Zuckerman speaks with architect, curator, and cultural strategist David van der Leer, whose work sits at the intersection of design, public space, civic imagination, and cultural leadership. From his time at the Guggenheim to his leadership at the Van Alen Institute, David has helped shape glob...

Unlock the transformative potential of art that invites participation, reflection, and collective healing. This episode features Molly Gochman, an artist and activist reshaping how we connect through shared experiences, public monuments, and community engagement. Most conversations about activism and art overlook how deeply intertwined they truly are. Molly reveals how her work—whether literal lan...

Leslie Jackson Chihuly is an arts executive, philanthropist, and cultural leader dedicated to expanding access to the arts and supporting creative communities. As President and CEO of Chihuly Studio, she oversees the global operations of artist Dale Chihuly, guiding a body of work that spans museums, exhibitions, public installations, and cultural partnerships worldwide. She is also the co-founder...

What makes a painting unforgettable? And how can art history become something that feels personal, clear, and alive? In this episode of  About Art , Heidi Zuckerman speaks with James Payne, writer, curator, educator, and the creator of the internationally beloved YouTube channels Great Art Explained and Great Books Explained. James has reached millions by making art history accessible—stripping aw...

Elisa Nuyten is the founder and president of The Vega Foundation, a Toronto-based organization dedicated to supporting ambitious film and video art through commissioning, institutional collaboration, and long-term stewardship. Established in 2022, Vega has quickly become a significant force in the international moving-image ecosystem, partnering with leading museums and commissioning major new wor...

What does it take to shape a brand that resonates with an entire generation? Brieane Olson, CEO of Pacsun, joins Heidi Zuckerman to discuss creativity, cultural relevance, and values-driven leadership at one of the most influential youth lifestyle retailers in the world. From strategic partnerships with icons like A$AP Rocky and Kendall Jenner to a $5M investment in Inglewood schools, Brieane shar...

Mike Zuckerman is a cultural strategist, city builder, and humanitarian activist whose work is rooted in one central idea: regeneration. Mike has designed and activated community-centered spaces all over the world—from temporary refugee settlements in Uganda, to post-crisis recovery zones in Haiti and Colombia, to experimental urban projects in San Francisco. He thinks deeply about how to repair b...

Reinvention isn’t about starting over. It’s about listening—closely—to who you’re becoming. In this episode of About Art, I speak with Lora Jakobsen about leadership before titles, creativity beyond the arts, and how community shapes both personal growth and professional impact. From her early background in the performing arts to her current work in climate tech at ZeroNorth, Lora’s journey is a p...

In this episode of  About Art , Heidi Zuckerman speaks with actor  Josh Zuckerman about creativity, vulnerability, and why art—at its best—helps us feel less alone. Josh has worked professionally in film and television since his late teens, with an eclectic career that spans comedy, drama, and horror. He currently appears in the Paramount+ series  School Spirits  and previously starred as the lead...

A 20-year veteran of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Joel Lubin is a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Motion Picture Group. Lubin represents many of the world’s most acclaimed talent, including Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, Chris Evans, Mahershala Ali, Vanessa Kirby, David Oyelowo, Jude Law, Andrew Garfield, Mark Rylance, Jon B...

Derek Fordjour was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Ghanaian parents. He is the recipient of the 2025 Gordon Parks Foundation Artist Fellowship, the 2023 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Spirit of the Dream Award, and previously served as the Alex Katz Chair at Cooper Union. He has received public commissions for the Highline, the NYC AIDS Memorial, MOCA Grand Avenue and the MTA’s Arts & Des...

How can abstraction carry emotion, identity, and lived experience? In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with painter Katherine Bradford, whose luminous work bridges the personal, mythic, and communal. Bradford moved from Maine to New York in the 1980s as a single mother raising school-age twins and became part of the first wave of artists to shape the Williamsburg art community. Af...

In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder of ART X and ART X Lagos, the leading international art fair in West Africa. Through ART X, Peterside-Schwebig has played a pivotal role in positioning Lagos on the global cultural stage while remaining deeply committed to local communities and creative voices. Their conversation explores the development o...

What does it mean to read fashion—not just as style, but as culture, politics, and lived experience? In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with designer Carla Fernández, founder of the Mexico City–based fashion house dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the textile knowledge of Indigenous and mestizo communities across Mexico. Fernández’s work demonstrates how manual methods, co...

Aindrea Emelife is Curator, Modern and Contemporary at MOWAA (Museum of West African Art), a new museum which opened in Benin City, Nigeria in November 2025. She was also the curator of the Nigeria Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2024. Born in London, United Kingdom, Emelife studied at The Courtauld Institute of Art. Her work focuses on questions around colonial and decolonial histories in Afri...

Kami Gahiga is a curator and art professional based between Kigali and London. Her work primarily focuses on art from the Global South and she has curated several exhibitions across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.  She is an acting contributor to  NKA Journal of Contemporary African Art . Kami is the Art Basel VIP Representative for Africa. Previously, she served as the Head of VIP &amp...

Spencer Lewis, born 1979 in Hartford, Connecticut, lives and works in Los Angeles. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of California, Los Angeles. Known for his gestural paintings on cardboard and jute, Lewis uses flashy bright and colorful notions executed through streaked lines, smears of paint and rough strokes that suggest the impulsive creative process underneat...

Princess Alia Al-Senussi, PhD, is a leading member of the contemporary art world, with a special emphasis in her academic, personal and professional work on visual arts and culture in the Middle East, holding a doctorate degree in politics from SOAS which analyzed the nexus of soft power and cultural diplomacy in the context of networks of patronage, with a case study of Saudi Arabia.  Dr. Al-Senu...

Rodman Primack and Rudy Weissenberg are co-founders of US-AD100 design firm AGO Interiors and co-founders of Wallpaper 400 collectible design gallery AGO Projects. Their firm’s first book, Love How You Live: Adventures in Interior Design (2024), showcases their projects and the makers they’ve nurtured throughout the years. His practice emphasizes comfort, connection, and supporting local artisans....

Marilyn Minter (b. 1948, USA) is an artist based in New York. Recent solo exhibitions include Marilyn Minter, Lehmann Maupin, Seoul, South Korea (2024). Marilyn Minter, LGDR, New York, NY (2023); Marilyn Minter, Lehmann Maupin, Hong Kong, China (2021); All Wet, Montpellier Contemporary (Mo. Co), Montpellier, France (2021); Smash, MoCA Westport, Westport, CT (2021); Fierce Women, The Cube, Moss Art...