Bad Art

We look back at the man who called himself the “bicentennial president” — Richard M. Nixon — and the 1976 celebration he helped to plan. Examining the politics of past U.S. birthday parties, we ask what they can tell us about the present. How much has changed? We also spend some time talking about the World Cup and how much more fun it is than the Semiquincentennial. Yay 25...

Today we take on A.I. art. We discuss the following references: Duesterberg, James. 2023. “Neither Governed Nor Free.” Boston Review. https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/neither-governed-nor-free/ Crabapple, Molly. 2026. “Is AI The Greatest Art Heist in History?” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/12/is-ai-the-greatest-art-heist-in-history Winegar, Jessica. 2008. “The Human...

We’re joined by Akil Fletcher, an anthropologist who studies the intersection of video gaming and race. We discuss “Relooted,” an exciting new art heist video game, where players raid Western art collections in order to steal art and repatriate that art to Africa. For more about Akil or to read his scholarship: https://www.akilfletcher.com/ Mariel reads from the book “Mumbo Jumbo” by I...

Reflecting on current events, Mariel and Colin discuss the proliferation of atrocity images on social media. What is at stake when these images are treated as a tool of political mobilization? References: Sontag, Susan. 2003. Regarding the Pain of Others. Eubanks, W. Ralph. 2025. Emmett Till Then and Now. in Bulletin by Monument Lab. Hernandez, Joe. 2021. “Read this powerful statement from D...

This episode is a deep dive into the “creative city” model of urban planning. We talk about the ways that influential urban planners like Richard Florida and Charles Landry have promoted investment in the arts as a way to solve urban problems. We will answer the question, can art solve poverty? (Answer: No).   Key Sources: Florida, Richard. The Rise of the Creative Class. Landry, Charles. The...

In anticipation of the Super Bowl, and in response to conservative outrage over the selection of artist Bad Bunny as halftime performer, we present a deep dive into the history and politics of the NFL’s halftime show.   Major Sections Include: Introducing the episode 00-1:30 Reflecting on current events 1:31-15:00 Recurring halftime themes and the identity of the NFL 15:00-24:52 The history o...

Honestly, we just wanted to do a normal episode that didn’t react to current events. We thought that the War on Terror would be a somewhat stable historical artifact. – Then Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and stole its oil. So this episode is unexpectedly relevant. While we don’t comment on Venezuela directly, there are some important themes in thinking about the aesthetics of w...

“It’s Brutal!” Trump, Architecture, and American Authoritarianism. (Weird Little Architects Part II). E08. In this follow up to our episode on Trump’s “Weird Little Architects” (E06) we examine the ways that architecture has been instrumentalized by the Trump administration. Through a close look at the Executive Order “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” and at administration comments ar...

We invited Nick Sturm to join us to tell us about his recent Defector article, “Good Riddance to The Best American Poetry.” Nick tells us about the reactionary ideals which shaped the poetry anthology series and how these reactionary ideals influence American politics and the wider world of poetry. Nick  Sturm  teaches at Georgia State University in Atlanta. His book “Publishing the New York Schoo...

In this episode, we tell you about the weird little architects in Trump’s orbit and their plans to remake DC.   References The National Civic Art Society: www.civicart.org Website for Michael Curtis, the artist member of the NCAS https://theclassicalartist.com/statues Video: Washington the Classical City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LkKnhtOPnc “Hegel’s Aesthetics.” In the Stanford Encycl...

Colin and Mariel watch “Style Wars,” a classic documentary about New York City graffiti in 1982, and explore what this documentary can tell us about the politics of today.   References: Style Wars (1982): https://youtu.be/CO9YgJXzRmk?si=Alsm22cBTOlZxOY1 Footage of the Burning of the Bronx from the 1977 World Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVH-BE9CUo Interview with Tony S...

Public Art On Trial: In this episode, we examine the ways that major funders of public art in the US have often sought to use public art as a tool of social engineering. What did these funders hope that public art would achieve? And were they successful in their efforts to transform the social life of American cities? We will look at a number of high profile public art projects and controversies a...

The internationally famous graffiti artist, Banksy, has made 3 trips to Palestine, where he has attempted to use graffiti art to build solidarity with the Palestinian cause. What are the possibilities and limits of this form of artistic solidarity?   References: Dan Brooks “Banksy and the Problem with Sarcastic Art.” NYT. Sept 10 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/magazine/banksy-and-th...

Colin interviews Leesa Kelly and Amira McLendon of Memorialize the Movement about their experiences as Black activists working to preserve art from the 2020 uprising in Minneapolis. Kelly and McLendon offer insight into the racial politics of art preservation. Links and References: Memorialize the Movement: https://www.memorializethemovement.com/ Art and Artifact: Murals from the Minneapolis Upris...

On Trump’s obsession with and confederate statues. Recorded before the announcement that Trump would restore the confederate monument at Arlington and other monuments taken down in 2020. References: Cox, Karen.2019. Dixies Daughters: The United Daughters of the Confederacy and The Preservation of Confederate Culture. UP Florida. https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813064130 Southern Poverty Law...