Free Admissions

For many, the holiday season brings about feelings of nostalgia and hope. During this time of year, we nourish ourselves with tradition, spend time with loved ones, and seek comfort in its many forms. Art offers opportunities through which we can do each of these things, allowing us to experience and navigate this season with greater depth, warmth, and grace. In this episode, members of the Walter...

October is all about the ghoulish, the seemingly scary, and the creepy-crawly. Mike McKee, Head of Installation and Production, delves into just a few of the ghost encounters he’s had during the three decades he’s worked at the museum. Then, Dany Chan, Associate Curator of Asian Art, explores the deeper meanings behind works in the collection that seem scary at first glance. Finally, Preventive Co...

This episode features three contemporary artists who have new work on view at the museum this year: Katherine Tzu-Lann Mann , Stephanie Mercedes , and Jackie Milad . We also introduce a new way visitors can engage with the Walters through our expanded volunteer program. Episode Segments 00:00 Introduction 01:22 The Pocket with Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann 11:20 We Were Treated Like Numbers Rather Than S...

This episode explores the installation Latin American Art / Arte Latinoamericano with Ellen Hoobler, William B. Ziff, Jr., Curator of Art of the Americas, and Patricia Lagarde, Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow. Then, artist Jessy DeSantis discusses their artistic practice and the creation of Cintli, Corn, Maíz (2020), on view in the installation. Episode Segments 00:00 Introduction 01:...

This episode highlights two 19th-century paintings from the Walters Art Museum’s collection, with introspectives from photographer and performer Chris Jay, and Jo Briggs, Jennie Walters Delano Curator of 18th- and 19th-Century Art. We also give flowers to the Walters Docent Program, sunsetting in Summer 2025. Finally, we speak with two longtime members of the Walters docent cohort about the impact...

This episode highlights If Books Could Kill, featuring Lynley Herbert, Robert and Nancy Hall Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, Annette Ortiz-Miranda, Conservation Scientist, and Abigail Quandt, Head of Books & Paper Conservation. We’ll also learn more about Hearts for Art with Teresa Norman, Audience Insights Analyst. Episode Segments 00:00 Introduction 00:46 If Books Could Kill 03:52 Int...

This episode celebrates the Walters Art Museum’s 90th Anniversary and third-annual Day of Giving, featuring heartwarming narratives by our staff. Episode Segments 00:00 Introduction 02:10 The Walters at Ninety 09:16 Staff memories 26:18 Walters Day of Giving 2024 29:09 Credits Links Support Walters Day of Giving: https://givebutter.com/WaltersGivingDay2024 Drop-in Art Making: https://thewalters.or...

This episode highlights Art and Process: Drawings, Paintings, and Sculptures from the 19th-Century Collection , featuring Jo Briggs, Jennie Walters Delano Curator of 18th- & 19th-Century Art. Then, we’ll discuss historic school supplies with Adriana Proser, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Quincy Scott Senior Curator of Asian Art, and Christine Sciacca, Curator of European Art, 300-1400 CE. Lastly, we’ll t...

This episode highlights Objects of Curiosity: What Will We Discover? , featuring Lisa Anderson-Zhu, Associate Curator of Ancient Mediterranean Art. We’ll also learn more about our viral sensation Fat Sparrow Netsuke with Angie Elliot, Terry Drayman-Weisser Head of Object Conservation. Episode Segments 00:00 Introduction 00:46 Overview of Objects of Curiosity: What Will We Discover? 02:53 Interview...

In this episode of Free Admissions, Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director, details her favorite object in the collection. Meanwhile, curators Lynley Anne Herbert and Earl Martin walk us through the museum’s newest exhibition, Reflect and Remix: Art Inspiring Artists. Episode Segments 00:00 - Introduction 00:57 - The Melanchthon Watch with Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea...

In this episode of Free Admissions, we celebrate Women’s History Month. Discover the history of nearly 75 years of women leadership in the Walters Conservation Department from its director, Julie Lauffenburger. Learn about New on the Bookshelf: The Creative Power of Women from the exhibition’s curator, Lynley Anne Herbert. Episode Segments 00:00 - Introduction 00:45 - Overview of New on the Booksh...

In the first episode of Free Admissions, we chat with the exhibition’s curator Christine Sciaccia about Ethiopia at the Crossroads , the first major art exhibition in America to examine an array of Ethiopian cultural and artistic traditions from their origins to the present day. Conservation Scientist Annette Ortiz introduces us to her unique officemates (aka, her go-to conservation equipment). Ep...