PEMcast

Discover some of the first collected objects in PEM's storied collection.

On this episode of the PEMcast, curators and experts explore the remarkable life and work of 19th century sculptor Edmonia Lewis.

In this episode of the PEMcast we explore one of the nation's earliest and most historically significant museum collections of Korean art and culture. Join us inside PEM's new gallery and look closely at the objects on view. Learn about a fascinating 19th century friendship that helped form PEM's significant Korean collection and the ongoing good will that continues today. Interviews include Jiyeo...

Join us on this salty episode of the PEMcast, as we feature a 24-hour reading of the book at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, exhibition curator Dan Lipcan and Moby Dick expert, author Nathaniel Philbrick.

In Part 2 of this episode about William Bentley, join curators and experts as we continue looking at the remarkable and storied life this popular polymath, collector, and diarist. Bentley was a consultant on the founding of the Peabody Essex Museum and an influencer, shaping Salem to be the city it is today.

This episode of the PEMcast looks at the life and legacy of Reverend William Bentley who chronicled his busy days as a clergyman from 1784 to 1819 with an unmatched dedication and flourish. We know so much about Salem, Massachusetts and its quirky history in part because of this meticulous diary keeping. We explore Bentley's living quarters and his vast collection of objects, as well as the more g...

Bats have an interesting association with Salem, a place that celebrates Halloween pretty much year round. We're used to seeing multiple versions of Dracula around town. But a small colony of live Egyptian fruit bats living in a specially designed enclosure at the Peabody Essex Museum...that's something new. In this episode, we give much respect and appreciation to bats as vital living beings on t...

In this epsisode of the PEMcast we go behind the scenes of PEM's latest Salem Witch Trials exhibition. We examine objects that belonged to the Salem Puritans and attempts to restore justice from the 17th century to today. 

As we anticipate the return of Pride to Salem, artists Bill Crisafi and Hogan McLaughlin are the featured guests on the PEMcast. They share with us their day-to-day creative collaborations and their compelling story of love.

In episode 30 of the PEMcast, we follow the thread of a story all about hair. We look at why artist Gu Wenda used human hair to create 188 flags from around the world, currently on view at PEM. We explore our own collection of mourning jewelry with the snipped locks of a loved one. Then we chat with Gio Swaby, whose exhibition  Fresh Up  is coming to PEM this summer. In her textile portraits, hair...

In Episode 29 of the PEMcast, we delve into the hearts and minds of two artists, separated by geography and time, but inextricably linked in their curiosity, their exploration of Tibetan Buddhist spirituality and a traditional art form. We discover what each learned about themselves and their own cultures by traveling to the opposite side of the world. Spirits: Tsherin Sherpa with Robert Beer is o...

This episode of the PEMcast looks at what makes some places magnetic. Libraries, museums, certain cultural experiences. Why are we drawn to them? We talk with Canadian artist Shelagh Keeley about her current exhibition at PEM, as well as PEM Curators Trevor Smith and Karina Corrigan. We also look at our Japanese collection, which partly inspired a massive wall drawing by Keeley, and the collector...

The second part of PEMcast Episode 27 looks at the brief creative life of Patrick Kelly. This queer, Black fashion designer pushed for racial equality and forever changed fashion before his untimely death at the age of 35. Along with curators and Kelly's former partner, come celebrate the 1980's, as well as Kelly's designs and his meteoric rise from the Jim Crow South to the runways of Paris.  Org...

The pandemic, war, mass shootings, changing laws about our bodies. In Episode 27 of the PEMcast, we explore themes of love and loss while also celebrating PRIDE. Listeners meet Canadian artist Zachari Logan, whose provocative drawings of flowers in various states of transformation speak to the power of loss and a flicker of hope. Remembrance is on view through May 7, 2023. Part 2 of the episode wi...

Episode 26 of the PEMcast features artists and activists who are inspiring climate action this spring at PEM. Every day is Earth Day around here with Jane Goodall, Wes Bruce, Konstantin Dimopoulos, Stephen Gorman, Edward Koren, Silvia Lopez Chavez and more. Learn why museums play an important role in sparking action to do something about the climate crisis.

In this PEMcast episode, we feature Bernie Krause, the soundscape ecologist behind The Great American Orchestra, an exhibition which immerses us in the sound universe of animals. Matt Clark of United Visual Artists chats about working on this extraordinary audio-visual experience. We also share our plan to be more inclusive by mitigating sensory overload, work that is underway thanks to PEM's Neur...

In this PEMcast episode, we look at the exhibition The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming,  which pairs historic trial documents and personal objects with the response of two contemporary artists who have ancestral ties to the Salem witch trials. Fashion designer Alexander McQueen and photographer Frances F. Denny are still inspired by the events of 1692. 

Join host Dinah Cardin as she heads home for a visit to the Ozarks and to Crystal Bridges of American Art, PEM's co-organizer for the exhibition In American Waters. This episode features a tour of the grounds, including Crystal Spring that the museum is named after, as well as an exploration of some of the key paintings from Crystal Bridges that are in this exhibition. Crystal Bridges Chief Curato...

Join host Dinah Cardin in this episode of the PEMcast as she dives into the history of George Peabody, the father of philanthropy in America, and how this relates to the museum and the new PEM Prize.

Host Dinah Cardin explores the PEM's new climate + environment initiative and its two related maritime exhibitions.

Part one of this two part series looks at the recent sea shanty craze across social media channels. Host Dinah Cardin visits PEM's collection of sea shanty books and sheet music and talks with maritime music experts. You'll be singing along.