The Art Career

For more than 150 years, 92NY has been a gathering place for artists, writers, musicians, thinkers, and audiences in New York City and beyond. In this episode of  The Art Career , Emily McElwreath sits down with  Seth Pinsky, CEO of 92NY , to explore what it means to lead one of New York City’s most enduring cultural institutions—and how an organization with such a significant history continues to...

For The Art Career’s New York season, we return to a conversation with one of the city’s most recognizable voices on art and culture: Jerry Saltz. Recorded live at New York University in March 2023, Emily McElwreath sits down with the Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic and longtime senior art critic for New York Magazine for a wide-ranging conversation about art, criticism, ambition, failure, succe...

Episode 3 of The Art Career’s New York season goes inside one of the world’s most influential training grounds for artists: The Juilliard School. What does it mean to train the next generation of dancers at a moment when the field—and the possibilities of a life in dance—continue to evolve? Melissa Toogood is the Dean and Director of Juilliard’s Dance Division, as well as an acclaimed dancer, educ...

Episode Two of  The Art Career’s  New York season shows you how can public art transform an entire neighborhood — and what happens when artists become part of the everyday lives of the communities around them? Stephen Pierson is the Executive Director of ArtBridge , a nonprofit organization that transforms construction fencing, scaffolding, and underutilized urban spaces into large-scale public ar...

Episode One of The Art Career's New York season begins at the top: Lincoln Center. What does it take to lead the artistic vision of the world's most iconic performing arts institution — and why does she believe the arts are one of the only tools we have left to truly see one another? Shanta Thake is the Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center, where she shapes the artistic direction of on...

This week on The Art Career, Emily McElwreath sits down with Daniel S. Palmer, Chief Curator of the  SCAD Museum of Art . Located in Savannah, Georgia, the SCAD Museum of Art has emerged as one of the most dynamic contemporary art institutions in the United States, presenting ambitious exhibitions by leading international artists while serving as an educational resource for students, artists, and...

This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with Carroll Dunham recorded at his home in Connecticut. Over the last four decades, Dunham has established himself as one of the most important painters working today, with major exhibitions at institutions including the New Museum, Museum Ludwig, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, and the National Museum in Oslo, among many others. What has stayed with us the most...

What role should museums play in public life today? In this episode of The Art Career, Emily McElwreath visits the Cleveland Museum of Art for a conversation with Emily Liebert, Lauren Rich Fine Curator of Contemporary Art. Together, they discuss the evolving role of museums in contemporary culture, the responsibilities of curatorial practice, and how institutions balance scholarship with accessib...

Brooklyn artist  Mr. StarCity  joins  The Art Career Podcast . A multidisciplinary artist working across painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and film, Mr. StarCity’s practice centers on expressive figurative painting and deeply personal storytelling. His works often emerge from poetry and lived experience, exploring themes of love, healing, and the complexities of the human condition. Originally g...

With Melissa Auf der Maur’s new memoir coming out this month, we’re revisiting our conversation on the podcast. From Hole and Smashing Pumpkins to founding Basilica Hudson, Melissa reflects on art, music, and the strange alchemy of the ’90s music world. NYT Article Pre-Order memoir: https://www.xmadmx.com/#book Follow Emily McElwreath on Instagram: ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @emilymcelwreath_art⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠...

This week on  The Art Career Podcast , Emily sit's down with Nick Thune. Known for his sharp, offbeat humor and unique narrative voice, Thune has built a loyal following through multiple stand-up specials, late-night appearances on  The Tonight Show ,  Conan , and  Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , as well as roles in film and television including  Dave Made a Maze ,  Knocked Up ,  Venom , FX’s ...

This week on  The Art Career Podcast , Emily McElwreath speaks with Rachel Fine , Executive Director of Yale Schwarzman Center . Recorded on-site at Yale, this conversation explores what it means to build cultural infrastructure within a major institution today — from developing artistic partnerships and stewarding creative communities to expanding access and engagement across disciplines. Togethe...

On Season 8, episode 4 of The Art Career Podcast, Emily sits down with Dr. Ace Lehner to discuss trans visual culture, the politics of representation, and so much more Their conversation explores how images construct identity, how institutions shape visibility, and what it means to challenge dominant frameworks of seeing. As both a scholar and an artist, Ace brings depth, clarity, and lived insigh...

About Blake Cooper Griffin:  Blake Cooper Griffin is an actor, advocate, speaker, and entrepreneur whose career bridges film, television, and public life. Known for emotionally layered performances and wide-ranging screen roles, he has worked opposite Academy Award winners and led projects across genres, from prestige drama to thriller and comedy. Off-screen, he is the founder of Brainworks Team,...

On Season 8, Episode 3 of The Art Career Podcast, Emily sits down with Rachel Dratch. Rachel Dratch ⁠is an American actress, comedian, writer, and podcast host whose career spans stage, television, film, and audio storytelling. Most recently, she has been cast as the narrator in Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show , continuing her long-standing relationship with live performance and theater. ...

In Season 8, Episode 2 of The Art Career Podcast, Emily sits down with  Sarah Ortegon.  Sarah is an Eastern Shoshone–enrolled and Northern Arapaho visual artist, dancer, and performer whose work bridges ancestral knowledge, land, and contemporary Indigenous life. Raised between Denver and the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, her practice spans painting, beadwork on hide, mixed media, and perform...

In Season 8, Episode 1 of The Art Career Podcast, Emily sits down with Johnny Cirillo, the photographer and visual storyteller behind Watching New York — one of the most influential portrait projects documenting contemporary life in the city today. Born in Jackson Heights, Queens, Johnny developed an early passion for photography as a teenager on Long Island, after his mother gave him his first 35...

In this landmark episode, Emily sits down with one of the most influential figures in modern theater— Jeffrey Seller , the Broadway producer behind  Rent ,  Hamilton ,  Avenue Q , and  In the Heights . Recorded in Jeffrey’s own home, this intimate and revealing conversation explores: His early creative influences and the making of  Rent What it takes to recognize and develop groundbreaking work Th...

In this episode of  The Art Career , Emily sits down with the incomparable  Melissa Auf der Maur  — musician, visual artist, filmmaker, and co-founder of the multidisciplinary arts center  Basilica Hudson . Known for her role as the bass player in iconic 1990s rock bands  Hole  and  The Smashing Pumpkins , Melissa’s journey spans far beyond the stage. From self-producing solo albums to launching a...

In this candid and richly layered episode, Emily sits down with artist and actress Jemima Kirke for a conversation that unfolds with wit, depth, and honesty. Best known for her role as Jessa in HBO’s Girls , Jemima is also a RISD-trained painter whose work explores vulnerability, womanhood, and identity through a deeply personal lens. Jemima opens up about the nuances of balancing visibility in th...

Jemma Rose Brown is an artist, strategist and curator of cultural programs raised & based in NYC. Her approach is shaped by a decade+ career in podcasts and the audio industry. Jemma is the General Manager of The Signal Awards and Co-Creator of On Air Fest, the premiere event for audio storytelling. She is the Co-Founder of Cosmophage. Previously, she was the Director of creative agency work x...

Cultural Icons is here. A new editorial series by Emily McElwreath, spotlighting the spaces, brands, and experiences shaping today’s creative landscape. As a curator, art advisor, and cultural journalist, Emily has spent years immersed in the art world, uncovering the people and places that truly move culture forward. Now, she’s bringing that insight to Cultural Icons—a definitive selection of the...

In this episode of The Art Career, Emily travels to Galerie Lelong & Co in Chelsea to sit down with gallerist Mary Sabbatino. Mary Sabbatino is Vice President and Partner of Galerie Lelong & Co., New York. She was appointed director of the New York location of Galerie Lelong & Co. in 1991 and became a gallery partner in 2007. In 2021, she was awarded the prestigious Chevalier de L’Ordr...

Welcome to episode 2 of Art21 x The Art Career: Behind the Lens —a series dedicated to the curators and filmmakers who create the magic behind Art21’s iconic documentaries and publications. Art21 is the world’s leading source to learn directly from the artists of our time. In this episode, host Emily McElwreath sits down with Senior Producer for Art21, Ian Forster. As a producer and director, Ian...

On season 7, Episode 3 of The Art Career Podcast, Emily sits down with fashion photograher and director Brianna Capozzi in her Brooklyn, NY apartment. First published in 2014, Brianna Capozzi has been working for over a decade to make distinctive images that have contributed to a movement of contemporary female-led fashion photography. Capozzi’s work places less emphasis on an ideal and instead up...