The Art Pod

On this episode I speak with Tanya Morgan who is the Chief Operating Officer at Nicola Vassell Gallery. We talk about all the responsibilities of a COO at a contemporary art gallery and what are some of the most underutilized skills in gallery management. We also touch on her time as a Collections Manager at Concept NV, an art advisory firm she managed with Nicola Vassell, and what it’s like to wo...

On this episode I speak with Jessica Porter who is the Executive Director of ArtTable. We talk about providing leadership and oversight in fundraising to meet financial goals, and directing communications and brand management to enhance ArtTable’s success. We also touch on how she launched Porter Advisory, an art advisory firm, and Porter Contemporary, a Chelsea art gallery, and how she balanced t...

On this episode I speak with Lydia Melamed Johnson who is the Executive Director of the Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) and The Photography Show. We talk about the newest edition of the fair opening on April 23, 2025, what it’s like running a photography fair, and what visitors can expect from this 2025 edition. We also talk about her time as the Partnerships and VIP R...

On this episode I speak with Maëlle Ebelle who is the Director at Ceysson & Bénétière. We talk about her professional journey at the gallery from when she joined the team in May 2012 in Genève, to then relocating to Luxembourg, and finally landing at their New York Madison Avenue location. We also touch on her studies in France as well as upcoming exhibitions, Bao Vuong: The Waves’ Breathing a...

In this episode I speak with Aki Carpenter who is RAA’s global Vice President and Chief Creative Officer. We talk about what it means to provide vision and creative direction on design projects, what it was like opening over ten award-winning museums and cultural institutions worldwide, her work on the upcoming Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, and her passion for working with issues- and miss...

In this episode I speak with Dr. Tenley Bick who is an associate professor of art history at Florida State University and an art historian of global modern and contemporary art, with special interests in post-WWII and contemporary European (especially Italian) and African art (continental and diasporic), with a focus on social art history and cultural geopolitics. We peel back the veil around work...

In this episode I speak with Maura Reilly about her role as the Director of the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, Zimmerli’s latest exhibition Indigenous Identities: Here, Now & Always , which was curated by artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, as well as Reilly’s focus on redefining what it means to be an ‘activist institution’ and dedicating the Zimmerli’s programming to artists who hav...

In this episode I speak with Elisabeth Sherman about her current role as the Senior Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the International Center of Photography (ICP), her newest exhibition  To Conjure: New Archives in Recent Photography , and what she loved the most about working at the Whitney Museum of American Art. We cover everything from studying overseas, effectively manag...

In this episode I speak with Noreen Khalid Ahmad who is the Vice President at ALMA Communications. We chat about what’s coming up at ALMA in 2025, her time at the Morgan Library & Museum, Sutton, Fitz & Co, and LaPlaca Cohen, as well as being the Associate Producer on the HBO Documentary, The Price of Everything . We also cover everything from crisis PR as well as what it takes to put toge...

In this episode I speak with artist Beatrice Scaccia about her practice, how she investigates the illusions of beauty and constructions of appearance and the cultural links between feminine splendor and monstrosity in her work, and what inspires her. We also chat about her education and life in Italy, what made her want to come to New York and leave everything behind, and what it was like working...

In this episode I speak with Grace Astrove who serves as the Director of Corporate Relations for Governors Island Foundation. We also talk about her time at the Jewish Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, Performa, and Magazzino Italian Art, and what it entails to plan galas and secure six and seven figure gifts from donors and sponsors for arts institutions.

In this episode I speak with Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth who is the Executive Director of FotoFocus, a non-profit arts organization that champions photography and lens-based art. We chat about her plans for the future of FotoFocus, its expansion in 2025, and her time as Dayton Art Institute’s Kettering Curator of Photography and Special Projects.

In this episode I speak with Robin Cembalest who has reinvented herself from being a former editor of ARTnews to an art influencer who teaches how to communicate effectively across all editorial channels. We talk about her most memorable experiences at ARTnews to how she manages to get to almost every art exhibition in New York City.

In this episode I speak with YuJune Park about working in the design field. We touch on her role as Partner and Co-founder of Synoptic Office, an award-winning design consultancy, and how she balances that with being a professor at Parsons School of Design. We cover everything from technology as an accessibility tool, how to create the perfect website, what it’s like to design for leading art inst...

In this episode I speak with artist Gina Beavers about her practice. We talk about how she creates her sculptural paintings, where she finds inspiration, the impact of the internet and social media on her work, as well as her solo exhibition Divine Consumer at Marianne Boesky and her surveys at MCA Chicago and MOCA Los Angeles.

In this episode I speak with Clara Andrade Pereira who is the Executive Director of Untitled Art Fairs and a guest professor in the Global Art Market program at Barreira A+D in Valencia, and Art Market Management at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid. We chat about her passion for democratizing contemporary art collecting, bringing accessibility to the art world, and what it’s like running an ar...

In this episode I speak with Angelina Lippert who is the Chief Curator and Director of Content of Poster House in New York City, the first museum in the United States dedicated to the art and history of the poster. We talk about everything from her love of posters, working with collectors who share her passion, as well as her time at Rennert’s Gallery, which specializes in poster auctions.

In this episode Adefolakunmi Adenugba and I speak about her journey founding her company ISE-DA, which provides business development, strategic partnerships, and art advisory services for clients. We talk about her time growing up in the UK, her schooling in Switzerland and Atlanta, and what it felt like to be selected for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in Art & Style in 2024.

In this episode I speak with Brianna Hernández who is a Chicana artist, curator, educator, and death doula. We talk about what it’s like juggling her work as the Director of Curation and Board Secretary of Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation, Assistant Curator at the Parrish Art Museum, and her work as a death doula, as well as the importance of art in death.

In this episode I speak with Chrissie Iles who is the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art. We cover everything from museum acquisitions to what it was like co-curating her third Whitney Biennial, Even Better Than the Real Thing , as well as working with artists like Louise Bourgeois and her time working in England.

In this episode I speak with Nazy Nazhand about what it’s like to be an art advisor to notable musicians and music executives, building world-class collections for an international roster of clients, collaborating with artists on projects, and her previous experiences that got her to where she is today.

In this episode I speak with Allison Rudnick who is the Associate Curator in the department of Drawings and Prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We talk about everything from what it’s like planning an exhibition, concept to finish, to her love of prints, and what it’s like working at one of the largest and oldest museums in New York City.

In this episode I speak with Megan Skidmore who is the Development Director for Powerhouse Arts. We talk about what interested her in a career in Development and working for art museums and nonprofits.

In this episode I speak with Rain Lu who is the founder of the gallery RAINRAIN, an art advisor, and a freelance writer based in New York City. We cover everything from her opening her gallery in China and then relocating it to New York, which type of artists she works with, as well as her insights into the art market.

In this episode I sit down with Olivia Taylor who is an art lawyer. We discuss everything from how she weaves her love of art into her practice and how she serves the legal needs of the fine art world, such as collectors, artists, galleries, museums, and advisors.