The Art World: What If...?!

In this episode host Charlotte Burns is joined by artist Alvaro Barrington, who brings as much generosity of spirit to this conversation as he does to his art practice. Fundamentally curious, Alvaro wants to connect with as many people as possible and to make art that is as relevant to people today as Hip Hop was to him as a kid growing up in New York in the 1990s. But, as the art world has expand...

We're back! In this episode, host Charlotte Burns talks to Jessica Morgan, the director of the Dia Art Foundation. She has revitalized the institution, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, since arriving in 2015, bringing new energy and distinct vision to the museum and creating change behind-the-scenes as much as she has to the work on display. In this episode Jessica talks openly about the...

Welcome back to The Art World: What If…?! the podcast all about imagining new futures. To kick off the second season in style, host Charlotte Burns is joined by the phenomenally talented, Grammy-nominated, singer and songwriter, Alice Smith who is, she says, currently at work on her masterpiece. This is a frank, free — and very fun — conversation, with lots of surprises. Alice delves into what it...

Welcome back to  The Art World: What If... ?!  the podcast all about imagining new and better futures. There are some fantastic guests lined up for this second season, leading creative thinkers from all around the world, ready to talk to our hosts Allan Schwartzman and Charlotte Burns. Tune in! New episodes drop every Thursday starting 25 January.

This time hosts Charlotte Burns and Allan Schwartzman welcome their team of editorial advisors Deana Haggag, Mia Locks and Jay Sanders. They're the brilliant trio who've helped steer this season's conversations acting as an independent sounding board lending editorial advice and expertise - all essential in the creation of this podcast. This is (almost) the season finale - so time to reflect and l...

What if we supported artists in taking moonshots?  This week we're taking a tour around Glenstone museum in Potomac, Maryland - one of the largest and most ambitious private institutions in America, fusing art, architecture and nature. This wide-ranging conversation between Glenstone's co-founder and director, Emily Rales and host Charlotte Burns covers the art inside the museum and how to create...

What if we made more mess? What if we could sit with discomfort?  This time Charlotte Burns talks to one of her heroes, the artist Pope. L. Probably best known for his public performance art including his legendary crawls, Pope. L has risked his own safety for his work — and he isn't finished yet. An artist whose practice is as varied as it is profound, Pope. L makes art across media, time and spa...

What if we trusted artists more? This episode Charlotte Burns is joined by Kathy Halbreich, the outgoing director of the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, who's led some of the most dynamic institutions in the art world. They discuss freedom, finances and what the future holds for museums and those who work in them. "You could not pay me enough money to be a museum director at this point in my life,...

Time to take stock this episode with hosts Charlotte Burns and Allan Schwartzman. We look back at some of the big ideas that have emerged throughout the series so far. From change and creativity, to finance and futures, we discuss what's amazed, delighted—and even filled us with hope. "I think a lot more about excess than abundance," says Allan. "There is a generosity with which the word abundance...

We're still in the city of angels for our second special episode asking 'What if LA is the future?' Join host, Charlotte Burns, as she drives from the East Side to Korea Town and out to Santa Monica. We visit the studio of artist and filmmaker, Cauleen Smith, whose life and work centers around building a better world. We also drop in on Kibum Kim, partner and co-founder at Commonwealth and Council...

What if Los Angeles is the future? This episode Charlotte Burns visits the city for the first of two extra special episodes. We're at the Hammer museum with its Chief curator, Connie Butler, before heading over to meet Sue Bell Yank who's Executive director at Clockshop. Both are experimenting with how to do things differently and how to make LA a sustainable place to be and to create art. Nowhere...

What if it were possible to dream up entirely new things? Join host Charlotte Burns as she interviews one of the most interesting artists working today. American Artist — who changed their name in 2013 — produces deeply thoughtful work that is as enmeshed in digitization and technology as it is history and alternate realities. American talks about how their art tackles police violence in the US. T...

This episode, Charlotte Burns is joined by Rashida Bumbray whose career straddles different realms within culture. A choreographer and curator, Rashida aims to create new spaces of imagination, empowerment, and connection. While the data and the daily realities of the art world can reflect a scarcity, Rashida's work—notably the recent organization of artist Simone Leigh's Loophole of Retreat Summi...

In this episode, we get into some of the biggest What Ifs —about virtue and value, about life and loss. Host Charlotte Burns is joined by one of the most thoughtfully provocative (or cunning, as he'd say), artists of our time,  Paul Chan. He made his name in the early 2000s with film and media works, and by 2008 had found significant success. Then, he stopped making art. Now he's back with a show...

What if the art market had more faith in its own future? What if we could improve the health of the swamp? This episode, we consider the state of the market and who better to join Charlotte Burns than co-host, the art advisor Allan Schwartzman, along with Joeonna Bellorado-Samuels, director at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York and founder of We Buy Gold. Together they discuss the boom and bust, as...

What if we reimagine the role of the museum? What if we bring more intention to what culture can be and do—and by whom and for whom? What if we tell ourselves different stories? In this episode, host Charlotte Burns talks to Sandra Jackson-Dumont, the CEO and director of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art—a new museum founded by filmmaker George Lucas and his businesswoman wife, Mellody Hobson. The...

What if the world was without ethics? What if financial value was no longer the way we talk about success? Cecilia Alemani, artistic director of the 59th Venice Biennale and director and chief curator of High Line Art in New York City joins host Charlotte Burns to discuss the role of the curator today.  Cecilia  masterminded the recent Biennale through the pandemic to rave reviews, notably for the...

What if we all name our dreams before following them? This episode we welcome Kemi Ilesanmi, the now-former Executive Director of The Laundromat Project, the non-profit focusing on the art of the everyday, amplifying community and artists as citizens and change agents. This show is all about what ifs, and Kemi operates from that place of abundant possibility. What if businesses invested in their s...

What if we separated who funds the museum from who runs the museum on a board level? This episode, host Charlotte Burns welcomes Glenn Lowry who's been the director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York since 1995. He's led the institution through two vast expansions, and, of course, periods of profound change. This is a frank and revealing conversation covering a lot of ground. What if competit...

"Not just what if—but what are we missing?" In the first episode of this new podcast, host Charlotte Burns is joined by Naomi Beckwith, the Deputy Director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Someone actively working to recalibrate the field in the most exciting and dynamic ways, Naomi starts this episode with science before moving onto museums—and ho...

Welcome to The Art World: What If...?! the latest podcast from the makers of In Other Words and Hope & Dread.  The first episode will be available on 12 January 2023 and new shows will come out every Thursday.  

Hope & Dread Extra: Phyllis Mitz brings you a vision for the future in this interview with astrologer Phyllis Mitz. Hope & Dread Extra is a series of short, sharp bonus episodes featuring your season favorites from Hope & Dread . Our guests were brimming with additional ideas and extra insights that we just didn't have room for within the documentary series. But we didn't want to leave them on the...

Hope & Dread Extra: Maya Benton features photography curator Maya Benton, who talks about staring down Neo-Nazi protestors.  Hope & Dread Extra is a series of short, sharp bonus episodes featuring your season favorites from Hope & Dread . Our guests were brimming with additional ideas and extra insights that we just didn't have room for within the documentary series. But we didn't want to leave th...

Hope & Dread Extra: Sandra Jackson-Dumont brings you more from the inaugural director and CEO of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is scheduled to open in Los Angeles next year. Hope & Dread Extra is a series of short, sharp bonus episodes featuring your season favorites from Hope & Dread . Our guests were brimming with additional ideas and extra insights that we just didn't have room for w...

Hope & Dread Extra: Issy Wood brings you a conversation with the talented young artist Issy Wood.  Hope & Dread Extra is a series of short, sharp bonus episodes featuring your season favorites from Hope & Dread . Our guests were brimming with additional ideas and extra insights that we just didn't have room for within the documentary series. But we didn't want to leave them on the cutting room flo...