This is the final edition of our podcast series. In this age of instant communication, we’re not sure Musecast can meet your needs in the way that some of our other resources can. So we’ve made the hard decision to suspend Musecast and focus on those resources. Become a fan of the Art Institute on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! And if you think we’ve made a mistake, let us know. Write to us at musecast@artic.edu and let us know that you want to keep listening.

What’s New: From our interactive Pathfinder floor plan and Curious Corner to My Collections and our new blog ARTicle, discover the many ways that the Art Institute is embracing technology and connecting art lovers around the world with our renowned collection.

Exhibition Focus: Judith Barter, Field-McCormick Chair of American Art, explains how and why William Morris and other leaders of the Arts and Crafts movement rebelled against the machine-made, mass-produced objects of the mid-19th century and offers insights into the spectacular results on view in Apostles of Beauty: Arts and Crafts from Britain to Chicago.
 
Art Institute in the Community: It’s not the holidays in Chicago until our famous lions don their wreaths. Get an inside look at the Wreathing of the Lions from the man behind the wreaths—the museum’s head gardener and horticulturist Tom Wolfe. Plus, find out about all the fabulous festivities surrounding this year’s wreathing ceremony and the entire holiday season.

Art Institute in the Community: Go beyond the museum walls as curator James Rondeau and exhibition manager Maureen Pskowski discuss the work of sculptor Scott Burton and Ellsworth Kelly’s White Curve, on view in the Modern Wing's outdoor spaces. 

 

What’s New: On October 10, Caravaggio’s The Supper at Emmaus, on loan from the National Gallery London, arrives at the Art Institute. Curator Christina Nielsen offers an inside look at the masterpiece and the artist that she calls “a supernova with a self-destructive streak.”

 

Exhibition Focus: Though separated by nearly 150 years, the works on view in Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage and On the Scene: Jason Lazarus, Wolfgang Plöger, Zoe Strauss share an unusual feature. Photography curators Elizabeth Siegel and Katherine Bussard reveal the surprising similarity.

 

Your Turn: We’d like to hear from you. Share your modern-day versions of Victorian photocollage or let us know if you think repurposing found photographs can still be considered photography. E-mail us at musecast@artic.edu or post your thoughts to our Facebook page.

Collection Connection: Just getting familiar with the Modern Wing? Starting this fall and stretching through the year, we’ll provide you with over 500 ways of exploring the Modern Wing through art, music, poetry, and dance. Join Art Institute director James Cuno, the Poetry Foundation, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago as we introduce our new season of programming, 500 Ways of Looking at Modern.

Art Institute in the Community: Two new pavilions celebrating the centennial of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago have opened in Millennium Park. Listen as Joseph Rosa, John H. Bryan Chair of Architecture and Design, Thomas Vietzke of Zaha Hadid Architects, and Ben van Berkel of UNstudio describe how the pavilions’ forward-looking designs relate to Burnham’s concept of Chicago.

What’s New: Summer hours wind to a close at the Art Institute. Stop by the Modern Wing to see new works in the photography galleries and Stone New Media Gallery, and see Beyond Golden Clouds and A Case for Wine  before they close.

The Modern Wing: The Modern Wing has opened! It’s time to revisit some old friends that have been off view during construction. Drop in the Modern Wing galleries and hear what visitors have to say about the new building.

Art Institute in the Community: Sit down for a glass of wine with Terzo Piano’s Cathy Mantuano and A Case for Wine curator Christopher Monkhouse, and find out why this summer exhibition may indeed prove to be addictive.

Exhibition Focus: Beyond Golden Clouds: Japanese Screens explores four centuries of this quintessentially Japanese medium. Curator Janice Katz explains why the screen has been a viable format for Japanese artists over the centuries.

What’s New: With the Modern Wing open, there’s even more museum to enjoy. Join us for extended summer hours during Target Free Summer Evenings at the Art Institute.

Celebrate the opening of the Modern Wing with the second installment of our special episodes of Musecast!

Collection Connection: Objects of design and digital photography surround us in our everyday lives. Find out from curators Zoe Ryan and Matt Wittkovsky how these media are explored in the Modern Wing’s new Architecture and Design and Photography galleries.

From the Artist: Sculptor Richard Serra speaks about bringing together the worlds of industrial production and fine art.

Art Institute in the Community: Chef Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia fame discusses the artistry of pasta and new dishes available in Terzo Piano, the Modern Wing’s new restaurant.

What's New: Join us for free museum admission and fun activities for the whole family when the Modern Wing opens on May 16.

Art Institute in the Community: Journey to the top of the Nichols Bridgeway with museum director James Cuno and hear about some of the free spaces within the Modern Wing. Then, learn about the Modern Wing’s exciting new space for families, teachers and students, the Ryan Education Center.

Collection Connection: Natural light is one of the most striking features of the new Modern Wing. Hear how the new galleries of modern art use the Modern Wing’s flying carpet to carefully calibrate the amount of light that shines on these masterpieces. 

What's New: Hailed by the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, Becoming Edvard Munch continues. Make sure to see this show before it closes April 26. To learn more about the exhibition, join Reading between the Lions or bring your friends to After Dark March 27.

Collection Connection: Rediscover the Impressionist collection with curator Gloria Groom. Listen as she describes these masterpieces’ newly opened galleries.

Exhibition Focus: Sure, we’ve all seen The Scream, but just how much do we know about artist Edvard Munch? Is he just crazy, or crazy like a fox? In an interview about the upcoming exhibition Becoming Edvard Munch, curator Jay Clarke explains that we may not know the artist as well as we think we do.

Art Institute in the Community: Two Art Institute programs, After Dark and Reading between the Lions, provide a surprising way to interact with the museum. Stop by two of their events.

What's New: The Art Institute offers free general admission all February. Make sure to take advantage of half-priced tickets for Becoming Edvard Munch.

Exhibition Focus: Listen as textile chair and curator Christa Thurman recounts the 40-year journey that culminated in The Divine Art: Four Centuries of European Tapestries.

Collection Connection: Catch curator Madhuvanti Ghose in the midst of installing the new Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan, and Islamic Art.

Art Institute in the Community: Take to the streets of Chicago and hear historian and author Carl Smith discuss the stunning vision of Daniel Burnham’s Plan of Chicago and its breathtaking artwork.

What’s New: Celebrate the holidays at the Art Institute. Join in at Wreathing of the Lions on November 28, and welcome back the Impressionist collection on December 19.

Art Institute in the Community: Inspired by our new season of events 360 Degrees: Art beyond Borders, this episode takes a look at global culture seen at the local level. Hear about the intermingling of art and culture from our partners at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Poetry Foundation, and listen to performances by Yang Wei from the Silk Road Ensemble and Alfonso Ponticelli of Swing Gitan. Both musicians will be performing at the season’s opening day festivities.

Exhibition Focus: Exhibition curator David Travis shares his personal recollections of the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and reveals some of the inspiration behind the exhibition Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Art and Photography of Paris.

What’s New: See the exhibition Benin—Kings and Rituals: Court Arts from Nigeria before it closes on September 21, and hear about the museum’s return to its fall hours.

Walk through the exhibition Benin--Kings and Rituals and learn about the rich artistic traditions of this African kingdom; Hear why Nathaniel Braddock, member of the Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, and Taylor, half of the duo Morikeba and Taylor, are passionate about the music of Africa; Hear James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute, describe how recent renovations have strengthened the museum's collection; and August is the last month of Target Free Summer Evenings.