SFMOMA Artcasts

In November 2014 Bay Area artist Paul Kos invited a media production crew from SFMOMA to visit him in the Sierra mountains. There they ventured outside the studio to gain a firsthand understanding of how nature and the present moment inspire his work. Told through the lens of the museum's associate content producer Morgan Levey, this episode of SFMOMA Artcasts follows Levey; Peter Samis, associate curator of interpretation; and Kos 7,200 feet above sea level to learn more about his conceptual art practice. After almost a decade of producing original and edited archival materials, SFMOMA Artcasts is going dark. The museum is currently undergoing a huge expansion both physically and in its digital sphere. This will be the last episode of the series until we reopen in spring 2016. It's been a blast and we can't thank you enough for your support over the past decade. Stay tuned.

In November 2014 Bay Area artist Paul Kos invited a media production crew from SFMOMA to visit him in the Sierra mountains. There they ventured outside the studio to gain a firsthand understanding of how nature and the present moment inspire his work. Told through the lens of the museum's associate content producer Morgan Levey, this episode of SFMOMA Artcasts follows Levey; Peter Samis, associate curator of interpretation; and Kos 7,200 feet above sea level to learn more about his conceptual art practice. After almost a decade of producing original and edited archival materials, SFMOMA Artcasts is going dark. The museum is currently undergoing a huge expansion both physically and in its digital sphere. This will be the last episode of the series until we reopen in spring 2016. It's been a blast and we can't thank you enough for your support over the past decade. Stay tuned.

We have once again sifted through the bulky steel filing cabinets in the SFMOMA offices to bring you another unpublished artist talk from our vast archive of cassette tapes, recordings of public programs spanning more than 30 years. The museum has embarked on a project to digitize these recordings and publish them online. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts shares, unedited and in its entirety, an artist talk by William Klein that was given in January 1995 in conjunction with the exhibition William Klein New York 1954-1955 at SFMOMA. Klein describes the ways the dynamic compositions of his photographs capture the raw energy of life in cities such as New York, Paris, and Tokyo. He offers entertaining anecdotes about his experimental techniques and his gradual transitions from painting to photography to film. To hear more archival SFMOMA public programs, visit our SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/SFMOMA, where new selections are being uploaded regularly.

We have once again sifted through the bulky steel filing cabinets in the SFMOMA offices to bring you another unpublished artist talk from our vast archive of cassette tapes, recordings of public programs spanning more than 30 years. The museum has embarked on a project to digitize these recordings and publish them online. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts shares, unedited and in its entirety, an artist talk by William Klein that was given in January 1995 in conjunction with the exhibition William Klein New York 1954-1955 at SFMOMA. Klein describes the ways the dynamic compositions of his photographs capture the raw energy of life in cities such as New York, Paris, and Tokyo. He offers entertaining anecdotes about his experimental techniques and his gradual transitions from painting to photography to film. To hear more archival SFMOMA public programs, visit our SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/SFMOMA, where new selections are being uploaded regularly.

Our October episode examines three artists who acknowledge, process, and relive chapters of American history found outside the mainstream narrative. Ann Hamilton, An-My Lê, and Kara Walker each use their work to probe the distortions created by conventional representations of the past. First, Ann Hamilton digs beneath the surface of the officially sanctioned labor history of Charleston, South Carolina, in her piece "indigo blue". Next up, photographer An-My Lê, whose series "Small Wars" documents combat reenactors in the forests of the American South, explores the cumulative personal and collective effects of the Vietnam War. Concluding the episode, Kara Walker shares the artistic and historical tensions central to her installation "No mere words...", as well as her "uneasiness with her own imagination." Each SFMOMA Artcast brings you illuminating audio and video interviews with artists, curators, and visitors as they respond to the works on view and in the museum's collection.

Our October episode examines three artists who acknowledge, process, and relive chapters of American history found outside the mainstream narrative. Ann Hamilton, An-My Lê, and Kara Walker each use their work to probe the distortions created by conventional representations of the past. First, Ann Hamilton digs beneath the surface of the officially sanctioned labor history of Charleston, South Carolina, in her piece "indigo blue". Next up, photographer An-My Lê, whose series "Small Wars" documents combat reenactors in the forests of the American South, explores the cumulative personal and collective effects of the Vietnam War. Concluding the episode, Kara Walker shares the artistic and historical tensions central to her installation "No mere words...", as well as her "uneasiness with her own imagination." Each SFMOMA Artcast brings you illuminating audio and video interviews with artists, curators, and visitors as they respond to the works on view and in the museum's collection.

We have once again sifted through the bulky steel filing cabinets in the SFMOMA offices to bring you another unpublished artist talk from our vast archive of cassette tapes, recordings of public programs spanning more than 30 years. The museum has embarked on a project to digitize these recordings and publish them online. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts shares, unedited and in its entirety, an artist talk by photographer Carrie Mae Weems that was given in June 1993 in conjunction with a retrospective of her work at SFMOMA. Weems reflects on her Africa series, The Kitchen Table Series, Then What? Photographs and Folklore, and other works, describing how she aims to complicate preconceived notions of ethnicity and its role in American culture. The talk is briefly introduced by Sandra Phillips, senior curator of photography at SFMOMA, and concludes with a question-and-answer session with the audience. To hear more archival SFMOMA public programs, visit our SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/SFMOMA, where new selections are being uploaded regularly.

We have once again sifted through the bulky steel filing cabinets in the SFMOMA offices to bring you another unpublished artist talk from our vast archive of cassette tapes, recordings of public programs spanning more than 30 years. The museum has embarked on a project to digitize these recordings and publish them online. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts shares, unedited and in its entirety, an artist talk by photographer Carrie Mae Weems that was given in June 1993 in conjunction with a retrospective of her work at SFMOMA. Weems reflects on her Africa series, The Kitchen Table Series, Then What? Photographs and Folklore, and other works, describing how she aims to complicate preconceived notions of ethnicity and its role in American culture. The talk is briefly introduced by Sandra Phillips, senior curator of photography at SFMOMA, and concludes with a question-and-answer session with the audience. To hear more archival SFMOMA public programs, visit our SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/SFMOMA, where new selections are being uploaded regularly.

Artists delight in playing with our understanding of the world around us. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts features artists who use light and architecture to create new experiential environments. First, artist James Turrell talks with scholar Charles Miedzinski about the spiritual dimensions of his practice and the creation of his monumental earthwork Roden Crater in an extinct volcanic crater near Arizona's Painted Desert. Next, artists Olafur Eliasson and Robert Irwin discuss art, life, and their philosophies on the act of seeing. In the final segment, we hear a musical guest take by Bay Area performance collective THE SOMETHING. Their experimental sound piece is inspired by the work of artist Dan Flavin and incorporates vocals, saxophones, synthesizers, a tambourine, nails, and a trumpet. Each SFMOMA Artcast brings you illuminating audio and video interviews with artists, curators, and visitors as they respond to the works on view and in the museum's collection.

Artists delight in playing with our understanding of the world around us. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts features artists who use light and architecture to create new experiential environments. First, artist James Turrell talks with scholar Charles Miedzinski about the spiritual dimensions of his practice and the creation of his monumental earthwork Roden Crater in an extinct volcanic crater near Arizona's Painted Desert. Next, artists Olafur Eliasson and Robert Irwin discuss art, life, and their philosophies on the act of seeing. In the final segment, we hear a musical guest take by Bay Area performance collective THE SOMETHING. Their experimental sound piece is inspired by the work of artist Dan Flavin and incorporates vocals, saxophones, synthesizers, a tambourine, nails, and a trumpet. Each SFMOMA Artcast brings you illuminating audio and video interviews with artists, curators, and visitors as they respond to the works on view and in the museum's collection.

Tucked away in some bulky steel filing cabinets in the SFMOMA offices there lies a vast archive of cassette tapes, recordings of public programs spanning more than 30 years. The museum recently embarked on a project to digitize these recordings and publish them online. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts shares, unedited and in its entirety, one of our recent discoveries: a talk from 1986 in which photographer Richard Avedon and his two assistants, Laura Wilson, and Ruedi Hoffman, discuss Avedon's portrait project In the American West. The talk is introduced by Van Deren Coke, the former director of SFMOMA's photography department, and concludes with a question and answer segment with the audience. To hear more archival SFMOMA public programs, visit our SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/SFMOMA, where new selections are being uploaded regularly.

Tucked away in some bulky steel filing cabinets in the SFMOMA offices there lies a vast archive of cassette tapes, recordings of public programs spanning more than 30 years. The museum recently embarked on a project to digitize these recordings and publish them online. This episode of SFMOMA Artcasts shares, unedited and in its entirety, one of our recent discoveries: a talk from 1986 in which photographer Richard Avedon and his two assistants, Laura Wilson, and Ruedi Hoffman, discuss Avedon's portrait project In the American West. The talk is introduced by Van Deren Coke, the former director of SFMOMA's photography department, and concludes with a question and answer segment with the audience. To hear more archival SFMOMA public programs, visit our SoundCloud page at soundcloud.com/SFMOMA, where new selections are being uploaded regularly.

In this episode of SFMOMA Artcasts we take a turn toward the conceptual. We begin with an excerpt from a Norton Lecture presented at Harvard University in 1988 by experimental composer, music theorist, and artist John Cage. Cage reflects on the process of writing his unprecedented silent piece 4'33" (1952) and explains what he admires about the composition. Next, artist Tom Marioni discusses Drinking Beer with Friends Is the Highest Form of Art, a conceptual performance he first staged in 1970, and considers the ways it reflects his philosophy on life. In the final segment, artist Mel Bochner describes his use of carpenters chalk to solve the problems posed in idea-based artwork. Both Marioni and Bochner reflect on Cage's innovations and consider the ways his work impacted their own.

In this episode of SFMOMA Artcasts we take a turn toward the conceptual. We begin with an excerpt from a Norton Lecture presented at Harvard University in 1988 by experimental composer, music theorist, and artist John Cage. Cage reflects on the process of writing his unprecedented silent piece 4'33" (1952) and explains what he admires about the composition. Next, artist Tom Marioni discusses Drinking Beer with Friends Is the Highest Form of Art, a conceptual performance he first staged in 1970, and considers the ways it reflects his philosophy on life. In the final segment, artist Mel Bochner describes his use of carpenters chalk to solve the problems posed in idea-based artwork. Both Marioni and Bochner reflect on Cage's innovations and consider the ways his work impacted their own.

This episode marks the beginning of a series that will dig deep into our media archives. While our building is closed for expansion, the staff at SFMOMA is focusing on reshaping our interpretive materials and developing new ways to bring our audiences the most interesting and engaging stories and information about the artists and artworks in our collection. We'd like to bring you, our listeners, into that process by sharing some of the gold nuggets we've been resurfacing. Over the next few episodes of SFMOMA Artcasts we'll weave together stories from interviews and public programs with artists and scholars that haven't seen the light of day since they were recorded. In this episode we'll hear excerpts from interviews with artists John Baldessari and Sophie Calle.