Bad Art

About Bad Art

A Podcast About the Politics of Art in the 21st Century

Publisher

Colin McLaughlin-Alcock and Mariel Gruszko

Category

science · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Aug 2025

Latest episode

8 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

19 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   8 Sept 2026

   9-11 Memorials

   We visit the 9-11 memorial and discuss the politics of remembrance. Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: D1CU9BM5ETEFXFVI

2. 

   24 Aug 2026

   1 Year of Bad Art!

   To celebrate one year of the Bad Art Pod, we ask the question: why Bad Art? What is this podcast about anyway?! Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: 1EPM40SS3OKF5CHR

3. 

   28 Jul 2026

   Islam and Cultural Activism in the United States with Dustin Craun E17

   Dustin Craun is a Muslim cultural activist, founder of the Center for Global Muslim Life and co-founder of MPower Change. As a leader in these organizations, Dustin has been developing community art projects, public memory initiatives, and monument campaigns, which celebrate the often underappreciated role of Muslims in the civic life of the United States. He often strives for multiethnic collaboration and has worked closely with migrants and undocumented youth at the US Mexico border and indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest. His projects show Muslims as part of a rich, vibrant, multiethnic community enlivening cultural life within the United States. Learn more about Dustin’s work here: GlobalMuslimLife.com (https://www.globalmuslimlife.com/) BeyondBordersArts.Com (https://www.beyondbordersarts.com/) In our conversation, Dustin mentions the following books and articles: “Return of the Mecca: The Art of Islam and Hip-Hop (https://returnofthemecca.bigcartel.com/product/return-of-the-mecca)” by Sohail Daulatzai. “Muslim Cool: Race, Religion, and Hip Hop in the United States (https://nyupress.org/9781479894505/muslim-cool/)” by Su’ad Abdul Khabeer. “Islam and the Cultural Imperative (https://sufi.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/article-culture-imperative.pdf)” Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: 7IJKXHADSORCI8OT

4. 

   14 Jul 2026

   Invited to Witness: Jennifer Lynn Kelly on Solidarity Tourism E16

   Colin talks with Jennifer Lynn Kelly, author of “Invited to Witness: Solidarity Tourism Across Occupied Palestine” to learn about the promise and pitfalls of solidarity tourism. On the one hand, solidarity tourism can be used to imagine and build a just future. On the other hand, it often recreates or reinforces structures of colonial inequality. — Please check out Invited to Witness, available [here (https://www.dukeupress.edu/invited-to-witness)] Kelly also talked in depth about the following: Sophia Azeb: “Who Will We Be When We Are Free? (https://thefunambulist.net/magazine/24-futurisms/will-free-palestine-futurity-sophia-azeb)” The Funambulist. Dean Spade: “Impossibility Now: A Trans Politics Manifesto (https://www.deanspade.net/2013/02/09/impossibility-now-a-trans-politics-manifesto/).” Tanya Habjouqa: “Occupied Pleasures. (https://tanyahabjouqa.com/occupied-pleasures)” Sophia Stamatopolou-Robbins: “The Joys and Dangers of Solidarity in Palestine: Prosthetic Engagement in an Age of Reparations. (https://www.academia.edu/9506236/The_Joys_and_Dangers_of_Solidarity_in_Palestine_Prosthetic_Engagement_in_an_Age_of_Reparations)” The New Centennial Review. And Colin mentioned: Dina Matar and Venetia Porter eds. “Archiving Gaza in the Present. (https://saqibooks.com/books/saqi/archiving-gaza-in-the-present/)” In our conversation, Kelly was diligent to note several people who have supported her work. Since not all of those shoutouts made it into the final edit, we’ll note that she credited Barbara Harlow, Ann Laura Stoller, and Ella Shohat. Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: YXWYPU4ME95BKE6S

5. 

   29 Jun 2026

   America’s Birthday Parties Then and Now E15

   We look back at the man who called himself the “bicentennial president” — Richard M. Nixon — and the 1976 celebration he helped to plan. Examining the politics of past U.S. birthday parties, we ask what they can tell us about the present. How much has changed? We also spend some time talking about the World Cup and how much more fun it is than the Semiquincentennial. Yay 250! Episode research draws heavily on two books: Bicentennial! A Revolutionary History of the 1970s (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo264672377.html). by Marc Stein. and America, USA. How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673832/america-usa-by-eddie-s-glaude-jr/). by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: V74QN6AQR9FWQX55

6. 

   8 Jun 2026

   Oh The Inhumanity: On A.I. Art. E14

   Today we take on A.I. art. We discuss the following references: Duesterberg, James. 2023. “Neither Governed Nor Free.” Boston Review. https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/neither-governed-nor-free/ (https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/neither-governed-nor-free/) Crabapple, Molly. 2026. “Is AI The Greatest Art Heist in History?” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/12/is-ai-the-greatest-art-heist-in-history (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/apr/12/is-ai-the-greatest-art-heist-in-history) Winegar, Jessica. 2008. “The Humanity Game: Art, Islam, and the War on Terror.” Anthropological Quarterly. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/247134 (https://muse.jhu.edu/article/247134) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: 6NQ7DGMK7CONG047 Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p)

7. 

   19 May 2026

   “Relooted,” The Art Heist and Repatriation Video Game. With guest Akil Fletcher. E13

   We’re joined by Akil Fletcher, an anthropologist who studies the intersection of video gaming and race. We discuss “Relooted,” an exciting new art heist video game, where players raid Western art collections in order to steal art and repatriate that art to Africa. For more about Akil or to read his scholarship: https://www.akilfletcher.com/ Mariel reads from the book “Mumbo Jumbo” by Ishmael Reed Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: VT7FDOTUQHGIAEMJ

8. 

   15 Apr 2026

   Social Death: on the social mediatization of atrocity E12

   Reflecting on current events, Mariel and Colin discuss the proliferation of atrocity images on social media. What is at stake when these images are treated as a tool of political mobilization? References: Sontag, Susan. 2003. Regarding the Pain of Others. Eubanks, W. Ralph. 2025. Emmett Till Then and Now. in Bulletin by Monument Lab. Hernandez, Joe. 2021. “Read this powerful statement from Darnella Frazier, who filmed George Floyd’s murder.” NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/26/1000475344/read-this-powerful-statement-from-darnella-frazier-who-filmed-george-floyds-murd Jackson, Jenn. 2022. “The Militancy of (Black) Memory ” SAQ. https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-9825933 Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: B8YVHLPEYANQ7MQB Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p)

9. 

   17 Mar 2026

   Can Art Solve Poverty? – (The Creative City Episode) E11

   This episode is a deep dive into the “creative city” model of urban planning. We talk about the ways that influential urban planners like Richard Florida and Charles Landry have promoted investment in the arts as a way to solve urban problems. We will answer the question, can art solve poverty? (Answer: No). Key Sources: Florida, Richard. The Rise of the Creative Class. Landry, Charles. The Creative City A Toolkit for Innovators. Melamed, Samantha. “Can this tiny storefront save Philly’s most drug-ravaged neighborhood?” Philadelphia Inquirer. March 30, 2017. Denmead, Tyler. The Creative Underclass: Youth, Race, and the Gentrifying City. Mould, Oli. Urban Subversion and the Creative City. Montgomery, Alesia. “Reappearance of the Public. Placemaking, Minoritization, and Resistance in Detroit.” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. 2016. Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: YAP7TI2AQAAXNTJR

10. 

    2 Feb 2026

    Bad Art’s Halftime Spectacular E10

    In anticipation of the Super Bowl, and in response to conservative outrage over the selection of artist Bad Bunny as halftime performer, we present a deep dive into the history and politics of the NFL’s halftime show. Major Sections Include: Introducing the episode 00-1:30 Reflecting on current events 1:31-15:00 Recurring halftime themes and the identity of the NFL 15:00-24:52 The history of the halftime show 24:52-34:38 Nipplegate 38:48-49:16 Racial politics in the NFL 49:16-70:00 Michael Jackson’s Unprecedented Super Bowl Spectacular 70:00-74:46 The 2020s 74:46-78:27 Bad Bunny 78:27-end We used clips from: Super Bowl XXVI “winter magic”: https://youtu.be/6wMXHxWO4ns?si=wtqMFHe45ts4SE37 (https://youtu.be/6wMXHxWO4ns?si=wtqMFHe45ts4SE37) Up With People at Super Bowl XIV https://youtu.be/2ruQ1tj4MDA?si=KfMAbNwTtfnBk_Ab (https://youtu.be/2ruQ1tj4MDA?si=KfMAbNwTtfnBk_Ab) Michael Jackson – Super Bowl XXVII 1993 Halftime Show: https://youtu.be/EsopN7JKUVs?si=oVd7-bkO338aXluL (https://youtu.be/EsopN7JKUVs?si=oVd7-bkO338aXluL) References: As N.F.L. Fights Racism and Sexism, Team Owners Undercut the Message. New York Times. 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/25/sports/football/woody-johnson-trump-jets.html Horowitz, Juliana Menasce, Kiana Cox and Kiely Hurst. 2025. “Views of Race, Policing and Black Lives Matter in the 5 Years Since George Floyd’s Killing.” Pew Research Center. May 7. https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/05/07/views-of-race-policing-and-black-lives-matter-in-the-5-years-since-george-floyds-killing/ Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: U1D0INK9CQ8QRL8S

11. 

    5 Jan 2026

    Aesthetic Violence: Art in the War on Terror. E09.

    Honestly, we just wanted to do a normal episode that didn’t react to current events. We thought that the War on Terror would be a somewhat stable historical artifact. – Then Trump invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president, and stole its oil. So this episode is unexpectedly relevant. While we don’t comment on Venezuela directly, there are some important themes in thinking about the aesthetics of war that are unfortunately topical. References Ronak Kapadia. “Insurgent Aesthetics: Security and the Queer Life of the Forever War.”  https://www.dukeupress.edu/insurgent-aesthetics (https://www.dukeupress.edu/insurgent-aesthetics) Hirst Appologizes for Calling 9/11 ‘A Work of Art.’” The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/19/september11.usa (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/sep/19/september11.usa) Leerom Medovoi. “Dogma Line Racism: Islamophobia and the Second Axis of Race.” https://read.dukeupress.edu/social-text/article-abstract/30/2%20(111)/43/33720/Dogma-Line-RacismIslamophobia-and-the-Second-Axis?redirectedFrom=fulltext (https://read.dukeupress.edu/social-text/article-abstract/30/2%20(111)/43/33720/Dogma-Line-RacismIslamophobia-and-the-Second-Axis?redirectedFrom=fulltext) Jean Baudrillard. “The Gulf War Did Not Take Place.” https://www.amazon.com/Gulf-War-Did-Take-Place/dp/090995223X (https://www.amazon.com/Gulf-War-Did-Take-Place/dp/090995223X) Rumsfeld clip from “Control Room.” 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCgfMdvk2n8&t=1390s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCgfMdvk2n8&t=1390s) Committee to Protect Journalists. Dataset of Journalists and Media Workers Killed. https://cpj.org/data/killed/country/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&motiveUnconfirmed%5B%5D=Unconfirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&type%5B%5D=Media%20Worker&start_year=1992&end_year=2026&group_by=year (https://cpj.org/data/killed/country/?status=Killed&motiveConfirmed%5B%5D=Confirmed&motiveUnconfirmed%5B%5D=Unconfirmed&type%5B%5D=Journalist&type%5B%5D=Media%20Worker&start_year=1992&end_year=2026&group_by=year) Caecilia Pieri. “Can T-Wall Murals Really Beautify the Fragmented Baghdad? https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/30661 (https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/30661) “Michael Rackowitz Brings Destroyed Iraqi Art Back To Life.” Northwestern University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jXG1cXxE1Y (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jXG1cXxE1Y) Joshua Craze. “Junk Empire.” https://canopycanopycanopy.com/contents/junk-empire (https://canopycanopycanopy.com/contents/junk-empire) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: DNUZSKHSHWIM3J1Q Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Episode Artwork: Berghan Oil Fire. Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bergan_oil_field_fire.jpg

12. 

    9 Dec 2025

    “It’s Brutal!” Trump, Architecture, and American Authoritarianism. (Weird Little Architects Part II). E08.

    “It’s Brutal!” Trump, Architecture, and American Authoritarianism. (Weird Little Architects Part II). E08. In this follow up to our episode on Trump’s “Weird Little Architects” (E06) we examine the ways that architecture has been instrumentalized by the Trump administration. Through a close look at the Executive Order “Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again,” and at administration comments around the renovation of the White House, we show how architecture is used by the administration to advance its authoritarian and white supremacist projects. Major sections include: Trump’s Architecture Program. 00-37:00 Fascist Aesthetics and the Demolition of the White House. 37:00-56:00 Brutalism and Modernism as a Contrast to the Trump Agenda. 56:00-81:00 We used clips from: “Justin Shubow Interviewed About Brutalism on Newsmax – Greg Kelly Reports” https://youtu.be/OFRpqpdCikw?si=clvtWq8TSQEO1viR (https://youtu.be/OFRpqpdCikw?si=clvtWq8TSQEO1viR) “Stephen Miller: East Wing was Cheaply Built, Long Overdue for Renovation.” https://www.foxnews.com/video/6383815895112 (https://www.foxnews.com/video/6383815895112) Zoolander (2001) References: Krugman, Paul. 2025. “Trump’s Gilded Ballroom and the Fall of the American Republic.” https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trumps-gilded-ballroom-and-the-fall (https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/trumps-gilded-ballroom-and-the-fall) Koldehoff, Stephen and Tobias Timm. 2025. Donald Trump Has a History of Pulverizing Historic Buildings. Artnet. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/donald-trump-bonwit-teller-friezes-met-2132673 (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/donald-trump-bonwit-teller-friezes-met-2132673) Benjamin, Walter. 1935. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” Medovoi, Leerom. 2012. “Dogma-Line Racism: Islamophobia and the Second Axis of Race.” Social Text. 30 (2 (111)): 43–74. https://doi.org/10.1215/01642472-1541754 (https://doi.org/10.1215/01642472-1541754) Compagnon, Madeline. 2020. “What Makes a ‘Beautiful’ Federal Building?” JSTOR Daily. https://daily.jstor.org/what-makes-a-beautiful-federal-building/ (https://daily.jstor.org/what-makes-a-beautiful-federal-building/) Volner, Ian. 2020. “Trump Can’t Make Architecture Great Again Without an Infrastructure Plan.” Artnews. https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/columns/trump-make-architecture-great-again-maga-classicism-1202677813/ (https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/columns/trump-make-architecture-great-again-maga-classicism-1202677813/) We used a quotation: “The Democrat Party’s main constituency are made up of Hamas terrorists, illegal aliens, and violent criminals,” which should be attributed to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: TPBUUIJWTSHGYJQ9

13. 

    25 Nov 2025

    The Reactionary Politics of “The Best American Poetry” – with guest Nick Sturm. E07

    We invited Nick Sturm to join us to tell us about his recent Defector article, “Good Riddance to The Best American Poetry.” Nick tells us about the reactionary ideals which shaped the poetry anthology series and how these reactionary ideals influence American politics and the wider world of poetry. Nick Sturm teaches at Georgia State University in Atlanta. His book “Publishing the New York School: Small Press Communities and American Poetry” will be published by Columbia University Press. Nick is also in the research stage on another book-length project, “The Poetry Business,” that examines the role of the state, nonprofits, universities, and philanthropy in the professionalization of American poetry. A few other forthcoming projects include a chapter on poet Frank O’Hara’s publishing history in “Frank O’Hara in Context” from Cambridge University Press; editing “The Collected Poems of Jim Brodey” for Nightboat Books; and a chapter on the relationship between federal arts funding and small press editorial practices in “The Bloomsbury Handbook of Literary Editing.” You can find Nick’s article, “Good Riddance to The Best American Poetry” here: https://defector.com/good-riddance-to-the-best-american-poetry (https://defector.com/good-riddance-to-the-best-american-poetry) In our conversation, Nick mentions Jonathan White’s article, “Thinking Generations:” https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/49483/1/White_thinking_generations.pdf (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.lse.ac.uk%2F49483%2F1%2FWhite_thinking_generations.pdf&data=05%7C02%7Ccmclaughli%40brynmawr.edu%7C5af58b3282e34e9bb19208de27b3fc8c%7Cc94b117b616347fd93f8b8001804ae6f%7C1%7C1%7C638991851169726170%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fTp0UtDr2zScz%2F4DnhYWijCcBEqU6PVHIhbjAhsZVfk%3D&reserved=0) — Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: KRQMGNARPJLX0ICN

14. 

    4 Nov 2025

    Weird Little Architects E06

    In this episode, we tell you about the weird little architects in Trump’s orbit and their plans to remake DC. References The National Civic Art Society: www.civicart.org (http://www.civicart.org) Website for Michael Curtis, the artist member of the NCAS https://theclassicalartist.com/statues (https://theclassicalartist.com/statues) Video: Washington the Classical City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LkKnhtOPnc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LkKnhtOPnc) “Hegel’s Aesthetics.” In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hegel-aesthetics/ (https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/hegel-aesthetics/) Cole, Bruce. Art From the Swamp: How Washington Bureaucrats Squander Millions on Awful Art. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Swamp-Washington-Bureaucrats-Squander/dp/1594039968 (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Swamp-Washington-Bureaucrats-Squander/dp/1594039968) Video: Roger Scruton: Why Beauty Matters. https://vimeo.com/549715999 (https://vimeo.com/549715999) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: RIGCP4AT5FQFWIGO

15. 

    20 Oct 2025

    Style Wars Revisited: Graffiti Then and Now E05

    Colin and Mariel watch “Style Wars,” a classic documentary about New York City graffiti in 1982, and explore what this documentary can tell us about the politics of today. References: Style Wars (1982): https://youtu.be/CO9YgJXzRmk?si=Alsm22cBTOlZxOY1 (https://youtu.be/CO9YgJXzRmk?si=Alsm22cBTOlZxOY1) Footage of the Burning of the Bronx from the 1977 World Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVH-BE9CUo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVH-BE9CUo) Interview with Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant. Hip Hop Slam: https://www.hiphopslam.com/articles/artic_StyleWarsDVD.html (https://www.hiphopslam.com/articles/artic_StyleWarsDVD.html) Map: “How the Burning of the Bronx led to the Birth of Hip Hop,” originally from  “Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas” Joshua Jelly-Shapiro and Rebecca Solnit eds. Featured on Independent Lens. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/how-the-burning-of-the-bronx-led-to-the-birth-of-hip-hop/ (https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/how-the-burning-of-the-bronx-led-to-the-birth-of-hip-hop/) Rahn, Janice. “Painting Without Permission” https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/painting-without-permission-9780897898102/ (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/painting-without-permission-9780897898102/) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: TBDYWEHRAAIK7W26 Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p)

16. 

    6 Oct 2025

    Public Art On Trial E04

    Public Art On Trial: In this episode, we examine the ways that major funders of public art in the US have often sought to use public art as a tool of social engineering. What did these funders hope that public art would achieve? And were they successful in their efforts to transform the social life of American cities? We will look at a number of high profile public art projects and controversies and attempt to evaluate the goals and impacts of public art in the US. References: Richard Serra Interview 1983: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgtcyuXQ4T4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgtcyuXQ4T4) The Trial of Tilted Arc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxyhgUAYvB4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxyhgUAYvB4) Kwon, Miwon. “One Place After Another: Site Specific Art and Locational Identity.” https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262612029/one-place-after-another/ (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262612029/one-place-after-another/) For info on urban renewal and Calder Plaza: Michigan Live: Awash in concrete: How Calder Plaza came to be: https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2016/10/grand_rapids_urban_renewal_exp.html (https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2016/10/grand_rapids_urban_renewal_exp.html) Header image based on photo by Gary Coronado: https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k (https://tinyurl.com/kdzxt5k) Pod logo based on photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: UKJ7UN6PM4ANCNM9

17. 

    22 Sept 2025

    Banksy in Palestine E03

    The internationally famous graffiti artist, Banksy, has made 3 trips to Palestine, where he has attempted to use graffiti art to build solidarity with the Palestinian cause. What are the possibilities and limits of this form of artistic solidarity? References: Dan Brooks “Banksy and the Problem with Sarcastic Art.” NYT. Sept 10 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/magazine/banksy-and-the-problem-with-sarcastic-art.html (https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/magazine/banksy-and-the-problem-with-sarcastic-art.html) Amahl Bishara. “Backstories: U.S. News Production and Palestinian Politics.” 2012. https://www.sup.org/books/middle-east-studies/back-stories (https://www.sup.org/books/middle-east-studies/back-stories) Shuruq Harb: “Don’t Confuse Me With The Monkey: On Banksy’s Walled Off Hotel.” Ocula. July 21 2017. https://ocula.com/magazine/spotlights/dont-confuse-me-with-the-monkey-on-banksys-wa/ (https://ocula.com/magazine/spotlights/dont-confuse-me-with-the-monkey-on-banksys-wa/) Jennifer Lynn Kelly. “Invited To Witness: Solidarity Tourism Across Occupied Palestine.” 2023. https://www.dukeupress.edu/invited-to-witness (https://www.dukeupress.edu/invited-to-witness) Channel 4 News. “Banksy documentary: Welcome to the Banksy art hotel in Bethlehem.” 2017.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMS6Ds3qryY&ab_channel=Channel4News (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMS6Ds3qryY&ab_channel=Channel4News) BanksyFilm. “Make this the year YOU discover a new destination.” 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e2dShY8jIo&ab_channel=banksyfilm (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3e2dShY8jIo&ab_channel=banksyfilm) The Guardian. “After Banksy: The Parkour Guide to Gaza.” 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuHsRm5FBvA&ab_channel=TheGuardian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuHsRm5FBvA&ab_channel=TheGuardian) — Episode Photo By Maureen from Buffalo, USA – West Bank wall at Kalandia, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118005802 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=118005802) Cover Photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: KGPS35V2S9VLBQSZ

18. 

    6 Sept 2025

    Memorialize The Movement: Preserving Art From the George Floyd Uprising with Leesa Kelly and Amira McLendon. E02.

    Colin interviews Leesa Kelly and Amira McLendon of Memorialize the Movement about their experiences as Black activists working to preserve art from the 2020 uprising in Minneapolis. Kelly and McLendon offer insight into the racial politics of art preservation. Links and References: Memorialize the Movement: https://www.memorializethemovement.com/ (https://www.memorializethemovement.com/) Art and Artifact: Murals from the Minneapolis Uprising: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517918989/art-and-artifact/ (https://www.upress.umn.edu/9781517918989/art-and-artifact/) Preservation for the People Podcast: https://blackartconservators.com/podcast/ (https://blackartconservators.com/podcast/) Monument Lab’s National Monument Audit: https://monumentlab.com/audit (https://monumentlab.com/audit) Jenn M. Jackson: “The Militancy of (Black) Memory: Theorizing Black-Led Movements as Disjunctures in the Normativity of White Ignorance.” https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-9825933 (https://doi.org/10.1215/00382876-9825933) Cover Photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel License code: WOMBEWKJI6OOODDO

19. 

    26 Aug 2025

    Episode 01: Very Fine Statues on Both Sides

    On Trump’s obsession with and confederate statues. Recorded before the announcement that Trump would restore the confederate monument at Arlington and other monuments taken down in 2020. References: Cox, Karen.2019. Dixies Daughters: The United Daughters of the Confederacy and The Preservation of Confederate Culture. UP Florida. https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813064130 (https://upf.com/book.asp?id=9780813064130) Southern Poverty Law Center map of confederate symbols, “Whose Heritage”: https://www.splcenter.org/whose-heritage-map/ (https://www.splcenter.org/whose-heritage-map/) A Pinterest of statue toppling images from 2020: https://pin.it/1vCPFbp6F (https://pin.it/1vCPFbp6F) Clips: CNN: Trump on Removal of Confederate General: Is George Washington Next? Aug 15 2017 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10157182610776509 CNBC: President Donald Trump on Charlottesville: You Had Very Fine People on Both Sides. Aug 15 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmaZR8E12bs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmaZR8E12bs) Cover Photo by Ted Timmons, Edited by Colin McLaughlin-Alcock Creative Commons License: https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p (https://tinyurl.com/y9dj772p) Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/night-drift/pastel (https://track.pstmrk.it/3s/uppbeat.io%2Ft%2Fnight-drift%2Fpastel/vZub/thK-AQ/AQ/90e7f4ab-3c30-48af-9748-b21ae22fa628/4/z7feh8rcJE) License code: GQDFBFKOAKOQWZM5

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

10 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  The New Yorker Radio Hour

• 

  Radiolab

• 

  Fresh Air

• 

  The Daily