The podcasting industry is massive. It earns hundreds of millions of dollars a year through advertising alone — tuning into podcasts is free, after all. Despite their popularity, there are still many who have never heard of or have never listened to a podcast. For those unfamiliar, a podcast is an online radio show of sorts; technically an audio file you can stream or download to your computer or any other mobile device. Each podcast has a host (or hosts) and usually an overarching theme such as music, politics, money management, sports; you can find a podcast on just about any subject. It’s the return of talk radio, curated to your exact interests. In fact, some popular radio shows like This American Life also make their content available as a podcast. There are hundreds of thousands of shows to choose from and finding one you might like can be daunting task. Fear not, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best art podcasts available and broken them down so you can decide what you like or need.
Art For Your Ear
Have you ever wondered what an artist’s life was like before they made it to the history books? Danielle Krysa, aka The Jealous Curator, has and that’s why she started Art For Your Ear to compliment her wildly popular contemporary art blog. In this podcast, Krysa interviews working contemporary artists about their daily lives, their inspirations, and their work. Listen in the player or follow the link here to visit her site and see more episodes.
A Piece of Work
Before Abbi Jacobson was a creator, executive producer, and star on Broad City, she went to art school. In each of the 10 episodes of A Piece of Work, she visits MoMA and has conversations with curators, artists, and some of her friends about contemporary art. It asks the questions, “what is art, who gets to decide it, and why?” It’s a little funny, pretty casual, and each episode is only about 20 minutes long. Listen to the two-minute preview or visit the podcasts’ WNYC site here.
The Lonely Palette
How does art history make you feel? Does it bore you or excite you? Does it make you feel completely uninterested? It doesn’t have to be that way! The Lonely Palette’s host, Tamar Avishai, brings her listeners easily digestible art history lessons. Each episode covers a single, often well known, work of art. She conducts quick interviews with passersby and then imparts listeners with knowledge about the artwork, the movement, social context, and anything else that makes art history much more exciting than you think it is. Listen to episode 33 below, or head here to learn more about the podcast and find more episodes.
ArtCurious
Another art history podcast! We wouldn’t be suggesting these if they weren’t worth your time, promise. Jennifer Dasal, the producer and host of ArtCurious, brings you the exciting and sometimes weird side of art history. From ArtCurious’ website, “We’re interested in the juicy stuff: did Van Gogh actually commit suicide? Was a British painter actually Jack the Ripper? And how did the rivalry between Michelangelo and Raphael produce one of the best works of art EVER?” Check out one of the Rivals episodes below or follow this link to the ArtCurious site.
The Art Newspaper
The Art Newspaper is a fantastic resource for art news around the world so it’s a huge bonus that their podcast helps you catch up on art news on the go or while you’re working. Most episodes are under an hour, find them here or listen to an episode in the player.
ArtTactic
ArtTactic is an art market analysis firm. You can subscribe to receive their reports and studies but they also offer editorial articles as well as this informative art market podcast. Episodes are relatively short, averaging about 15 minutes each, making it great for your commute or to have on in the background while you make breakfast in the morning. Listen to the featured episode in the player or you can find all episodes by clicking here.
Bad at Sports
Bad at Sports doesn’t fit perfectly into any category here because its broadcasters and collaborators (they have over 20) cover everything from art show reviews, to art news, to interviews with artists. New episodes are available every week and sometimes more often, so there is always something new to listen to. Bad at Sports was founded in Chicago and has been writing and talking about art since 2005, they’ve since expanded into San Francisco, Detroit, and New York City. Visit BaS site here.
Artists Helping Artists
Do you want to use social media to promote your art? Are you unsure about how to correctly and safely ship your works to collectors? Artists Helping Artists is here to … help. With nearly 400 episodes covering topics such as social media and blogging, managing deadlines, and organizing your studio — it’s everything art school didn’t teach you. Dip in with some Instagram hacks in the episode below, or head to their archives to find the tips and tools you need here.
The Abundant Artist
The Abundant Artist is another fantastic resource for artists featuring tips about running your art business and, ultimately, selling your art. Cory Huff, the founder of The Abundant Artist, is on a mission to teach artists how to sell their art and to dispel the ‘starving artist’ myth. While the podcast features great tips, Huff also offers a large archive of free content as well as online courses and business coaching for artists. Listen below or learn more about The Abundant Artist here.
Happy listening!
