In the season finale of Art &, we meet Hideo Mabuchi—a quantum physicist, ceramicist, and faculty director of the Stanford Arts Institute—whose creative and scholarly life models what it looks like to teach and research from a place of integration. For Hideo, art and science are not opposites, but complementary ways of thinking, making, and discovering.

In this conversation with host Ellen Oh, Hideo shares how an encounter with Japanese ceramics led to a years-long journey of incorporating material practice into his research and teaching. From firing clay in a wood-burning kiln to running interdisciplinary courses on indigo dye, his work invites students—and fellow faculty—to explore the world through many lenses at once.

Together, Hideo and Ellen reflect on the growing appetite for interdisciplinarity among students, and how faculty can help create space for that complexity. As we imagine new ways of structuring research and teaching, Hideo’s story points to a hopeful future—where art plays a foundational role in helping us ask better questions, expand our methods, and deepen the meaning of our work.

Featured Guest: Hideo Mabuchi

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Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production Support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan, Stanford Vice President for the Arts

In this episode of Art &, we go on a field trip—literally and metaphorically—with synthetic biologist Drew Endy and artist-mycologist Phil Ross, founder of the Open Fung initiative. What starts as a visit to a mushroom farm turns into a deeper conversation about how fungi could transform the way we think about materials, sustainability, and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration.

From building leather-like textiles from mycelium to reimagining how bioengineering can be more democratic, Drew and Phil explore how fungi offer more than just a biological solution—they offer a cultural shift. Together, they show how artists and scientists can work side-by-side to prototype more ethical, regenerative, and connected futures.

Featured Guests: Phil Ross & Drew Endy

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Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production Support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan, Stanford Vice President for the Arts

What does it mean to become someone—or something—else online? In this episode, immersive theater-maker Scarlett Kim and human-computer interaction researcher Cyan DeVeaux explore how technology reshapes identity, embodiment, and creative expression. Hosted by Ellen Oh, the conversation traces the edges of virtual and physical reality—from avatars and motion capture to diasporic storytelling and digital folklore. Together, they show how art and engineering can meet at the frontier of imagination, with profound implications for belonging and future design.

Featured Guest: Scarlett Kim & Cyan DeVeaux

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production Support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan

What happens when a sociologist and a musician reimagine immigration narratives together? In this episode, acclaimed vocalist and cultural strategist Meklit Hadero joins Stanford sociologist Tomás Jiménez for a powerful conversation on music, migration, and belonging. Hosted by Ellen Oh, the episode explores how artists and researchers are working across disciplines to challenge dominant narratives and build new cultural frameworks. From refugee stories to immigrant soundscapes, this episode reveals the deep role of art in shaping not just identity—but public understanding and social change.

Featured Guest: Meklit Hadero & Tomas Jimenez

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan.

Art & is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.

In the premiere of Art &, Stanford Vice President for the Arts Deborah Cullinan joins host Ellen Oh to explore why art is not just additive—but essential. From poetry’s role in her upbringing to championing creative integration across disciplines, Cullinan makes the case for art as a catalyst for innovation, healing, and institutional transformation.

Transcript: HERE

Featured Guest: Deborah Cullinan, Stanford Vice President for the Arts

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan.

Art & is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.

Marine ecologist Mehr Kumar and sculptor Mark Baugh-Sasaki come together in an unusual collaboration exploring the fragile ecosystem of the Southern Ocean. In this episode, they share how art and science can jointly imagine climate futures—and how a chance whale sighting deepened their creative connection.

Transcript: HERE

Featured Guest: Mehr Kumar & Mark Baugh-Sasaki

Sediment Core digital visualization: https://arts.stanford.edu/core-sample/

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan.

Art & is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.

For our final chapter of Encounters, Janani convenes with professors Tsachy Weissman and Natalie Gosnell to discuss the future possibilities of art-science collaboration.

Transcript: HERE

For more information on Janani Balasubramanian and the 2023 Denning Visiting Artist residency, visit our site.

Featured Guest: Tsachy Weissman, Natalie Gosnell

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Janani Balasubramanian

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Everett

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Susan Clark and Tsachy Weissman.

Encounters is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.

This conversation with Assistant Professor Susan Clark explores how violent metaphors in Astrophysics can be transformed through art-science collaborations, leading to fresh perspectives on the universe and our place within it.

Transcript: HERE

For more information on Janani Balasubramanian and the 2023 Denning Visiting Artist residency, visit our site.

Featured Guest: Susan Clark

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Janani Balasubramanian

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Everett

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Susan Clark and Tsachy Weissman.

Encounters is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.

In conversation with Srinija Srinivasan, we explore practice and the role of art as a divine manifestation, capable of transforming our realities and fostering deep human connections.

Transcript: HERE

For more information on Janani Balasubramanian and the 2023 Denning Visiting Artist residency, visit our site.

Featured Guest: Srinija Srinivasan

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Janani Balasubramanian

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Everett

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Susan Clark and Tsachy Weissman.

Encounters is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.

In conversation with Ellen Oh, Director of Interdisciplinary Artist Programs at Stanford Arts, we uncover the value of connecting artists and scientists to advance fields of research and thought.

Transcript: HERE

For more information on Janani Balasubramanian and the 2023 Denning Visiting Artist residency, visit our site.

Featured Guest: Ellen Oh, Director of Interdisciplinary Artist Programs.

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Janani Balasubramanian

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production support: Edi Dai

Sound designer and mix engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and music: Juana Everett.

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko.

Special thanks to Susan Clark and Tsachy Weissman.

Encounters is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.