Binder Podcast

Binder Podcast will return with new episodes beginning in October.

Host Ray McManus experiences the museum through the eyes of its youngest visitors, uncovering the lasting impact of arts education. Producer Drew steps in to chat with museum docent Patsy Storla and 5th grader Amadeo Topakas about their shared experience with Sam Gilliam: Printmaker. Later, Curator of Education Glenna Barlow returns to reflect on the power of curiosity in young audiences and thetransformative potential of the "magic question." After the break, writer Zakiya Mickle joins the show to talk about her new book, Cotton Candy Skies, and what it was like having Ray as a teacher.

On today’s episode, producer Drew explores the fascinating intersection of science, psychology, and the way we experience art. Inspired by the museum's current lighting renovation, Drew sits down with Jackson Councilman, a recent college graduate with a concentration in neuroscience and former intern for the CMA's communications department, to unpack how light waves interact with the human eye, colorblindness, and how the work of Claude Monet may have been influenced by ultraviolet light. 
After the break, USC psychology professor Dr. Melanie Palomares joins the conversation to discuss how the brain processes visual information, the connections between Gestalt theory and the work of artist Bridget Riley, and why attention plays such a critical role in how we see.

In today's episode, the Binder podcast crew dives into the world of abstract art. Ray and producer Drew kick things off with a conversation about why abstraction can be challenging for some viewers, then play a game designed to explore emotional connections to art. Later, Sadé Ayorinde, curator of Sam Gilliam: Printmaker and Let’s Have a Talk,joins the show to discuss the CMA’s latest exhibitions celebrating the contributions of Black artists to abstract art. Finally, Katie Chandler, CMA visitor experience manager, stops by to share her love for abstraction both as an artist and an enthusiastic viewer.

Producer Drew chats with CMA Executive Director Della Watkins for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s lighting renovation project and its 75th anniversary. Discover the details of hard hat tours, navigating unexpected challenges, and the surprising number of paint layers on the special exhibition gallery walls in this engaging one-on-one interview.

In this final episode of the (Un)Settled Podcast, host Drew Baron visits the exhibition's final stop at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut. There, he joins Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, Erin Monroe, to reflect on the impact and outcomes of this distinctive collaborative survey of American art. Later, Baron visits contemporary landscape artists Tom McGrath at his studio in Brooklyn, New York to discuss his painting Untitled (Yellow Grid), the relevance of landscape painting in contemporary American art, and the lasting impact of the highway system on the American psyche.

(Un)Settled: The Landcape in American Art is on view at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art from June 12 to September 14, 2025: https://www.thewadsworth.org/explore/...

The (Un)Settled Podcast is a multipart special presentation of the Binder Podcast dedicated to the traveling exhibition (Un)Settled: The Landscape in American Art. Part of a series of American art exhibitions created through a multi-year, multi-institutional exhibition partnership formed by the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art as part of the Art Bridges Cohort Program.

To celebrate the museum's 75th anniversary, host Ray McManus takes a deep dive into its history and future. First, producer Drew joins Ray for a game of "Double Date" to spotlight key acquisitions throughout the museum's history. Next, collections specialist Noelle Nelson shares insights into the museum's journey from its early days at the Thomas Taylor House to the present. Finally, deputy director Joelle Ryan Cook drops by to share exciting plans for the museum’s future, looking ahead to its 75th year and beyond.

Host Ray McManus and Producer Drew take a nostalgic journey through the past five years of CMA programming, revisiting standout moments. From the Mona Lisa to video games inspired by M.C. Escher, this lively clip show highlights a diverse range of fascinating topics.

Featured Programs:

Interior Lives Lecture with Curator Michael Neumeister: https://youtu.be/_123uORVr_A?si=fL4Ri3W_I1Ft3dpE

Catawba Law and Indigenous Sovereignty: https://youtu.be/JDF_zzwyNYM?si=pcnQQ0vmyVY90Lby

"A World Seeing More Than Human Culture" with Rina Banerjee: https://youtu.be/w89nPIrIoiY?si=IznzCQwTjUExjfei

Donatello, Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Raphael: The Italian Renaissance in America: https://youtu.be/_0ErgsUHnDw?si=lTZCpScPkB96dcXd

The Secret Lives of Great Artists with Alyssa Velazquez: https://youtu.be/dxyrDG1-960?si=kUd-vF38yRz5dT9a

Escher and the Virtual Realm: https://youtu.be/ZxLL_1aZRbI?si=Ce6Vmfcs3lN4IRkc

(Un)Settled: Opening Performance: https://youtu.be/BF5prkLD-mg?si=SkZJ1MOQ8o-H_cyv

To kick off the new year, Ray and producer Drew discuss their predictions for what will shape the arts in 2025 through a wide range of topics, including artificial intelligence, nostalgia, environmental issues, and, naturally, the CMA.

In today’s episode, Stan Hackney, the curator of art and audience engagement at the Mobile Museum of Art, returns to discuss Un(Settled) and the inclusion of Alex Harris’s photograph Longleaf Pines, Knoll Park, Fairhope. Later, documentary photographer Alex Harris joins series

https://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/exhibitions/unsettled/