Object Project

Chandler Hicks offers a thematically consistent episode about a vinyl recording of a Martin Luther King, Jr., speech delivered to members of the District 65 Distributive Workers of America union. Marrying form and content, Hicks uses this record to discuss King's legacy in relation to Martin Luther King Jr., holiday.

Haedyn Brewer delves deep into a 1912 Wells Fargo Chinese Lunar New Year Calendar. This podcast takes you on a global journey of immigration, geopolitical negotiations, and the financial settlement of the (former) Wild West.

Brylie Branham taps into her Irish-American heritage to analyze a set of Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes, or in Irish, Piob Mhór
(Pee-ob Mor). Tune in to learn what the material aspects of these music makers have to do with St. Patrick's Day and Irish American celebrations!

UNCW Graduate Student (and Object Project veteran) Melissa Howdershelt takes us back to the early days of America's most lovable Mouse. Join us to find out how a modest sewing pattern for a Mickey Mouse doll embodied hope and joy--and keen business sense--during the Great Depression.

UNCW graduate student Garrett Gray brings us back to childhood with the very first issue of the Superman Comic Book in 1938. From the labor and production of the object, to its representative meaning, this artifact bridges the gap between the Great Depression and growing international crises.

Listen as Taylor Meadows revs up for a fast-paced trip to the 1930s via the 1935 V-8 Ford Touring Sedan. From gangsters to practical housewives, this sleek, innovative automobile's role in the Great Depression may surprise you.

Join UNCW grad student Alyssa Holton to explore the changing world of quack medicines during the Great Depression through the lens of a small, clear glass bottle.

Public History MA student Hannah Transou regales us with the dark and hazardou details of a spiritual--and technological wonder. Was this Depression-era electric ouija board cursed? You decide.

Public History Master's student Brianne Snyder joins us to talk about the material culture and social history of a long-time Cape Fear hot spot. Learn how the Dixie Café--still a local favorite--adapted to the strains of the 1930s.

Graduate student Ryan Richards joins us to discuss the aesthetic and social meanings of radio receivers in a time of economic crisis. Hear about the technological advances and Art Deco designs that made beautiful radios a hallmark of the 1930s and 1940s.