How does Getty’s Head of Grounds and Gardens approach his job caring for the museum’s largest work of art? Brian Houck speaks with host Lilit Sadoyan about his work with Robert Irwin’s Central Garden (1997) at the Getty Center. The practice of gardening—which requires accepting things outside your control, like the weather—has a lot to teach mindfulness meditation practitioners.

If you missed it, listen to this week’s flowing water meditation inspired by the garden.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/deeper-dive-mindful-gardening-brian-houck/

See the Central Garden in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/ 

Subscribe to OMMM be the first to hear new episodes.



Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Mixer and Sound Designer: Jaime Roque

Executive Producer: Christopher Sprinkle

For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

• Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/
• If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/
• ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/
• Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world. 

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

• Getty: https://www.getty.edu/
• Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/
• Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
• Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/
• Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/

Visualize your thoughts, worries, and stress floating away, like a leaf or petal on a garden stream, in this flowing water meditation inspired by Robert Irwin’s Central Garden (1997).

Irwin’s garden is the largest work in the Getty Museum’s collection. Composed of living plants, carefully selected boulders, and landscape features, the artwork—and our experience of it—is always changing with the cycles of nature. Irwin added a stream running through the center of the garden; as it flows over intentionally placed rocks, the sounds of the water change. The ever-changing plants and water bring awareness to our bodies and our experience of the work of art.

This podcast uses chapters. If you'd like to jump straight to the meditation, find the forth chapter.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/flowing-water-meditation-robert-irwin-central-garden/

See the Central Garden in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/ 

Hear how Getty's Head of Grounds and Gardens, Brian Houck, approaches his task, mindfully, in this week’s deeper dive conversation. Look for this conversation in your podcast feed or on our YouTube channel Thursday, or find it on our website. 

Subscribe to OMMM be the first to hear new episodes.



Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Mixer and Sound Designer: Jaime Roque

Executive Producer: Christopher Sprinkle

For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

• Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/
• If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/
• ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/
• Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world. 

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

• Getty: https://www.getty.edu/
• Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/
• Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
• Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/
• Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/

Art can contain traces of how, when, and where it was made—and conservators are the experts who get up close and personal to reveal those stories. When Getty paintings conservator Devi Ormond discovered a bit of a mysterious something stuck to the paint in Vincent van Gogh’s Irises (1889), she arranged a trip to the site where it was painted—the Monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole at Saint Rémy in Provence, France. Ormond speaks with host Lilit Sadoyan about how this visit gave her new and deeply personal insights into the location, the painting, and van Gogh’s experience making it.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

If you missed this week’s sensory awareness meditation inspired by Irises, look for it on your podcast player or find it on our website here: https://review.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/sensory-awareness-meditation-with-van-gogh-irises/

Subscribe to the show to be the first to hear new episodes on Tuesdays and bonus episodes on Thursdays.

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/sensory-awareness-meditation-with-van-gogh-irises/

See Irises in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/ 

Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Mixer and Sound Designer: Jaime Roque

Executive Producer: Christopher Sprinkle



For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

• Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/
• If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/
• ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/
• Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Watch our YouTube series Becoming Artsy, where host Jessie Hendricks dives headfirst into understanding the art world through hands-on explorations: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLij2XTFgmBSQ0KxxtvqwZnQPX7Ag9eqFn&si=TuZtMHO0ZXcDoR6-

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch lectures, interviews, and more from the world of art, conservation, and cultural heritage: https://www.youtube.com/@gettymuseum

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world. 

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

• Getty: https://www.getty.edu/
• Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/
• Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
• Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/
• Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/

Take time to notice the subtle sounds, feelings, and smells around you with a sensory awareness meditation inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Irises (1889). 

Van Gogh’s Irises is one of the best-known works in the Getty collection. This was one of the first paintings the artist began after entering an asylum following his mental breakdown in Arles, France. Van Gogh found respite and recovery in the garden—and in his art. 

With irises shown in full bloom erupting directly from the damp soil, this painting makes it easy to imagine lying down on the ground in a garden on a spring day. Being outside in a garden engages all of our senses—the feeling of the wind, the sound of birds, the scent of warm earth. This experience inspires the episode’s sensory meditation.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/sensory-awareness-meditation-with-van-gogh-irises/

See Irises in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/ 

Hear about conservator Devi Ormond’s transformative visit to the Monastery of Saint Paul de Mausole, the asylum where Van Gogh made this painting, in this week’s deeper dive conversation. Look for this conversation in your podcast feed or on our YouTube channel Thursday, or find it on our website. 

Subscribe to OMMM be the first to hear new episodes.

Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Mixer and Sound Designer: Jaime Roque

Executive Producer: Christopher Sprinkle

For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

• Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/
• If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/
• ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/
• Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Watch our YouTube series Becoming Artsy, where host Jessie Hendricks dives headfirst into understanding the art world through hands-on explorations: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLij2XTFgmBSQ0KxxtvqwZnQPX7Ag9eqFn&si=TuZtMHO0ZXcDoR6-

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch lectures, interviews, and more from the world of art, conservation, and cultural heritage: https://www.youtube.com/@gettymuseum

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world. 

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

• Getty: https://www.getty.edu/
• Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/
• Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
• Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/
• Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/

Get a taste of our first video podcast (coming June 16!) with this trailer. OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness Meditation podcast encourages you to engage with works of art mindfully, wherever you are. Part art history, part mindfulness meditation, each episode focuses on one work of art and uses it as an inspiration for meditation and reflection. Learn about Edvard Munch’s time on Norway’s coast, then imagine the blue light of his Starry Night traveling through your body, releasing tension as it goes. Or take inspiration from Van Gogh’s Irises to bring new awareness to your senses.

Long-time museum educator and meditation practitioner Lilit Sadoyan translates her work leading mindfulness meditation tours at the Getty Museum into a podcast that fits into your daily routine.

Can’t get enough? Between episodes, catch Lilit’s interviews with fascinating guests like an interplanetary climate scientist, a sleep historian, a mountain climber, and an art conservator. Conducted as part of the research process, these casual conversations provide new insights into the week’s artwork and meditation theme.

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/

Subscribe to our YouTube playlist be the first to hear new episodes: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

- Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/

- If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/

- ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/

- Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Watch our YouTube series Becoming Artsy, where host Jessie Hendricks dives headfirst into understanding the art world through hands-on explorations: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLij2XTFgmBSQ0KxxtvqwZnQPX7Ag9eqFn&si=TuZtMHO0ZXcDoR6-

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch lectures, interviews, and more from the world of art, conservation, and cultural heritage: https://www.youtube.com/@gettymuseum

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world.

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

- Getty: https://www.getty.edu/

- Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/

- Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/

- Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/

- Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/

Introducing Getty’s first meditation and mindfulness podcast, OMMM: Our Museum Mindfulness Meditation.

Part art history, part mindfulness meditation, each episode focuses on one work of art and uses it as an inspiration for meditation and reflection. Learn about Edvard Munch’s time on Norway’s coast then imagine the blue light of his Starry Night traveling through your body, releasing tension as it goes. Or take inspiration from Van Gogh’s Irises to bring new awareness to your senses.

Long-time museum educator and meditation practitioner Lilit Sadoyan translates her work leading mindfulness meditation tours at the Getty Museum into a podcast that fits into your daily routine.

First season coming summer 2026! Subscribe to be the first to hear new episodes and learn more on our website at www.getty.edu/ommm.