The Art Career

For more than 150 years, 92NY has been a gathering place for artists, writers, musicians, thinkers, and audiences in New York City and beyond.

In this episode of The Art Career, Emily McElwreath sits down with Seth Pinsky, CEO of 92NY, to explore what it means to lead one of New York City’s most enduring cultural institutions—and how an organization with such a significant history continues to evolve.

Their conversation moves through the role cultural institutions play in the life of a city, the importance of creating spaces for people to encounter new ideas and creative expression, and the responsibility of carrying an institution’s legacy forward while responding to the present.

Inside 92NY is a look at the people, ideas, and infrastructure behind an institution that has helped shape New York’s cultural life for generations.

Learn more about 92NY:
https://www.92ny.org

Follow 92NY:
Instagram: @92ndstreety

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Instagram: @theartcareer
YouTube: The Art Career

Follow Emily McElwreath:
Instagram: @emilymcelwreath

Hosted by Emily McElwreath
Produced by The Art Career

For partnerships, sponsorships, and inquiries:
www.theartcareer.com

For The Art Career’s New York season, we return to a conversation with one of the city’s most recognizable voices on art and culture: Jerry Saltz.

Recorded live at New York University in March 2023, Emily McElwreath sits down with the Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic and longtime senior art critic for New York Magazine for a wide-ranging conversation about art, criticism, ambition, failure, success, and what it takes to sustain a creative life.

Saltz has spent decades looking at, writing about, and arguing for art—developing a voice that has made contemporary art accessible to audiences far beyond the traditional art world.

As The Art Career explores the people and institutions that have shaped New York’s cultural life, this is a conversation we wanted to bring back.

Recorded live at NYU in New York City.

Follow The Art Career on Instagram and YouTube for more from the New York season.

Episode 3 of The Art Career’s New York season goes inside one of the world’s most influential training grounds for artists: The Juilliard School.

What does it mean to train the next generation of dancers at a moment when the field—and the possibilities of a life in dance—continue to evolve?

Melissa Toogood is the Dean and Director of Juilliard’s Dance Division, as well as an acclaimed dancer, educator, and former member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. Her career has moved between performance, collaboration, teaching, and artistic leadership, giving her a rare perspective on what it takes to build—and sustain—a life in dance.

Emily sits down with Melissa at Juilliard to discuss the realities of a professional dance career, the role of rigorous training, how young dancers develop their own artistic voices, and what it means to lead one of the most respected dance programs in the world.

Then, the episode moves from the classroom to the stage. Emily joins Juilliard’s dancers behind the scenes as they prepare to perform Les Élémens at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, featuring world-premiere choreography for Juilliard dancers by Pam Tanowitz.

In this episode, Emily and Melissa discuss:

• What Juilliard is preparing young dancers for today
• The transition from student to working artist
• Developing individuality within rigorous technical training
• Melissa’s own path from performer to educator and institutional leader
• What young artists need to understand about building sustainable creative careers
• The discipline, collaboration, and work audiences rarely see behind a finished performance

Recorded at The Juilliard School in New York City, with behind-the-scenes access to Juilliard Dance at Carnegie Hall.

The Juilliard School
https://www.juilliard.edu

Juilliard Dance Division
https://www.juilliard.edu/dance

Melissa Toogood
https://www.juilliard.edu/dance/faculty/toogood-melissa

Carnegie Hall
https://www.carnegiehall.org

Featuring Melissa Toogood, Dean and Director of the Dance Division at The Juilliard School

Hosted by Emily McElwreath

Recorded at The Juilliard School and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York City

Featuring behind-the-scenes access to Juilliard Dance and Juilliard in rehearsal for Les Élémens, featuring world-premiere choreography for Juilliard dancers by Pam Tanowitz

Special thanks to The Juilliard School, the Juilliard Dance Division, and Carnegie Hall

The Art Career is produced by McElwreath Art Advisory.

Episode Two of The Art Career’s New York season shows you how can public art transform an entire neighborhood — and what happens when artists become part of the everyday lives of the communities around them?

Stephen Pierson is the Executive Director of ArtBridge, a nonprofit organization that transforms construction fencing, scaffolding, and underutilized urban spaces into large-scale public art. Joining the conversation are artists Kat Lam and Blanka Amezkua, whose public installations explore ideas of place, identity, community, and the ways art can reshape our shared urban landscape.

In this episode, Emily walks through Lower Manhattan with Stephen, Kat Lam, and Blanka, visiting ArtBridge installations and exploring how public art can make cities more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more connected.

In this episode, Emily, Stephen, Kat Lam, and Blanka discuss:

• Why public art belongs in everyday life—not just inside museums and galleries
• How ArtBridge transforms construction sites into opportunities for artists and communities
• What it means to create artwork for the public rather than a traditional exhibition space
• How artists engage with the neighborhoods where their work is installed
• The importance of amplifying local voices through public art
• Why New York remains one of the world’s most dynamic places for artistic experimentation

The Art Career’s New York season takes you inside the rooms, institutions, and public spaces where the city’s culture takes shape — new episodes weekly.

Follow ArtBridge:

Instagram — @artbridge

Website — art-bridge.org

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Instagram — @theartcareer

YouTube — The Art Career

Website — theartcareer.com

Follow Emily McElwreath:

Instagram — @emily.mcelwreathart

If this conversation resonates, follow the show and leave a rating — it’s the single best way to help us bring you more of the people shaping culture.

Sound: Josh Craig

Creative Director: Nina Yankovich

Episode One of The Art Career's New York season begins at the top: Lincoln Center.

What does it take to lead the artistic vision of the world's most iconic performing arts institution — and why does she believe the arts are one of the only tools we have left to truly see one another?

Shanta Thake is the Chief Artistic Officer of Lincoln Center, where she shapes the artistic direction of one of the great cultural institutions in the world. Before Lincoln Center, she spent more than a decade at The Public Theater, where she directed the legendary Joe's Pub and championed some of the most exciting voices in American performance. She is one of the most influential figures deciding what New York — and the country — gets to see on its stages.

In this episode, Emily and Shanta discuss:

• Why the performing arts are "one of the only tools we have to move us forward"
• What a Chief Artistic Officer actually does — and how those decisions get made
• Leading Lincoln Center into its next era, and who these stages are really for
• The path from downtown stages to the world's biggest cultural institution
• Why seeing one another — in person, in a room — matters more than ever
• Advice for the next generation building a life in the arts

The Art Career's New York season takes you inside the rooms where the city's culture takes shape — new episodes weekly.

Follow Shanta Thake:
Instagram — @shantourage

Follow Lincoln Center:
Instagram — @lincolncenter
Website — lincolncenter.org

Follow The Art Career:
Instagram — @theartcareer
YouTube — The Art Career
Website — theartcareer.com

Follow Emily McElwreath:
Instagram — @emily.mcelwreathart

If this conversation resonates, follow the show and leave a rating — it's the single best way to help us bring you more of the people shaping culture.

Sound: Josh Craig

Creative Director: Nina Yankovich

This week on The Art Career, Emily McElwreath sits down with Daniel S. Palmer, Chief Curator of the SCAD Museum of Art.

Located in Savannah, Georgia, the SCAD Museum of Art has emerged as one of the most dynamic contemporary art institutions in the United States, presenting ambitious exhibitions by leading international artists while serving as an educational resource for students, artists, and the broader public.

In this conversation, Daniel discusses his path to curatorial leadership, the evolving role of museums in contemporary culture, and the challenges and opportunities facing institutions today. Together, Emily and Daniel explore exhibition-making, artist support, audience engagement, and what it takes to build a museum program that is both academically rigorous and publicly accessible.

Whether you’re an artist, curator, student, collector, or simply interested in how cultural institutions operate behind the scenes, this episode offers an insightful look at the people and ideas shaping contemporary art today.

About Daniel S. Palmer

Daniel S. Palmer is Chief Curator of the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia. Prior to joining SCAD, he served as Curator at the Public Art Fund in New York, where he organized numerous exhibitions and public art projects with internationally recognized artists.

Throughout his career, Palmer has worked across museums, public art initiatives, and academic institutions, developing exhibitions that explore contemporary artistic practice and engage broad audiences. At SCAD Museum of Art, he oversees a dynamic exhibition program featuring leading emerging and established artists from around the world, while helping to shape the museum’s role as both a cultural destination and educational resource.

Palmer has written extensively on contemporary art and has contributed essays and scholarship to numerous exhibition catalogs and publications. His curatorial work reflects a commitment to supporting artists, fostering critical dialogue, and expanding access to contemporary art through innovative exhibition-making and public engagement.

The Art Career is a cultural media platform exploring how creative careers are built across disciplines, places, and communities. Hosted by Emily McElwreath, the podcast features candid conversations with artists, curators, critics, writers, performers, and cultural leaders shaping contemporary creative life.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen.

This week, we’re revisiting a conversation with Carroll Dunham recorded at his home in Connecticut.

Over the last four decades, Dunham has established himself as one of the most important painters working today, with major exhibitions at institutions including the New Museum, Museum Ludwig, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, and the National Museum in Oslo, among many others.

What has stayed with us the most about this conversation is that, over the years, The Art Career has often spoken with women artists about motherhood and the ways family life intersects with creative practice. This was one of the first times Emily had the opportunity to explore many of those same questions through the lens of a male artist.

Alongside a discussion of painting and career longevity, Emily and Carroll spoke about fatherhood, marriage, partnership, and the realities of building a creative life over decades.

A thoughtful conversation that feels just as relevant today as when it was first recorded.

Carroll Dunham lives and works in New York and Connecticut. His most recent solo exhibitions include National Museum, Oslo, 2023; Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf, and Sprengel Museum, Hannover, 2019–2020. His work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at international institutions including Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Millesgården, Stockholm; Drammens Museum, Drammen; a mid-career retrospective was held at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, in 2002. Dunham has also been included in notable group exhibitions including multiple Whitney Biennials and SITE Santa Fe; and at institutions including MAMCO, Geneva; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Museu Picasso, Barcelona; and The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BetterHelp.com/TAC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠today and get 10% off your first month.

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Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theartcareer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Podcast host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilymcelwreath_art⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music: Chase Johnson

Editing: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@benjamin.galloway

What role should museums play in public life today?

In this episode of The Art Career, Emily McElwreath visits the Cleveland Museum of Art for a conversation with Emily Liebert, Lauren Rich Fine Curator of Contemporary Art.

Together, they discuss the evolving role of museums in contemporary culture, the responsibilities of curatorial practice, and how institutions balance scholarship with accessibility while serving increasingly diverse audiences.

The conversation also explores Martin Puryear: Nexus, a major exhibition curated by Liebert that remains on view through August. Spanning more than six decades of Puryear’s career, the exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to engage deeply with one of the most important artists working today.

Throughout the episode, Liebert reflects on exhibition-making, audience engagement, and the importance of creating meaningful connections between art and the public.

A particular focus of the conversation is the Cleveland Museum of Art’s longstanding commitment to accessibility. Open to the public free of charge, the museum serves as a model for how cultural institutions can make world-class art available to broad audiences.

Topics include:

• The role of museums in public life today
• Curatorial practice and exhibition development
• Building exhibitions for diverse audiences
• Balancing scholarship with accessibility
• Martin Puryear: Nexus
• Public access and free museum admission
• The future of cultural institutions

Recorded at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Follow Emily Liebert: https://www.instagram.com/emilyliebert1/

Follow CMA: https://www.instagram.com/clevelandmuseumofart/

Follow Emily McElwreath on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilymcelwreath_art⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theartcareer.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more episodes and resources  

If you loved this episode, tag ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theartcareer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and share your favorite insight on IG stories! Don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more creatives discover the show. 

Sound Engineer and Production: Josh Craig

Creative Direction: Nina Yankovic

Brooklyn artist Mr. StarCity joins The Art Career Podcast.

A multidisciplinary artist working across painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and film, Mr. StarCity’s practice centers on expressive figurative painting and deeply personal storytelling. His works often emerge from poetry and lived experience, exploring themes of love, healing, and the complexities of the human condition.

Originally gaining recognition through murals and public works, his practice has expanded into a powerful studio output across canvas and mixed media, with paintings that feel both intimate and mythic in their emotional intensity.

His work has been exhibited internationally and featured in publications including Juxtapoz, Hyperallergic, InStyle, and Vogue.

Follow Mr. StarCity: https://www.instagram.com/mrstarcity/

Follow Emily McElwreath on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilymcelwreath_art⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theartcareer.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more episodes and resources  

If you loved this episode, tag ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theartcareer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and share your favorite insight on IG stories! Don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more creatives discover the show. 

Sound Engineer and Production: Josh Craig

Creative Direction: Nina Yankovic

With Melissa Auf der Maur’s new memoir coming out this month, we’re revisiting our conversation on the podcast.

From Hole and Smashing Pumpkins to founding Basilica Hudson, Melissa reflects on art, music, and the strange alchemy of the ’90s music world.

NYT Article

Pre-Order memoir: https://www.xmadmx.com/#book

Follow Emily McElwreath on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilymcelwreath_art⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theartcareer.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more episodes and resources  

If you loved this episode, tag ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@theartcareer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and share your favorite insight on IG stories! Don’t forget to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify—it helps more creatives discover the show. 

Sound Engineer and Production: Josh Craig

Creative Direction: Nina Yankovic