The Gray Area with Sean Illing

The rise and fall of America's monuments

Listen Later

Jamil Smith talks with Erin Thompson, professor of art crime and author of Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments. They discuss why we honor horrible people from the past in metal and stone, what effects these objects have on our present, and what's keeping so many of these monuments in place throughout America.

Host: Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Erin Thompson (@artcrimeprof), author; associate professor of art crime, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

References: 

  • Smashing Statues: The Rise and Fall of America's Public Monuments by Erin Thompson (Norton; 2022)
  • A viral tweet (June 10, 2020)
  • "What's the point of beheading a statue?" by Erin Thompson (Art News; June 22, 2020)
  • "The Historian Scrutinizing Our Idea of Monuments" by Alexandra Schwartz (New Yorker; March 3)


    Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

    Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

    Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    This episode was made by: 

    • Producer: Erikk Geannikis
    • Editor: Amy Drozdowska
    • Engineer: Patrick Boyd
    • Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Gray Area with Sean IllingBy Vox
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5

      4.5

      10,590 ratings

      More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

      View all
      The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker Radio Hour

      6,779 Listeners

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker by The New Yorker

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker

      4,045 Listeners

      Explain It to Me by Vox

      Explain It to Me

      7,853 Listeners

      Switched on Pop by Vulture

      Switched on Pop

      2,682 Listeners

      Pivot by New York Magazine

      Pivot

      9,509 Listeners

      Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

      Gastropod

      3,665 Listeners

      Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

      Decoder with Nilay Patel

      3,146 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      112,032 Listeners

      Good One by Vulture

      Good One

      1,485 Listeners

      Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

      Radio Atlantic

      2,278 Listeners

      The Atlantic Interview by The Atlantic

      The Atlantic Interview

      2,133 Listeners

      Today, Explained by Vox

      Today, Explained

      10,203 Listeners

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

      7,231 Listeners

      Throughline by NPR

      Throughline

      16,340 Listeners

      Land of the Giants by Vulture

      Land of the Giants

      2,166 Listeners

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

      5,985 Listeners

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

      23,580 Listeners

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

      729 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,509 Listeners

      Good Noticings by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Good Noticings

      6,476 Listeners

      The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

      The Ezra Klein Show

      15,835 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,319 Listeners

      Cover Story by New York Magazine

      Cover Story

      1,220 Listeners

      The Interview by The New York Times

      The Interview

      1,587 Listeners

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

      152 Listeners

      On with Kara Swisher by Vox Media

      On with Kara Swisher

      3,524 Listeners

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

      1,747 Listeners

      Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Prof G Markets

      1,430 Listeners

      The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

      The Opinions

      615 Listeners

      Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird by Sue Bird

      Bird's Eye View with Sue Bird

      440 Listeners

      Solutions with Henry Blodget by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Solutions with Henry Blodget

      31 Listeners