In this episode of "Why They Put That in a Museum," Beth Bacon, an author and avid museum goer, joins Sarah Lees, a museum curator and researcher, to explore the origins, history, and purposes of museums. They discuss ancient Greek philosophical institutions, the Renaissance patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, and the concept of cabinets of curiosities in the 1600s. They talk about the founding of significant museums like the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford and the British Museum in London. The discussion transitions into the history of American museums, highlighting the Charleston Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum. They speculate about the future of museums with evolving roles and missions. They discuss Beth’s volunteer work at the Missouri History Museum and its exhibits that engage diverse audiences and promote shared community experiences.

00:00 Introduction to the Hosts and Podcast

01:19 Today's Topic: The Concept of Museums

02:35 Historical Origins of Museums

08:23 Early Museums in the United States

11:19 Modern Museums and Their Evolving Roles

17:28 Conclusion and Podcast Wrap-Up

Some museums mentioned:
Smart History Website: https://smarthistory.org/a-brief-history-of-the-art-museum/

Ashmolean Museum at Oxford: https://www.ashmolean.org/

British Museum in London: https://www.britishmuseum.org/

Charleston Museum: https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/

Peabody Essex Museum: https://www.pem.org/

Missouri History Museum: https://mohistory.org/museum

If you'd like to contact the hosts, visit: https://whydtheyputthatinamuseum.com/

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© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of “Why Did They Put That in a Museum?” hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss the photographs of a little known photographer, Lusha Nelson. Nelson’s photos were found in a yard sale. Why’d they put them in a museum? These were not just any old thrifted finds. First, they are stunningly beautiful. Plus, Nelson's photographs include portraits of icons and luminaries like Jesse Owens and Katharine Hepburn. The shading and compositions are rich and evocative. Who is Lusha Nelson? He emigrated from Latvia to New York in the 1920’s. He's a self-taught photography who,  during the depression, took photos for Condé Nast (yes Condé Nast was an actual person). Nelson's life and career were cut short due to his early death in 1938. Then his works were almost lost to time. Sarah shares a personal connection to this project, recounting that, when she worked at the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, someone contacted the museum and offered some prints she and her husband had found in a yard sale many years earlier. Usually, curators politely decline this kind of request. But Sarah and her colleagues took a look and found a treasure trove of stunning portraits and street scenes. Sarah talks about organizing the exhibition of Lusha Nelson’s art in 2017 and the role of museums in sharing work that’s spectacular enough to be preserved and shared with the public. 

00:00 Introduction to the Episode

00:23 Meet Lusha Nelson the photographer

00:32 The Discovery of Lusha Nelson's Work

02:19 Iconic Photographs: Jesse Owens and Katharine Hepburn

03:39 The Significance of Nelson's Work

08:23 Sarah’s Personal Connection and Rediscovery of Nelson

12:02 Lusha Nelson's Life and Career

17:01 Street Photography and Lesser-Known Works

20:46 Legacy and Preservation

27:58 Conclusion 

To look at Nelson's art, visit:

https://philbrook.org/exhibitions/lusha-nelson-found/

https://www.artnet.com/artists/lusha-nelson/

To reach out to the podcasters, visit: 

https://whydtheyputthatinamuseum.com/

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of 'Why They Put That in a Museum,' hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss the unusual story of Vivian Meier, an unknown nanny whose extraordinary street photography was discovered by chance in an unclaimed storage locker. They discuss the unique and enigmatic nature of her photographs and the very unusual way her body of work came to be known. In fact, none of Meier’s powerful and thought-provoking photos are on display in traditional museums. Sarah and Beth go on to explore broader questions about the definition and purpose of museums. Tune in to discover why Vivian Meier's photography is a hidden gem waiting to be explored.

Suggested Links

https://www.vivianmaier.com/

https://newyork.fotografiska.com/en/exhibitions/vivian-maier

Timeline

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

01:50 Today's Subject: Vivian Meyer

02:21 The Discovery of Vivian Meyer's Work

05:15 Analyzing Vivian Meier's Photography

11:33 The Debate: Should Meier's Work Be in a Museum?

20:47 The Purpose of Museums

22:34 Conclusion 

Rate & Review  on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whyd-they-put-that-in-a-museum/id1792614250

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of 'Why They Put That in a Museum,' hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss a rare 1846 daguerreotype of Dolley Madison recently acquired by National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Dolley Madison was the wife of the fourth U.S. President, James Madison. What is a daguerreotype? To answer that question, they do a quick overview of early photography and some of the inventor-artists who got this technology started using glass and silver-plated copper sheets. What’s cool about this portrait was that it was almost lost to time. It was discovered in a basement! Then it was sent to auction where it sold at 4 times the asking price. Why is it so valuable? Listen to the fascinating story of this unique and beautiful image of one of the most beloved First Ladies in US history. Daguerreotype of Dolley Madison: Early Photography. 

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

Beth Bacon visits Richard Serra's 'Joe' and talks with Sarah Lees about her experience while walking around this large steel sculpture. In this episode of 'Why They Put That in a Museum,' Beth and Sarah wrestle with the opposing thoughts and feelings that arise when encountering this enormous steel sculpture located at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri. Beth provides an on-site description of the piece, made from a huge coil of weathering steel. The piece invites visitors to walk inside and really experience what it feels like in a space created by an artist.  Sarah and Beth ponder the contrasts that arise from taking in this piece: it is minimal yet powerful, solid yet undulating, imposing yet open, made of rough, industrial metal yet its curves are elegantly smooth. They talk about how the context of a museum setting matters for a piece like this. In comparison, another one of Serra’s sculptures that was placed in a public space was so ill-thought-of that it was forced to be removed. So whether or not something is in a museum, it seems, can be a factor in whether a piece is admired. 

00:00 Welcome to 'Why They Put That in a Museum'

02:05 Live from the Pulitzer Arts Foundation

03:16 Exploring Richard Serra's 'Joe'

06:06 The Experience of Walking Through 'Joe'

08:25 The Art and Power of Richard Serra

13:57 The Story Behind 'Joe' and Other Works

22:06 Public Reaction to Serra's Art

25:36 Final Thoughts and Reflections

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© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of Why They Put That in a Museum, Sarah Lees and Beth Bacon discuss a stoneware jar made by Dave The Potter, a skilled enslaved potter from South Carolina. They discuss the inscription on the jar, which is a lighthearted description (dare we say roast?) of people in the town. They also explore other aspects of the jar, such as the clay it was made from, the history of its creation, and its various owners over the years. Finally they ponder its cultural context as an object from the Metropolitan Museum of Art—what is its place in a broader narrative of slavery and artistry? What are the ethical and cultural considerations behind displaying such objects in a museum? Listen to the podcast and find out. See the object at the Metropolitan Museum of New York website: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/747045

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of 'Why'd They Put That in a Museum?' hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss how Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa, ended up in the Louvre (hint—it was brought to the Louvre before the Louvre was a museum!). They also talk about the time the Mona Lisa was stolen from the museum and Picasso was accused of the robbery. Beth asks Sarah why art curators think Mona Lisa is such a great masterpiece so you can decide if you agree whether it's one of the best pantings in the world.

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

Sarah Lees, a museum curator, and Beth Bacon, an art enthusiast, co-host a podcast called 'Why Do They Put That in a Museum?' In this episode, talk about the cage crinoline, an undergarment from Victorian England that's currently in London's Victoria and Albert Museum. It's basically the hoop inside the hoop skirts that were popular in the 1860's. No one knows who made it. So what's it doing in a museum?  Is it beautiful? Not really. Was it associated with a famous person? Maybe (or maybe not). Was it technically innovative? Listen to the podcast and decide. 

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of 'Why'd They Put That in a Museum,' hosts Sarah Lees, a museum curator and researcher, and Beth Bacon, an avid museum goer and children's book author, discuss Faith Ringgold's 'Tar Beach,' which is a part of her 'Woman on a Bridge' series. This colorful work defies categorization. It blends painting, quilting, and storytelling. It’s an artwork… and also a Caldecott-winning picture book. We start by talking about the quilt version of the work in the New York Guggenheim, which shows a family hanging out on a New York City rooftop on a summer evening. We talk about the work’s magical and fantastic elements (it depicts a girl, Cassie Louise Lightfoot, flying in a starlit sky above the George Washington Bridge). Its text mentions both heart wrenching political messages and the hope that's born in the imagination. Why did the Guggenheim Museum choose this piece for their collection? To answer that, we explore Ringgold's influences from Tibeten thangka, to African-American quiltmaking, to abstract expressionism. We also go back to look at her career, starting in the 1960’s and her insistence that her work is worth preserving and valuing. We talk about how the personal can be political. And we ponder other works, such as ‘The Flag Is Bleeding’ and ‘Die’ which is featured at MOMA, in honored place next to Picasso’s ‘Demoiselles D’Avignon.’ Why did MOMA put a Ringgold work next to a Picasso? Listen to the podcast and find out. 

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© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.

In this episode of 'Why They Put That in a Museum,' hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees delve into the history and cultural significance of Vincent van Gogh's 'Self Portrait with a Bandaged Ear.' They explore what makes the painting so moving, talk about Van Gogh's life and mental state during its creation, and the pivotal role played by the unsung woman who worked to get his works into museums. The hosts also discuss Van Gogh's artistic influences, his tumultuous relationship with Paul Gauguin, and the enduring emotional power of the painting. Tune in for a deeper understanding of why this compelling work deserves its place in the Courtauld museum.

Send us a text with ideas for new episodes or just let us know what you think.

© 2025 Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees.