Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time

How did one tree become a world-famous tonewood for guitars? Deep in the forests of Belize, a wood importer from Florida discovered a rare tree that produced a sound unlike anything guitar virtuosos had ever heard before. But why does this material cast such a spell? And at what cost does that come?  Guests: Ellen Ruppel Shell, journalist Ken Parker, luthier Reuben Forsland, luthier Steve Cardenas, guitarist Jennifer Anderson, historian and author of Mahogany: The Cost of Luxury in Early America Althea SullyCole, former Fellow in The Met’s Department of Musical Instruments. Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology in the Schulich School of Music at McGill University Featured artwork: Ken Parker, Archtop guitar, 2016: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/677213 For a transcript of the episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterialwood #MetImmaterial Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camille Dungy. Our production staff includes Salman Ahad Khan, Ann Collins, Samantha Henig, Eric Nuzum, Emma Vecchione, Sarah Wambold, and Jamie York. Additional staff includes Laura Barth, Julia Bordelon, Skyla Choi, Maria Kozanecka, and Rachel Smith. Sound design by Ariana Martinez and Kristin Mueller.Original music by Austin Fisher and Salman Ahad Khan.Fact-checking by Mary Mathis and Claire Hyman. Immaterial is made possible by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Additional support is provided by the Zodiac Fund. Special thanks to Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong, curator Jayson Dobney, conservator Manu Frederickx, educator David Freeman, Dick Boak, Gabriela Guadalajara, and curator Alyce Englund.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An archaeologist and an artist walk into a dump…  For most of us, we throw our garbage to the curb, and it disappears from our lives. But to some, that’s just the beginning of trash’s story. In this episode, we follow two people who seek the truth in trash—an archaeologist who excavates ancient rubbish in Turkmenistan and an artist who spotlights the people responsible for making trash vanish. Guests: Martina Rugiadi, associate curator, Department of Islamic Art, The Met sTo Len, artist Andy Blancero, development officer, Freshkills Park Alliance Featured artworks: Chakaia Booker, Raw Attraction, 2001: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/492175 Bowl with Green, Yellow, and Brown Splashed Decoration. Excavated in Iran, Nishapur, 10th century: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449348 Stone Oil Lamp. Excavated in Iran, Nishapur, 9th century: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449328 Painted Dado Panels. Excavated in Iran, Nishapur, 9th century: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/449862 James Hampton, The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly, ca. 1950-1964: https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/throne-third-heaven-nations-millennium-general-assembly-9897 Fragment of a Wall Painting with a Fox or a Dog (and Painted Layers). Excavated in Iran, Nishapur, 12th century: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/708593 For a transcript of the episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterialtrash #MetImmaterial Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camille Dungy. Our production staff includes Salman Ahad Khan, Ann Collins, Samantha Henig, Eric Nuzum, Emma Vecchione, Sarah Wambold, and Jamie York. Additional staff includes Laura Barth, Julia Bordelon, Skyla Choi, Maria Kozanecka, and Rachel Smith. Sound design by Ariana Martinez and Kristin Mueller.Original music by Austin Fisher.Fact-checking by Mary Mathis and Claire Hyman. Immaterial is made possible by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Additional support is provided by the Zodiac Fund. Special thanks to Adwoa Gyimah-Brempong, Avery Trufelman, Brinda Kumar, Navina Haider.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can the tiny chia seed reveal about the history of oil painting? For centuries, one of the most prized mediums of art at museums like the Met has been oil painting, a European tradition embodied by the so-called "old masters." This is the story of how the oil of the chia seed — yes, the same one that’s a staple add-on for smoothies and acai bowls — and its origins in Mexico could help us look at oil painting and our world with fresh eyes.  Guests: Elsa Arroyo, Mexican paintings conservator Ronda Kasl, Curator of Latin American Art, The American Wing, The Met Monica Katz, Conservator, Hispanic Society José Luis Lazarte Luna, Assistant Conservator, Paintings Conservation, The Met Roger Danilo Carmona, General Manager, Kremer Pigments Inc. Julie Arslanoglu, Research Scientist, The Met Mario Gaspar, Lacquerware artist Featured artworks: José Manuel de la Cerda, Turnus Provoked into War by Aeneas, ca. 1764: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/841656 Juan Correa, The Virgin of Valvanera, ca. 1710: https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/2008.832 Juan Correa, Allegory of the Holy Sacrament, ca. 1690: https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/object/2015.570 Juran Correa, Angel Carrying a Cypress (Ángel portando un ciprés), ca. 1680-1690: https://collections.lacma.org/node/1034999 For a transcript of the episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterialchia #MetImmaterial Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camille Dungy. Our production staff includes Salman Ahad Khan, Ann Collins, Samantha Henig, Eric Nuzum,  Emma Vecchione, Sarah Wambold, and Jamie York. Additional staff includes Laura Barth, Julia Bordelon, Skyla Choi, Maria Kozanecka, and Rachel Smith. Sound design by Ariana Martinez and Kristin Muller.Original music by Austin Fisher.Fact-checking by Mary Mathis and Claire Hyman.Special thanks to Adwoa Gyimyah-Brempong. Immaterial is made possible by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Additional support is provided by the Zodiac Fund. And special thanks to Aleks Popowich, Alfonso Miranda Marquez, Beatriz Ortega, Marco Leona, and Avery Trufelman. The research presented within has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when our most intimate possessions end up in art museums? Blankets comfort and keep us warm. They accompany us through our lives. They are keepers of some of our most intimate stories. We look at a group of artists who harness this power of blankets and quilts as totems for memory, community and cultural survival. Guests: Loretta Pettway Bennett, Gee's Bend quilt maker Marie Watt, artist Ally Barlow, associate conservator, Department of Textile Conservation, The Met Louisiana P. Bendolph, Gee's Bend quilt maker Louise Williams, board president, Freedom Quilting Bee Legacy Featured artworks: Qunnie Pettway, Housetop, ca. 1975: https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/qunnie-pettway/work/housetop Marie Watt, Untitled (Dream Catcher), 2014: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/849042 Louisiana P. Bendolph, Housetop quilt, 2003: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654095 Annie E. Pettway, “Flying Geese” Variation, ca. 1935: https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/artist/annie-e-pettway/work/flying-geese-variation Willie "Ma Willie" Abrams, Roman Stripes quilt, ca. 1975: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/654081 For a transcript of the episode and more information, visit metmuseum.org/immaterialblankets #MetImmaterial Immaterial is produced by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Magnificent Noise and hosted by Camille Dungy. Our production staff includes Salman Ahad Khan, Ann Collins, Samantha Henig, Eric Nuzum, Emma Vecchione, Sarah Wambold, and Jamie York. Additional staff includes Laura Barth, Julia Bordelon, Skyla Choi, Maria Kozanecka, and Rachel Smith. Sound design by Ariana Martinez and Kristin Muller.Original music by Austin Fisher.Fact-checking by Mary Mathis and Claire Hyman.Sensitivity listening by Adwoa Gyimyah-Brempong. Immaterial is made possible by Dasha Zhukova Niarchos. Additional support is provided by the Zodiac Fund. Special thanks to Eva Labson, Scott Browning, Curator Amelia Peck, and Avery Trufelman.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.