Woodmere Diving Board Podcast

Get ready for an exciting sneak peek into Woodmere's upcoming masterpiece! Join Bill Valerio, Woodmere's Director and CEO, along with Stephanie Marudas from Kouvenda Media, as they take you on an exclusive tour of the Frances M. Maguire Hall for Art & Education. This incredible new space is on the verge of coming to life, and you won't want to miss the behind-the-scenes buzz about the stunning galleries that are set to open this Fall! Don't miss out—tune in for a glimpse at the future of art and education at Woodmere.

In this episode, Woodmere's Director and CEO Bill Valerio talks with Philadelphia-based, Venezuela-born artist Henry Bermudez and curator Gaby Heit about the exhibition Henry Bermudez in Philadelphia. The conversation takes a deep dive into Bermudez's rebuilding of his life and career since arriving in the “City of Brotherly Love” 20 years ago.

In this episode, Bill Valerio has a conversation with Adam Waterbear DePaul, Storykeeper of the Lenápe Nation of Pennsylvania, and Shelly DePaul, Clan Mother and Language Director of the Lenápe Nation of Pennsylvania about land recognition, stewardship, and forging community relationships to heal the past, give direction for today, and brighten the future.

Woodmere Art Museum's Director and CEO Bill Valerio talks with Stephan Salisbury about his career at The Philadelphia Inquirer on the occasion of his retirement. They discuss some of the major events he covered over the years and the future of arts and culture journalism in the city of Philadelphia.

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In the spirit of Warren & Jane Rohrer's collaborative artistic practice, Woodmere's CEO & Director Bill Valerio sits down with two artist couples: Syd Carpenter & Steve Donegan, and Mariel Capanna & Tyler Goldman. Together, they discuss the characteristics that shape and support their relationships and their artmaking before turning to Warren & Jane's work, using their personal experiences to guide reflection. “Hearing the Brush: The Painting and Poetry of Warren and Jane Rohrer” is on view through July 10, 2022.

In this episode, Woodmere's CEO & Director Bill Valerio takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of our newest exhibition, "Don't Feed the Art: Woodmere's Animal Menagerie." You'll hear from four museum staff members as they dive into the creation of an art exhibition. What does a curator do? How can a museum inspire visitors to engage with artwork? How does a museum take care of an art collection? Learn the answers to these questions and more!

On this episode, we're diving into the masterful work of the late Philadelphia artist, Larry Day. He was known as “The Dean of Philadelphia Painters” and was very much the “Art-Historian Artist.” Day lived from 1921 – 1998 and spent most of his life in Cheltenham Township just outside of Philadelphia. Woodmere has been an avid collector of Day's work, and is thrilled to be presenting "Body Language: The Art of Larry Day." It's a unique multi-part exhibition that Woodmere is organizing together with University of the Arts and Arcadia University. We'll be spending this episode hearing from Ruth Fine and David Bindman. Without Ruth, we never could have put this exhibition together. Ruth was married to Larry Day and enjoyed an extraordinary career as a curator at the National Gallery of Art. And David Bindman, a longtime friend of Ruth and Larry's, and took on the role as guest curator of this amazing exhibition.

Welcome to Diving Board. A show about artists, the art they create and the wide range of social and cultural ideas they explore. On this episode, we're going to dive into the work of artist and poet Roland Ayers, and our latest exhibition of his work called Calligraphy of Dreams.

Syd Carpenter and Steve Donegan discuss La Cresta, the earth sculpture that the artists have been cultivating over the last year on the grounds at Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia. This is a work of art about the earth itself and the history of the land on which Woodmere stands.

A group of painters, architects, dancers, and composers came together in 1955 to participate in Group '55, which was dedicated to exploring the new language of abstraction across the sectors of the arts and sharing these ideas with the public. This episode accompanies three exhibitions, Sam Feinstein: Immersive Abstraction, Group '55 and Midcentury Abstraction in Philadelphia, and Sam Feinstein: The Early Years, at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, all on view through January 24, 2021. Artists in midcentury Philadelphia sought spirituality and meaning in abstraction, and we learn more about this legacy in the arts from Barbara Wolanin, the guest curator of Woodmere's shows, Patricia Stark Feinstein, the widow of Sam Feinstein, who was the leader of Group '55, and Bill Scott, a painter who lives and works in Philadelphia today. To learn more about the exhibitions, visit: woodmereartmuseum.org/experience/exhibitions/group55

Host and Museum Director, Bill Valerio, discusses the concept behind the Afrocentric Jazz and Fashion Show — how it’s taking place in the context of the pandemic and our current need to examine the roots and manifestations of racial injustice. The inspiration for this event is Woodmere's exhibition, Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia, on view at Woodmere through September 7, 2020. Guests include Warren Oree, leader of the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble and co-founder of Lifeline Music Coalition, and fashion designer Julia Turner Lowe.

This episode of Diving Board launches a new direction for the podcast, revisiting conversations about art, race, and social justice with Ursula Rucker, Jerry Pinkney, Suzanne Burgess, James Morton, Syd Carpenter, and Karen Warrington. The new series is called Diving Board 2020 and we will be asking those speakers we have already heard from, "what has changed and what is different? How do we move forward together? And, "What is the role of an art museum?" We will also be engaging with new voices.

Gilbert Lewis (born 1945) is a leading figurative painter in Philadelphia known for his sensitive and thoughtful portrayals of the gay male experience during a time when self-identity and expression required particular courage. Interviews in this episode span close relationships with Lewis throughout his career, including painter, Jody Pinto; model, Tony Rullo; former art dealer and gallerist, Noël Butcher Hanley; and former partner and caretaker, Eric Rymshaw. Woodmere Art Museum's exhibition, Gilbert Lewis: Many Faces, Many Figures, is on view July 18 through October 25, 2020, and is presented in tandem with exhibitions at The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, William Way LGBT Community Center, and Kapp Kapp Gallery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A journey in Africa and Philadelphia: A conversation with artist Barbara Bullock. This episode is part of a series created for “Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, and Twins Seven-Seven,” an exhibition on view at Woodmere Art Museum from February 8 through May 17, 2020. Woodmere, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to the telling the story of the art and artists of the region.

Twins Seven-Seven and Material Culture: A conversation with George Jevremović. This episode is part of a series created for “Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, and Twins Seven-Seven,” an exhibition on view at Woodmere Art Museum from February 8 through May 17, 2020. Woodmere, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to telling the story of the art and artists of the region.

Dance and Art: A conversation with Karen Warrington, lead dancer in the Ile-Ife Afro-American Dance Ensemble. This episode is part of a series created for “Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, and Twins Seven-Seven,” an exhibition on view at Woodmere Art Museum from February 8 through May 17, 2020. Woodmere, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to telling the story of the art and artists of the region.

A new vocabulary in the visual arts, Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: A conversation with Guest Curator, Susanna W. Gold, PhD. This episode is part of a series created for “Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, and Twins Seven-Seven,” an exhibition on view at Woodmere Art Museum from February 8 through May 17, 2020. Woodmere, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to the telling the story of the art and artists of the region.

Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Introduction to the Podcast Series. “Africa in the Arts of Philadelphia: Bullock, Searles, and Twins Seven-Seven” is an exhibition on view at Woodmere Art Museum from February 8 through May 17, 2020. Woodmere, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to telling the story of the art and artists of the region.

Among the great figurative painters of the late twentieth century, Edith Neff (1943-1995) was ahead of her time in depicting race, gender, and class in the public spaces of Philadelphia. Community educator, Ebony DeBrest, and Program Director, Nima Koliwad, of the Mount Airy Learning Tree (MALT), discuss Neff’s work with William Valerio, Director of Woodmere Art Museum. MALT was founded in 1980 and celebrates the diversity of Northwest Philadelphia, bringing together neighbors to share a wide variety of ideas, information, and skills in informal learning environments.

Eileen Neff, the photographer, installation artist, and art critic, is the juror of Woodmere’s 2019 Annual. In conversation with hosts Bill Valerio and Stephanie Marudas, Neff discusses the ideas that interest her in the contemporary art scene in Philadelphia and the manner in which those ideas emerge in the show. "Second Nature: The Poetics of Re-presentation” is on view through September 2, 2019. The 94 artists selected explore the interplay of realism and illusion, relationships between truth, visual authority, authenticity, and imagination.

Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney (Episode 5 of 5): Warren Oree and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble interpret “Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman” by Alan Schroeder. Warren Oree, composer, arranger, and bass; Suzanne Burgess, vocals; Adam Faulk, synthesizer, Frank Butrey, guitar, Greg “Juju” Jones, drums, Larry Price, saxophone, and Doug Pablo Edwards, percussion.

Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney (Episode 1 of 5): Renowned illustrator and watercolorist Jerry Pinkney and Crystal Lucky, Associate Professor of English and Associate Dean at Villanova University, discuss African American history and both visual and literary interpretations of slavery, the Middle Passage, and the Underground Railroad. Their dialogue covers how the terrible legacy of slavery is felt in the culture of America today, and how there is also an “arc of promise." They discuss how to teach this hard history to children.

Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney (Episode 2 of 5): Bass player and composer Warren Oree and vocalist Suzanne Burgess discuss art, music, and race in relation to their musical interpretations of two books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney: Julius Lester's “The Old African” and Alan Schroeder’s “Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman.” Topics include resistance, resilience, and the intertwinement of power and beauty in the arts.

Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney (Episode 3 of 5): Renowned illustrator and watercolorist Jerry Pinkney takes us on a journey through the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, where he was raised. Pinkney describes growing up on East Earlham Street in the 1940s and 50s, and how his passion for history evolved in relation to the culture of his family and friends and the tangible presence of American history in Germantown.

Freedom's Journal: The Art of Jerry Pinkney (Episode 4 of 5): Warren Oree, and the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble interpret “The Old African,” by Julius Lester. Warren Oree, composer and arranger, vocals and bass; Suzanne Burgess, vocals; Adam Faulk, synthesizer; Frank Butrey, acoustic guitar; Greg “Juju” Jones, drums; Larry Price, saxophone, and Doug Pablo Edwards, percussion.

Join us as we dive into the idea of the landscape as a powerful metaphor for the journey of life that we're all on. As part of Woodmere's "Pennsylvania Landscape in Impressionism and Contemporary Art” exhibition, we’ll hear from various artists and curators like Brian Peterson, Emily Brown, Peter Rose, Keith McManus and Ron Tarver. We'll explore parallel tracks in the way today’s artists view and love the beauty of the landscape, just as the Pennsylvania impressionists had more than a century ago, and how the urgency to preserve it still remains as Maura McCarthy of the Friends of the Wissahickon will share with us. We'll hear about how the Wissahickon Valley Park has inspired a strong sense of place for artists and the general public over the years.

Speed, action, danger—these are the defining elements of Darryl Moran’s stock car racing photographs. The first official photographer hired by NASCAR in the early 1990s, Moran was responsible for capturing all aspects of the races. Hear what it feels like to document these events from Moran's perspective and from photojournalist, Cheryl Senter. We'll also discuss the many aspects of race day with Nick Yzzi and Derek Jones, two people with first-hand knowledge of sitting behind the wheel as the green flag signals the start of the race.

The Woodmere Annual is a juried exhibition of contemporary art in Philadelphia, now in its 77th year. Syd Carpenter, this year's juror, is a sculptor and professor of studio art at Swarthmore College. From over 600 artists who submitted work for consideration, Carpenter selected works by 76 artists whose practices references the land, the transience of the body, and movement through space. In this episode, we talk with Carpenter about her own work on view in the exhibition, and that of Barbara Bullock and Selma Burke. We also discuss themes and ideas with a representative group of artists in the show, including Douglas Herren, James Morton, Sophie Sanders, Cheryl Tracy, and Kukuli Velarde.

In this episode, we dive in with illustrator Charles Santore. A South Philadelphia native who became famous for the TV Guide covers he made from 1972 to 1985, Santore worked for the Saturday Evening Post, Time, Life, and other major publications. He made the leap into children's book illustration in 1985, and to this day is celebrated for the virtuosity of his watercolor technique and unique ability to breathe new life into classic tales, from Aesop's Fables and Noah's Ark, to Paul Revere's Ride to the Wizard of Oz. We explore Santore's philosophy on art and life, and the social and cultural ideas that continue to drive his creativity.

In this episode, we'll connect the importance of Violet and her work to present day artists and scholars including Ursula Rucker and Sylvia Yount, two amazing women that continue Oakley's legacy of pushing boundaries in new and exciting ways. Philadelphia-based contemporary artist Peter Paone begins this episode reflecting on his connection to Oakley through her life partner, Edith Emerson.

In this 3-part pilot series, the story of an important Philadelphia artist and civic leader named Violet Oakley is told through engaging conversations with a variety of today's artists and art scholars.

Get to know Violet Oakley, the person and the life experiences that helped shape her mission as an artist. Patricia Likos-Ricci, an art historian at Elizabethtown College, who is the lead scholar on Violet Oakley and the Guest Curator of Woodmere's exhibition, A Grand Vision: Violet Oakley and the American Renaissance, provides insight into Oakley's fascinating life.

Dive into Oakley’s vision through her murals at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg. Part 2 explores the importance of some of Oakley's work at arguably her most important commission. You'll hear about what the murals represent, and you’ll even hear Violet in her own voice telling you what they’re all about.