Podcasts about san diego museum

This episode is Sponsored by:Apple for Architects with Neal Pann, Architecthttps://appleforarchitects.com/This episode is with architect Jennifer Luce, FAIA of Luce et Studio. Follow the link to the blog to see Images and Text!https://inmawomanarchitect.blogspot.com/2025/01/museums-interview-with-jennifer-luce.htmlJennifer Luce, FAIA of Luce et Studiohttps://www.lucestudio.com/Jennifer Luce is a licensed Architect practicing in California and New York. With a Bachelor of Architecture from Carleton University in 1984, she received the A. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction, and is a member of the Alumni Council at the Design School. In 1994, Jennifer earned her Master of Design Studies from Harvard University and is now a member of the Alumni Council and HAA Alumni Board. In 2016, the American Institute of Architects recognized Jennifer's outstanding contribution to the field and elevated her to the College of Fellows.Jennifer is passionate about research, process, and materials, and maintains a strong presence in the international architectural community. She serves on a variety of advisory boards for cultural institutions and presently co-chairs both the AIA California Monterey Design Conference and the San Diego Civic Center Revitalization Citizens' Committee.Jennifer established her eponymous multi-disciplinary architectural practice, LUCE et studio, in 1990. Now with over three decades of award-winning project experience, LUCE focuses on civic and cultural buildings, creative workspaces, restaurants, and urban design interventions. LUCE et studio has completed projects for the San Diego Public Library, San Diego Museum of Art, the New Children's Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, and most recently the $55 million renovation and expansion of the Mingei International Museum at Balboa Park.Link to MGHarchitect: MIchele Grace Hottel, Architect website for scheduling and podcast sponsorship opportunities:https://www.mgharchitect.com/

In this episode, host Jack Eidt discusses the ongoing wildfire crisis in Los Angeles and strategies for resilience with experts Richard Halsey and Lydia Poncé. We also include a clip on the climatic influence from Dr. Daniel Swain from UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Support the Podcast: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Richard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute [https://californiachaparral.org/index.html], shares insights on protecting communities by hardening homes instead of destroying natural habitats. Indigenous activist Lydia Poncé emphasizes community resilience and mutual aid in response to the devastation. The episode explores the impact of climate change, poor urban planning, and the need for sustainable development. We delve into the socio-political dynamics affecting relief efforts and the role of big corporations in the aftermath. Join us as we explore how to rebuild with compassion and foresight, as well as a comprehensive look at wildfire resilience and the role of Indigenous stewardship in preserving our ecosystems. For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Richard Halsey is the Director of the California Chaparral Institute, a non-profit, research and educational organization dedicated to the preservation of California's native chaparral ecosystem and supporting the creative spirit as inspired by Nature. Mr. Halsey works with the San Diego Museum of Natural History and teaches natural history throughout the state. The second edition of his book, Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California, was published in 2008. Lydia Poncé (Mayo/Quechua) is an Indigenous Activist, Water Protector, co-founder of Idle No More SoCal. She hosts a show called Be a Better Relative on KPFK Los Angeles. Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Co-Host Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 245

Episode 449 / Fred Tomaselli (born 1956, Santa Monica, CA) Fred has been the subject of solo exhibitions at institutions including the Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, NE (2019); Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside, CA (2018); Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, OH (2016);  Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth (2014) and the University of Michigan Museum of Art (2014); a survey exhibition at Aspen Art Museum (2009) that toured to Tang Museum in Saratoga, NY and the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn NY (2010); The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh (2004) toured to four venues in Europe and the US; Albright-Knox Gallery of Art (2003); Site Santa Fe (2001); Palm Beach ICA (2001), and Whitney Museum of American Art (1999). His works have been included in international biennial exhibitions including Sydney (2010); Prospect 1 (2008); Site Santa Fe (2004); Whitney (2004) and others. Tomaselli's work can be found in the public collections of institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art; Whitney Museum of American Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Brooklyn Museum; Albright Knox Art Gallery; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Orange County Museum of Art, Santa Ana, CA; and many others.

So excited to welcome Artist, Frederick Hayes, to the podcast this week. Fred makes graphite drawings and paintings of faces, and he also creates found-material assemblage sculptures that portray the psychological interior of his subjects. Half made up and half based on the street photos that he takes, his portraits conjure up a community of people. These heads function as general archetypes but also as familiar faces that Fred might see in his community, remember from his past, or have seen in the media as victims of racial injustice. Fred Hayes is also an artist who studiously avoids being pigeonholed, and I loved hearing about how he prioritizes freedom in his varied studio practice. Find Frederick Hayes online: IG: https://www.instagram.com/fhay_00/ WEB: https://www.fredhayesstudio.com/ 2023 Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant-Winners Exhibition at PAAM (thru 6/16/24, Provincetown): https://paam.org/the-2023-artist-grant-recipients/ This episode is kindly sponsored by the New York Studio School. Check out their June-July 2024 Summer Marathon courses here: ⁠nyss.org⁠ Artists mentioned: Henri Matisse, Emil Nolde, Cartier Bresson, Robert Rauschenberg, Margaret Kilgallen, Terry Hoff & Chris Johanson of the Mission School / Luggage Store Gallery, Max Beckmann Frederick Hayes has exhibited work at Triple Candie, the Studio Museum, Hallwalls Contemporary, New Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Jose Museum, San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, Addison Gallery of American Art, DeSaisset Museum, Boston University, Number 35, and the Luggage Store and Patricia Sweetow Gallery in San Francisco, CA.  Hayes has held residencies at MacDowell, VCCA, LMCC and The Headlands Center for the Art.  He is the recipient of a 2020 NYFA-NYSCA Fellowship in Printmaking/Drawing/Book Arts, a 2012 & 2001 Pollack-Krasner Grant, a 2010 Robert Blackburn Workshop Studio Immersion Program Fellowship, a 2000 San Francisco Art Commission Individual Artist Grantand his work is in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the Addison Gallery of American Art, and UC Berkeley Art Museum Thank you, Fred! Thank you Patrons and Listeners! Appreciate everyone! Check the pod out on IG! And why not review Peps on Apple Podcasts? Yay! Find me, your beloved host, online at: ⁠amytalluto.com⁠ and ⁠@talluts⁠ All music by Soundstripe ---------------------------- Pep Talks Website: ⁠peptalksforartists.com⁠ Pep Talks on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@peptalksforartists⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Amy, your beloved host's website: ⁠amytalluto.com⁠ Amy, your beloved host, on IG: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@talluts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Pep Talks on Art Spiel as written essays: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/7k82vd8s⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BuyMeACoffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Donations always appreciated! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/peptalksforartistspod/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/peptalksforartistspod/support

Mexican artist Yahel Yan is known for painting in two distinct styles, both of which are equally meaningful to her. In this episode, Yahel discusses her passion for abstract and representational painting, and encourages artists to make work that feels authentic and aligned.Here's what we discuss:1. Why Yahel is so passionate about community and uplifting fellow artists.2. The inspiration behind Yahel's chair paintings, a series that has developed over the course of many years.3. What led to Yahel to pursue abstract painting in addition to working representationally, and the benefits that come with working in two different styles.Be sure to attend the opening reception for Yahel's solo exhibition on May 11, 2024 from 5-8pm at  FIVEart Studio & Gallery in San Diego.About Yahel  -Yahel Yan is a San Diego-based Mexican painter exploring the relationship between color and emotion. Frequently attending museums and galleries, Yan was exposed to art from an early age and always knew that she wanted to become a visual artist. She jokes she was born with a crayon in her hand. These childhood experiences of being immersed in the rich, vibrant culture of Mexico continue to impact Yan's work today. In her abstract and representational work, she explores the relationship between color, imagination, emotion, and memory.Yan received her undergraduate degree in graphic design from Universidad Del Nuevo Mundo. With a love for both painting and printmaking, she began her career as a professional artist in 2019. Yan has since been selected for solo and group exhibitions throughout California, including From the Masters at Ashton Gallery, Artist Alliance Biennial at Oceanside Museum of Art, and Not an Art Fair (National Show) at ShockBoxx, amongst others. Additionally, she received an award of third place of excellence from the San Diego Museum of Art's 2022 online International Spring Exhibition and was selected to be part of Jen Tough's Collective in 2023. Yan paints from her home as well as her studio space located at F1VE ART in Liberty Station.Website: yahelyan.comIG: @yahel.yan.artVisit our website: visionaryartcollective.comFollow us on Instagram: @visionaryartcollective + @newvisionarymagJoin our newsletter: visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter

 Welcome back, friends! We've missed you. In this first episode of season 2, host Grant Oliphant and Micah Parzen, CEO of the Museum of Us, delve into efforts to preserve historic border wall murals in partnership with Friends of Friendship Park. Amidst the introspection triggered by George Floyd's murder, they discuss the Museum's transformative journey toward greater inclusion in the museum. This includes rebranding the museum and forging a meaningful partnership with the Kumeyaay Nation, all aimed at honoring the diverse histories of the San Diego region. Micah sheds light on Balboa Park's complex past, revealing a community-driven effort to recount its true history.  Plus, we're excited to introduce our new co-host, Crystal Page, who brings fresh insights to our discussions about the interview, meaning Grant won't have to converse with himself anymore.  About Micah Parzen:Micah Parzen is a nonprofit leader, attorney, and anthropologist, who is always searching for ways of partnering with others to create transformative organizational change. He has served as CEO of the Museum of Us (formerly the San Diego Museum of Man) since 2010, where he and his team are focused on developing better and better practices in what an anti-racist and decolonial museum can look like, along with how those practices can create a positive ripple effect in the museum field and beyond.Micah currently serves as the President of the Board of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, a collaboration of 28 arts & culture institutions in Balboa Park, which sits on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Kumeyaay Nation.Show Credits:This is a production of the Prebys Foundation.Hosted by Grant OliphantCo-Hosted by Crystal PageCo-produced by Crystal Page and Adam GreenfieldEngineered by Adam GreenfieldProduction Assistance by Tess Karesky The Stop & Talk Theme song created by San Diego's own Mr. Lyrical GrooveRecorded at the Voice of San Diego Podcast StudioDownload episodes at your favorite podcatcher or visit us at StopAndTalkPodcast.orgIf you like this show, and we hope you do, the best way to support this show is to share, subscribe, and review our podcast. Thank you for your support, ideas, and listening.

Roxana Velásquez is the Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO at the San Diego Museum of Art. Since taking over the role in 2010, Roxana has used passion and commitment to art for all to share, invite, and inspire our region. She chooses beauty and wants each San Diegan to feel pride over the richness of our cultures and the art residing in our communities, museums, and archives.   In this episode of Stop & Talk, Roxana discusses the delicate balance between the past and future in Balboa Park, how art is both a duty and a right of all citizens, and much more.   Hosted by Grant Oliphant   Produced by Crystal Page & Adam Greenfield   Engineered by Adam Greenfield   Recorded in the Voice of San Diego Studio

In this month's Artist Spotlight, I'm excited to introduce you to local San Diego artist Stefanie Bales. Stefanie's unique journey as an artist highlights just how valuable it is to be in touch with and follow your intuition. Stefanie has trusted her own instincts and ability to manifest, and the stories she shares in this episode show just how magical and in flow her journey has been. Stefanie also dives into how she developed her brand as an artist and her personal process in creating her work. There's a lot here that interior designers can relate to as well, so let Stefanie's story inspire you to build a business that's in flow with who you are and what you value!Stefanie's show at Sparks Gallery begins on October 22nd and runs through December 30, 2023. Learn more about the show and Stefanie's vision for these pieces on the Sparks Gallery website. The Design Coven will be doing an artist & gallery tour with Stefanie at Sparks Gallery on Friday, October 27. Learn more about Design Coven membership at designcoven.com/join.Guest BioStefanie Bales is an award-winning Fine Artist, muralist, and boutique gallery owner—all of which are umbrellaed under her multifaceted creative brand, Stefanie Bales Fine Art. SBFA offers original Fine Art painting, murals, a custom home and accessories product line, educational services, and creative consulting for both residential and commercial clients across the globe.Stefanie earned a B.F.A in Studio Arts and an M.S. in Educational Counseling with a focus on Art Therapy applications with neuro-diverse populations. She taught at a local design college for over a decade prior to opening her gallery Stefanie Bales Fine Art, which was recently awarded "Best Art Gallery" by both Modern Luxury and The San Diego Reader. Stefanie was also just named people's choice for “Best Artist” in San Diego.Stefanie's client list includes the San Diego Downtown Partnership, Balboa Park, Belmont Park, Ansun BioPharma, Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, San Diego Museum of Art, Longfellow Real Estate, and Flower Hill Mall. Her work has been published extensively and is in both public and private collections across the country and internationally.Stefanie's most recent gallery collections evoke whimsy and femininity in serene + surreal landscapes and seascapes. Her soft, sophisticated color palettes and the atmospheric, dreamlike qualities evident in her work are the standouts of her signature style. Stefanie's work incorporates elements of Gestalt Perceptual Psychology as she investigates the idea of the collective subconscious and documents the significant role that aesthetics play in our memories.Stefanie is a mom to two young boys, Weston, 8, and Rowan, 2, who are her greatest works of Art.Featured in this episodeFeatured deck: Radiant Crystal CardsConnect with StefanieWebsiteInstagramStefanie's show at Sparks GalleryAre you an interior designer or are you interested in Holistic Interior Design? Check out my membership program, the Design Coven! This program is a real-world industry mentorship for Holistic Interior Designers that has everything you won't find in traditional

YOutube https://youtu.be/iItOHgQtCIc https://uphillandintothewind.com David Reed has spent a lifetime studying the natural world, from his youth in the woods, his University training, his apprenticeship as a stonemason, and his travels on a bicycle, to his career as an award-winning landscape architect. A visual storyteller, David has guest lectured at the San Diego Museum of Art, Rutgers University, Kansas State University, The New School of Architecture, and other venues. His professional work has been published in Sunset Magazine, Garden Design Magazine, Building Stone Magazine, and other books and magazines. Uphill and Into the Wind is his debut memoir. But his literary work has been published in Outdoors Unlimited Magazine, A Year in Ink, the San Diego Writers, Ink Anthology and awarded at the Southern California Writers Conference. David believes that life is "out there," in the forest, and on the land, not inside the box. He currently resides in San Diego with his wife and family.

Bob Lehman, Executive Director of the San Diego Museum Council, chats about the "Kids Free San Diego" program that enables kids aged 12 and under to attend San Diego County museums free of charge during October's San Diego Museum Month. Lehman is joined by Patty McEvoy, Marketing Coordinator at the San Diego Railroad Museum, and B.J. Morgan, Marketing Manager at the Museum of Making Music, to talk about happenings at their respective museums.

As momentum continues to grow around the Land Back movement and Indigenous stewardship worldwide, the value of hearing from Elders who have long studied Indigenous traditions and lifeways, whether adopted or of their heritage, is a growing imperative. Their lived wisdom is essential, a gift and treasure for future generations, and continues the cycle of dynamic, intergenerational learning in the traditional way — the way of direct, felt experience and deep listening. This is an encore presentation of our 2022 conversation with Payoomkawish (Juaneño/Luiseño) Elder Richard Bugbee [https://www.indigenousregeneration.org/]. Hear him share insights from his decades of studying the way of plants. He emphasized the importance of reclaiming our ways of seeing, being and understanding the world by reclaiming Native languages and observing the world more closely. Enjoy provocative insights from an elder who has devoted his lifetime to the study of plants and their uses, re-learning of language, and the practice of material culture. For an extended version of this interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/posts/ethnobotany-fire-68593058 Richard Bugbee is Payoomkawish (also known as Payómkawichum Juaneño/Luiseño) from northern San Diego County. Richard has ties with multiple Indigenous nations including the Kumeyaay. He is an Instructor of Kumeyaay Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology at Cuyamaca College through Kumeyaay Community College [http://kumeyaaycommunitycollege.com/]. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS) [https://aicls.org/]. Richard is on the boards of Indigenous Regeneration (Mata'Yuum), Climate Science Alliance, and Inter-Tribal Fire Stewardship. Richard was the Curator of the Kumeyaay Culture Exhibit at the Southern Indian Health Council, the Associate Director/Curator of the San Diego American Indian Culture Center & Museum, and the Indigenous Education Specialist for the San Diego Museum of Man. He was a member of the Native American Council for California State Parks, California Indian Basketweavers Association ((CIBA), the Land ConVersation, and the Elders' Circle for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Richard has been learning traditional plant uses of southern California and the Kumeyaay language from Jane Dumas, a Kumeyaay Elder from Jamul Indian Village from 1980 to 2014. He was the ethnobotanist for the Traditional Indian Health Program through Riverside-San Bernardino Indian Health providing information on the interactions between traditional plant and pharmaceutical medicines. He teaches indigenous material cultures and traditional plant uses of southern California at many museums, botanical gardens, and reservations, and is an instructor for summer cultural programs for several Kumeyaay tribes. His goal is to use knowledge to serve as a bridge that connects the wisdom of the Elders with today's youth. Listen to our related show on Indigenous Regeneration from 2022: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/indigenous-regeneration-remembering-the-past-to-inspire-the-future/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/ethnobotany-cultural-fire-and-indigenous-stewardship-with-payoomkawish-elder-richard-bugbee/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Episode 140

The ILB Team welcomes to the virtual studio the Executive Team from the San Diego Museum of Beer - Twon, Michael, and Bruce - who graciously share the origin story of the Museum and a sneak peak at what will certainly be the ultimate Beer experience for visitors at the first ever Museum of Beer.

A new exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art will pair the works of Georgia O'Keefe and Henry Moore for the first time.

Neil Koenig, former BBC Producer/Director and now ideaXme board advisor interviews artist Shahzia Sikander. Neil Koenig comments: One aim of the ideaXme series is to Move the human story forward™. Is that something that art can help with? The artist Shahzia Sikander believes it can: “art is something that we learn to tell stories with. It's a means, a catalyst, but it also is how you are in pursuit of your own truth or a broader truth” she explains, “but then in that journey, what happens is how you negotiate a place in the world for future generations”. Shahzia Sikander was born in Pakistan and has lived and worked in New York since the 1990s. She has created works in many different forms, from miniatures to animation, sculpture and more. Her first major public art commission, “Havah..to breathe, air, life”, is currently on display in Madison Square Park in the heart of New York City. It includes some dramatic pieces, such as an 18 foot tall sculpture in the centre of the park, and another 8 foot high figure on the roof of a nearby courthouse, where it joins some existing works The show is on view until June 2023, after which it will move on to Houston. In this interview with ideaXme board advisor Neil Koenig, Shahzia Sikander talks about growing up and studying art in Pakistan, her interests in exploring notions of authenticity, assimilation, and “interstitial spaces that are harder to define”, and the role that technology might play in the future development of art. Biography  Shahzia Sikander (Pakistani, b.1969) is an artist based in New York City best known for her Mughal miniature painting as well as her Persian miniature painting. Sikander is also a performance artist, a muralist, a mixed media artist, and an installation artist. Having been taught the art of miniature painting in the traditional Pakistani technique, she adds her own modern take on the pieces, making her art unique. Religion plays a significant role in her work as well as her personal life, due to her Muslim beliefs. Through her work, she explores how Muslim women are challenged by the Western way of living. She has been known to wear a veil in public, though she did not do so prior to her relocation to the United States. She does so as an experiment to study how Westerners are affected by the tradition. Sikander attended the National College of Arts in Lahore and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1992. She studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and in 1995 she earned her Master of Fine Arts. Sikander's first solo exhibition took place in 1993 at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C. Many solo exhibitions followed, taking her to such places as the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris in New York in 2000 and The San Diego Museum of Art in California in 2004. In addition to the solo exhibitions, Sikander also participated in many group exhibitions, including those held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2005 and Museum Ludwig in Germany in 1999. Sikander received a number of awards, including the Shakir Ali Award/Kipling Award from the National College of Arts, Lahore in 1993, The Joan Mitchell Award in 1999, and the MacArthur Fellows Program in 2006. Sikander continues to impart her personal touch and some political and social views into what may be considered to be an impersonal and disciplined tradition. She continues to exhibit work all over the world and adjust her work to reflect the current status of her culture.

California-based artist and entrepreneur Tara Esperenza shares key takeaways from growing her painting career. From launching an organic ice cream company in the Bay Area to expanding her artistic practice and landing a solo exhibition, Tara encourages us to consistently show up for our dreams. Here's what we discuss:1. Why Tara is so fascinated by California's plant life, and the lessons she's learned from working so closely with her subject matter.2. What inspired Tara to launch an organic ice cream company, and how her work as an entrepreneur has influenced her creative practice.3. The power of showing up, putting ourselves out there, and approaching our art careers like professionals.4. Why we need to remember that it's never too late to get started!About Tara: Tara Esperanza earned a BFA in Painting and graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. In addition, she studied plein air painting in Brittany, France. Tara was born and raised in Massachusetts. Inspired by the light and landscape, she later moved to Santa Fe, NM. She now resides in Oakland, California where succulents grow all year long. Tara is a long distance runner and she studies plant life on her runs. She is inspired daily by the beauty that surrounds us and she captures images that live on through her art. All of the subjects of her paintings are seen through her eyes in nature.Tara has exhibited her paintings in galleries throughout California. As well as the San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Northern California Art in Chico. Tara has been featured in publications such as All She Makes Magazine, Women's United Art Movement Magazine, and Art Seen Magazine. Tara will also be featured in The MAGIC Issue #34 of Create Magazine. You will find her at Superfine Art Fair in San Francisco 3/23 - 26. Her next solo exhibition will be at Mercury 20 Gallery in Oakland CA 6/16 - 7/22, 2023.Follow Tara on Instagram: @taraesperanzaWebsite: taraesperanza.com Visit our website: visionaryartcollective.comFollow us on Instagram: @visionaryartcollective + @newvisionarymag Join our newsletter:visionaryartcollective.com/newsletter

In this episode of PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, Sasha and photographer, Andrea Modica discuss Andrea's latest book, Theatrum Equorum, published by TIS. Andrea and Sasha talk about the great women artists in her life that helped open doors for her and how not knowing if anyone would ever be interested in her work allowed Andrea to make the photographs she wanted to make. http://www.andreamodica.com https://www.tisbooks.pub/products/theatrum-equorum Andrea Modica was born in New York City and lives in Philadelphia, where she works as a photographer and teaches at Drexel University. She is a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar and the recipient of a Knight Award. Her books include Treadwell (Chronicle), Minor League (Smithsonian Press), Barbara (Nazraeli), Human Being (Nazraeli), Fountain (Stinehour Editions) and most recently As We Wait (L'Artiere), now in its second edition. Her most recent monograph is a collection of portraits of Mummer Wenches, titled January 1 (L'Artiere). Upcoming is a book of photographs made at a horse clinic in Italy, titled Clinica Equina Bagnarola (Tis Books). Her photographs have been featured in many magazines, including the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Newsweek and American Photo. Modica has exhibited extensively and has had solo exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts. Her photographs are part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the International Museum of Photography and Film at the George Eastman House, and the Bibliotheque Nationale.

 In this week's episode of Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast, host Jon Steinberg shares his list of 10 art museums to visit in the Southern California sprawl. His list includes: the Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa, the Bakersfield Museum of Art in Bakersfield, The Fresno Art Museum in Fresno, the Laguna Beach Art Museum in Laguna Beach, the San Diego Museum of Art in Museum, the Palm Springs Museum of Art in Palm Springs, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art in Santa Barbara, the Museum of Latin Art in Long Beach, LACMA in Mid-Wilshire and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.Instagram: @livinginthesprawlpodcastEmail: livinginthesprawlpodcast@gmail.comWebsite: www.livinginthesprawlpodcast.comCheck out our favorite CBD gummy company...it helps us get better sleep and stay chill. Use code "SPRAWL" for 20% off.  https://www.justcbdstore.com?aff=645Check out Goldbelly for all your favorite US foods to satisfy those cravings or bring back some nostalgia. Our favorites include Junior's Chessecakes from New York, Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza from Chicago and a philly cheesesteak from Pat's. Use the link https://goldbelly.pxf.io/c/2974077/1032087/13451 to check out all of the options and let them know we sent you.Use code "SPRAWL" for (2) free meals and free delivery on your first Everytable subscription.Support the podcast and future exploration adventures. We are working on unique perks and will give you a shout out on the podcast to thank you for your contribution!Living in the Sprawl: Southern California's Most Adventurous Podcast is on Podfanhttps://www.buymeacoffee.com/sprawl Support the show

Andrea Modica lives in Philadelphia and is a Professor of Photography at Drexel University. She received a BFA in Visual arts and Art History from State University of New York College at Purchased followed by an MFA at Yale University School of Art. Her photographs have been featured in many magazines, including the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Newsweek and American Photo. Modica has exhibited extensively and has had solo exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts. Currently, you can view her work at the Saginaw Art Museum as part of the exhibition Field of Vision. Listen in to learn more about Modica's process of using 8x10 camera to produce her photographs. http://www.andreamodica.com/ www.saginawartmuseum.org/fieldofvision2022 --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/templearts/support

One hospital in East County is bringing back a program that provides comfort and support to those who have no one else. In other news, the San Diego City Council met Monday to declare housing as a human right and discuss further tenant protections. Plus, there's a new contemporary art installation on view at the San Diego Museum of Art.

Did you know that even if you don't feel like you're creative, it IS within you?! Find out more in this fabulous convo with Tammy, talking all things creativity. Tammy is a Creativity Coach and artist who teaches the lessons in The Artists Way, a world-renowned book by Julia Cameron. There's lots of laughs, goosebumps AND gold nuggets.    Finding out what energizes you and drains you Owning your inner being Understanding you actually are creative and expressive in your own way Focusing and controlling your thoughts How vibration is the greatest gift Learning that you are more the instrument than the author of your work Ideas and creativity get much stronger when shared   “When we deny our creativity, we turn to our addictions”   Follow Tammy:   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tkrupchak    Artist profile: https://www.sdmaag.org/Sys/PublicProfile/40755994/4310749   San Diego Museum: https://www.sdmart.org/   Bounce Out of Bed hosted by Amanda Ewin, Lifestyle Coach.   Follow Amanda: Website: amandaewin.com Instagram: @amandaewin

As momentum continues to grow around the Land Back movement and Indigenous stewardship worldwide, the value of hearing from Elders who have long studied Indigenous traditions and lifeways, whether adopted or of their heritage, is a growing imperative. Their lived wisdom is essential, a gift and treasure for future generations, and continues the cycle of dynamic, inter-generational learning in the traditional way — the way of direct, felt experience and deep listening. Hear Payoomkawish (Juaneño/Luiseño) Elder Richard Bugbee [https://www.indigenousregeneration.org/] share insights from his decades of studying the way of plants. He emphasizes the importance of reclaiming our ways of seeing, being and understanding the world by reclaiming Native languages and observing the world more closely. Enjoy provocative insights from an elder who has devoted his lifetime to the study of plants and their uses, the reclamation of language, and the practice of material culture. Richard Bugbee is Payoomkawish (also known as Payómkawichum Juaneño/Luiseño) from northern San Diego County. Richard has ties with multiple Indigenous nations including the Kumeyaay. He is an Instructor of Kumeyaay Ethnobotany and Ethnoecology at Cuyamaca College through Kumeyaay Community College [http://kumeyaaycommunitycollege.com/]. He is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival (AICLS) [https://aicls.org/]. Richard is on the boards of Indigenous Regeneration (Mata'Yuum), Climate Science Alliance, and Inter-Tribal Fire Stewardship. Richard was the Curator of the Kumeyaay Culture Exhibit at the Southern Indian Health Council, the Associate Director/Curator of the San Diego American Indian Culture Center & Museum, and the Indigenous Education Specialist for the San Diego Museum of Man. He was a member of the Native American Council for California State Parks, California Indian Basketweavers Association ((CIBA), the Land ConVersation, and the Elders' Circle for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Richard has been learning traditional plant uses of southern California and the Kumeyaay language from Jane Dumas, a Kumeyaay Elder from Jamul Indian Village from 1980 to 2014. He was the ethnobotanist for the Traditional Indian Health Program through Riverside-San Bernardino Indian Health providing information on the interactions between traditional plant and pharmaceutical medicines. He teaches indigenous material cultures and traditional plant uses of southern California at many museums, botanical gardens, and reservations, and is an instructor for summer cultural programs for several Kumeyaay tribes. His goal is to use knowledge to serve as a bridge that connects the wisdom of the Elders with today's youth. Listen to our related show on Indigenous Regeneration from earlier this year: https://wilderutopia.com/ecojustice-radio/indigenous-regeneration-remembering-the-past-to-inspire-the-future/ Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Hosted by Carry Kim Intro by Jessica Aldridge Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Executive Producer: Jack Eidt Show Created by Mark and JP Morris Episode 140 Photo credit: Richard Bugbee

Chor Boogie, a.k.a. Joaquin Lamar Hailey, is a critically acclaimed spray paint artist. He was recently honored by Société Perrier as being number three among the Top Ten U.S. Street Artists. His visionary murals and art exhibitions have appeared all over the globe including venues such as the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Smithsonian, Museum of Public Arts in Baton Rouge, Museum of Art Puerto Rico,  the LA Art Fair, Torrance Art Museum in Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, Museum of Man in San Diego, San Diego Museum of Art, Children's Museum in San Diego, Syracuse University Museum, and the Vision Arts Festival in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.Chor uses his voice as an artist and public figure to raise awareness about indigenous African wisdom traditions. In 2014, Chor experienced a profound physical and spiritual healing with the aid of a traditional African Bwiti shaman and the African visionary sacred plant medicine, iboga. He then traveled to Africa to receive full initiation into his shaman's Bwiti tribe and undergo the traditional Bwiti men's Rite of Passage. Chor integrates traditional African imagery and elements of his iboga visions in select contemporary works, visually transmitting the very heart of the medicine and the Bwiti culture of healing.In this episode we discuss what Iboga is and the power it can bring to heal the soul.https://chorboogie.com/bio/Support the show

The stabbing of a 16-year-old Black girl in Lakeside earlier this month highlighted frustration around unchecked racism in East County. And change is coming to California's rooftop solar market, but when it arrives and what it will look like is a closely guarded secret. Plus, for our weekend arts preview, we have a new Broadway-bound musical, botanical designs at the San Diego Museum of Art and plenty of live music.

Bob Lehman, Executive Director of the San Diego Museum Council, is joined by Laura Hook, President of the Lemon Grove Historical Society, and Wendy Wilson-Gibson, Executive Director of the Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, to discuss San Diego Museum Month.

Looking for a truly unique gift this holiday season? Look no further than San Diego's 50-plus incredible museums! Bob from the San Diego Museum Council is here to take us ALL IN on Gifts from San Diego's Museums!

San Diego is seeing a steady increase in COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant. Plus, California is poised to become the first state in the nation to experiment with providing residents a guaranteed basic income. Then, an inside look at how one San Diego hospital system is expanding operations to deal with growing numbers of high-risk pregnancies. And, a former employee at the San Diego Museum of Art alleges that museum management fostered a culture that allowed sexual harassment to occur and is discriminatory against women of color employees. And, a new bilingual show produced by The San Diego Union Tribune and Los Angeles Times will cover news, entertainment and sports targeted to the region's Latino community.

A championship San Diego County high school basketball game-turned tortilla hurling fracas continues to make national headlines. It's what happened after the game that continues to dumbfound observers. Plus, the San Diego Unified School Board voted unanimously to fund an expansion of ethnic studies and anti-racism training, prompting some debate in the community over how much racism should be confronted in the classroom. And a joint effort by the city and county of San Diego to address homelessness is set to begin next week. Then, while early pandemic predictions of a tsunami of evictions seem unlikely, advocates are worried that there could still be a steady stream. Finally, Madrid-based contemporary artist Ana de Alvear's colored-pencil drawings call reality into question at San Diego Museum of Art.

Neil Kendricks is a filmmaker, artist, photographer, writer, educator Kendricks earned a Master's degree in Television, Film and New Media from San Diego State University in 2006. His award-winning short films like 2002's Loop have screened at numerous international film festivals including the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, the Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival, the 2002 Havana Film Festival, and a special short-film screening at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival's American Pavilion. Kendricks' photography has also been exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Art, the African-American Museum of Fine Arts, London's Royal College of Art, and many other venues. His first solo photography exhibition, Bruised Eye Candy was shown at San Diego's now-defunct Spacecraft gallery in February 2008. Kendricks also produced, production designed and storyboarded media theorist Jordan Crandall's film, Heatseeking, which was shown at inSITE 2000 and exhibited in the Whitney Museum of American Art's BitStream exhibition, the first digital-arts exhibition shown at a major American art museum.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends August  27th 2021. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references:https://museumofus.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-haddan-88a7ba93/ James Haddan has been a resident of San Diego since 1998, and has worked in the museum field for almost two decades. As the Senior Director of Development and External Communications at the Museum of Us (formerly the San Diego Museum of Man), he is responsible for building a community of support for the institution. Recently, he and Museum CEO, Micah Parzen, led the effort to publicly launch the Museum’s new name, which embraces a more equitable and accessible identity dedicated to anti-racism and decolonizing work. Mr. Haddan holds both a Bachelor of Environmental Design and Master of Arts in Anthropology from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. His graduate work was associated with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology and included underwater archaeology fieldwork at the 17th-century port city of Port Royal, Jamaica. Transcription:Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. In today's episode, I speak with James Haddan, Senior Director of Development and External Communications at the Museum of Us in San Diego. We discuss the multifaceted process of decolonization and the process of changing the museum's 40-year-old name. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: James, it is absolutely lovely to have you on the podcast today. Thank you for joining me. James Haddan: Well, thank you, Kelly, for having me. I'm really looking forward to our chat.Kelly Molson: So am I. But first, icebreaker questions, as always. James, I know that you're a regular listener to the podcast, so you kind of know what's in store for you. What talent would you most like to grow and develop?James Haddan: I would really like to improve my ability with languages. That's something that I've tried over time and have not been really very good at keeping up and someday, in retirement, I'd love to live abroad, and so I really feel like I don't want to be one of those Americans living in a country that refuses to speak any other language but English. And so, I'd like to work on that.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I always say.. Yeah. It's that Brit abroad. For us, I always call it that Brit abroad thing where you go, okay, well, I'm going to go and retire to Spain, but I'm never going to learn a single word of Spanish. I'm just going to speak English the whole time there, so yeah. It's not the right thing to do. What language? What have you tried, or what would you like to learn?James Haddan: So, I did kind of that requisite year or two of high school French in the United States, which I didn't really learn much of anything. In college, I studied German, and in my graduate program, we actually were required to be able to translate in a foreign language. So, I actually, for a period of time, could read German. It wasn't a conversational knowledge of the language, but I could translate it. The German has left me, basically. James Haddan: So what I've been working on now, and I just started it in the pandemic, and please don't ask me to show it off because I'm not ready for that. I'm trying to learn some Portuguese. I really love Portugal. But Portuguese, the pronunciation is really difficult for me. I don't find it natural at all. Kelly Molson: Okay. It's interesting you mention German, actually, because we did French and German at school. And you could choose which one you went on and did for your GCSEs. And I chose German because it was the easier language because it was quite masculine.James Haddan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).Kelly Molson: It felt more similar to the British language. James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: And so I found it easier to say. And that's why I went with German. But it has left me as well. I've been on the Duolingo app. I started doing Duolingo and learning in Spanish in lockdown. And I've been really consistent, so I've done it every day. I think I'm on a 190 day streak at the moment.James Haddan: I am on 390 of a streak of Portuguese.Kelly Molson: Whoa. We should hook up on there. I'll find you.James Haddan: I have been amazed at myself, but it does make it easy. It's not a long period of time, and I do feel like it's okay for me to pick it up for 10 minutes and it's-Kelly Molson: Yeah. I love that. Oh good. Okay. Well, I will find you on there and we'll hook up and we'll spur each other on to learn our languages. Okay, next one. What's the worst movie that you've ever watched?James Haddan: I will say, it's the worst in some ways, but I love it. It's one of those movies that I love but it... It's that Flash Gordon that was done in the eighties, I think. Kelly Molson: Film.James Haddan: And I really love the movie, but it was.Kelly Molson: It's not aged well.James Haddan: Yeah. But I loved it. But I kind of loved hated it, yeah.Kelly Molson: So, that's one of those movies, it's so bad it's good.James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: Yeah. I love Flash Gordon. I think that's a great film. I might, I need to watch that now. Okay. Next one. If you could be in the Guinness World of Records, what record-breaking feat would you attempt?James Haddan: Oh. That's really a tough one. It would have to do with travel. I think it would be places visited or something... I know that's really kind of tough to do, but I'm really obsessed with travel and so, it would be something having to do with travel.Kelly Molson: All right. That's cool. I was thinking of something eating for me.James Haddan: Well, and that was my kind of backup one, that I almost said, was around pasta. Because, but then I think of, oh, the process of eating it for those eating challenges always seems so awful, and it would probably make me not ever want to eat pasta again. And so, that's why I switched over, but I also had an initial urge to choose eating pasta, or some kind of Italian food.Kelly Molson: A couple of years ago, my agency, Rubber Cheese, we did a big year-long charity fundraiser, and one of the challenges that we did was to try and break the world record for eating a can of cheddar cheese Pringles in the fastest amount of time. And we did break the world record for that. Not myself, personally, I was dreadful at it, but I have never eaten a cheese Pringle ever since. Ruined cheese Pringles for me for life, so. All right, James. What is your unpopular opinion?James Haddan: So, my unpopular opinion, which will be more unpopular in the United States probably than in the UK is that our crispy bacon is an abomination. Our idea of taking streaky bacon and essentially nuking it until it's just a piece of ash is horrible. I just don't understand why we insist on doing that to bacon. It seems like such a bad thing to do for lovely pigs who gave their lives for this delicious meat and we just shouldn't do that to bacon.Kelly Molson: I'm with you. I don't understand that. The whole making it, it shouldn't be rock hard, should it? James Haddan: Yeah.Kelly Molson: That's not nice. James Haddan: Yeah. It shouldn't shatter when you go in to bite it. And so I find when I'm in England, I have a much better experience with bacon because they don't assume that I want it... Well, sometimes because if they hear me speak and know I'm American, assume that I want it that way, but. It's like no, just prepare it the way you would normally prepare it. Kelly Molson: All right. Come to the UK, it's all about the good bacon. James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: Selling the UK well.James Haddan: A bacon sandwich in the Uk is a wonderful thing.Kelly Molson: Completely agree with you on that one, James. Right. Let's get into the good stuff.James Haddan: Okay.Kelly Molson: So, James, you are, currently, Senior Director of Development and External Communications at the Museum of US in San Diego. Tell us a little bit about your career. How did you get to that point?James Haddan: So, it's been a long and varied route. And so I'll try to do the CliffsNotes version of it. But I kind of wanted to start off by saying I was one of those students growing up that loved so many different things to study. I loved architecture, I loved art, I loved the built environment, I loved archaeology. And so I was one of those students, I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted to do when I went to college, but I felt like I needed to make a decision and I started right away with aerospace engineering and immediately in the first week or two of that, said, no, this isn't going to be a good idea. Changed my major very quickly to architecture. James Haddan: And so, I did a bachelor's degree in... I went to Texas A&M and their program was a four-year undergraduate degree called environmental design, which then moved to a master's degree in architecture. And, so I did and completed the four years Bachelor of Environmental Design degree and I really loved that degree. But at the end of it, I realized that I would be a very mediocre architect and the world didn't need another mediocre architect. And so I was at a crossroads, I didn't know what to do. I wasn't very employable with that degree and so, like many people will do, oh, I'll just get a master's degree. James Haddan: And I really loved archaeology. And so I decided I would get a Master's degree in Anthropology, specialisation in Archeology. Again, I'm sure my parents and family were like, that's not a great decision in the job field. And so, why are you doing that? But I followed my heart and I was glad that I did that and in my anthropology program, my archaeology program, I worked with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M, which is very famous, and did my fieldwork in Port Royal, Jamaica, which is a 17th century English port city that sank into what is now Kingston Harbour. And our program had been excavating there for about 10 years. So, really, very interesting work that I really loved doing. But I also, in that process, decided that a PhD and an academic life for me in archaeology or anthropology also wasn't really meant for me. James Haddan: And while I was doing my graduate work, I was invited to be a graduate assistant at an art gallery on campus. And the curator of the gallery wanted a graduate assistant who had really good research skills and also had good design skills. And he said "I would love an architecture student, but they just don't have time, and especially in their master's program, to work away from the studio. And I would love an anthropology student because they're really great at research, but they don't have any design background." So he kind of reached out to both departments. Well, both departments knew me and said oh, we have the unicorn for you.Kelly Molson: The perfect fit.James Haddan: The perfect fit. And so, I went over and I met with him and he was delighted and I started and that's where I started to realise that a role for myself in a museum was possible. That I had some really good skills that would work in the field. So that kind of lit the fire for me with the professional idea that I could work in museums. So, when I finished graduate school, I had moved to Phoenix to be with my partner, who had finished his graduate program a little earlier and already had a job. He was an engineer. He had a sensible job. James Haddan: And we moved to Phoenix and I was hired by the Arizona Historical Society to head an exhibits project that they were doing. They were opening a new museum. And I worked for them for about five and a half years and it was a really invaluable experience. I was very young and I didn't realize at the time the kind of amount of responsibility I was given. But people had just given me a lot to do and project manage and deal with grants and all kinds of things. Really, really gave me a great foundation to work in the museum field. Great job. James Haddan: I didn't really want to spend the rest of my life in Phoenix. And I had occasionally come to San Diego on holiday as many people in Phoenix do. It's hot in the desert and you drive six hours and you're by the seaside, and it's a very Mediterranean lovely climate. So I wanted to move to San Diego. So I just quit my job. I moved to San Diego. My partner, by that time, was my ex-partner. He had a spare room and he very graciously said you can stay with me rent-free. And so I loaded up, I moved to San Diego, and I got a job at the San Diego Natural History Museum as their Director of Membership. James Haddan: There's a long story about that, but I won't bore you about that. So, I was hired there and that was my first kind of work in the development realm. And my boss there, whose name was Anne Laden, and she was an amazing fundraiser and an amazing mentor. And she taught me so much. And I was there about four years and just kind of soaked in everything that she was doing. She was running this 30 million dollar capital campaign to build a new wing, and I just kind of soaked all of that up.James Haddan: I took a little detour after that. I decided I wanted to try something outside the nonprofit realm. I worked in healthcare for nine years, which taught me that I really wanted to be back in museums. And when I made that decision, the very day that I made the decision that I wanted to get back into the museum field, I started looking online for jobs. I looked at, what then was the San Diego Museum of Man, which is an anthropology museum, and that was my field of graduate study. And I had been to the museum but the kind of the old version of the museum wasn't very exciting for me. But I thought well, I'll see if they have a job. James Haddan: Well, they had a development manager job. And so I thought, I'll give it a try. I sent in my materials, and they called me right away and interviewed me. And in that studying up for the interview process, getting to know the museum actually before my interview, I realised that the museum was in a whole new direction from what it was. So suddenly, I was really excited and thought, oh, this will be a really wonderful place to work and I hope I get this job. And I got the job. And then, I've been at the museum since 2013, and my role has grown over time. And so, now I'm heading the department that I first started in. Kelly Molson: I love hearing how people's careers are so squiggly. James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: There's a great podcast in the UK called Squiggly Careers. I think it's Helen Tupper that is the host of it. And it is fabulous. And it is all about these kinds of weird little directions that we take, that brings us to the perfect place. James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: Now, this is what I want to talk about. So, you mentioned earlier that the museum was known as the San Diego Museum of Man. And I think that was, it had been named that for over 40 years-James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: So it's a really long time. But now it's called the Museum of Us. What is it that prompted that change and how has this come about, that the museum has changed? Because there's quite a big story to this that I want to delve a little bit deeper into.James Haddan: Sure. So it's really interesting. We've done a bit of digging on the history of the name. First of all, the museum was founded in 1915 for the California Panama Exposition. We're located in Balboa Park, which was built for the Exposition. Its original name was not San Diego Museum of Man. It was a very kind of bland name, like California, San Diego Museum Association, or... I'm drawing a bit of a blank on that actually now. But in the forties, it became the Museum of Man and then, later on, San Diego was added to it too. So, it had that name for quite a bit of time and was very, that name, when you came to the museum, it was one of those anthropology museums that you expect to see of that time period. It was about ancient civilisations. Come see the exhibit on the Maya, come see an exhibit on ancient Egypt. James Haddan: Over time, and especially kind of beginning in the seventies, but you see it also in the eighties, there started to be a lot of kind of rumbling in the community about the name. And really, a lot of this was tied to kind of the Equal Right Amendment. Things that were going on at the same time in the United States about language and how our language tends to be very patriarchal and the use of man in that sense of it being humanity. It's really an old use of the word, which really wasn't used anymore in everyday speech. Academics might use it, but in everyday speech, it wasn't. James Haddan: And so, really in the late eighties, early nineties, there was even kind of petition drives that were submitted to the museum and said, "Please consider changing your name. We don't feel welcome with that name.Kelly Molson: Right.James Haddan: It sounds very patriarchal name, a very sexist name, and so please change it." And there were... Actually, the board considered it. At that time, there was a formal kind of membership that had to review those kinds of things. I think there was a vote that said, no, we're not going to change our name. But really, beginning in the nineties, there was a lot of talk about changing our name. And so that's when it really started. James Haddan: And so, in the last 10 years, when we really began changing what we do as a museum, which I think we'll probably talk about in a bit, we also really realised that that old name, the San Diego Museum of Man, didn't fit with what work the museum was doing now. There was really a brand disconnect.Kelly Molson: Okay. Cool. So, one of the things I want to talk about today, and I think it's a really interesting subject, but it's also quite a challenging subject to talk about and discuss about what, the changes that you've made. But it's about the decolonisation initiatives that you've run. Can you tell us when that started and what you've done to kind of facilitate that happening?James Haddan: Sure. Well, it's a very long process and it will be an ongoing process for decades. I mean, you don't decolonise a 100 plus year institution, and museums are, in many ways, deeply colonial structures, as institutions. So you just don't magically undo that. But I always look at, a turning point really for me in decolonising work was, we were talking about it, as I said, I've been here since 2013, and we were talking about it when I started. And I'm sure even before then. James Haddan: Our director came in 10 years ago, Micah Parzen. And so this has been an interest of his for a long time. But really in 2017, we submitted a grant request to IMLS, which is the Institute of Museum and Library Services in the United States. It's a government agency. And we submitted a very large grant to formally start decolonizing practices at the museum. So $300,000 plus grant, and we were awarded it. The review committee was really thrilled to see the museum really want to tackle this in a formal kind of way. And it was essentially a pilot project for us to start working with the Kumeyaay community. James Haddan: And the museum and San Diego, we're all located on Kumeyaay land. This whole land that was settled by Spanish and American settlers was the home of the Kumeyaay and continues to be the home of the Kumeyaay. And so there is a long history there. The cultural materials that we have, much of them are Kumeyaay materials. And so this grant really started that process for us to start building a relationship with the Kumeyaay community about the materials that we hold and to start really consulting with them in ways.James Haddan: And I'll talk, I'll really point to two pieces of really policy decisions that we made about the same time or as this process had gone. The first one was a policy on human remains, where the board formally decided that we would not exhibit human remains without the consent of descendant communities. So we pulled any human remains that we had on display. And so that was one of the first steps.James Haddan: The second step, which is even a bigger step, is called the colonial pathways policy. And what that, in a nutshell, it's a long policy, but what it does is it says that we will be consulting with descendant communities to see what materials that we should continue to hold. So, if materials came into our holdings through any kind of colonial path, we will return those to the descendant communities. And that's a big deal in the museum world. James Haddan: And so, those were some of the two key kinds of pieces of work. Now, since that time, the decolonizing efforts have expanded in every department, including my development department. We are finding ways to move forward in ways that embrace a decolonial paradigm to the work that we are doing. So, it's an ongoing process, but I really look to that IMLS grant as one of the first steps and then those two policy decisions that our board, and I can't kind of give enough kudos to our board for really taking a lead on that. And so, a lot of work had to be done building a board that was ready to make those kinds of decisions.Kelly Molson: How did you go about engaging with the community to do this? Because it's fabulous that those steps were taken. Absolutely the right thing to do. How do you then put that into practice? How do you engage with the community to understand what they want you to do? James Haddan: That's a great question. There are a lot of different layers to that. So, one of the key parts of that is to start having Indigenous and Native American people in the decision making positions on your staff. And so, for example, we have a Director of Decolonizing Initiatives, whose name is Brandie MacDonald and she's Choctaw and Chickasaw, and she's part of the four-member kind of senior executive team of the museum. So she is right in there with all the keys decisions being made at the museum.James Haddan: There's also a past history of the museum with the Kumeyaay community that wasn't a good one. I mean, the Kumeyaay community looked at the museum, rightly so, as an organisation that had their cultural patrimony and shouldn't have it and displayed it in ways that they weren't happy about. So, we needed to start truth-telling about that in the exhibits that we have and we also needed to apologise for that. James Haddan: And so our senior, our director, our deputy director, really our CEO and our Deputy Director went and have apologised for what we have done in the past and have really committed to changing those practices, but not surprisingly, those kinds of things are looked upon with a great deal of scepticism. So, it takes action to start building trust. And so, we're still building trust, but we've started. And we're making progress.Kelly Molson: That's wonderful. And like you say, it's not a quick fix, is it? It's something that going to progress and change over time. How granular do you look at those decisions that you're making now? In terms of, for instance, if there's a new exhibit that you'd like to showcase, do you consult with the community before that happens to make sure that they're happy for you to exhibit those artefacts? How detailed do you go? James Haddan: So that's really interesting because we've done a couple kind of pilots and tests, some kind of small work. For example, with our existing Kumeyaay exhibit, we were partially closed because of a seismic retrofit to our California tower, which is a very famous icon, and during that time, we had to close our Kumeyaay exhibit. And so we thought, this is a perfect time to kind of consult with the Kumeyaay community, which we were already doing, and at least ask what shouldn't be on display. What should we at least take off of display that you don't want us to? So, that gave us kind of the first taste of what do we do, and at least make this exhibit that is decades old less problematic. It still needs to change. James Haddan: But also during that process, and during this first IMLS grant, we were really working with the Kumeyaay and finding out, well, what did they want us to do next? What do they see this museum helping kind of elevate their voice? And they said you need a new Kumeyaay exhibit. You are not talking about us in the way that we want to be presented to the world, and not surprisingly, you don't know anything about us. You are white scholars who aren't Kumeyaay. James Haddan: And so, we just, in this last year, received a second grant from IMLS to actually work on the new Kumeyaay exhibit. And so we're really going to be trying to figure that out because it's that whole process because we want it to be a community-driven exhibit. We want the Kumeyaay community to tell us how their story should be told and to be a part of that. And not just consulting occasionally, but to be with it every step of the way. What's on display, what's on the design, where does it go in the exhibit, in the museum, all of those kinds of things. James Haddan: And so, when I say our decolonising work is a process, it's a process. And sometimes it's messy and we make mistakes. But we're trying to learn how to do it correctly. And so we're still in that process.Kelly Molson: And what's the reaction been from the Kumeyaay community? And then also, other communities that would visit the museum. How have people responded to the changes that you've made?James Haddan: So, I don't know and I wouldn't want to speak for the Kumeyaay on what their impression is of what our work is. From what I see with the partnerships that we've been building through our IMLS work, there's also NAGPRA work, which is another government type of work about the repatriation of ancestors and associated grave goods. It feels like trust is building and so I think that that means that, or is an indicator that there is some happiness about the work that's going. But I don't want to speak for them in any way. James Haddan: I will give one example that I feel shows, it really kind of impacted staff quite a bit. So, we had a visitor to the museum from the Maasai community, an ambassador from the Maasai community, and he was visiting and there was contact between our cultural resources staff and he wanted to come to see what we might have from his community. And so he can in and our staff pulled everything that we, as far as we knew, were Maasai materials. James Haddan: And the first question that we asked him was, should we have these? Should we even have these and should we be stewarding these for your community? And he said, "Yes, it's fine for you to have these. There's nothing that you have in your holdings here that you shouldn't have. But what you should be doing is caring for them differently."James Haddan: We use this very western, European sort of approach to stewarding materials. And so we wrap things in acid-free materials or sometimes different kinds of plastics, and I'm probably using the wrong terms, I'm not a conservator. But he said... And there was specifically a spear that he was looking at. And he said, "You really need to be rubbing this with lamb's fat, for example. And it's dead the way you're taking care of it. It can't live this way."James Haddan: And so, we started following the cultural care practices that he asked for us to do. And it's amazing how that spear changed. Suddenly, it shines in a different way. And it does feel like it's alive again. And so, from those kinds of reactions, it feels like we're on the right track and that we're doing the right thing morally.Kelly Molson: There's so many layers to that, isn't there?James Haddan: Mm-hmm (affirmative).Kelly Molson: When you start to engage with the community where these items have come from. You would never have known that at all about that artefact. James Haddan: Yeah.Kelly Molson: You would never, you wouldn't have read about that anywhere unless that man had told you about it. James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: It's fascinating.James Haddan: And then it also means that I think that if we at some point in time, put that item on display, then also we have a contact who we can talk to and say, how should it be displayed? What story should we tell about this item? And then we can also feel good about it being on display and not feel like we are doing harm or causing trauma to a community by putting it on display.Kelly Molson: So how does this, if we just take a step back and go back to the name change, how have those things run in parallel with each other because they are intertwined, aren't they?James Haddan: They are very much intertwined. And I think we started kind of again, bringing up this idea of a name change two years, in 2018, we actually hired a firm to help us kind of start navigating the process around a name change. To have us kind of start testing names and all of those kinds of activities. We wanted to engage stakeholders with a name and no one was kind of sure what a name should, nobody had any name that just popped to their minds that seemed like a good one. James Haddan: But we knew we wanted to change our name. Also in those discussions, it was interesting because we were kind of told, don't change your name though, until your name, your name or your brand, until the experience in the museum is much different. You don't want there to be a disconnect between having a new name and then the visitor experience be very much different, not be very much different. James Haddan: And so in the back of our minds, we kept thinking, okay, well, at some point, we want to do this multimillion-dollar capital campaign and completely reimagine the visitor experience to the museum. And we had engaged this firm to help us start planning for that and had some really exciting plans around that. We still do. But it will cost a lot of money to make happen and that kind of capital campaign will take some years. We're not quite ready to do that yet. James Haddan: And so when we were thinking about changing our name, we kept thinking, okay, well, we've now gone out to the communities starting in 2018 saying we want to change our name but we're not quite ready to have a whole new visitor experience. How are we going to time this? This is really, this is hard to do and we, by that point in time, we had it kind of narrowed down to three names that we were thinking about. And then, the pandemic happened.James Haddan: Be honest, was part of the thing and I think, like many institutions, we started looking at ourselves and saying, how do we come out of this as a better version of ourselves? What can we learn from this time to make ourselves better? And we did a lot of self-examination and we realized that as an institution, we were already so much different than what we were 10 years ago, we were embracing and really doing all this decolonizing work. We have an exhibit called Race: Are We So Different? where we really tackle that whole idea about systemic racism and white privilege and all of those kinds of things. And that had become the centre point of our education programs. James Haddan: And so we're doing all this antiracism work. We were doing this decolonizing work. We were doing much more work in the social justice sphere. And we were doing, in the kind of traditional collecting of artefacts and showing artefacts from ancient civilizations. And that old name is associated with those old activities. Kelly Molson: Mm-hmm (affirmative).James Haddan: And we really realised that the old name didn't match what we were doing now. And it was causing a disconnect for people coming in. You come in with that old name and you start seeing, even though we still have some exhibits that are older, but we have new exhibits as well. So there's kind of a mixture. So there's a bit of a disconnect there. And we suddenly realised that no, we really needed to change our name. We had outgrown that old name. Or maybe that not the right word, but we weren't in the same place as that old name was. And we really needed to change the name to be in line with the work that we were doing now.Kelly Molson: Yeah. Even though, in the sense of the visitor experience, it hasn't changed that much in terms of how you walk around the building. James Haddan: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Actually, the initiatives that you have are so different from what they used to be-James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: It was the right time to make that change. It's interesting, isn't it? That the pandemic has kind of, one of the positives of it is that it's given people a little bit of time to sit back and kind of be static and look at what's already been achieved up until this point.James Haddan: Yeah, and I think it also gave us permission... In our mind, we couldn't launch a new name without spending a huge amount of money and having everything, every sign redone, and every graphic, a whole new website, and all of those kinds of things. And so then when you think about well, oh, that's going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, to make that a reality. James Haddan: Suddenly we realised during the pandemic, people are probably going to forgive us if we don't do it in that way right now. Kelly Molson: Yeah.James Haddan: And so, there's actually now, our team was much reduced because of the pandemic. And so, now, I oversee development and marketing and I think the staff had previously been say, eight, it depends how you count them. And now there's two of us. Kelly Molson: Gosh.James Haddan: So there's me and Kelsey Pickert, who is just the greatest partner to have, in crime, so to speak. And we made it happen. We worked with a wonderful graphic designer named Helen Good, who had worked with us in the past, when we had been kind of working with stakeholder groups about the museum and things. And we contracted with her and we figured out a way to launch a new name and new brand. It's a transitional brand right now because we wanted to kind of let the community get used to fact that the old name is going away. But we did the first round in six weeks. Kelly Molson: Wow.James Haddan: Yeah. The board voted to change the name at the end of June 2020. That's when they officially picked the new name. And we had graphics ready to go. We had hoped that we might be able to reopen in July, so we'd kind of given ourselves a July deadline to kind of launch it. And we were ready to go, but we weren't allowed to reopen at that period in time and so we just kind of waited for a bit. And then months went by, and we weren't sure when we were going to be able to reopen. And we weren't sure when should we announce the new name and we finally just decided to do it in August, even though we weren't reopened. James Haddan: So we announced the name on August 2. The new name and had a front-page local news story about it. It ended up being picked up all over the world. The story went all over the world, the name change. And so then we had a brief reopening in September with the new name.James Haddan: It's interesting because we just installed the permanent sign on the exterior of the building in December and when we posted that on social media, I think it suddenly sunk into many people that we were serious, that the name really changed. Because people, all of a sudden, you changed your name. Well, yes, months ago. Kelly Molson: I can't believe how much you achieved in such a short space of time. I'm laughing because having worked with cultural organisations before, we all know that things do take an awful lot of time to get signed off. So that's a massive achievement.James Haddan: Yeah.Kelly Molson: With a team of two and your graphic designer. So, yeah. Hats off to you. I'd like to ask, there will be, in the UK no doubt, and I know this podcast gets listened to all over the world, thank you, listeners, there'll be other museums that will be thinking about this or starting this process or trying to understand how they start this process. What would be your best advice to those museums that are considering going down this path? James Haddan: So, I think one obvious one is for it not to be performative. For people to really think it through and to make sure that they are doing internal changes within their organisation because if you haven't started that work internally, the external communities that you start working with can feel that. And understandably don't want to be a part of that kind of tokenised process of being a performative process. James Haddan: They really have to understand that this is something that you're committed too, that's why I mentioned our board and our CEO earlier. This is a leadership shift and change that we have. And there also needs to be changes in leadership. We have a board which is, and I don't have the percentages right in front of me, but I think it's around half of the people of colour and I think more women on the board than men. And we have Native Americans on staff.James Haddan: So you have to start making your institution reflective of your community if you expect to be able to have a conversation and work with the community that you need to work with. And I want to be really clear about saying we still have a lot of work to do in that. We're not where we want to be in that. But I think after a number of years now, at least people are seeing that we're committed to it and that we're making real structural changes. Kelly Molson: Thank you, James. I think this has been such an interesting discussion and I really respect how honest you've been about the process that you've gone through and the changes that you've made, so thank you.Kelly Molson: We always ask our guests about a book that they would recommend. Now it can be a book that you love, it can be a book that's helped shape your career in some way. What have you chosen for us today?James Haddan: So, I have chosen Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva. And I think it's a really brilliant book. And it's not a really long read and he writes in a way that really engaging and easy to digest. A lot of really kind of substantial ideas, but around philanthropy and the whole kind of nonprofit sector. And how the colonial paradigm is deeply embedded in that. And that to start making changes in other systems, we're going to have to start making changes there. James Haddan: And he really approaches it from idea of approaching it with an idea around Indigenous healing and how philanthropy, if it changes in certain ways, can be a part of the healing process. And I just think it's a really brilliantly written book and it's in a way that makes you think about those things differently but I think also doesn't scare you. It inspires you but doesn't scare you.James Haddan: I think a lot of these ideas are really scary for people because change can be scary. And so sometimes you need to read about it in ways where you realise that this sort of community healing is good for us all. When we help communities that have suffered and experienced trauma, it helps us all. Kelly Molson: Completely agree. What a perfect book for this podcast. As ever, listeners, if you would like to be with the chance of winning this book if you head over to our Twitter account, and you retweet this episode announcement with the comment, "I want James' book", then you will be in with a chance of winning it. Kelly Molson: James, before we go, I want to just go back, because there was a question that I wanted to ask that I completely missed off. You have reopened now in the US-James Haddan: Yes.Kelly Molson: Which is super exciting. It's really, it's so lovely to hear about positive reopening stories. What's next for the museum in terms of the initiatives that you have running?James Haddan: So our big initiative is really around, I mentioned that even my department, development and marketing, is embracing decolonising strategies. And so we have initiated this program called Membership on Us, which means for the price of a single-day admission, you have a membership to the museum for the rest of the year. James Haddan: And so, for the price of daily admission, you can come back as many times as you want over and over during the year. And we've done away with that traditional membership structure, which is very embedded in this idea of if you can pay more, you receive more benefits, you're treated differently at the museum, all of those kinds of things that are really antithetical to what the Museum of Us, which is about all of us, is about. And we want everyone to have a more equitable way of accessing the work that we do. James Haddan: And so we announced this new program just before we reopened, and we really think that it goes hand in hand with our new name, with the decolonizing work that we're doing and we're really super excited about it. And the response has already been really off the chart, really.Kelly Molson: Oh, that's really excellent to hear. That's really, really excellent to hear. James, thank you. I've really enjoyed this conversation. What I want to know though is next time you're in the UK, are you going to hit me up so that we can go for a bacon sandwich together? James Haddan: I definitely will. Kelly Molson: I'll introduce you to my favourite place to get a good cup of tea. James Haddan: I can't wait.Kelly Molson: James, thank you so much for coming on the podcast. It's been a pleasure. James Haddan: Thank you.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five-star review. It really helps us others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast. 

Alessandra Moctezuma is Gallery Director and Professor of Art at San Diego Mesa College, where she leads the Museum Studies program and teaches courses on Chicano Art. She earned Bachelor of Art and Master of Fine Arts (Painting/Printmaking) degrees from UCLA. She is also ABD for a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literature at the State University in New York, Stony Brook. Besides teaching and curating, Ms. Moctezuma has been actively involved in the San Diego arts community. Besides being on the board of the Women’s Museum of California she is also a board member of the Women’s Museum of California, Medium Photography and Friends of the Villa Montezuma and the San Diego Museum of Art’s Latin American Arts Council. Ms. Moctezuma has extensive experience as a curator, as an artist and as public art administrator. Besides working as gallery director at Mesa College, Ms. Moctezuma has organized exhibits for the Oceanside Museum of Art (Borderless Dreams, 2005 and Through a Lens Sharply, 2006) and unDocumenta (2017) as part of the Getty’s initiative Pacific Standard Time LA/LA and for the Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach. LINKS: Alessandras Website Museum Studies/Gallery at Mesa College Union Tribune 2021 in the arts Bread & Salt Website Pan y Sal Podcast in Spanish Hosted by Griselda Rosas

Researchers at UC San Diego estimate that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was likely circulating undetected for at most two months before the first human cases of COVID-19. Plus, distance learning during the pandemic has only worsened students' achievement gap from marginalized communities and those growing up in privilege. But could there be some long-term benefits to this experience? And this weekend in the arts: Cauleen Smith at the San Diego Museum of Art, outdoor Afro-Cuban jazz at Queen Bee’s, a year of virtual civic organ concerts and "There's Something About the Weather of This Place," at Best Practice gallery in Barrio Logan.

Marianela de la Hoz b. 1956, México 2014 San Diego Art Prize Recipient her work can be found in collections from Mexico,the USA,Canada, Japan, Dubai,Germany, among others Fundación Cultural Bancomer, México Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey, México Fundación Cultural Noval, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego CA Museum of Latin American Art, Long Beach CA Artist Website The Mexican Museum Bread & Salt Website Pan y Sal Podcast (from the Artists Website) My painting is intimate, like those lockets in which they used to keep the portrait of the loved one, a lock of hair, a love letter. It recreates the internal world of the small drawers of our wardrobe in which we keep grieves and happiness, love and hate, sins, dreams, secrets, guilt and profound feelings that we take out once in a while like with do with a photo album with images of our history and reality. The intention of my work is to make the observer come closer to discover the fine details and once he or she is near he or she will remain captive, getting inside and enlightening the mechanisms of their conscience, giving him or her the opportunity to fix their eyes in those details we often leave unnoticed. The artworks talk about the binds, the closures, the double moral, the atavisms, the “must be”, the separation of body and soul, of body and head. I express violence through fantasy, black humor and sarcasm. I call it “White Violence”, i.e. small format paintings depicting characters nicely groomed, with combed hair and perfect teeth, with only a small drop of blood when necessary, all representing a scene in which extreme situations are performed. The content of my work is based on reality and the paintings confront today’s troubled times. I am inspired by the blood ligatures among human beings, the same weaknesses, addictions and worries, the eternal combination of good and bad in each and everyone, the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde within ourselves. I am always searching that bond located inside us, in our blood and in our conscience. Like a researcher I put under the microscope a drop of the blood of each theme, each painting, I analyze it without moral judgments, I only observe its composition, hence the small formats, the observer approaches the lens to peer into a miniature world, to introduce a key and enter armed with a magnifying glass, expecting to come close enough to hear a whisper, to feel a pinch, to discover a hidden secret, to crack a smile before a subtlety loaded with black humor. The contents, the formats, the technique, the texts (written thoughts), all conform a different work of art and invite the observer to approach, to get closer and closer, thinking perhaps that by being small they are harmless; and once he or she is close enough, he or she will be trapped in the spider web. Size is not what really maters in a work of art, the impact gets to the observer when he notices more often the minuscule details that are the reflex that builds little by little our own lives. Even though you will find in my work many references about my Mexican heritage the real essence of the themes I depict are inherent to the human beings nature, they become universal. My art could best be described as reality portraiture set in fantastic theatrical scenes, an intimate and sometimes terrifying mirror in which I look at myself and you look at yourself, perhaps finding some personal connection in that nearness.

Art is about humanity, if you ask Roxana Velásquez, because it teaches us about ourselves and others. In this episode, the director of SDMA talks about her lifelong love of art, her curation philosophy and how she put the Balboa Park museum on an international map.

Today on the Southern California Real Estate Report we talk about the Ferris Wheel that may be coming to Balboa Park. The Farris Wheel will be at the Plaza de Panama between the San Diego Museum of Art and the Timken Museum. It will have 36 enclosed gondolas and will fit up to 8 passengers. The hope is that the attraction will bring new energy to the Park.

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcastIf you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this episode.Competition ends March 31st 2021. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references:A dynamic and proven senior manager with over 20 years’ experience within the leisure and heritage sectors.  Paul has been Head of Operations for the Mary Rose Museum. Head of Visitor Operations for the London Historic Properties at English Heritage. Guest lecture at Southampton Solent University in Contemporary Tourism. In July 2018 was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business for services to Tourism, Heritage and Conservation.www.painshill.co.ukwww.twitter.com/Painshillwww.facebook.com/painshillparkwww.linkedin.com/in/paul-griffiths-63432763 Transcription:Kelly Molson:Welcome to Skip The Queue, a podcast for people working in, or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host, Kelly Molson. Each episode, I speak with industry experts from the attractions world.In today's episode, I speak with Paul Griffiths, Director of Painshill Park, a beautifully restored, 18th-century landscape, designed by Charles Hamilton. We discuss the transformation of Painshill, the emotional reopening, team motivation, and the benefits of pre-booking. If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip The Queue.Kelly Molson:Paul, welcome to Skip The Queue podcast.Paul Griffiths:No, Kelly. Thanks for having me.Kelly Molson:It's really lovely to have you on. Paul and I have chatted a few times. We've been kind of Twitter buddies for a while, haven't we? That's how we first-Paul Griffiths:Yeah.Kelly Molson:... got introduced-Paul Griffiths:It's how you meet people these days, isn't it, via Twitter?Kelly Molson:Absolutely. And then, we've had a chat, and now Paul's very kindly agreed to come on to the podcast, to share all about Painshill Park. But we start as ever with our ice-breaker questions, Paul. Are you ready?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, nervous, but ready.Kelly Molson:I've gone easy on you, don't worry. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?Paul Griffiths:Probably a professional footballer, but before that, an astronaut.Kelly Molson:Oh, quite different. And so, football ... I know this about you. You're a big Charlton fan, aren't you?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, I'd have been playing up front in the valley, but no I wasn't good enough to play for the park, because I don't know I'd make a professional debut. But no, that was my dream for years, to be a professional footballer.Kelly Molson:Oh, and then the astronaut, just didn't happen?Paul Griffiths:Didn't happen, no. I never did make it to space. Space Mountain, is about as far as I've got. Yeah, but that's-Kelly Molson:Same. Okay, this is another retro one. What is the most embarrassing fashion trend, that you rocked?Paul Griffiths:Ooh, that's a good question. I tell you what I had, and I don't know if any listeners will remember these. Jeans, with pictures of The Flintstones on.Kelly Molson:Yes.Paul Griffiths:And I'll have been about 12, or something at the time. And you had Fred on one leg, and Barney on the other, or something like that. And they were really trendy, for one summer.Kelly Molson:I think we're probably around the same age, because genuinely, I had those, and I can remember. Yeah, I had those. Yeah, what was that about?Paul Griffiths:No idea. I remember being really excited, on holiday. It was on a holiday camp somewhere, and there was a little market nearby. Finding them in the market, and buying them, and being really excited by this. Various other dreadful things... I remember wearing dungarees for a while, and thinking I was really trendy. But from a bloke, that's obviously a bit of a strange one.Kelly Molson:I still wear dungarees now, Paul, so-Paul Griffiths:Yeah, that's why I said-Kelly Molson:[crosstalk 00:02:43] That's okay.Paul Griffiths:... but yeah, it's ...Kelly Molson:I was thinking about this question, this morning, before I asked you, and thinking, "What would I answer to this?" And I thought, "Well, it would be the Bros era for me," because I had the Grolsch tops on my shoes. And I had a denim jacket, that had a massive patch, of Bros, on the back of it, as well. What a loser.Paul Griffiths:But you see, what I find really weird, is that people in my office haven't heard of Bros. I brought them up, as a cultural reference point, at some point. And younger people haven't heard of them. No one's heard ... I was trying to explain the whole Brosette thing, and people having watches on their shoes, and just everyone was looking at me like I was ... I was DJing somewhere once ... that's a completely different story, but put on, When Will I Be Famous? And the floor cleared, no one knew it at all.Kelly Molson:Oh, no.Paul Griffiths:Note to self, don't play Bros at a disco.Kelly Molson:Except, if I'm there, and I'd have been, I'll be right in the middle. Okay, one more of these and then your unpopular opinion. If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing, for the rest of your life, what would it be?Paul Griffiths:Ooh, that's a good question. Probably McDonald's breakfasts.Kelly Molson:Oh, Paul, they are the [crosstalk 00:04:06] ultimate hangover cure.Paul Griffiths:You can't go wrong with a McMuffin.Kelly Molson:Yeah, I'm with you. Double sausage and egg?Paul Griffiths:With bacon, for me.Kelly Molson:That could be an unpopular opinion in itself, Paul.Paul Griffiths:Well, couldn't it just. Yeah, what do you have as McDonald's breakfast?Kelly Molson:On that note then, I want to know what your unpopular opinion is.Paul Griffiths:I'm going to say, that I just don't get the point of Instagram. You've got Twitter, you've got Facebook, why do you need something else? I just don't get why you need another channel. Surely two, Twitter for work, and professional stuff. Facebook great for your fun stuff. Why do you need Instagram? I don't get it, at all.Kelly Molson:Oh, no. I feel like this is going to throw up some debate, Paul. I do not agree with you on this one, so this is-Paul Griffiths:Fair enough.Kelly Molson:... definitely an unpopular opinion. I find Facebook a bit negative, whereas on Instagram, I'm just in my little, happy world of posting up all my lovely things. It just feels a bit happier, a happier place, to me. It's less ranty-Paul Griffiths:Yes, I could do it again, yeah. I just tried it for a while. I was talked into it by a good friend, and former colleague. He was saying, "Oh, you really want to do this." And after a week, I thought, "How am I going to run three different things, trying to put three different things on?" So for me, it's easier to separate my life. So I've got friends and old colleagues and things, on Facebook, and then everyone else on Twitter.Kelly Molson:So everyone, when you get promoted to Facebook, you know that you're Paul's real friends.Paul Griffiths:Yeah.Kelly Molson:Brilliant. Thank you for sharing that, Paul. I really appreciate it. Gosh, I've got so much to talk to you about today. I've been looking at your background-Paul Griffiths:Oh, that's scary.Kelly Molson:... in the attractions and heritage world, and gosh, it's very impressive, isn't it? So you're currently Director of Painshill Park, and director of, is it ... Sorry?Paul Griffiths:Well, a Director, one of the board.Kelly Molson:One of the board?Paul Griffiths:Yeah. [crosstalk 00:06:02] chair, and about seven or eight board members, who do an amazing job.Kelly Molson:Fantastic. You've been Head of Ops, at the Mary Rose Museum, Head of Visitor Operations, at London Historic Properties, at the English Heritage. You Guest Lecture, at Southampton Uni, in Contemporary Tourism, and in 2018, you were awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business, for services to Tourism, Heritage, and Conservation. It's not a bad list, is it, Paul?Paul Griffiths:Sounds good when you say it like that.Kelly Molson:Wasn't it?Paul Griffiths:I wonder who you were describing-Kelly Molson:It's you. So I want to know, where this love of the sector has come from, because you've got such an impressive background in it.Paul Griffiths:Do you know? It's a really easy answer. I went off to Uni, to study Leisure Management. And at that point, I was thinking of going more into sports, and so leisure world. So maybe running ... after we talked about earlier on about, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" Well, I knew I wasn't going to make it as a professional footballer, but well, could I work in football? Could I work in the offices? Could I become a commercial manager in a football club? Could you do that stuff? So I went off to study leisure management, and at the end of year one, we had to do a month's work placement. One of those head out for a month and I couldn't really think what to do. And in the end, approached a few tourism attractions, because I sort of got a bit more into the tourism side, in that first year. Because it was a modular degree, so we were doing four different subjects, every term. And it was very much like school, there were three terms, and we'd do from four different subjects.Paul Griffiths:And I wrote to Hever Castle, and they accepted to take me down there for a month. I was down there, with a chap called Piers, who was the business services manager, or business operations manager, at the time. Just had an amazing job. So I spent this month, shadowing Piers, who I still occasionally now. He works for the Tate. Well, he did ... last time I saw him, he worked for the Tate, so I hope he still does. Otherwise, this could be a really difficult episode, if he doesn't anymore-Kelly Molson:Awkward.Paul Griffiths:... Yeah. I still often bump into him, at ALVA events, and stuff, which was absolutely fabulous. But no, I spent this month with Piers. It was just brilliant. We put on flower shows, in the castle. I can remember driving this funny, little van. I'd never driven a van before in my life, and I was thrown the keys, and told to go and pick up this lovely old lady, with all her flowers, because it was like the local WI, doing a flower display. You know how fabulous events can be, in our industry, and it was just brilliant. The weather was fabulous. Piers' job involved wandering around ... I don't mean wandering around, but going from the tea room, to shop, to ob missions, making sure everything was working right. And I just thought, "This is just brilliant. This is what I want to do, is in a fabulous, historic setting, talking to people, dealing with loads of different heads of departments."Paul Griffiths:And everyone was really lovely, in the same way, that most people in our industry are really lovely. So everyone-Kelly Molson:Very true.Paul Griffiths:... everyone you bumped into round Hever, was just utterly fabulous. So I went back to uni, and at this point, we had to choose our ... Sorry, this is quite a long answer, Kelly. Apologies. But we then had to choose a pathway, of which we'd specialize in. So you then had leisure management as half your course, and then your pathway as the second half. And you could have done rural tourism, straight leisure management, there was a more legal side. And I chose to do heritage management, so that sort of swayed my degree.Paul Griffiths:So my degree was in Leisure and Heritage Management, a fabulous thing to have. And then, after leaving, I just wanted to get a job in the sector. And was quite lucky, just got a job in English Heritage. My first job was making the tea for the quantity surveyors, and booking their travel, and just working in the office, as basically the dogsbody, is the only way I can describe it. But it was a route in. And EH's rules then, was that they would try and recruit most jobs internally first. So you'd get a weekly jobs file come round, and I'd open it eagerly, every week, to see what was available.Paul Griffiths:And then, got this job at Down House, home of Charles Darwin, which hadn't opened to the public. It had just been taken on by EH. We had this amazing two months, getting ready for opening, and then throwing the doors open to the public. And all the fun and games that went on then, it was just ... So from there, I just stayed with English Heritage for, gosh, 15, 16 years, something like that. Thankfully, just moving into different, progressive roles, which was fabulous. And ended up, as Area Manager for London. So I had the entirety of London, with 12 sites around London. Really spread out, as well. So you had Kenwood House up on Hampstead, which was where my office was. Chiswick House, and Marble Hill in West London. As far afield as Tilbury Fort in Essex, and sort of towards the east, the Jewel Tower, which was the oldest surviving part of the Palace of Westminster.Paul Griffiths:It's the bit that you always see, behind ... when MP's are being interviewed on the news, the Jewels House always just merrily behind it. So we managed to move ... when I was there, some signs, to be just behind where the interview was. It was a perfect product placement for us. But yeah, it was an amazing job. I spent most of the time-traveling, from around. I was rubbish at diary management, so I'd find myself agreeing to be in Kenwood, in the morning, and then Down House, or Elton Palace in the afternoon. So forever turning up late to those.Paul Griffiths:Yeah, but great. I loved it. As I say, I was there for, well, gosh 15 ... so from '97, to 2012, so what's that, 15 years, isn't it?Kelly Molson:That sounds incredible, and what a place for an office, as well. A spectacular place for an office. I'm just going to pick up Essex, as well, because Essex girl. So Tilbury massive, well done.Paul Griffiths:It's the thought that counts.Kelly Molson:So now, you're at your new role, this role. Tell us a little bit about the park, and how you've come to be there, and what you're doing there.Paul Griffiths:Yeah, so after English Heritage, I spent five or six years, down at Mary Rose, as you mentioned earlier. Then, came here in November 2018. I must confess, I'd sort of heard of Painshill, but I didn't really know it. And I think that sums up what its problem was, so much that even local people didn't know it was here. I came in November, as I say. It wouldn't be fair to go into details, but there had been a lot of changes at Painshill, and a lot of the team had moved on. And so, I was left with a smallish team, and then we were able to recruit some, actually fabulous new staff, as well.Paul Griffiths:So myself and the head of finance started on exactly the same day. We both arrived in our cars, parked up, getting our little boxes out, with our mugs in, and everything else, that you do on day one. And set about trying to make changes. Painshill itself is an 18th-century landscape garden. It's 158 acres, we have the most amazing views. It was designed by the Right Honorable Charles Hamilton, obviously in the 18th century, who'd done some grand tours around Europe, and then came back and set about building, and creating this quite sensational landscape garden, which includes a number of garden buildings, or follies, as a lot of people would call them, towers, crystal grottoes, hermitages, temples ... two different temples in fact, a ruined abbey, so built as a ruin. And guests, in the 18th century would walk the route.Paul Griffiths:And it was designed that people could get their easel out, at any point and paint, because every view would be picture perfect. This is a very quick, potted history. I could talk for hours on end, but I won't. The gardens were sadly lost, after the second world war, whereafter they'd been used for training and development of troops, sold off piecemeal. And it wasn't until the '70s, and '80s ... well, the '70s really, that there was a campaign to save Painshill. It was really recognized by particularly local garden history experts, that what had been one of the first, and most finest landscape gardens, was lost. It really was a completely overgrown mess, is the only way I can describe it.Paul Griffiths:And very, fortunately, and quite farsighted, for the time, the local council purchased 158 acres of the land, through negotiation, compulsory purchase, et cetera. And The Trust was then formed because the council realized they wouldn't be able to fundraise, because who gives money to local councils? So The Trust was formed, and we were given the park, on a 100-year lease with ethical rent, and basically told to restore it back to how it was in the 1700s. Which is what The Trust has been doing ever since. The Trust will be 40 years old next year.Paul Griffiths:So that's a very potted area of where we are. And today, whilst I don't think the restoration work will ever be completed, because the second you turn your back on it, a tree will grow behind you, or something, work we didn't do. I don't want to sound like I'm being rude about people who were before. And I'm not, I promise, but the site may have been coming into the insular, hence people didn't really know of it. It wasn't really managing to push itself enough. It wasn't really connected to a lot of the local, or national tourism industry things, that we all know work so well. And in this last nine ... or in the six months, or whatever we've now been through in the whole COVID situation, how much we've all worked together. And Painshill wasn't really connected in with any of those networks.Paul Griffiths:One of the things that I wanted to do, was obviously make it more well-known and get the name out there a lot more. So, Chrissie, who's my Head of Marketing, has been doing an amazing job of pushing the story out there, and getting it into so many different places, and we've been getting so much amazing coverage. In the last part of the summer, we've got on BBC News, we've been on ITV News. Really great coverage for the park. One of the first things we did, when I arrived, was to do quite a major piece of rebranding, because what we didn't have, was a brand. Painshill didn't have a strapline.Paul Griffiths:If you Googled it then, you'd come up with about 12 different names. Most of them we'd given ourselves, at some point. Whether it was Painshill Landscape Gardens, was it Painshill The Hamilton Landscape? But of course, no one's heard of Hamilton, because he didn't really do much else. Unless you're a real garden history fanatic, you wouldn't know who he was. It didn't really work, so we utilized a consultant chap, called Scott Sherrard, who did an absolutely sensational job, of pulling together trustees, and volunteers. We got local industry people, the head of tourism in Guildford along, and all this stuff, and did a few workshops.Paul Griffiths:And Scott then used his years of experience and skills, and came up with this phrase, "Painshill, where the walk is a work of art," and it just worked so well. And we've been able to use that in all our promotion and marketing, and it's just given us something to always hook ourselves onto, is that we are where the walk is a work of art. Because you have to walk, everyone in the 18th century had to walk round it. It's the way you get around Painshill. And as Hamilton described it as where you can get your easel out and paint, you can now get your iPhone out, and get your Instagram picture. You see-Kelly Molson:See?Paul Griffiths:... I found a use for it.Kelly Molson:There's always a link, as well. I love this, there's always a link to my weird questions somewhere, in these interviews. Gosh, Paul, can I just ask how long have you been in the role, currently?Paul Griffiths:Nearly two years. So November I started, November 2018.Kelly Molson:Okay, and so I'm getting that a global pandemic wasn't something that you were ever expecting to have to deal with, in your second year of employment there.Paul Griffiths:Right.Kelly Molson:I want to talk a little bit about lockdown, what it was like, what you've needed to implement, since you've been reopened. And again, let's talk about what demand has been like, because the message has been very, very clear, the whole way through, "Outside is safe." So my assumption, and I know we've chatted, is you've probably been quite busy, since you've been back open?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, it's been a very interesting time, hasn't it? For everybody, and none of us saw this ... Maybe some people did. I didn't have it on our risk register, I didn't have it on any of our planning. We'd often talked about high winds, and storms, and floods, and fires. But global pandemic, I don't think was up there, or any virus, was it? And that point being, global I think is the most remarkable thing.Paul Griffiths:I've got a really good friend, who's the development director, at the San Diego Museum of Us. And he and I, would sit, regularly chatting, during the lockdown on Zoom, and you've just got the same problems. It was so bizarre really. You have exactly the same ... "What you closing? And what are you doing? How are you re-opening?" It was just bizarre, to be sitting, chatting to someone on the other side of the world, literally, having the same problems. We went into lockdown in ... it was a worrying time, as it was for all of us. So myself, and my head of finance, we sat and we played around with business plans, and figures and stuff. At one point ... this is before ... and when you look back, it really did come quick, didn't it?Paul Griffiths:You look back on that ... and I looked in my diary recently, for something completely different, and thought, "It was only two weeks earlier, we were out for someones ... one of our team was leaving to go on maternity leave, and we all went to the local pub and had a nice meal." And we were all sat down on the table, and that was like three weeks before we were closed, or two weeks before we closed. Blimey, that was ... I was at a football stadium. I was at The Valley, the week before football was canceled, 20 odd thousand people sat around me, without really feeling anything concerning. There were a lot of people washing their hands a lot more. In fact, it was the first time at football, I'd ever queued to wash my hands. I'm not saying men normally do, at football.Paul Griffiths:But yeah, it was a really ... so we had all these business plans, and there was a genuine, genuine fear the charity Painshill wouldn't survive, because we're an independent charity. We received no government funding. We're not part of The Trust, or anyone else. We are our own, little, independent charity. And there was a genuine, "Look, okay so if we close for three months, four months ... " whatever it might have been.Paul Griffiths:You were hearing all the rumors, "We won't survive. We'll have cleared all our reserves, and would be owing the bank lots of cash, and we'd be trying to close the place down." And we was ... "Well, we can't do that." Luckily, before we had to close, the job retention scheme had been released, so we were fortunate to go into closure, knowing that was there. And that was savior number one, I think, because we were able to make 80% of our team on furlough. And isn't it funny, I'd never even heard the word furlough 12 months ago.Kelly Molson:I know.Paul Griffiths:I can remember just having a discussion in the office, trying to work out how to pronounce it. "Are you furloud, fullood, fullowed? What is this word, that now suddenly everyone's writing about?" So we were able to do that, and that really did set us up to say, "Right okay, so we'll use a lot of our reserves, but we can get through a potential three, four-month closure, and still be alive." We then launched a save Painshill campaign, and that was a really fabulous thing that we did.Paul Griffiths:And that was our head of fundraising, Karen, and Chrissie, into the head of marketing, really pushing those messages out. So we released a lot of footage, that hadn't gone out before, with a real clear message, with voiceovers. I did a few recorded voice messages from home, and they were either put over videos, or I was just talking to the camera, like I am now, saying why we needed help. And we raised about 30 grand in the end, for that campaign. It was brilliant.Paul Griffiths:10 grand of that, was a foundation picked up ... We hadn't applied to them. They picked up our campaign, and said, "We really want to support Painshill, it's so important." So, that was a brilliant start. And all these little things ... Steve, my head of visitor and commercial services, came up with this idea of selling our own wines from our vineyard. So we always sell wine, and we make our own gin, which is made from botanicals, from the kitchen garden. So all of the botanicals come from the kitchen garden, and the little gin kitchen in Dorkingshire. The little startup business turns it into the product, and it comes back in these lovely jars. We did a delivery service, around the local area. A number of our volunteers, who were happy to come and help ... because we rely very on our volunteers. Although we've shut the [inaudible 00:22:14] all our volunteers down, anyone happy in their car, to nip round the local area, delivering.Paul Griffiths:We just couldn't sell enough. We sold so much of this gin and wine, and delivered it. It was brilliant, and I think for people it was a way of supporting us, and also getting a great product at the same time, everyone's a winner. So, that was great. So we got about 10 grand in the end, from sales from gin and wine. So all these little things, kept edging away at it. Whilst at the time, we were obviously planning reopening, we've been one of the last places to close. We literally were open on Monday the 23rd of March, and it was only that night, when Boris said at eight o'clock, or whatever it was he said it. He always did these messages really late, didn't he?Kelly Molson:Yeah.Paul Griffiths:That you'd have to change your plans, overnight. So the announcement there was like, "We've got to close." And I remember sitting there, and funnily enough, I was putting my son, Barney to bed. And I was sat with the iPad, just writing, as he was dropping off, saying, "We're going to have to close. We can't pull this off any longer." But what we had done is, we'd had a little practice with social distancing, because that weekend before, and going into that week, when it was things like cafés could only be takeaways, so we reconfigured our tea room, to be a takeaway only service. You needed to have social distancing, and one way systems, so we'd started to introduce it.Paul Griffiths:So we had a little practice, which was great, and it meant that we knew how we could reopen. So we were very lucky, in the sense that when, therefore, we started planning our reopening, we'd had a bit of a go, and we knew what would work. So we probably had a little advantage on some of our friends, at other sites, who maybe hadn't had that trial to see what happened. We had to still amend it a bit further. We closed the shop and brought people out of the shop. And then there was all that, "Could you open the shop? Can you open the shop?" And we ended up reopening on the 28th of May, with four days for members. And the first few days we opened, was really emotional. I felt really emotional, having people back in. My team did.Paul Griffiths:I actually remember, during lockdown ... because although we were all working from home, we'd all pop in occasionally, to check phones, and just do little bits and pieces, and also just to make sure everything was all right, and just check on everything. And I came up with my dog, and I walked the dog round the grounds, with not a soul in there. And there was a part of me that thought, "Wow, this is quite special. I'm walking round Painshill, and there's not a soul here." But then the main part of me, was like, "This is really sad. I feel a bit weird, there should be people here. I want public, and people, and stopping, chatting to members and visitors."Paul Griffiths:But what was really emotional was the response we were getting from members who were coming back. There was two particular different incidents. One lady said she'd not been out of her house for nine weeks, and this was the first time she'd come out.Kelly Molson:Wow, yeah.Paul Griffiths:And that was like, "Wow, you've put a lot of trust into us then, because you're coming here, on your first time out." And the second woman ... this was really quite emotional, said ... The stuff we'd sent out, like videos, pictures ... because we were doing lots of blogs, because obviously, you weren't seeing the seasons, and people love ... they'd seen a bit of the daffodils from this blog, and the bluebells, and [inaudible 00:25:20]. All this had just gone without anyone seeing it, this year. And then we had all the chicks, and all the wildlife, giving birth to all their little ones, pottering round the lake. And we were able to put lots, and lots of pictures out. And this woman's come up and said, "All the stuff you've put out, is the one thing that's kept me going."Kelly Molson:Oh, gosh.Paul Griffiths:And you're just like, "We're a tourist attraction, and that's not normally how you ... " I'd never been thanked so much, for basically just doing my job, because we'd got the doors open. And people just kept stopping, saying, "Oh, thank you for getting it open." And just carried on. We opened to the public on the 1st of June, and the numbers have just been phenomenal. I think because we've been very public on how we'd done the social distancing side of it, so people knew before they came. We did a little video, very basically filmed, but it worked really well. Just showing how you were going to come in, which was your route, where the toilets were because we'd closed our main toilets. You'll remember, Kelly, but that was the subject on everyone's lips, wasn't it?Kelly Molson:Toilets.Paul Griffiths:"How do you do toilets?"Kelly Molson:Big issue, yeah.Paul Griffiths:Biggest issue. And we were very lucky, of course, because we're outside. So we closed the main toilets, and put some posh Portaloos in. And people liked them, because there was one cubicle. You opened the door, went in and did your business, came out, and off you went. Bit of a quick hand sanitizer, and off you went, sort of thing. And it worked really well. And yeah, the numbers carried on. August was great, September was good, October has been good. It's just for us, it's this whole, when will the bubble burst? In terms of numbers, which I hope it won't. But it's been very difficult planning, as I know it is for all our colleagues and friends that we chat to.Paul Griffiths:You can't, really, realistically, start planning events and things for next year, because you just don't know what you can do. How many people are going to come to a wedding? How many people are going to be able to come to an event? And things like that.Kelly Molson:I've got so many questions, Paul. Thank you for sharing all of that. That little story, about that lady has really just ... it's just made my heart just pump a little bit. I can completely understand why you were so emotional about that. It's so heartwarming, isn't it?Paul Griffiths:Mm-hmm (affirmative).Kelly Molson:You forget how much places mean to people, what it means to them.Paul Griffiths:I've never been in a job ... I've been in this industry ... I've never done anything else, as you talked about earlier. I've always worked in attractions. And I've never been on first name terms with people before, in an attraction. Or people will stop me, to ask how I ... I used to do a quite a bit of running. I haven't run properly for a while. Literally, we're talking 5K park runs here. I'm not saying marathons or anything. I had a bit of a knee injury, and this chap, regularly now, stops me to ask how my knee ... It's just really nice, because people see us as being part of the ... it's where they come. We do have people who come every single day.Paul Griffiths:They come and walk the dog, they stop, and they have coffees, but part of their experience, is chatting to the staff, as well. It's-Kelly Molson:Is that something new, since lockdown then, or did that happen before, as well?Paul Griffiths:It definitely happened before. I think since lockdown, I've certainly found I've got chatting to a lot more people. I don't know if that's maybe I've changed. I don't know, it just feels that maybe I'm just getting to know people, after I've been here for two years. And I think because I'm ... I'm not meaning this ... trumpet playing, but because I, as director, fronted up a lot of our campaigns, to appeals, and was filming videos of me, talking saying, "We really need support, please ... " and we had a number of ways that people could support us. One of which was, "If you're a member, please stay being a member. Please don't leave us and go. Please renew." We made the decision very early on, that we would add some time onto membership, and went out there. Maybe because we've got a lot smaller membership base, we were able to get our messages out very quickly to people, and tell them what we were doing.Paul Griffiths:And I think, because we are a small, independent charity, with only one attraction, we were only making decisions for one place. Which, I think was harder for some of our friends, and colleagues, where they've got hundreds of sites, or whatever. They were having to consider all sorts of different scenarios, weren't they? When we were only ... consider one.Kelly Molson:I want to ask about membership, actually. Membership and locality, were two really key topics, at the Visitor Attractions Conferences. What we were hearing is that, in a lot of attractions, people purchased memberships, while those venues were locked down. And we were seeing something like a 23 to 25% increase in memberships, across some attractions. Did you find that happened at Painshill? And has your audience changed, as well? So do you have more people coming back, that are locally based now, as well?Paul Griffiths:I'll answer the first part of the question straight away. Yes, we managed to retain our members, and even saw some growth during lockdown, because it was one of the big things we were pushing, saying, "Look, when we reopen, you'll be able to come out and see Painshill, will be able to enjoy the landscape." And I think we certainly have seen a lot of people joining, since we reopened. Because of our small visitor numbers, and because we're only one site, we made a call very early on, as well, that members wouldn't have to book in advance. And that really helped us, because I think we gained a lot of members, because they quite like that flexibility. So if you're a day visitor, if you like, you want to buy a day ticket, you needed to book a slot. That's been great, and there's a number of things we've talked about on that.Paul Griffiths:But for members, I think not having to book meant that they could just have that flexibility to come when they liked, and stuff. And I think that's really helped us push those members. The challenge of course, is we need to keep those members, because my trustee board won't expect to see a dramatic drop in visitor numbers. And they'll be asking me, quite rightly, questions of what we've done. One of the things we're trying to plot now, is what can we do to really impress those members, that if when we get to 12 months from now, you're not having to pre-book anywhere else anymore. Although I'm starting feel like this is going to be on a lot longer than, I think, any of us did think.Paul Griffiths:I just had another [inaudible 00:31:27] there. Why I'm saying that is, because when we reopened in May, I was making decisions based around a summer attraction. And I now have [inaudible 00:31:36] year-round. And we're now having to think, "Well, actually we need to give some thought to heating, and keeping people warm." So our volunteers, and front of house team, we took out ... In the pre-COVID days, at Painshill, you came into the shop, which also doubled up as a visitor center, like so many sites do. And you'd buy a ticket at the desk, and then you'd go and have a lovely time. Whereas, we decided to not make people go in through the shops. They didn't have to go inside, so we bought a couple of little pods, and put them outside, and there's a screen and stuff. And people would turn up with their membership card, or their tickets, and show them, and off they'd go. And I've [inaudible 00:32:15] people.Paul Griffiths:But now, I'm having to think, "We're getting deep into autumn, actually we can't stick two volunteers outside, however many hats and gloves they've got, because it's going to get wet and cold." I hadn't thought of that, in May, because I didn't think we'd still be doing this. Here we are, in autumn, and I think a lot of people were probably in the same boat, but those who opened early, particularly. Actually, we weren't thinking that far down the line.Paul Griffiths:The second part of your question, Kelly, about different audiences. We don't have a great deal of data in the park. Painshill went a bit GDPR bonkers and got rid of everything. Kelly Molson:Right.Paul Griffiths:When Chrissie came onboard, we had about 500 on our database. It's now up to about 10,000. So we're actually building a bank of supporters now, who ... it is brilliant. We've certainly, and totally seen different audiences this summer. We saw a lot more younger people, during the height of summer, particularly if lots of places were still locked down. Lots of people sunbathing, and sitting round, bringing little chairs, and reading books for the day.Paul Griffiths:Traditionally, our [inaudible 00:33:25] time, was an hour to an hour and a half, but people are now spending half a day, if not a whole day.Kelly Molson:That's great.Paul Griffiths:You'd see families turning up, with full-blown picnics. Tables, tablecloths, all sorts of ... and they're putting themself in a spot, then kids were going off and having a lovely time. It's nice, lovely to see it. The only problem with that, is our car park really struggled of course, without having the turnover. And we had a few complaints from members ... and I totally get where they were coming from, but there's not much we could do about it, where they were turning up in the afternoon, for their three o'clock dog walk, to find the car park full. So one of those things we just have to keep managing, and working on.Kelly Molson:Thank you. I want to go back a little bit, actually, because you've mentioned pre-booking, a few times. And it's definitely a topic that ... well, it's a very key topic, mixed opinions on it, I think. I, personally, think that pre-booking is a brilliant thing, and I want to know how you feel about it. Has it worked for you, do you think, and would you like to keep it?Paul Griffiths:Yeah, it's definitely worked, and yes, I'd love to keep it. It's been great, and it's been particularly great during these times because we're managing numbers. So a weekend in October, where we had 1500 people in because we were sold out. Painshill sold out, I never thought when I joined, we'd see the sign saying, "Painshill have sold out," which is lovely in itself, but it has been able to manage the numbers. It's mainly just to make sure that members aren't having a poor experience. Also, people are turning up, and one of our biggest problems is, we are very weather dependent here, and if it's wet, we tend to have a much quieter day.Paul Griffiths:So what we're finding is, if it's raining now, people are still turning up, but they're just putting on their waterproofs. Maybe under their breath, cursing their bad luck, but actually walking around with an umbrella, and getting on with it, and having a nice, romantic walk in the rain, or under an umbrella, cuddled up, whatever. But yes, I'd love to keep it, because it has meant that numbers are coming in. It's brilliant, I remember in your podcast with Carly. I think Carly used the example of Warner Brothers, owning Watford. And I was in that same boat, because when they opened ... and I can remember being in a seminar, where people were talking about it, saying it was pre-booked only. I was like, "No one's ever going to come." And of course, as we know, since it's opened, you've not been able to get a ticket for either love nor money. Kelly Molson:Yup.Paul Griffiths:What a success story, what an amazing attraction, as well. Despite running a historic landscape, I find myself always looking at those bigger attractions, as places that we could just learn so much from. The service, and just everything that these places do, I always think is so good.Kelly Molson:Yeah, I totally agree. I think that there's been a behavioral change, right? People ... they're okay to pre-book now, because it's an expectation of what they need to do, to go and visit the place that they want to go to. I just can't imagine why anyone would want to take that away, if you've already changed someone's behavior to purchase in advance. It doesn't make any sense to me. So I think that they will-Paul Griffiths:No, I agree with you completely. The only thing I think, which would take it away, is if people are upset about it, and it's a demand from the public. They want to just get that flexibility back. I can't deny, there's some times when I have really got frustrated, with the lack of flexibility for places. My little lad, Barney, desperately wants to go swimming, and yet, we just cannot get booked in to go swimming. Now, in the past, we'd have just decided, on Saturday morning, "Let's go swimming this afternoon," rocked up to one of four or five, local swimming pools, and gone and had a lovely time.Paul Griffiths:And the worst-case scenario is, they'd have said, "Oh, there's a half an hour wait, and you've got a band for a session." And you went and sat in Costa, or whatever, and had a coffee, and then cracked on when it's your time. But now, not being to make those decisions, I think is just ... it is a shame, but I think we're very different on that fact, because we're not massively limited. We do have a limit, and we have sold out a few times, but on the majority of days, there are tickets available.Kelly Molson:I think it's what you said earlier, as well, about the length of time that people are spending there. Now, actually your venue is a day trip. It's not just, "I'm going to pop there for an hour, and walk the dog." People are changing the amount of time that they're going to spend there. And then it becomes ... There's another thing about pre-booking, that makes it a little bit more special.Paul Griffiths:Yeah-Kelly Molson:Do you know what I mean? You've got to plan in advance, you're going to do it, and actually you've got that build-up of excitement, because you're going there. I think that's quite nice, as well.Paul Griffiths:I think that's why we also saw all these very, very luxurious picnics, as well, because people had planned, amongst two or three friends ... obviously, no more than six, but had planned to come and meet. We were seeing lots of people, as I was saying earlier, with tables and chairs. But one of the chairs would have a little birthday balloon on it, because obviously, people were coming to do that, rather than go to a restaurant or a pub. And that's particularly before they re-opened. And obviously, now it's just difficult, because we'd like to see our friends, in other hospitality parts of business, supported. But there is a bit of nervousness, isn't there, about people wanting to do things like that?Kelly Molson:Yeah. There is.Paul Griffiths:Every day, the news now, is full of more and more stories of where this could go. And this isn't going away, is it? As much as [inaudible 00:38:39] before.Kelly Molson:We had a question from one of our lovely, regular listeners, Richard G, on Twitter. And he wanted to know how you shared your vision, and motivated your team, to realize the vision for Painshill. And I guess part of that is, how have you kept your team motivated, during the last few months?Paul Griffiths:Gosh, they're two really good questions. I think I mentioned earlier, that we've been able to recruit quite a lot of the team, because the people that were here, when I arrived, really wanted to drive the place forward. I think a number of them wanted to change it for some years, and hadn't been able to. And my philosophy has always been about trialing stuff, "Let's give it a go." I often see that, rather than sit, and write a lengthy business case ... I'm not really a massive fan of writing big, lengthy stuff, but you could give it a go, trial it, and see if it works. You think, "Well, actually it's brilliant." Or if it doesn't work, you can quietly close it away, or never talk about it again, and pretend it didn't happen, unless something has gone disastrously wrong, of course, but I wouldn't go that fast.Paul Griffiths:So I think in terms of motivating the team, initially it was just about people wanting to take the place forward. I made it very clear that I think there was lots and lots of quick wins we could do, just to transform the place, and give it a tart up. I wouldn't say I was a yes man, in the sense, but I will try and say yes to good ideas, and say, "Well, let's give it a go," or, "Let's see how we can develop that. And let's see how we can take that forward." And certainly, getting everyone together, and onboard, and sharing things. It's so important, isn't it? That people know what you're trying to achieve, and buy into it, and you get people on board very early on.Paul Griffiths:In terms of division, of course, things like, as I've mentioned earlier, the work we did with Scott. Everyone was involved with that. The entire team were involved with that, and feeding into it, at some point. So everyone at Painshill, members of staff, lots of trustees, everyone ... We'd almost signed up in blood to ... because we'd all been part of designing that new strapline, that thing. So actually taking that forward ... and everyone knows that we've got to make Painshill, financially sustainable. It can't survive without being sustainable, and it hasn't been for some years, because the only years, when you look back, that Painshill made a profit, if you like, is where very generous donors, in the past, were writing large checks.Paul Griffiths:And those people aren't always around, and there's more of a demand. So we've got to make our operations side financially sustainable, so that if we're getting visitors in through the door, we'll generate enough money to pay the staff, and cover the costs, and stuff. So I think it was a stark motivation, in the sense that we have to make this place work, and let's really try and have some fun while we're doing it, as well. We work in an industry, which is making great memories for people, and giving people great days out. You want people to be leaving going, "What an amazing place." And there was a lot of quick wins. Signage needed changing. There was no guidebook. There was nothing for people to buy, and take away, and learn about. Kelly Molson:Right.Paul Griffiths:The tearoom was quite bland ... is the right word, so we've now to create a bit of a sense of place. We've put some quotes up, on the tearoom wall, from where Painshill's featured in either literature, or people's comments. So two presidents in the United States have visited Painshill, and Adams gave a great quote, about it being the best piece of art seen. And so, we've got that up there, and Painshill features in War of The Worlds, and so we've got a quote up from there. There was a wonderful piece, in a newspaper, about how Queen Victoria used to like to come and promenade here, with Prince Albert.Kelly Molson:Nice.Paul Griffiths:So we've got [crosstalk 00:42:21] there. So actually, it creates a bit of a sense of where we are, and that we've arrived. And in terms of motivation, I think people have motivated themselves, and I think there's been a real ... there was a desire to make sure we got through this. And since reopening, this has been, this outpouring of people, and love [inaudible 00:42:40], I think has driven the team on. I think there has been a lot of exhausted people, and I think you're seeing that across our whole industry, aren't you? Because there's a lot of people, who have worked very hard, without much of a break, since March. I certainly saw it on the face of some of my team, who've been working all the way through the six or seven months, not being on furlough. And I'm not saying being on furlough was easy, from any stretch of the imagination, because I don't think it was, because most people actually wanted to do stuff, and wanted to help.Paul Griffiths:A bit like when you had Rachel and Carlton on, the other day, and Rachel was saying, on the podcast, she wanted to be doing stuff, and couldn't. And I think that was the same for my team. They wanted to volunteer, they wanted to help. Lucy, who looks after our volunteers, wanted to keep doing the volunteers [inaudible 00:43:23]. Of course, we couldn't let her, because she couldn't be doing work for Painshill. Whilst I understood why the regulations came in, I think it affected charities in a way, because they couldn't let people just still help, and keep everything afloat.Paul Griffiths:So yeah, I think it's been an interesting time, and it's been hard work for everyone in our industry. But I think what's pulled it through, has been the fact that everyone's worked so closely together. I think the fact that organizations, like ALVA and the amazing work Bernard's done, through the last ... Well forever, but for particularly [inaudible 00:43:57]. Letting people enjoy webinars, or getting those daily updates, when you're not a fee paying member of ALVA, because you're not a big enough attraction. But actually, the realization that everyone's in it together, I think has just been amazing. And I'm just so grateful for what everyone's done, during this time.Kelly Molson:Yeah, it's been lovely. I think that's been one of the most wonderful things to come out of this. Paul Griffiths:Yeah.Kelly Molson:We're coming towards the end of the podcast, Paul, but I've got two more questions for you. You know we always end up on a book recommendation, but before we get to that, I want to know what's next. So we're in the run-up now, to Christmas. Paul Griffiths:Yes.Kelly Molson:What have you been able to plan, for Christmas, because I'm guessing, it's not what you were expecting to be planning.Paul Griffiths:What we do at Christmas, is we have what we call a Santa Snow train, a land train basically. So if you think of one of the things that potters up and down the seafront, during the summer, with a pretend train at the front, and a few carriages. And the train would chug round the landscape, and delivers kids to the crystal grotto. And then the kids would wait in a tent, with the elves, and they'd play games and stuff. And then the elf would invite them in to meet Santa Claus in the grotto, so you're seeing Santa in a grotto, which is perfect, of course, in many ways. And then you pass them back. We run it during the day, and into the evening.Paul Griffiths:Of course, when it run into the evening, we needed lighting and stuff like that. So there was a lot of outlay of costs, and a lot of concern. And also, we were really struggling to make the train social distance-able. Our booking system wouldn't quite allow it, and couldn't be made to allow it, without us parting with a large amount of cash, which of course, was just adding more onto the risk. So a couple of weeks ago, we made a quite emotional team. We know it works, because some people have spent since last Christmas planning it, and getting everything in place. So actually to have to make the decision to cull it, was really, really hard work. But we made that call, that we would pull the whole event, and really just try and see what we can start again.Paul Griffiths:Now, we've worked with a company, who are relatively local to us, by sheer chance. We got in touch with them ... well, I found them on the internet, and then only discovered, after talking to them, they were not even a couple of miles away. It's one of these, who do large models, so we've used them for the dragons that we're having in half-term, and we've also had some dragons before. So they are doing, what we're calling the Snowfari trail around the grounds. And this is just literally, people will walk round the grounds, in their own little bubble. So no train, no grotto, no tent to wait in. Because obviously, the other thing to it, if we have kids waiting in the tent, we've got to entertain them.Paul Griffiths:Now, last year, myself and a number of other parents, as it were, brought in out of ... not out of date, toys that their kids had stopped using. So Barney's old train set, was merrily set up for playing. And kids were loving it, because they'd come in play around a bit, and off they'd go. But of course, we couldn't let kids do that. They can't be handling toys, that other kids have just handled. So we've got the Snowfari coming, which is going to be a really ... Well, I hope and I know, cracking walk around the grounds, looking at penguins, and polar bears, and looking for reindeer, and there's some gingerbread men in a big tree.Paul Griffiths:And then we're doing a sort of tea with Santa. And this will be quite a limited capacity, but we are doing some form Santa event. And that's just used in decking up one of our ... a function conferencing room, but in a nice, Santary way, and kids and families will come in, sitting in tables and then we'll ... socially distance obviously, have a cup of tea. It's not like an afternoon tea, but tea and a slice of cake, or a mince pie. And then Santa will come in, tell a little story, and then you go up individually, to meet him. So at least there is a, Santa is not, not coming to Painshill.Paul Griffiths:The main thing will be the trail, I'm going to try and push that, so people can walk outside, wrap up warm, and just enjoy the landscape, with multiples of animals, all over the place.Kelly Molson:Yeah, I think that sounds really fun. I think that there's some Instagram-able moments there, Paul, isn't there? For sharing on social media, for sure.Paul Griffiths:Yeah, I'm sure there is. I'm sure people can have a lovely time with Instagram.Kelly Molson:We'll convert you, eventually. Thank you for sharing all of that. Last question, which we ask all of our guests, which is, do you have a book, that you recommend, that has helped shape your career in some way, or you just would like to recommend to our listeners?Paul Griffiths:Oh, gosh. Yeah, I thought a bit about this, actually, and I was trying to think of a book. I'm just trying to think of one about work. But then I noticed ... I was going to pick one by one of your former guests, actually, which was Creating Magic, by Lee Cockerell. I, back in my Mary Rose days, we had a team away day, and I bought everybody a copy of this, before ... so none of them can apply to get the book off you, Kelly. I made everyone read it, before we then had a session, because what was in there, was so many good points about ... all around trying to take away problems from visitors. And I was so impressed with that. And that's why I've always been ... I mentioned earlier, looking at the larger attractions, or companies, or how they manage to do stuff, and think, "Well, how could we do that, to make things easy?"Paul Griffiths:I was so impressed with the story, that Lee told in one of his podcasts when they started taking the luggage from people. So actually, wave goodbye to your suitcase, at Heathrow now, and you next see it in your hotel room, in Orlando. So I just noticed it, and that's a really, really good book.Kelly Molson:Great. That's a really good book recommendation, and I'm sure that when Lee listens to this episode ... because if he isn't a subscriber, he absolutely should be-Paul Griffiths:Definitely, yeah.Kelly Molson:... He'll be delighted, that you've recommended that. So thank you. As ever, if you would like to win a copy of that book, then if you head over to our Twitter account, which is Skip_the_Queue, and you retweet this episode announcement, with the comment, "I want Paul's book." And you will be in with a chance of winning it.Kelly Molson:Paul, thank you. I've loved having you on the podcast today. I think it's been a brilliant episode. I'd really like to say a big thank you for how ... again, everyone that comes on, is superb, but people are so honest, and so open, and so happy to share their experiences, so thank you for doing that today.Paul Griffiths:No, thank you for having me. It's been great.Kelly Molson:Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five-star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue, is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency, that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

The ILB Team welcomes to the virtual studio the Executive Team from the San Diego Museum of Beer - Twon, Michael, and Bruce - who graciously share the origin story of the Museum and a sneak peak at what will certainly be the ultimate Beer experience for visitors at the first ever Museum of Beer.

Today, Mari and Crystal talk about the fire weather coming up this week. Mari also talks about a man who was hit and killed by a car in Old Town and the questionable events leading up to his death. Plus, there was an hour long stand-off with someone armed at a nursing home. An iconic San Diego Museum is reopening today and 2 Southern California teams are winning big!

El sistema educativo se ha visto afectado debido a la crisis por la pandemia de covid-19... el presupuesto asignado en el paquete económico 2021 es suficiente para el sector? La presidenta de la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos, Rosario Piedra Ibarra, aceptó el pliego petitorio presentado por el Frente Nacional "ni una menos".La Comisión Nacional del Agua, informó que la toma de la presa La Boquilla pone en riesgo la entrega de agua para el riego de los agricultores en ChihuahuaLa pandemia trajo consigo el cierre forzoso de los museos en todos el mundo y la repentina necesidad que estas instituciones repensaran, reorganizaran e implementaran nuevas formas de conectar con la comunidad artística y otros recintos, este es el caso de The San Diego Museum of ArtEnrique Ortiz " Tlatoani" presenta su novela "Las Águilas de Tenochtitlán", donde quita los mitos de la historia en la época prehispánica

Il est rare de pouvoir s'initier à la culture, à l'art et à l'histoire indienne à Québec. C'est pourtant ce que permet la nouvelle exposition « Inde, Miniatures du sud de l'Asie du San Diego Museum of Art », présentée du 9 octobre 2014 au 18 janvier 2015 au Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ). Cette nouvelle exposition présente une centaine d'œuvres racontant comment, entre les 12e et 19e siècles, l'art indien des miniatures a évolué. Au fil de l'exposition divisée en quatre thèmes, il est possible d'observer l'inspiration des artistes indiens pour la production de leurs enluminures et de leurs miniatures aux couleurs vibrantes et aux détails raffinés. Cette semaine, l'équipe de 3 600 secondes d'histoire reçoit M. Jean-Pierre Labiau, conservateur aux arts décoratifs et aux expositions du MNBAQ. Il nous parlera de l'histoire de l'Inde en s'inspirant du fil de cette exposition à la fois sophistiquée et haute en couleurs! Épisode enregistré le 22 octobre 2014 sur les ondes de CHYZ 94.3 FM. Illustration : Quatre heures ou La Merveille du Pérou (Mirabilis Jalapa). Aquarelle opaque et or sur papier, 29 x 20,5 cm.Collection Edwin Binney 3rd, The San Diego Museum of Art.

SeaWorld Entertainment on Monday announced revenue and audience losses stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Plus, UC San Diego neurointensivist Dr. Navaz Kanranjia explains how COVID-19 can impact the brain. And, Barbara Bry leads over Todd Gloria in campaign fundraising for the San Diego mayoral race, what’s behind the numbers? Finally, why the Museum of Man changed its name.

This summer the Museum presents the traveling exhibition, Arnold Newman: Masterclass and the permanent collection installation, Arnold Newman: In Context. Newman is represented in the permanent collection of The San Diego Museum of Art by 59 photographs. Both of these installations, Arnold Newman: Masterclass and Arnold Newman: In Context pay tribute to the presence of this important artist in the collection and to the Museum’s commitment to exhibiting and collecting photography.

Jess and Tim have a compelling conversation with the 2020 Plein Air Easton Juror, Julia Marciari-Alexander.  Julia talks about what led her to her career at the Walters Art Museum and her passion for art as a form of empowerment. "All art is contemporary when it is made." Marciari-Alexander came to the Walters from the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) where she served from 2008 to 2013 as the Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs as well as periods in which she held the positions of Interim Co-Director (2009–2010) and Interim Deputy Director for Education (2010–2011). Prior to her work with SDMA, she spent more than ten years at the Yale Center for British Art, first as a curator and then as an Associate Director. She earned her MA and PhD in History of Art at Yale University. She also received an MA in French Literature from New York University and a BA in Art History and French at Wellesley College. Marciari-Alexander is married to John Marciari, the Charles W. Engelhard Curator and Head of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York. They and their teenage twins, Beatrice and Jack, reside in Baltimore City. thewalters.org This episode is sponsored by JFM Enterprises, providing distinctive ready-made and custom frames & mouldings to the trade since 1974. Music in this episode was generously provided by Blue Dot Sessions and A A Aalto.

Jessica York, Vice President of the San Diego Museum Council Board of Directors and Deputy Director and Chief Advancement Officer of the Mingei International Museum, is joined by her Board member colleagues Laurie Egan-Hedley of the Barona Cultural Center and Museum, and Cris Scorza, of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, to talk about the 31s Annual San Diego Museum Month. York, Egan-Hedley and Scorza discuss happenings at their respective museums.

Today we’re visiting with Graeme Corbett, owner of Bloom + Burn in London to discuss: his transition from a career in TV to the floral design profession why he's felt the freedom to follow the natural flow of his business the logistical differences he's experienced while producing brand sets vs. weddings insights into his Instagram feed aesthetic lessons he's learned about pricing building a business to embrace his personal strengths where he found the courage to make a career shift into floral design Links Mentioned in Episode 53: JamJar Flowers Dirty Hit The 1975 No Rome Jamie Oliver My Year of Rest and Relaxation British Flowers Week See more of Graeme’s work here:     Website | Instagram   Today’s episode is brought to you by: Greenleaf Wholesale   Keeping Florists Blooming Since 1950 – ‘When you Succeed, We Succeed.’   The Greenleaf shipping division and knowledgeable sales reps make it possible to experience Greenleaf flowers even if you aren’t close to a physical location. Click here to follow Greenleaf on Instagram. Click here to sign up and become a Greenleaf customer. Beth O'Reilly, Director of Education and Merchandise for Greenleaf, was awarded the keynote speaker and rotunda designer designation for the San Diego Museum of Art's -Art Alive Exhibition April 23-26, 2020.  Beth will be commissioned, along with Greenleaf, to create a 3 story floral installation for this prestigious annual event that attracts national media attention and welcomes nearly 12,000 visitors in just one weekend. For ticket information, click here. Co-Hosts: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha) & Maggie Bailey (Bramble & Bee) BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Landon McGee How to Connect with Botanical Brouhaha: BotanicalBrouhaha.com Instagram Facebook

Nicole Miller-Coleman, the Executive Director of the San Diego Museum Council, joined by Kerri Fox of The New Children's Museum and Theresa Smullen of the Maritime Museum, discuss the collaboration among the San Diego museums participating in the "Kids Free October." They also share some of the amazing new exhibits and activities taking place at their museums!

Virgo Villajin, Youth Services Coordinator for Just in Time For Foster Youth (JIT), is joined by Brooke LaFrance, President of the San Diego County Public Defender Community Outreach Committee, to discuss the Saturday, September 14 Casino Royale benefit at the San Diego Museum of Natural History in Balboa Park. Villajin chats about JIT’s programs and services.

Inside the San Diego Museum of Man, the dead wait in a locked, climate-controlled room. Known as The Willows, this chamber contains 16,000 bone fragments, skeletons and mummies, the remains of at least 5,000 human beings. For more than a century, these relics were excavated from caves, burial grounds , battlefields and construction sites in Egypt, Peru, Vietnam, India and throughout San Diego County. Inside the museum, they were studied by scientists and gawked at by visitors. Or so they were in the past. Today, The Willows is off-limits to casual observers and researchers alike. Instead, the dead wait while the museum tries to deliver them to their final resting place, home with their ancestors.

Episode 89 - Jess T. Dugan Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund are honored to have as our guest, Jess T. Dugan. Jess T. Dugan is an artist whose work explores issues of identity, gender, sexuality, and community through photographic portraiture. She holds a BFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University, and an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago. Her work has been widely exhibited at venues including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the San Diego Museum of Art; the Aperture Foundation, New York; the Transformer Station, Cleveland; and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago. Dugan's books include Every Breath We Drew (Daylight Books, 2015) and To Survive on This Shore: Photographs and Interviews with Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Older Adults (Kehrer Verlag, 2018). She is the recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and was selected by the White House as a Champion of Change. She is represented by the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago, IL. Listeners can see more of Jess's work at www.jessdugan.com and www.tosurviveonthisshore.com. Note: Guests create their own bio description for each episode. The Curiosity Hour Podcast is hosted and produced by Dan Sterenchuk and Tommy Estlund. Please visit our website for more information: thecuriosityhourpodcast.com The Curiosity Hour Podcast is listener supported! To donate, click here: thecuriosityhourpodcast.com/donate/ Please visit this page for information where you can listen to our podcast: thecuriosityhourpodcast.com/listen/ Disclaimers: The Curiosity Hour Podcast may contain content not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion advised. The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are solely those of the guest(s). These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of The Curiosity Hour Podcast. This podcast may contain explicit language.

Comedians Max Weinstein and Michael Ramos lead a hilarious tour of the San Diego Museum of Man. They hear about the history of beer, see some cannibals, and get thrown out of the museum. 

Comedians Max Weinstein and David Rosenberg lead a hilarious tour of the San Diego Museum of Art. Discussed are butts, guinea pigs, and salty ocean enemas. 

Today, the Getting Smart team is throwing it back to an interview they did at High Tech High in San Diego back in 2017. While there, they got the chance to chat with HTH leaders, Larry Rosenstock, Jeff Robbins, and Kalem Rashad — who all have such a contagious passion for their students. In today’s interview, they discuss projects, starting new schools, hiring teachers, and why making the city the text is so important. First to be interviewed by Tom is Larry Rosenstock, a carpenter from Massachusetts who started HTH on a run-down navy base. Larry describes how to get started with a school like HTH, how they communicate the work happening at HTH with the community and parents, how students create such incredible, high-quality work, what the enrollment process is like, and how to apply. After Larry, Tom interviews Jeff Robin, a Fine Arts teacher at HTH. In their discussion, he shares a description of the Staircase to Nowhere project (where students design full-size models of staircases to nowhere around the school.) And lastly (but certainly not least), Tom speaks with Kaleb Rashad, Director at HTH, about starting schools.   Key Takeaways: [:15] About today’s episode. [1:10] Larry describes how to get started with a school like HTH. [2:22] Larry talks more about the incredible art the students produce at HTH. [3:10] Larry elaborates how HTH recruits, grows, and keeps teachers at HTH. [5:10] Larry shares how they communicate the work happening at HTH with the community and parents. [6:15] Larry talks about the students at HTH, the enrollment process, and what it’s like to apply. [7:30] Larry explains the process that creates the high-quality work the students create. [7:50] Tom asks where students get feedback. [7:58] Larry tells a story about skepticism around HTH’s achievements around learning and how he helped clear that. [10:07] Next up, Tom speaks with Jeff Robin, who explains the Staircase to Nowhere project at HTH. [13:12] Larry talks about the culture at HTH and how they include advisory at the high school level to truly deepen the community on campus. [14:34] Kaleb Rashad speaks on the topic of starting up a school similar to HTH. [17:20] Jessica wraps up this week’s episode.   Mentioned in This Episode: High Tech High Staircase to Nowhere Project JeffRobin.com San Diego Museum of Art Professional Learning that Transforms: Meet High Tech High Graduate School of Education Promising Practices in Deeper Learning and Equity High Tech High: Student Engagement Leads to Deeper Learning Get Involved: Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com. Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.   Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered? To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line. The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!  

This is a special snapshot of who we were in the world for a very specific moment in time. --Frank Warren of PostSecret, talking about sending postcards and the connections they make In this special episode of the Postcardist podcast, I interview Frank Warren of PostSecret, "an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard." We talk about Frank's early start with postcards, the million+ cards he's received and read, and the connections postcards make in the world. You can see new PostSecrets every Sunday on the site. And you can see Frank's TED Talk here. The San Diego Museum of Man exhibit we talk about in the show is here. And Frank has written six best-selling books.

In True Crime Girls episode 7, the girls talk about their road trip to visit the San Diego Museum of Man’s ‘Cannibals’ exhibit for some inspiration for this episode.Today, you’ll learn about the incredibly disturbing Albert Fish, cannibalism for survival, a mother consuming her young & the strange case of the real life vampire Richard Chase.  Warning: this episode is not for the faint of heart!  Follow us everywhere...but don't follow us home... InstagramFacebookTwitter

Join us as we catch up with executive Chef Sharon Wilson of Panama 66. She has worked at both sister restaurants, Blind Lady Ale House and Tiger! Tiger! and it now over at their new location in Balboa Park.Panama 66 is a restaurant that occupies the open-air setting of The San Diego Museum of Art’s Marcy S. May Sculpture Garden. The focus is on locally sourced, hand-crafted food and drink, from salads and sandwiches to seasonal cocktails and more.

#54 – Museums, despite being associated with the past, have been at the leading edge of Bluetooth beacon adoption. We visited Dieter Fenkart-Fröschlt, COO of the San Diego Museum of Art and talked about what drove their investment in a beacon-enabled app, how they approached it and what the business benefits have been. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John Straub is an automotive photographer from San Diego, California who’s been snapping shots of cars since he was 13 years old. His images have been published in numerous publications including Road and Track and The New York Times. He’s been the official photographer for the Carmel by the Sea Concours and he is a member of the Motor Press Guild and the San Diego Museum of Photographic Arts. His photography has hung in numerous exhibits, automotive enthusiast’s homes and offices, in galleries, and he operates his own blog titled Along For The Ride where you can enjoy his work on a regular basis. John’s raced Porsches for years at local and statewide events.

Chris Hoover of Whirligig Designs makes fun quilts that look more intricate than they are. And she going to tell us how she uses some rulers you might already own! http://www.whirligigdesigns.com/ --------------- It's very exciting when Quilts are showcased in a museum. The San Diego Museum of Art has a display of quilts from the collection of Pilgrim & Roy called 'Quilts and Color'. As a quilter who loves color and antiques, I'm excited to have the exhibit curator Dr. Ariel Plotek tell me about project. Exhibit Information /www.sdmart.org/art/exhibit/quilts-and-color-museum-fine-arts-boston ------------------ Susan Nelson of Prairie Sky Quilting is the inventor of the super awesome ruler called the 'Folded Corner Clipper' that I love! what's better it does several things which we are going to learn, what's better than a tool that does multiple things? well maybe Chocolate.. + the tool! https://blog.prairieskyquilting.com/ ------------------------ Elizabeth Dackson of Don't Call Me Betsy is a wonderful designer and one of the people on our Splendid Sampler design team. Elizabeth loves paper piecing and her new book is called The Quilter's Paper-Piecing Workshop, Paper-Piecing with confidence. Today we are going to dig deep into the mysteries of paper-piecing and help you see what an incredible tool it is! http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com/ --------- visit American Patchwork & Quilting at http://allpeoplequilt.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/apqmagazine Visit host Pat Sloan at http://www.patsloan.com

Ricardo Dominguez is a co-founder of The Electronic Disturbance Theater (EDT), a group who developed virtual sit-in technologies in solidarity with the Zapatistas communities in Chiapas, Mexico, in 1998. His recent Electronic Disturbance Theater 2.0/b.a.n.g. lab project with Brett Stalbaum, Micha Cardenas, Amy Sara Carroll, and Elle Mehrmand, the Transborder Immigrant Tool (a GPS cell phone safety net tool for crossing the Mexico / United States border) was the winner of “Transnational Communities Award” (2008), an award funded by Cultural Contact, Endowment for Culture Mexico–US and handed out by the United States Embassy in Mexico. It also was funded by CALIT2 and the UC San Diego Center for the Humanities. The Transborder Immigrant Tool has been exhibited at the 2010 California Biennial (OCMA), Toronto Free Gallery, Canada (2011), The Van Abbemuseum, Netherlands (2013), ZKM, Germany (2013), as well as a number of other national and international venues. The project was also under investigation by the United States Congress in 2009-2010 and was reviewed by Glenn Beck in 2010 as a gesture that potentially “dissolved” the United States border with its poetry. Dominguez is an associate professor at the University of California, San Diego, in the Visual Arts Department, a Hellman Fellow, and Principal/Principle Investigator at CALIT2 and the Performative Nano-Robotics Lab at SME, UCSD. He also is co-founder of *particle group*, with artists Diane Ludin, Nina Waisman, Amy Sara Carroll, whose art project about nano-toxicology entitled *Particles of Interest: Tales of the Matter Market* has been presented at the House of World Cultures, Berlin (2007), the San Diego Museum of Art (2008), Oi Futuro, Brazil (2008), CAL NanoSystems Institute, UCLA (2009), Medialab-Prado, Madrid (2009), E-Poetry Festival, Barcelona, Spain (2009), Nanosférica, NYU (2010), and SOMA, Mexico City, Mexico (2012), Cornell University (2104).

How the Combination Results in Enhanced Interested and Understanding Relating to The San Diego Museum of Art's Exhibition, The Art of Music.

"Exploring Female Representation in the Collection of The San Diego Museum of Art"

Recently named the leader of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Morgan Library and Museum (themorgan.org), a major center for art literature and music in New York City, John Marciari received his Ph.D. from Yale University in Art History.  In 2008 when he became the curator of Italian and Spanish Painting and the head of Provenance Research at the San Diego Museum of Art, he also discovered ultramarathons.  Since then he has run more than 18 ultramarathons including, 2012 Chimera 100M, 2013 San Diego 100M, and 2014 Massanutten 100M.He is a father of twins and his amazing wife, Julia Marciari-Alexander is the Executive Director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.  Learn how John has balanced the art of running ultramarathons with a thriving career and family.If you or someone you know would like to be featured on ULTRA University's podcast, send an email to trasiephan@icloud.com Subject line: athlete nomination

Recently named the leader of the Department of Drawings and Prints at the Morgan Library and Museum (themorgan.org), a major center for art literature and music in New York City, John Marciari received his Ph.D. from Yale University in Art History.  In 2008 when he became the curator of Italian and Spanish Painting and the head of Provenance Research at the San Diego Museum of Art, he also discovered ultramarathons.  Since then he has run more than 18 ultramarathons including, 2012 Chimera 100M, 2013 San Diego 100M, and 2014 Massanutten 100M.He is a father of twins and his amazing wife, Julia Marciari-Alexander is the Executive Director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.  Learn how John has balanced the art of running ultramarathons with a thriving career and family.If you or someone you know would like to be featured on ULTRA University's podcast, send an email to trasiephan@icloud.com Subject line: athlete nomination

On‌ ‌the‌ ‌show‌ ‌with‌ ‌me‌ ‌today‌ is‌ Katy Harrison the Online Marketing Manager at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA. She manages the luxury resort’s website, email campaign, social media and online presence. Originally from South Shore, MA, Katy moved to San Diego for the year-round beach weather in 2007. Prior to her role at La Costa Resort, Katy honed her PR and social media skills working at a reputable downtown San Diego PR and advertising agency with clients including The San Diego Museum of Art, Del Mar Racetrack, NTN Buzztime and BillMyParents. Thank you so much for listening! Please subscribe rate and review on your favorite podcast listening app. To get to the show notes for today's episode, go to https://brightideas.co/xxx...and if you have any questions for me, you can leave me a voicemail at brightideas.co/asktrent

Distinguished panelists from across the country will contextualize the Museum's exhibition on 14th century tapestries. Dr. John Marciari is the Curator of European Art and the Head of Provenance Research at The San Diego Museum of Art. He is responsible for the planning and implementation of the iteration of The Invention of Glory at the Museum. Dr. Barbara von Barghahn is Professor of Art History at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Since receiving her Ph.D at New York University, Dr. von Barghahn has been a prolific writer, contributing texts to many important art historical publications and authoring multiple books, including Age of Gold, Age of Iron: Renaissance Spain and Symbols of Monarchy. Her talk is titled "Defining the Perfect Prince in an Age of Chivalry: Portugal's Moroccan Campaign and the Pastrana Tapestries." From Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece commemorating the 1415 conquest of Ceuta to Flemish tapestries that documented the 1471 taking of Tangier, this lecture will consider: "portraits of power" in the context of chivalric ideals; the imaging of triumph in the clash of arms; the palatine display of tapestries as a visual chronicle of a contemporary epic; and the fame accrued from Portuguese expeditions to North Africa which initiated an age of navigation and a transformation of the medieval world picture. Will Chandler is an Independent Curator and the owner of Chandler Art Consulting Services. A former Curator of Decorative Arts at SDMA, in the 1980s he directed the conservation of the Museum's early 18th Century "Pillage" tapestry from the "Second Art of War Series." His presentation will illustrate the circumstances and techniques that led to this tapestry's creation, its expressions of continuity with the Pastrana Tapestries and of the artistic changes that followed them, and the variety of ways in which it has been interpreted since its arrival in San Diego in 1926.

Holly Witchey defines intergenerosity, and how to bring this into your institution by fostering habits of reaching out, making connections with others and creating a culture of inclusivity for all employees. Holly is an art historian and museum consultant with nearly three decades experience working in museums. In the dark ages before the advent of new media, she began her museum career as Associate Curator of European Art at the San Diego Museum. In the early days of multi-media in museums and the Internet, she was a pioneer (complete with poke-bonnet) in the production of content-rich interactives and collections online. From 2000-2009, she directed the New Media Initiatives Department at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and today she teaches courses in technology, ethics, and LAM convergence online for Johns Hopkins, as well as traditional art history and museum studies in the bricks and mortar classrooms at CWRU. She is editor and Co-PI of the NMC Horizon Report > Museum Edition and has just finished her first mystery — set of course, in a museum.

Friday Morning Lecture & Tour Series: Behind the Picture Looking in Depth at Paintings from the Spanish and Italian Collections of The San Diego Museum of Art February 15, 2013 James S. Copley Auditorium Nigel McGilchrist, Art Historian, will look at paintings in the Museum's Spanish and Italian collection, focusing on the methods by which they were crafted and painted and the way their visual design was conceived. This exploration will reveal insights into the times, minds, and hands of those who created them. Sponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. www.TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org Video produced by Balboa Park Online Collaborative

Dr. Sonya Quintanilla, Curator, Indian and Southeast Asian Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, will explore a variety of ways in which Buddhists across Asia used the physical remains associated with deceased holy men to sanctify works of art and monuments. The bodily remains, however tiny, of an extraordinary person can function to empower a monument to become a place of sanctity and the goal of pilgrimage. Texts describe the possession of relics as the cause for war among kings and the object of worship in heaven itself. Relics, however, were also the very things that made Buddhist monuments impure in the context of an orthodox Hindu society. This lecture will explore the ways early Buddhists in India responded to this dilemma, by ensuring that relics were mixed with costly substances and contained in reliquaries that would never have actually been seen. Comparative examples from Southeast Asia, Tibet, and China, as found in the Museum's collection and current exhibitions, will also be shown as the outgrowth of India's early traditions. The Friday Morning Lecture & Tour Series, happening the third Friday of each month, focuses on works on view in the Museum. All lectures are followed by docent-led tours. Sponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. Corporate Sponsors: GS Levine Insurance Services, Inc. and Ace Private Risk Services www.TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org Video produced by Balboa Park Online Collaborative

This year, generous gifts from people like you made a difference: We're producing more new episodes than ever. We're taking our mission into communities by partnering with educational and cultural institutions like National University, the San Diego Museum of Art, the State University of New York at Potsdam, Ferrum College, and literacy organizations. And we're working with high school students. A Way with Words receives no money from any radio station or government agency. No NPR funding. Nothing from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting or from stations that air the show. Instead, we rely on your tax-deductible donations. In fact, A Way with Words is one of just a handful of independent national shows on public radio. Why do we create and distribute the show at no cost to stations? Because we believe everyone should be able to learn more about language, no matter who they are, or where they are. We're creating a place to tell stories about language and share linguistic heirlooms. We're supporting literacy and lifelong learning. We're supporting better human understanding by encouraging better communication. Help us keep making a difference. Make your tax-deductible donation now. http://www.waywordradio.org/donate Sincerely, Martha and Grant, co-hosts of A Way with Words

Using Maya Angelou's poem, Still I Rise, as a starting point, Dr. Amy Galpin, Associate Curator, Art of the Americas, will examine modern and contemporary portraiture created by American artists, with an emphasis on work created in the last twenty years. Learn more about portraits from the colonial period to present on view in Figures, the section of Behold, America! at The San Diego Museum of Art. The collaborative exhibition, opening at three Museums on November 10 is divided between Figures, Frontiers at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and Forms at the Timken Museum of Art. The Friday Morning Lecture & Tour Series, happening the third Friday of each month, focuses on works on view in the Museum. All lectures are followed by docent-led tours. Sponsored by The San Diego Museum of Art Docent Council. Corporate Sponsors: GS Levine Insurance Services, Inc. and Ace Private Risk Services www.TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org Video produced by Balboa Park Online Collaborative

The San Diego Museum of Art Marianela de la Hoz. Heaven and Earth, the Determined Freedom of an Undeterminec Life (detail), 2012. Egg tempera and oil on panel, Courtesy of the artist.

The San Diego Museum of Art Marianela de la Hoz. Heaven and Earth, the Determined Freedom of an Undeterminec Life (detail), 2012. Egg tempera and oil on panel, Courtesy of the artist.

The San Diego Museum of Art Marianela de la Hoz. Heaven and Earth, the Determined Freedom of an Undeterminec Life (detail), 2012. Egg tempera and oil on panel, Courtesy of the artist.

The San Diego Museum of Art

The San Diego Museum of Art Marianela de la Hoz. Heaven and Earth, the Determined Freedom of an Undeterminec Life (detail), 2012. Egg tempera and oil on panel, Courtesy of the artist.

Distinguished panelists from across the country will contextualize the Museum's exhibition on 14th century tapestries. Dr. John Marciari is the Curator of European Art and the Head of Provenance Research at The San Diego Museum of Art. He is responsible for the planning and implementation of the iteration of The Invention of Glory at the Museum. Dr. Barbara von Barghahn is Professor of Art History at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Since receiving her Ph.D at New York University, Dr. von Barghahn has been a prolific writer, contributing texts to many important art historical publications and authoring multiple books, including Age of Gold, Age of Iron: Renaissance Spain and Symbols of Monarchy. Her talk is titled "Defining the Perfect Prince in an Age of Chivalry: Portugal's Moroccan Campaign and the Pastrana Tapestries." From Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece commemorating the 1415 conquest of Ceuta to Flemish tapestries that documented the 1471 taking of Tangier, this lecture will consider: "portraits of power" in the context of chivalric ideals; the imaging of triumph in the clash of arms; the palatine display of tapestries as a visual chronicle of a contemporary epic; and the fame accrued from Portuguese expeditions to North Africa which initiated an age of navigation and a transformation of the medieval world picture. Will Chandler is an Independent Curator and the owner of Chandler Art Consulting Services. A former Curator of Decorative Arts at SDMA, in the 1980s he directed the conservation of the Museum's early 18th Century "Pillage" tapestry from the "Second Art of War Series." His presentation will illustrate the circumstances and techniques that led to this tapestry's creation, its expressions of continuity with the Pastrana Tapestries and of the artistic changes that followed them, and the variety of ways in which it has been interpreted since its arrival in San Diego in 1926.

Distinguished panelists from across the country will contextualize the Museum's exhibition on 14th century tapestries. Dr. John Marciari is the Curator of European Art and the Head of Provenance Research at The San Diego Museum of Art. He is responsible for the planning and implementation of the iteration of The Invention of Glory at the Museum. Dr. Barbara von Barghahn is Professor of Art History at George Washington University in Washington D.C. Since receiving her Ph.D at New York University, Dr. von Barghahn has been a prolific writer, contributing texts to many important art historical publications and authoring multiple books, including Age of Gold, Age of Iron: Renaissance Spain and Symbols of Monarchy. Her talk is titled "Defining the Perfect Prince in an Age of Chivalry: Portugal's Moroccan Campaign and the Pastrana Tapestries." From Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece commemorating the 1415 conquest of Ceuta to Flemish tapestries that documented the 1471 taking of Tangier, this lecture will consider: "portraits of power" in the context of chivalric ideals; the imaging of triumph in the clash of arms; the palatine display of tapestries as a visual chronicle of a contemporary epic; and the fame accrued from Portuguese expeditions to North Africa which initiated an age of navigation and a transformation of the medieval world picture. Will Chandler is an Independent Curator and the owner of Chandler Art Consulting Services. A former Curator of Decorative Arts at SDMA, in the 1980s he directed the conservation of the Museum's early 18th Century "Pillage" tapestry from the "Second Art of War Series." His presentation will illustrate the circumstances and techniques that led to this tapestry's creation, its expressions of continuity with the Pastrana Tapestries and of the artistic changes that followed them, and the variety of ways in which it has been interpreted since its arrival in San Diego in 1926.

Dr. John Marciari, Curator of European Art and Head of Provenance Research for The San Diego Museum of Art gives a lecture on cataloging the Museum’s Permanent Collection. May 18, 2012 Cataloging the Collection: From Reginald Poland and the Putnam Sisters to Punchmarks and Provenance

In celebration of the special exhibitions now on view at The San Diego Museum of Art, join our Curator of Asian Art, Sonya Quintanilla, who will introduce and moderate the presentations and discussions by a panel of distinguished speakers from around the world, including: Naval Krishna, Joint Director of the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, who will share his decades of experience with the painting collections of the Maharajas as they relate to the works from the Museum's Edwin Binney 3rd Collection. Khen Rimpoche Geshe Kachen Lobzang Tsetan, Abbot, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Exile, Bailakuppe, India will address questions of the place of devotional Buddhist art in Museum contexts in anticipation of an upcoming Tibetan shrine display. Keith Wilson, Associate Director of the Sackler Gallery and Curator of Ancient Chinese Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. will present his research on cave temples of China and share his experiences as a lead organizer of the exhibition now on view, Echoes of the Past.

In celebration of the special exhibitions now on view at The San Diego Museum of Art, join our Curator of Asian Art, Sonya Quintanilla, who will introduce and moderate the presentations and discussions by a panel of distinguished speakers from around the world, including: Naval Krishna, Joint Director of the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, who will share his decades of experience with the painting collections of the Maharajas as they relate to the works from the Museum's Edwin Binney 3rd Collection. Khen Rimpoche Geshe Kachen Lobzang Tsetan, Abbot, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Exile, Bailakuppe, India will address questions of the place of devotional Buddhist art in Museum contexts in anticipation of an upcoming Tibetan shrine display. Keith Wilson, Associate Director of the Sackler Gallery and Curator of Ancient Chinese Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. will present his research on cave temples of China and share his experiences as a lead organizer of the exhibition now on view, Echoes of the Past. http://www.sdmart.org/art/exhibit/echoes-past http://www.sdmart.org/art/exhibit/dyeing-elegance

In celebration of the special exhibitions now on view at The San Diego Museum of Art, join our Curator of Asian Art, Sonya Quintanilla, who will introduce and moderate the presentations and discussions by a panel of distinguished speakers from around the world, including: Naval Krishna, Joint Director of the Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India, who will share his decades of experience with the painting collections of the Maharajas as they relate to the works from the Museum's Edwin Binney 3rd Collection. Khen Rimpoche Geshe Kachen Lobzang Tsetan, Abbot, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Exile, Bailakuppe, India will address questions of the place of devotional Buddhist art in Museum contexts in anticipation of an upcoming Tibetan shrine display. Keith Wilson, Associate Director of the Sackler Gallery and Curator of Ancient Chinese Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. will present his research on cave temples of China and share his experiences as a lead organizer of the exhibition now on view, Echoes of the Past.

La Jolla Cove ca. 1950 Size: 24 in. x 36 in. (60.9 cm x 91.4 cm) Gift of the artist, 1965:26 Alfred R. Mitchell, 1888--1972 After receiving his initial artistic education in San Diego under Maurice Braun, Alfred Mitchell studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and traveled in Europe before returning to California. He would later serve as President of the San Diego Art Guild and was among those who signed the incorporation papers for the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego, which today is known as The San Diego Museum of Art. Like many of his contemporary artists in Southern California, Mitchell combined in his work the lessons both of Thomas Eakins's American Realism and of French art; the resulting plein air style has come to be known as California Impressionism. Visitors to The San Diego Museum of Art will find on display a group of California Impressionist paintings that includes Mitchell's work alongside that of such artists as Maurice Braun, Nicolai Fechin, Charles Fries, Charles Reiffel, Guy Rose, and Elliott Torrey. www.TheSanDiegoMuseumofArt.org

Arnold Newman, 1918–2006 One of the twentieth century’s most renowned portrait photographers, Arnold Newman is best known for his series of environmental portraits, in which the photographer captured his subjects in settings that expressed their life and work. His most famous images are of artists, writers, and politicians, but Newman was insistent that his compositions be interesting photographs and not merely records of celebrities’ appearances. In these typical examples of Newman’s work, some of many Newman portraits in the Museum’s collection. Given the light-sensitive nature of photographic prints, The San Diego Museum of Art displays the collection of photography in rotating displays that change every few months. Visitors can, nonetheless, always find an installation of photography on view – either works from the collection or a loan exhibition.

Join Mexico’s visionary leaders for the second of a four-part series celebrating the excellence of Mexico and generating a rare and open dialogue on the country’s future. Tonight: Diana Magaloni, director of Mexico’s Museum of Anthropology; Chef and restaurant owner Mónica Patiño; and Roxana Velásquez Martínez del Campo, executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art, discuss the importance of fomenting national pride and identity through food and culture. Series: "Center for U.S.- Mexican Studies" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20898]

Join Mexico’s visionary leaders for the second of a four-part series celebrating the excellence of Mexico and generating a rare and open dialogue on the country’s future. Tonight: Diana Magaloni, director of Mexico’s Museum of Anthropology; Chef and restaurant owner Mónica Patiño; and Roxana Velásquez Martínez del Campo, executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art, discuss the importance of fomenting national pride and identity through food and culture. Series: "Center for U.S.- Mexican Studies" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 20898]