Why'd They Put That In A Museum?
Art. Objects. Museums. Ideas. Questions. What happens when you put things on display and invite people in to look? Have you ever seen art on display and wondered, “Why’d they put that in a museum?” Museum curator Sarah Lees and author Beth Bacon start each conversation with one item, in one specific museum. We explore the object, its history, and the cultural ideas surrounding it. In the end, that object takes on new meaning as listeners discover the fascinating reasons it ended up in a museum.
Podcasting since 2025 • 21 episodes
Why'd They Put That In A Museum?
Latest Episodes
Jackson Pollock
In this final episode of Season 2, hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees discuss their ongoing topic, “Why did they put that in a museum?” by focusing on an artist who is frequently the subject of this question: Jackson Pollock. They examine hi...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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32:21
Maman, or giant spider, by Louise Bourgeois
Is bigger better when it comes to art? That’s one of the questions that Sarah Lees and Beth Bacon ponder in their discussion of the life and work of Louise Bourgeois. In this episode of Why'd They Put That in a Museum?, hosts Beth Baco...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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24:08
Battle of Little Bighorn by Stephen Standing Bear, Part 2
This is the second episode of a two-part discussion of the Why'd They Put That In A Museum podcast. Beth Bacon, Sarah Lees, and guest speaker Christina Burke discuss a painting by Lakota artist Steven Standing Bear. The artwork is a la...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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21:02
Battle of Little Bighorn by Stephen Standing Bear, Part 1
In this first episode of a two-part discussion, Beth Bacon, Sarah Lees, and guest speaker Christina Burke, discuss a painting by Lakota artist Steven Standing Bear. The artwork is a large-scale painting of the Battle of the Greasy Grass, which ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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25:17