Each biweekly episode will examine materials of art and what they reveal about history and humanity
(New York, June 1, 2022)—The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today the debut of its newest podcast, Immaterial, which will dive deeply into a particular material found in art to explore connections and meanings across time periods and cultures. Each episode, which will be released biweekly, looks at a single material—such as paper, clay, jade, concrete, and others—to explore qualities and meanings that are often overlooked and that can reveal insights about history, science, and humanity. All episodes will be available free on The Met’s website and on demand across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher, or wherever podcasts are available.
Earlier this year, The Met released the podcast Frame of Mind (February 2022), which was named one of Oprah Daily’s “Most Powerful and Promising Podcasts” and highlighted as an “eye-opening series.” Frame of Mind explores connections between art and wellness from a range of individual experiences and perspectives in 11 episodes and is hosted by Baron B. Bass.
The podcasts are made possible in part by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Both podcasts were created and produced by The Met in collaboration with Magnificent Noise (Immaterial) and Goat Rodeo (Frame of Mind). They are being distributed by PRX.
“Through personal stories and histories, Immaterial investigates the materials found in art, inviting new understandings and connections across time periods and cultures,” said Max Hollein, Marina Kellen French Director of The Met. “We are thrilled to offer podcast audiences this intriguing way to consider and experience art and creativity and their connections to the surrounding world.”
Immaterial is hosted by celebrated writer and poet Camille T. Dungy (Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History). The series begins with a nearly 40-minute episode, “Paper,” featuring author, activist, and visual artist Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed alongside Met experts from the Departments of Paper Conservation, Drawings and Prints, and Education as they discuss the world of handheld ephemera and how Museum conservators race against time to make the objects last. Valentines, comic books, and baseball and cigarette cards are all personal and meaningful objects, and are also treasured objects in the Museum’s collection. Through eight episodes, different materials will prompt and inspire stories that illuminate qualities and meanings that are often overlooked.
About The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people. Today, The Met displays tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
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June 1, 2022
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