Museum Confidential

Philbrook Museum of Art
  • 4.8 (62)
  • VISUAL ARTS
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Museum Confidential is a behind-the-scenes look at museums hosted by Jeff Martin. The show is a co-production of Philbrook Museum of Art and Public Radio Tulsa. New episodes every two weeks.

  1. DEC 23

    The Case for Baskets

    On this newest episode of MC, we speak with Welana Queton; she's currently the Mellon Fellow for Native Art at Philbrook Museum of Art. Recently, Welana was asked to shine a light on a specific area of the museum's collection: baskets. This work led to a newly-launched exhibition -- INTERWOVEN: CHEROKEE, MUSCOGEE (CREEK), & YUCHI BASKETS. Presenting a variety of styles, both decorative and functional, and spotlighting baskets made from a wide range of materials, INTERWOVEN runs ay Philbrook through February 8, 2026.

    27 min

  2. DEC 7

    Museums and Marketing: It's Complicated

    Our friend Stephen Reily of REMUSEUM returns to the MC podcast to discuss his think-tank's report on marketing in the museum sector. According to this newly-issued REMUSEUM case study: "Museums invest, on average, less than 3% of their operating budgets on marketing, which is a level consistent with the American mining and construction industries." Lots to discuss here. We caught up with Stephen via phone, as he was visiting Miami in order to take part in Art Basel.

    21 min

  3. NOV 14

    Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt

    They say timing is everything, but acclaimed filmmaker Kelly Reichardt (First Cow, Meek's Cutoff) could have never predicted a rise in museum heists when prepping her latest, THE MASTERMIND. Kelly joins us to talk about the film, her career, and what it took to create a fictional Massachusetts museum in Indiana and Ohio.

    27 min

  4. NOV 1

    The Louvre Heist

    Of course we're talking about the recent theft at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which occurred on October 19th and promptly made news headlines worldwide. Four masked and hooded thieves took more than $100 in jewels before exiting the museum (in broad daylight) and speeding away on motor scooters. Amid the many articles and written reports concerning this theft that appeared just after it happened, one piece that caught out eyes was "The Louvre Heist Was a Colonial Wake-Up Call" (from Hyperallergic, the arts/cultural website). Our guest on Museum Confidential is the author of this piece, Dr. Emiline Smith, a Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Glasgow, Scotland (UK).

    28 min

  5. OCT 18

    A Patrick Gordon Retrospective

    On this edition of MC, we hear from the celebrated Tulsa-based artist, Patrick Gordon. The first-ever retrospective of this remarkable artist's work -- "Wall Flowers: Patrick Gordon Paintings" -- is now on view at Philbrook Museum of Art through January 3rd, 2026. The show presents 50+ works, including still life scenes, large florals, portraits, and a striking series of paintings titled "Men in Ballgowns." Conversation moderated by Karl Jones of The Center for Queer Prairie Studies. Presented in partnership with Tulsa Artist Fellowship.

    28 min

  6. OCT 3

    Meet a Cultural Anthropologist

    From time to time we look at a specific museum job or title and ask the question: what is that exactly? Today we're exploring the role of the cultural anthropologist with Aaron Schoenfeldt, the Duane H. King Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Tulsa's Helmerich Center for American Research.

    30 min

  7. SEP 21

    On The Road: The Peabody Essex Museum

    For the Season 10 premiere of Museum Confidential, we travelled all the way to the land of witches and whales in order to experience once of the best museum collections in the country. On this episode we have an in-gallery chat with Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, CEO and Executive Director of The Peabody Essex Museum, originally established in 1799.

    36 min

  8. MAY 30

    Pop Goes the Museum

    Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) turns 25 this year. On our Season 9 finale we light out to the Pacific Northwest for a fascinating conversation with MoPOP CEO Michelle Y. Smith.

    31 min
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4.8
out of 5
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About

Museum Confidential is a behind-the-scenes look at museums hosted by Jeff Martin. The show is a co-production of Philbrook Museum of Art and Public Radio Tulsa. New episodes every two weeks.

Information

  • Creator
    Philbrook Museum of Art
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Museum Confidential

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