What happens when Artists are embedded inside the systems that run the world? --- hospitals, railroads, steel mills, shipping companies, government ministries... In this episode, we explore the the strange, funny, visionary, and unexpectedly influential story of Barbara Steveni and the Artist Placement Group — a loose coalition of British artists who, beginning in the late 1960s, attempted something radical: placing artists inside the machinery of everyday institutional life not to decorate systems… but to complicate them. This show explores how artists embedded themselves inside mega-corporations and government agencies — often producing confusion, resistance, revelation, and occasionally profound organizational insight. And: * Why artists may function best not at the edges of society, but deep inside the systems shaping public life. How attention, metaphor, and observation can help institutions become more self aware and better run. * Why imagination inside organizations is often disruptive, inconvenient, and deeply necessary. Notable MentionsPeopleBarbara Steveni — British artist, organizer, and co-founder of the Artist Placement Group whose pioneering work embedded artists inside industrial, governmental, and civic systems as catalysts for institutional reflection and imagination.John Latham — Influential conceptual artist and APG collaborator whose work challenged conventional ideas about institutions, perception, time, and social systems.Ian Breakwell — British artist, filmmaker, and diarist associated with APG whose observational work explored institutional life, mental health systems, and everyday social rituals.Mierle Laderman Ukeles — Maintenance artist whose long collaboration with the New York City Department of Sanitation transformed public understanding of labor, infrastructure, and civic care.David Whyte — Poet and organizational thinker known for bringing metaphor, reflection, and human inquiry into corporate and institutional environments. Organizations & InitiativesArtist Placement Group (APG) — Radical British initiative founded in the late 1960s to place artists inside corporations, industries, and government agencies not to decorate systems, but to deepen and complicate them.Organisation and Imagination (O+I) — The later evolution of APG, continuing its investigation into the relationship between imagination, institutions, governance, and organizational culture.Intermedia Arts — Influential Minneapolis arts organization that helped pioneer artist/community development collaborations and embedded civic arts practice in the United States.The Hayward Gallery — London arts venue that hosted APG’s influential 1971 exhibition Art & Economics, bringing artists, industrialists, and public officials into direct dialogue. Projects, Concepts & EventsArt & Economics / INN70 — Landmark APG exhibition and public experiment exploring relationships between artists, economics, bureaucracy, and institutional life.Incidental Person — John Latham’s concept describing artists embedded within institutions as independent observers capable of perceiving what bureaucratic systems themselves no longer notice.John Latham and the Scottish Bing Projects — Exploration of Latham’s visionary proposal to reconceive Scottish industrial spoil heaps as cultural memory and environmental sculpture.The Institution — Ian Breakwell’s work emerging from placements inside psychiatric hospitals, examining institutional systems, observation, and human vulnerability. Publications & ResearchThe Artist Placement Group and the Industry of Art — Major essay tracing APG’s philosophy, institutional placements, and long-term influence on socially engaged and cross-sector artistic practice.Barbara Steveni: I Find Myself — Steveni’s memoir and archival reflection on APG, institutional imagination, and artist-led systems intervention.Artist Placement Group Chronology — Historical timeline documenting APG placements, exhibitions, collaborations, and policy interventions.Artforum — “Rate of Return: The Artist Placement Group” — Contemporary reassessment of APG’s influence on institutional critique, social practice, and embedded artistic work. Acknowledgements (FreeSound.org)Dream-Drifting by audiomirage -- https://freesound.org/s/665193/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 NixenoFX - short music jingle and start and end music.mp3 by nixeno -- https://freesound.org/s/427552/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Marlow and the DownUnder by audiomirage -- https://freesound.org/s/719007/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 September 21 Equinox by audiomirage -- https://freesound.org/s/827532/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 AMB_pub_small_busy.wav by matucha -- https://freesound.org/s/189876/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Hello User: Bright Cheery Intro Music by jjmarsan -- https://freesound.org/s/476070/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 Podcast 27_Crackle by PodcastAC -- https://freesound.org/s/720338/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 ******* Art Is CHANGE is a podcast that chronicles the power of art and community transformation, providing a platform for activist artists to share their experiences and gain the skills and strategies they need to thrive as agents of social change. Through compelling conversations with artist activists, artivists, and cultural organizers, the podcast explores how art and activism intersect to fuel cultural transformation and drive meaningful change. Guests discuss the challenges and triumphs of community arts, socially engaged art, and creative placemaking, offering insights into artist mentorship, building credibility, and communicating impact. Episodes delve into the realities of artist isolation, burnout, and funding for artists, while celebrating the role of artists in residence and creative leadership in shaping a more just and inclusive world. Whether you’re an emerging or established artist for social justice, this podcast offers inspiration, practical advice, and a sense of solidarity in the journey toward art and social change.
