Call 'Em Like Museum with Eric Johnson

LightningPod

Call 'Em Like Museum is a weekly podcast exploring how museums really work, and why we love them. Host Eric Johnson talks with museum directors, curators, experts, and passionate fans about what drives them, from homegrown passion projects to world-famous institutions. Each episode digs into museum curation, exhibit design, and the visitor experience — plus the essential question: What's actually worth buying in the gift shop? Season One spotlights museums in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Walt Disney Family Museum, the deYoung Museum, and the Winchester Mystery House.

Episodes

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    What's the point of going to a museum? with Susan Crane

    Did you know the Mona Lisa only got world-famous after it was stolen from the Louvre? In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece was just another portrait in the Salon Carré, shoved between a bunch of other Renaissance paintings. But when a former museum worker stole it, the public flocked to the museum to stare at "nothing," the blank space on the wall. This phenomenon fascinated Susan Crane, a history professor at the University of Arizona and author of "Nothing Happened: A History." In 2026, the Mona Lisa's status could not be more different: It has a wall entirely to itself behind bulletproof glass, drawing millions of visitors who wait behind stanchions to catch a glimpse & maybe take a selfie. Today on Call 'Em Like Museum, Susan questions our relationship to famous works of art in museums, and explains how to cultivate genuine surprise as a visitor. She also explores how museums have been reshaped by technology and politics, the ongoing debate of the Smithsonian versus the White House, and whether school field trips are actually worth the effort. Plus: The absolutely wild way the literary elite used to experience museums in the 19th century. Full transcript of this episode Susan’s book: Nothing Happened: A History Subscribe to the newsletter This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod Chapters (00:00) - Introduction (04:04) - The Meaning and Early History of Museums (07:58) - How Photography Became Fine Art (11:52) - Stealing and Photographing the Mona Lisa (18:14) - Why Museums Matter (23:58) - Who Decides What Belongs in a Museum? (29:12) - Goethe's "Gallery Dialogues" (31:13) - Politics, Control, and Change (40:37) - Exit Through the Gift Shop Music: www.purple-planet.com Images: Stealing Mona LisaVincenzo Peruggia and “Daily Scene in the Louvre” The blank space La “Joconde” a disparu Mona returns Mona Lisa in the Louvre Excelsior newspaper Galeries Des Antiques French Crown Jewels Allegory of Marriage Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine Feast in the House of Simon the Pharisee Videos: Photo Museum Benjamin Banneker

    What's the point of going to a museum? with Susan Crane

  2. Aug 16 ·  Video

    What do museums mean to you?

    Call 'Em Like Museum is a weekly podcast exploring how museums really work, and why we love them. Host Eric Johnson talks with museum directors, curators, experts, and passionate fans about what drives them, from homegrown passion projects to world-famous institutions. Each episode digs into museum curation, exhibit design, and the visitor experience — plus the essential question: What's actually worth buying in the gift shop? Season One spotlights museums in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Walt Disney Family Museum, the deYoung Museum, and the USS Hornet Museum. Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.callemlikemuseum.com/ Music: www.purple-planet.com This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod: https://lightningpod.fm/

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Call 'Em Like Museum is a weekly podcast exploring how museums really work, and why we love them. Host Eric Johnson talks with museum directors, curators, experts, and passionate fans about what drives them, from homegrown passion projects to world-famous institutions. Each episode digs into museum curation, exhibit design, and the visitor experience — plus the essential question: What's actually worth buying in the gift shop? Season One spotlights museums in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Walt Disney Family Museum, the deYoung Museum, and the Winchester Mystery House.

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