LISTEN: "Art in the Making" Episodes

Hosted by interns Caroline Cook '21 and Courtney McKee '21, this podcast traces the history of various materials used to make art through the ages and highlights works in the Hood Museum's collection.

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Unidentified reign of Ashurnasirpal II maker, Assyrian, 883 - 859 BCE, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), Mesopotamia

Episode 1: "Stone—Looking Pretty Good for 5,000 Years Old"
In the very first episode of "Art in the Making", Courtney and Caroline explore the properties of different types of stone and the various techniques used to carve them. Revisit the famed Venus of Willendorf, meet a stocky ruler from ancient Lagash, and see the Hood Museum's Assyrian reliefs in a whole new light. Click here to listen.

 

 

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El Anatsui, Ghanaian, born 1944, Hovor (detail), 2003, aluminum bottle tops and copper wire. Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth: Purchased through gifts from the Lathrop Fellows; 2005.42.

Episode 2: "Metalwork—One Man's Trash"
In this week's episode about metalwork, Caroline and Courtney take a look at mining, shaping, and casting different metals. Explore works in the Hood Museum's collection ranging from African weapons to a sculpture made from aluminum bottleneck wrappers. Click here to listen.

 


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Unidentified Iznik style maker, Ottoman Empire, Panel of Tiles from a Public Fountain (cheshme), dated 1013

Episode 3: "Pigmentation—I Didn't Think Snails Would Be Involved"
In this week's episode about pigmentation, Courtney and Caroline discover the unusual sources for the rainbow of colors available to artists through time. They also look at two very special works from the Hood's collection. Click here to listen.

 


Installation view of Form and Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics

Installation view of Form and Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics

Episode 4: "Ceramics—We Took Picasso Down and Put Anita Up! Featuring Jami Powell"
In this week's episode about ceramics, Caroline and Courtney sit down with Jami Powell, associate curator of Native American art at the Hood Museum, about her exhibition Form and Relation. Click here to listen.

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A detail of a colorful Japanese woodblock print on paper depicting a busy city street in Japan.

Episode 5: "Paper — Kids Are Baby Goats, Paper Has Teeth"
In this week's episode about paper, Courtney and Caroline explore how the different weights and types of paper impact the art that is made with them. Compare a Japanese print by famed artist Utagawa Hiroshige III to an American pastel sketch by Everett Shinn. Click here to listen.

 

 

 

 

 


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A white marble sculpture of a bust of a woman, who is meant to be medusa.

Episode 6: "Marble—A Rasp Is an Ancient Nail File"
In this week's episode about marble, Caroline and Courtney discuss the processes of quarrying and carving marble, as well as the properties of marble that make it an ideal medium for sculpture. See the Parthenon in a new way, and look at a piece in the Hood's collection made by one of the world's first professional female artists. Click here to listen.
 

 

 


William Legge, Second Earl of Dartmouth

A painted portrait of William Legge, Second Earl of Dartmouth.

Episode 7: "Paint—Ah, the Days of Yore"
In this week's episode, Caroline and Courtney take a look at the different types of paint and the unique qualities that they can bring to a painting. Understand why classical portraits look so "fleshy" and learn about the unusual choice of material Jackson Pollock made for his action paintings. Click here to listen.

 

 

 

 

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A tintype portrait of a woman of color. She faces the viewer and is photographed from the chest up.

Episode 8: "Photography—A Surprising Abundance of Frenchmen"
In the last episode of "Art in the Making," Courtney and Caroline explore photography. They consider the developments through time that led to its ubiquity today as well as the debate surrounding photography as an artistic medium. Look at the Critical Indigenous Portrait Exchange Project and reflect on all we've learned in our time together. Click here to listen.

 

 



Written March 30, 2021