About Art

Sarah Thornton is a sociologist who writes about art, design and people. Formerly the chief art market correspondent for The Economist, Thornton is the author of three critically acclaimed books and many influential articles. A Canadian who went to the UK on a prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship, Thornton was hailed as “Britain’s hippest academic.” Now based in San Francisco, Thornton is better known as “the Jane Goodall of the art world.” Zuckerman sat with Thornton in the office in her apartment in San Francisco where they talked about hierarchies within the artworld, our super powers, the truth about being polite, ceramics, and more than 30 reasons art matters!

Musically Rufus Wainwright has collaborated with artists including Elton John, David Byrne, Boy George, Joni Mitchell, Pet Shop Boys and producer Mark Ronson among others. In addition to being a celebrated contemporary pop singer, Rufus has made a name for himself in the classical world. Heidi visited Rufus at his LA home and they talked about what soothes his soul, a cultural movement to turn off our devices, rhyming, why reading matters, and the why and how of being an active conduit for ideas!

Over a 25 year period Tim Blum and Jeff Poe have fostered the careers of artists such as Takashi Murakami, Mark Grotjahn, Henry Taylor, and so many others. In this episode Zuckerman and Blum talk about the first work of art they each bought—in the same year for the same price! —Ram Das, death, and how we all are just walking each other home.

Rich Roll is a dad, athlete, and author of Finding Ultra. He also hosts the long running, super interesting, and widely popular Rich Roll podcast. In this episode he and Zuckerman talk about existential crises, alcoholism and ambition, the value of solitude, wisdom, and what art is.

Zuckerman describes Seth Price as “undeniably one of the coolest people I have ever met!“ She curated his solo museum exhibition, No Technique, which closes at the Aspen Art Museum on March 1, 2020. In this episode they converse about the allure of being unavailable, the power of defocused thinking, creating a sound track for artists, #menswear, and skin. Price in addition to making paintings has designed a fashion line, written a novel, and made music.

Christina Quarles engages with the world from a position that is multiply situated.  As a Queer, cis-woman born to a black father and a white mother, her project is informed by her daily experience with ambiguity and seeks to dismantle assumptions.  We talked about finding beauty where others might not notice, the impact of our ancestors, and the importance of slowing down and doing less.

John Hickenlooper recently spent six months running for President of the United States of America.  He served two terms as Mayor of Denver, followed by two terms as Governor of Colorado.  He is a craft brewer and occasional banjo player and is currently running for U.S. Senate in Colorado.  In this episode, he and Heidi talk about the importance of silence in holding a space for other’s grief,  how art, music, and culture builds community, transcendental meditation, and world peace.

Helen Molesworth is a Los Angeles-based writer and curator. She recently released “Recording Artists,” a podcast series in conjunction with the Getty and she is the curator-in-residence at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center. We talked about why it’s a great thing when works of art make you cry, personal and institutional legacy, and where the divine or faith shows up in art.

In this episode, Heidi speaks with painter Mary Weatherford known for radical, elusive paintings where her canvases are affixed and sometimes juxtaposed with working neon light. They talk about the most annoying questions Mary repeatedly gets asked as well as why making her paintings involves getting her feet dirty, their mutual admiration for artist Alan Shields, scoliosis, and what it means to trust someone. This episode was recorded live at, and in partnership with, Spring Place Beverly Hills.

In this inaugural episode, Heidi speaks with long-time friend Lance Armstrong about his support of, and friendships with, a wide variety of contemporary artists from Raymond Pettibone to Ed Ruscha, and how art made his life better during times of widely-publicized, great duress. They also talk about humor, decision-making, and the best idea that Lance ever had!