About Art

Latest Episodes:

Episode 203: Great Art Explained and Making Art Accessible - with James Payne Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

What makes a painting unforgettable? And how can art history become something that feels personal, clear, and alive?

In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with James Payne, writer, curator, educator, and the creator of the internationally beloved YouTube channels Great Art Explained and Great Books Explained.

James has reached millions by making art history accessible—stripping away intimidation while preserving depth, nuance, and emotional power. His videos have been shown at institutions including the National Gallery in London and the Albertina Museum in Vienna, and his mission continues to redefine what cultural education can look like in the digital age.

Together, Heidi and James discuss storytelling, accessibility, the emotional intelligence of art, and why understanding a work of art can be as thrilling as seeing it.

Episode 202: Why Film Matters: How Elisa Nuyten Is Rewriting the Rules of Art Philanthropy Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

Elisa Nuyten is the founder and president of The Vega Foundation, a Toronto-based organization dedicated to supporting ambitious film and video art through commissioning, institutional collaboration, and long-term stewardship. Established in 2022, Vega has quickly become a significant force in the international moving-image ecosystem, partnering with leading museums and commissioning major new works by artists shaping the future of the medium.

In this conversation, Nuyten shares why she sees film as a powerful vehicle for awareness—one capable of holding complexity, ambiguity, and emotional depth without slipping into didacticism. She reflects on her evolution from collector to foundation founder, her appetite for artistic risk, and her belief that supporting experimental work is essential to cultural and social progress.

Together, Nuyten and Zuckerman explore how private foundations can operate as catalysts rather than gatekeepers, how to evaluate risk while remaining artist-centered, and why storytelling in moving-image art has a unique capacity to foster shared humanity. This episode offers a compelling model for collectors, arts leaders, and anyone interested in how bold artistic investment can expand what art—and philanthropy—can do.

Episode 201: How Pacsun Stays Relevant: Brieane Olson on Gen Z, Culture, and Purpose Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

What does it take to shape a brand that resonates with an entire generation? Brieane Olson, CEO of Pacsun, joins Heidi Zuckerman to discuss creativity, cultural relevance, and values-driven leadership at one of the most influential youth lifestyle retailers in the world.

From strategic partnerships with icons like A$AP Rocky and Kendall Jenner to a $5M investment in Inglewood schools, Brieane shares how she blends purpose with performance. With nearly two decades at Pacsun and a career spanning merchandising, marketing, and digital transformation, her approach is both bold and deeply human.

In this episode, Brieane and Heidi explore:

•The art of building authentic collaborations

•Why community investment isn’t a strategy, it’s a responsibility

•Leading with empathy, innovation, and intention

•What Gen Z and Gen Alpha expect from brands today—and how art plays a role

This conversation is about more than retail. It’s about culture, connection, and leadership in a rapidly changing world.

Episode 200: Building Hope: Art and Activism - with Mike Zuckerman Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

Mike Zuckerman is a cultural strategist, city builder, and humanitarian activist whose work is rooted in one central idea: regeneration.

Mike has designed and activated community-centered spaces all over the world—from temporary refugee settlements in Uganda, to post-crisis recovery zones in Haiti and Colombia, to experimental urban projects in San Francisco. He thinks deeply about how to repair broken systems by placing trust and power back in the hands of local communities. We talk about how he moves between the art world, humanitarian work, and activism—and what he’s learned about design, dignity, and hope along the way.

Mike is Heidi Zuckerman’s brother, and this is the last in her sibling series podcast.

Episode 199: The Art of Reinvention - with Lora Jakobsen Jan 27, 2026

Show notes

Reinvention isn’t about starting over. It’s about listening—closely—to who you’re becoming.

In this episode of About Art, I speak with Lora Jakobsen about leadership before titles, creativity beyond the arts, and how community shapes both personal growth and professional impact. From her early background in the performing arts to her current work in climate tech at ZeroNorth, Lora’s journey is a powerful reminder that the skills we develop in one chapter often become the foundation for the next.

We talk about:

•Reinvention as an ongoing practice

• Why art should never feel intimidating

• Leadership rooted in presence, curiosity, and care

• The role of community in shaping meaningful work

• Creativity as a transferable life skill

This conversation is for anyone navigating change—and wondering what might be possible on the other side. Lora is Heidi Zuckerman’s sister.

Episode 198: Art makes us feel less alone— with Josh Zuckerman Jan 20, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with actor Josh Zuckerman about creativity, vulnerability, and why art—at its best—helps us feel less alone.

Josh has worked professionally in film and television since his late teens, with an eclectic career that spans comedy, drama, and horror. He currently appears in the Paramount+ series School Spirits and previously starred as the lead in The CW’s Significant Mother. His film work ranges from comedies such as Sex Drive and Austin Powers: Goldmember to dramas including Oppenheimer, The Hottest State, and CBGB, as well as genre films like Feast. His television credits include The Offer, Hunters, Alaska Daily, Fatal Attraction, Boston Legal, House, NYPD Blue, Strange Angel, and 90210, among many others.

In their conversation, Heidi and Josh discuss:

•Growing up alongside art and creativity—and how it shaped his sense of self

•What acting has taught him about empathy, presence, and emotional risk

•How inhabiting other lives can deepen understanding and connection

•The difference between performing for validation and creating with purpose

•Why art, storytelling, and shared experience help us feel seen

This episode is also a personal one: Josh is Heidi’s brother, and their shared history brings an added layer of honesty, humor, and reflection to the conversation.

Episode 197: Art Gives Comfort - with Joel Lubin Jan 13, 2026

Show notes

A 20-year veteran of leading entertainment and sports agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Joel Lubin is a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Motion Picture Group. Lubin represents many of the world’s most acclaimed talent, including Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan, Chris Evans, Mahershala Ali, Vanessa Kirby, David Oyelowo, Jude Law, Andrew Garfield, Mark Rylance, Jon Bernthal, Charlize Theron, Sebastian Stan, Josh Brolin, Michelle Williams, Matthew Goode, James Corden, Hilary Swank, and Jeremy Renner, among others.

An avid art collector, Lubin currently serves on the Board of Overseers for the Hammer Museum and the Board of Directors of the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

In this conversation, Lubin and Zuckerman discuss how careers are built over time; the role of trust, risk, and intuition in representation; and what it means to advocate for artists at the highest level while navigating an industry shaped by scale, power, and change. They reflect on creative partnership, long-term thinking, and the parallels between collecting art and stewarding talent—both rooted in conviction, patience, and belief.

Episode 196: Art is Life - with Derek Fordjour Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

Derek Fordjour was born in Memphis, Tennessee to Ghanaian parents. He is the recipient of the 2025 Gordon Parks Foundation Artist Fellowship, the 2023 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Spirit of the Dream Award, and previously served as the Alex Katz Chair at Cooper Union. He has received public commissions for the Highline, the NYC AIDS Memorial, MOCA Grand Avenue and the MTA’s Arts & Design program. Fordjour’s work has been reviewed in The New York Times, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times. A monograph of his work will be published by Phaidon in 2027.

He is a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia, earned a Master’s Degree in Art Education from Harvard University and an MFA in painting from Hunter College. His work is held in the private and public collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, Guggenheim Museum, and The Royal Collection in London among others. He is the founder of the Contemporary Arts Memphis.

He and Zuckerman discuss his work, particularly his exhibition “Night Song,” identity, memory, and community, how art can evoke emotional responses and create shared experiences, his creative process, the importance of collaboration, his commitment to giving back to the community through his foundation in Memphis, and how art is life!

Episode 195: What It Means to Paint a Life — with Katherine Bradford Dec 30, 2025

Show notes

How can abstraction carry emotion, identity, and lived experience?

In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with painter Katherine Bradford, whose luminous work bridges the personal, mythic, and communal. Bradford moved from Maine to New York in the 1980s as a single mother raising school-age twins and became part of the first wave of artists to shape the Williamsburg art community. After more than a decade navigating the Manhattan gallery world, her work has since been recognized internationally and is held in major museum collections.

Their conversation spans Bradford’s five-decade painting career, abstraction and figuration, color and process, studio practice, and the challenge of representing human emotion. They also discuss community, motherhood, the evolving art world, and why creativity remains fundamental to how we understand ourselves and one another.

This is a conversation about painting as a lifelong practice—and art as a deeply human act.

Episode 194: How Cultural Ecosystems Shape the Future of Art — with Tokini Peterside-Schwebig Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of About Art, Heidi Zuckerman speaks with Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder of ART X and ART X Lagos, the leading international art fair in West Africa. Through ART X, Peterside-Schwebig has played a pivotal role in positioning Lagos on the global cultural stage while remaining deeply committed to local communities and creative voices.

Their conversation explores the development of ART X Lagos; the importance of engaging both local and international audiences; connecting African artists and collectors; and supporting new generations of creatives through initiatives such as ART X Live!, the ART X Prize, and ART X Cinema. Together, they discuss artistic innovation across Africa, the power of cultural entrepreneurship, and how younger generations are shaping the future of art on the continent and beyond.

This is a conversation about building platforms, expanding narratives, and reimagining what global cultural leadership can look like.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected