10 podcasts to explore museums whilst staying inside
By GEM Social Media Volunteer Julie Becaud
During the past few years, there has been an increase in new digital media to engage with museums. As we are all stuck indoors since the outbreak of the Covid-19, listening to podcasts sounds like a good alternative to delve into collections whilst staying indoors.
So sit back, put your headphones on, and (re)discover a museum, his tory and the professionals working behind-the-scenes!
Here is an non-exhaustive list of some great podcasts to listen if you love museums (like us!):
On the record is a podcast made by Historians and record experts at the National Archives. You will hear personnel files, secret government reports, and declassified correspondence to uncover the true stories of famous spies of British history, from King Alfred the Great to the Cambridge Five.
In each episode, host Hannah Hethmon takes you to discover a museum, discussing challenges and success stories made possible by the museum team.
The Wonder House is a powerful series of innovative contemporary approaches to decolonising museums, so that we are all empowered and inspired to learn and experiment.
The Vagina Museum podcast will take you deep into the history of past and present of the vagina, and give people confidence to talk about issues surrounding the gynaecological anatomy.
Leeds Museum and Galleries Podcast
Meg and Sara from Leeds Museums and Galleries will show you the quirky behind-the-scenes of the museum to tickle your curiosity. In this fun podcast, they also interview the day-to-day professionals who create the museum experience.
Get a peak into the secrets of The National Gallery of Art of Washington! This audio series will give you access to special gallery talks by well-known artists, authors, curators, and historians.
The British Museum will present stories about its collections but also new projects, exhibitions, conservation. Every month will feature an entertaining and informative story from the Museum Archives as well to highlight one of the more disregarded objects from across the galleries.
Over the course of 10 episodes, this BBC 4 podcast series tells stories of antiquities and heritage sites that have been destroyed or looted amidst the conflict in Iraq and Syria over the past few years.
For Arts’ Sake gives voices to museum professionals to share their story and tell us the groundbreaking work they do. This podcast also aims at finding out the impact of the arts on people’s lives.
This brand new podcast shares insights from the museum staff’s own lives combined with conversations about the collection and interviews with regional artists and musicians. This first episode will bring you joy and comfort for these uncertain times.
If you or your organisation are interested in producing a podcast, contact the GLAM go-to podcast person: Hannah Hethmon https://www.betterlemonaudio.com/ (@hannah_rfh).
