Bates Museum of Art Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Peter visits the museum's weekly life drawing session to interview local artists Joel Babb, Anita Clearfield, and Joe Klofas. Topics include challenges of drawing from a live model, the role of the local community, and advice for beginners. Intro with Amelia Killackey '25.

Check out Joel Babb's website here!

Check out Anita Clearfield's website here!

All music composed and produced by Oliver Todreas '23. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

Peter sits down with the museum's Director, Dan Mills, to discuss his career in museums as well as past and upcoming exhibitions. Topics include the many roles of a director, what it takes to connect with a campus community, and expanding the museum's programming outside the gallery.

Want to learn more about our upcoming exhibitions? Click here to learn more!

All music composed and produced by Oliver Todreas '23. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

This podcast is centered around the 1991 Nan Coulter photograph, Azle, Texas: War Decor, Photographs in America, which features a building with yellow ribbons on the doors. The hosts, Savannah Compare and Ava Steinberger, will analyze the symbolism in the composition of the image, as well as tie the image into the complexities of war photography and how much it varies and symbolizes within the larger context of war. The ribbons in the Nan Coulter photograph signify American civilian’s solidarity with the soldiers fighting in the Gulf War, and their universal nature allowed for the public to use them in order to shape whatever message they wanted to send. This podcast will connect the versatility of the ribbons to the complexity of war images and how they all represent a wide range of perspectives regarding war.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosted and produced by Savannah Compare and Ava Steinberger. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

The National Child Labor Committee, founded in 1904, was dedicated to promoting social reform as it pertains to child labor. Hired by the NCLC, Lewis Hine advocated for photography as a medium of education. Describing his craft as “detective work” he was an investigative photojournalist capturing the dire conditions of child labor in New England. Among the earliest examples of documentary photography in America, A Sweeper in the Hill, assumes the position as a symbol of the common exploitation of child labor and photojournalism. The motives behind Lewis Hine and the NCLC as a whole reveals the troubling truths about the conditions of the workplace and the ill treatment of children in the early 18th century. What can we learn from A Sweeper in the Hill and other photos within the collection in regards to the document as a reform device?

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠⁠⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠⁠⁠

Hosted and produced by Ella Caron and Eden Lorin. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

Can a photograph ever just be a photograph? [or is there always a communicated message from a photograph as a record?] This podcast analyzes Jurgen Schadeberg’s photograph, We Won't’ Move, shot in the shantytown of Sophiatown in 1955. Jurgen Schadeberg was a white photographer who immigrated to South Africa from Germany. He was renowned for his work in the South African magazine Drum at the beginning of South African Apartheid, from 1951 to 1959. He leverages the composition of his photograph to visualize power dynamics during South African apartheid. Jurgen Schadeberg’s image emphasizes the importance of context and artistic choice in creating a powerful, photographic record. This podcast will not only reveal the story behind Schadeberg’s photograph but also compare it to similar works by black photographers working in South Africa during apartheid.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠⁠

Hosted and produced by Russell Judge and Luke Desmaison. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

Welcome to "Through the Lens of History: Unveiling America's Dust Bowl," where I, Samantha Simmons, delve into the captivating world of documentary photography. In this episode, I transport you to the heart of the Dust Bowl era, exploring Arthur Rothstein's iconic photograph Fleeing A Dust Storm, Cimarron County, Oklahoma. Join me as I unravel the visual and emotional layers of this powerful image, shedding light on the resilience of those facing environmental adversity during one of the most challenging periods in American history. I dissect the composition, lighting, and background, unveiling the emotional impact and artistic intent behind Rothstein's lens. Through discussions, I explore the historical context, significance, and cultural legacy of this photograph, examining its role in shaping public perception and documenting the human experience during the Dust Bowl era. Join me on this visual journey through the lens of history, connecting with the past and appreciating the enduring power of documentary photography.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠⁠⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠⁠⁠

Hosted and produced by Samantha Simmons. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

As individuals living in a technologically advanced society, we have access to images on a daily basis and are trained to believe everything before our eyes. Rarely do we stop and question the intentionality behind an image or its neutrality, making us easy subjects for manipulation. This podcast examines the ever-changing role of the camera in China from the start of the Mao Zedong era (1949 - 1976) to the present. While this history is not linear, it is clear the camera has been used as a tool for political messaging. Our chosen photograph and the focus of this episode Government 04, Shanghai taken by Luo Yongjin in 2006 materializes this notion through its portrayal of a Chinese government building. At first glance, the structure looks remarkably similar to the U.S. Capitol, embodying the growth of China’s influence on the international level. Ultimately serving as commentary for the Chinese government’s illegitimate spending methods on Westernizing spaces rather than improving the lives of everyday citizens. How and why you might ask? Well, tune in as we examine just how powerful the documentary photograph really is.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠⁠

Hosted and produced by Madeline Cournoyer and Noor Hoban. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

In this podcast, hosts Simone Obregon and Hollis Hale discuss the photograph Guerrilla Zone, taken by Donna DeCesare in 1988. They delve into the history behind this photograph, talking about the El Salvadoran Civil War and the context in which this photograph is understood. Analyzing the image alongside another piece of DeCesare’s work, Untitled (2001) as well as an image of Robert Nickelson’s, Untitled (1992), born out of the same conflict; they question the perspective of which the photograph was taken and how it impacts its truth value. They question and break down how exactly Guerrilla Zone portrays the Salvadoran Civil War and how it highlights the power dynamics present between both the two conflicting parties within El Salvador, as well as DeCesare and her subjects. Through this use of visual and historical analysis, Hollis and Simone are able to determine the documentary value of DeCesare’s work.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠

Hosted and produced by Simone Obregon and Hollis Hale. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

In this episode, Bates first-year Carly Philpott and Monmouth Academy senior Izzy Hamann use photography to dive into the rich history of women and the LGBTQ+ community in Northampton, Massachusetts. Through this, they attempt to find some context in Donna Ferrato’s 1994 image of Ketta McGraw and Jaye Pope holding their first child, entitled Immaculate Conception. They cover topics such as the place of same-sex relationships in popular media and culture. Carly and Izzy also discuss the mural included in Ferrato’s photograph, which depicts women in Northampton in several centuries of women’s rights movements spanning from 1600-1980 and reinforces Ferrato’s feminist message. In order to unpack the visual meaning of this composition, an overview of women’s civil rights is covered and how minorities of race, class, and sexuality affected the future of women such as McGraw and Pope starting a family. Ferrato’s other photography will also be included in this analysis in order to compare and contrast to Immaculate Conception.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.⁠

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠⁠

Hosted and produced by Carly Philpott and Izzy Hamann. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.

In this episode, Samantha Quatrano and Meara McVearry examine Berenice Abbott’s 1965 photograph, Lobster Car. They explore the historical and generational struggles within the Maine lobstering industry and as Mainers, Samantha and Meara bring an inside perspective to the conversation. Through this documentary photograph, they contemplate the contrast of rural and urban life captured across Abbot’s career and discuss the techniques Abbott employs and how her role and artistic intention impact the image. Abbott’s interest in realism allowed her to use photography as a tangible timestamp to document social and historical events and their impacts. Analyzing the Lobster Car photograph, they question what narrative Abbott is trying to convey.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the works discussed in today's episode.

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.⁠

Hosted and produced by Samantha Quatrano and Meara McVearry. Cover art by Lucy Sherman '23.