Introducing Pleasure Gardening with Tourmaline

Sound Bath 1 (English)

Sound Bath Introduction (English)

What is the relationship between literature and modern art? 

Join Adam F. Bradley, English professor and co-editor of Ralph Ellison's unfinished second novel, for a discussion about race and invisibility, both on the written page and beyond. Discover Ellison's iconic text, “Invisible Man”, and the ways it continues to resonate with readers (and artists) 70 years after its original publication.

Access a transcript of the conversation here: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/751

Pictured: Jeff Wall. *After “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison, the Prologue*. 1999–2000. Silver dye bleach transparency; aluminum light box: 5 ft. 8 1/2 in. × 8 ft. 2 3/4 in. (174 × 250.8 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Photography Council Fund, Horace W. Goldsmith Fund through Robert B. Menschel, and acquired through the generosity of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder and Carol and David Appel. © 2022 Jeff Wall

Ten Minutes with Adam Bradley: On Invisible Man

Experience a new work from the Kyiv-based musician and composer Heinali, crafted in remembrance of the invasion of Ukraine that began one year ago.

Read about Heinali's work here: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/854

Heinali’s “Aves rubrae”

What happens when we unplug our headphones and listen to our surroundings? Hear from Emeka Oghboh, a maker of multisensory artworks, about his process for making soundscapes based on his experience of city life. 

Pictured: Emeka Ogboh. *Lagos State of Mind III*. 2017/2020. Eighteen-channel sound installation (35:25 min.), painted wall, galvanized steel and aluminum street sign, U-Bahn metro sign, concrete slab, and vinyl wall graphic, dimensions variable. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Fund for the Twenty-First Century. © 2023 Emeka Ogboh

Ten Minutes with Emeka Ogboh: On Active Listening

Join meditation artist Dora Kamau for an eight-minute guided audio meditation that explores the spectrum of emotions and energies associated with each color. We’ll delve into color theory and the psychological and emotional effects colors can have on us. Composer James Pratley Watson, who created the soundscape for this meditation, aligned each color with its respective sonic “healing frequency,” in an attempt to infuse it with a deeper vibrational resonance. As Kamau leads you through this immersive meditation, allow the interplay of sound and color to guide you through a calming exploration of your own consciousness.

A Color-Infused Meditation with Dora Kamau

Episode One: “In the Beginning”

The latest MoMA podcast begins on June 16, 1960, when George Wein and the Storyville Sextet played the first jazz concert in MoMA’s Sculpture Garden—and launched more than a decade of legendary performances and recordings from some of the leading lights of jazz, including Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, and Sonny Rollins. In this episode, you’ll hear about the first era of jazz at MoMA from some of the musicians who were there.

Writer/producers: Naeem Douglas, Alex Halberstadt, Jason Persse
Host: Naeem Douglas
Additional readings: Karen Chilton
Engineer, mixer, original music: Zubin Hensler
Special thanks: Prudence Peiffer, Arlette Hernandez, Ellen Levitt, Kelsey Head, Dore Murphy, Allison Knoll, Tina James, Michelle Harvey, Marc-Auguste Desert II, Omer Leibovitz, Peter Oleksik

Music:
“That’s a Plenty” (Live) (2014 remaster). Written by Lew Pollack. Performed by George Wein and the Storyville Sextet. Courtesy of Bethlehem Records. By arrangement with BMG Rights Management; “Soloscope.” Written and perfrormed by Sonny Rollins. Courtesy of Concord Records. By arrangement with Kobalt obo Son Rol Music Company; “Namesake.” Written and performed by Milt Jackson. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. Bt arrangement with Reecie Music; “September in the Rain.” Written by Al Dubin, Harry Warren. Performed by George Wein and the Storyville Sextet. Courtesy of BMG. By arrangement with WC Music Corp. (ASCAP); “Undecided.” Written by Charles Shavers. Performed by George Wein and the Storyville Sextet. Courtesy of BMG. By arrangement with Universal Music Publishing; “Novamo.” Written and performed by Milt Jackson. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. By arrangement with Hall Leonard; “Take the A Train.” Written by Billy Strayhorn. Performed by Clark Terry. Courtesy of The Orchard. By arrangement with Reservoir Media and WISE; “Take Three Parts Jazz.” Written by Teddy Charles. Performed by the Teddy Charles New Directions Quartet. Courtesy of 43 North Broadway LLC. By arrangement with Raybird Music; “A Night in Tunisia.” Written by John Gillespie, Frank Paparelli. Performed by the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. Courtesy of Universal Music Group; “On Green Dolphin Street.” Written by Kaper Bronislaw, Ned Washington. Performed by Sonny Rollins. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. By arrangement with Reservoir Media, BRTS, and BMG; “The Quota.” Written by Jimmy Heath. Performed by Milt Jackson. Courtesy of Universal Music Group. By arrangement with Hall Leonard; “Now’s The Time.” Written by Charlie Parker. Performed by Clark Terry. Courtesy of The Orchard. By arrangement with Universal Music Publishing and Sony Music Publishing

Jazz in the Garden, Episode One: In the Beginning

A hundred years later, a Surrealist artwork continues to inspire curiosity in all who encounter it. Discover the mystery behind Meret Oppenheim’s “Object” and a question that has stumped not only curators and conservators but scientists of all kinds.

Pictured: This fur-lined tea cup and saucer made by Meret Oppenheim was one of 694 items shown at The Museum of Modern Art’s exhibition of “Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism” in New York, December 9, 1936. Photo: AP Photo/John Lindsay

The Curious Case of Meret Oppenheim’s Furry Teacup

Society ridiculed the modern art she loved, so Lillie P. Bliss set out to create a museum that would house it. Learn about one of MoMA's three women founders and her part in bringing Vincent van Gogh's "Starry Night" to New York. 

How a "most typical Victorian daughter" found freedom in the radical art of her time

New York composer Che Buford responds to Édouard Vuillard’s quietly enigmatic painting "The Window" with this original piece.

Che Buford, “there is a meeting that defines nothing, everything”

New York composer Marta Sánchez responds to Édouard Vuillard’s quietly enigmatic painting "The Window" with this original piece.

Marta Sánchez, "The Window"

New York composer James Pratley Watson responds to Édouard Vuillard’s quietly enigmatic painting "The Window" with this original piece.

James Pratley Watson, "The Window"

How can art help with feelings of grief?

We've all felt lonely at some point in our lives. And while the future impact of this complex emotion is still being researched, its history can offer interesting insights on our present day. 

Can Loneliness Open the Door to Love?

Hear from two artists and an educator about how they use improvisation to engage with art. Read a transcript of this podcast on MoMA's Magazine: https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1201

The Art of Making It Up as You Go

When artist DonChristian Jones started at MoMA as the inaugural Adobe Creative Resident, they created a vision for working with young people to share their stories about what art and community meant to them. In the summer of 2024, DonChristian—through their Residency at MoMA, along with the non-profit they run, Public Assistant—and the Lower Eastside Girls Club collaborated on Frequency Gardens, a summer program and radio show. Over the course of a month, eight teens learned how to record and edit audio, conduct live interviews, and tell their stories through art. Four of the teen participants interviewed DonChristian about their collaborative process and what it was like to hear themselves as part of the exhibition.

DonChristian Jones Frequency Gardens Podcast

Celebrate Earth Day 2025 with stories from a climate scientist and an architect. Together, they'll discuss how design can be a force for positive environmental change.

Popular tracks by The Museum of Modern Art