The Young Vic have been producing this podcast since 2016, featuring interviews with many artists who have worked with the Young Vic including Joe Wright, Annie Ryan, Matthew Xia, Peter Brook and more. Each episode explores the inspiration and motivations behind their work and adds a fascinating extra behind the scenes insight into this leading venue’s work. There’s plenty to work though and it’s produced (almost) monthly.
Arts Digital R&D Podcast Series
Commissioned by the Arts Council, this podcast explores the role of digital within the arts and cultural sector. Hosted by broadcaster and journalist John Wilson, there’s plenty of discussion and debate and lots of case studies to provide inspiration and food for thought. There’s only 6 episodes but there’s plenty of practical advice to be had here.
BBC - Arts Culture and the Media Podcasts
The good old beeb has a huge variety of podcasts to choose from. There’s everything you’d expect here: thoughtful analysis of news coverage as it relates to the culture sector, varied documentaries on film, music, theatre and art as well as interviews and discussions with prominent figures in the sector and of course there’s Front Row. Perfect for keeping up to speed on what’s hot and happening.
A different take on the podcast, these short videos look great and take us deeper into the exhibitions and artists work with animations, tours and expert discussions. Some highlights include Francis Bacon’s assistant recalling how he accidentally destroyed one of the artists’ pieces, a thoughtful examination of the life of Robert Rauschenberg and an exploration of the work of Louise Bourgeois.
Guardian - Chips with everything
The excellent Leigh Alexander discusses the intersection of technology and pop culture in this weekly podcast. She delves into the future of emojis, virtual museums and even how to (gulp) separate yourself from your smartphone.
Arts Council England’s podcast series is a neat way of staying on top of the latest in the industry. It features discussions around funding and investment discussions and the future of digital in the industry. The R&D series is perhaps a bit out of date now but still well worth a listen, especially if you’re working on your digital strategy,
The National Gallery Monthly Podcast
Another podcast run by a venue, featuring a deeper look at upcoming events, the podcast takes you from the grit and grease of Manhattan to Renaissance buildings. It’s a lovely insight into one of the country’s most famous institutions.
Round ups of current exhibitions sit alongside explorations into specific genres and discussions with leading industry figures from literature, theatre and the visual arts. Well worth a listen whether you’re in the visual arts or not, there’s also thoughtful opinion pieces.
And the best of the rest
Londonist Out Loud - perfect for London based culture vultures
Guardian Books podcast - for all those books you don’t have time to read
The Broad Experience - this is all about women in the workplace, with takeaways for both men and women
Radiotopia - not necessarily arts/cultural but this network of podcasts deserves a special mention. Choose from a treasure trove of topics that will make you laugh, smile and cry (and you might just learn something too).
