Raw Material : A Podcast from SFMOMA
Raw Material is an arts and culture podcast from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Each season we partner with a different “podcaster-in-residence” to explore modern and contemporary art through a new lens. Along the way we bring you voices of artists and thinkers from around the globe who offer surprising perspectives on the world through their work.
Mixtape: Disability Visibility
It’s MIXTAPE Season! This year activist, writer, mischief- and media-maker, and self-described “cyborg oracle” Alice Wong lends her voice to the Raw Material platform! Alice is sharing five episodes from her podcast Disability Visibility that bring listeners to the intersection of art and disability. Read more about Alice and this season’s Mixtape here! Away. We. Go!
Check out What’s On view to visit the collection artwork we highlight this season!
Here are all the episode transcripts.
Season 7: Visions of Black Futurity
This season, podcaster-in-residence Babette Thomas leads listeners on a journey through the power of Black Imagination — surfacing voices of Black Bay Area art history pioneers in the archives and dreaming about free Black art spaces of the future.
Mixtape: The Beholder’s Share
Raw Material is back in the mixtape game with a collection of episodes by some of our favorite podcasts at the moment. Presented by Tamar Avishai of the Lonely Palette podcast, this mixtape explores not just how art contributes to our lives but also how we, as viewers or as listeners, contribute to art.
Season 6: Six Degrees
Is it really possible to reach anyone in the world through only six degrees of separation? In season six of Raw Material, audio producer Sayre Quevedo sets out to reach a stranger eight thousand miles away through a series of artists and friends, all of whom share their stories of love, trauma, distance, and togetherness along the way. Travel with Sayre as he uncovers some of the surprising ways people are connected across time, memory, and space. In “Six Degrees,” no connection is too trivial, no distance too far.
Season 5: San Francisco—Stories from the Model City
From memories of the luminous Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island to recollections of the freaky fun house at Playland, from North Beach to the Mission, Stories from the Model City brings to life the fascinating and troubled evolution of San Francisco.
Season 4: Luvvers
Art and sex: name a more iconic duo. Hosted by the artist and curator Chelsea Beck, this season of Raw Material considers the ways artists use sex as a tool for self-exploration and creative sustenance.
Mixtape: Meeting in the Ladies Room
What makes the perfect mixtape? This summer Raw Material is mixing it up and sharing our very own podcast mixtape! It’s a collection of episodes all by different podcasters who offer fresh perspectives on a common theme: hidden histories of women artists.
Season 3: Landfall
Craving a West Coast road trip? Season 3 of Raw Material follows hosts Jessica Placzek and Madeline Gobbo as they explore hidden gems of California, including land-based art, immersive art environments, and even the little-known art history of Disneyland.
Season 2: Manifest
How do artists reflect and respond to the world around them? Hosted by independent audio producer Geraldine Ah-Sue, Manifest explores the intersections of art, community, and social justice.
Season 1: Otherworld
Otherworld documents artists who work with the unknown. Rituals, hauntings, magic—we conjure these topics and more in Raw Material’s inaugural season, hosted by Bay Area artist and writer Ross Simonini.