In the season finale of Art &, we meet Hideo Mabuchi—a quantum physicist, ceramicist, and faculty director of the Stanford Arts Institute—whose creative and scholarly life models what it looks like to teach and research from a place of integration. For Hideo, art and science are not opposites, but complementary ways of thinking, making, and discovering.

In this conversation with host Ellen Oh, Hideo shares how an encounter with Japanese ceramics led to a years-long journey of incorporating material practice into his research and teaching. From firing clay in a wood-burning kiln to running interdisciplinary courses on indigo dye, his work invites students—and fellow faculty—to explore the world through many lenses at once.

Together, Hideo and Ellen reflect on the growing appetite for interdisciplinarity among students, and how faculty can help create space for that complexity. As we imagine new ways of structuring research and teaching, Hideo’s story points to a hopeful future—where art plays a foundational role in helping us ask better questions, expand our methods, and deepen the meaning of our work.

Featured Guest: Hideo Mabuchi

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Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production Support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan, Stanford Vice President for the Arts

In this episode of Art &, we go on a field trip—literally and metaphorically—with synthetic biologist Drew Endy and artist-mycologist Phil Ross, founder of the Open Fung initiative. What starts as a visit to a mushroom farm turns into a deeper conversation about how fungi could transform the way we think about materials, sustainability, and the role of interdisciplinary collaboration.

From building leather-like textiles from mycelium to reimagining how bioengineering can be more democratic, Drew and Phil explore how fungi offer more than just a biological solution—they offer a cultural shift. Together, they show how artists and scientists can work side-by-side to prototype more ethical, regenerative, and connected futures.

Featured Guests: Phil Ross & Drew Endy

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production Support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan, Stanford Vice President for the Arts

What does it mean to become someone—or something—else online? In this episode, immersive theater-maker Scarlett Kim and human-computer interaction researcher Cyan DeVeaux explore how technology reshapes identity, embodiment, and creative expression. Hosted by Ellen Oh, the conversation traces the edges of virtual and physical reality—from avatars and motion capture to diasporic storytelling and digital folklore. Together, they show how art and engineering can meet at the frontier of imagination, with profound implications for belonging and future design.

Featured Guest: Scarlett Kim & Cyan DeVeaux

Follow Stanford Arts on Instagram and YouTube for more stories and updates.

Credits

Host: Ellen Oh

Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones

Production Support: Edi Dai

Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett

Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza

Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock

Artwork: Connie Ko

Special thanks to Deborah Cullinan

Art & is supported by the Stanford Visiting Artist Fund in honor of Roberta Bowman Denning.