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Have you ever felt the sting of being left out? Now imagine that feeling not just as a social snub but as a legal, everyday reality. It's the sense that your own community and country are actively working to deny you a place within them. This was a common practice in our nation's capital and in many other urban areas across the country, creating a system of race-based systemic denial that made exclusion a public and legally sanctioned injustice. The object we will discuss, a racial restrictive covenant, hits close to home. We also discuss why it is so important for museums to make themselves accessible to everyone. This episode delves into the story of The Covenant.

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Today, we're diving into a fan-favorite series that we're bringing back for a special episode: Songs in the Key of Jon. In this series, we explore how music can unlock our memories and past. For this episode, we’re using a single object as our key—an old record—that takes me back to a memory I'm not even sure is real. So, for today’s episode, we're using one song as our key to that memory as we explore the story of "The Record (My First Memory)."

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We're kicking off an exciting new segment called OPO: Other People's Objects! This idea sprang from the iconic 1991 Naughty by Nature hit, "O.P.P.". While we usually dive into items from my own collection, OPO will explore the fascinating stories behind objects belonging to others.

For our inaugural OPO feature, I'm thrilled to chat with a dear friend and colleague. She'll be sharing a cherished object deeply connected to her family history and her incredible work as an ethnomusicologist. You won't want to miss the unique insights and personal narratives this new segment promises to bring!

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This episode highlights a gift from an unsung artist and fabricator who contributed to some of the 20th century's most iconic large-scale sculptures. It also emphasizes the importance of properly acknowledging every team member involved in the art production and curatorial process.

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This episode, titled "The 45 Record (For The Love of Hip-Hop)", takes listeners on a journey to the early 1980s origins of the host's love of hip-hop music, and the importance of why museums should diversify their collections to represent various communities.

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This episode dives into a crucial question: how do we separate truth from propaganda in the information we consume? We'll explore the vital role of museums as truth-tellers, examining how they shape our understanding through their exhibitions, collections, and programming.

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This episode uncovers how a single photograph can deceivingly present one story while hiding a vastly different truth. We then explore the crucial responsibility of museums to ensure their interpretations of objects reveal the complete, nuanced narrative, not just the surface.

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This episode delves into the fascinating narratives hidden within everyday objects, transforming the mundane into the magical. Join us as we explore the concept of "lieu de memoire," uncovering how inanimate items can hold rich tapestries of history, emotion, and personal significance.

Our journey begins with the remarkable tale of a particular vase—more than just a decoration, it's a cherished heirloom filled with family memories, showing how a simple object can become a profound vessel of personal connection and lasting legacy.

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