Podcast Summary: Rewriting Art History at the Studio Museum in Harlem

Podcast: The New Yorker Radio Hour
Host: David Remnick (WNYC Studios & The New Yorker)
Air Date: November 18, 2025
Featuring: Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator, Studio Museum in Harlem

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the newly rebuilt and expanded Studio Museum in Harlem, a trailblazer in highlighting the work and histories of Black artists. Host David Remnick joins Thelma Golden for an in-depth tour of the new facility, reflecting on both the museum's history and its future role in shaping American art, particularly amid political and cultural challenges. The episode explores how the institution has continually pushed to rewrite art history and redefine what a museum can be.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The New Museum: Vision and Expansion

• Reopening After Seven Years: The museum has been closed during the demolition of its old site and the construction of a purpose-built new home on 125th Street, Harlem. ([01:11])
• Architectural and Cultural Milestone: Thelma Golden emphasizes the symbolism of location and community, “So we’re in the lobby of the museum looking out onto 125th Street…” ([01:29])
• Art That Greets Harlem: The lobby features Glenn Ligon’s neon work “Give Us a Poem” (2007), which alternates the words “me, we,” referencing Muhammad Ali—a statement about the intersection of individual and collective Black experience.

  “To think of the individual and the collective, the me, the we.” (Thelma Golden, [01:29])

The Studio Museum’s Mission and Radical Origins

• Foundational Purpose (1968): Established by community activists, artists, and philanthropists not only to display Black art but to radically intervene in mainstream art history and museum practice.

  “The museum began as an idea that came from an incredible group of community activists, artists, philanthropists, cultural workers...” (Thelma Golden, [07:25])

• Residencies as Innovation: The museum’s artist-in-residence program brought the process of making art into the public space, bridging creation and exhibition.

  “...interested in creating a place that put the making of art process right up against presentation.” (Thelma Golden, [07:47])

Signature Artworks Highlighted

• Lorraine O’Grady: Her 1983 parade photography/performance—framing Harlem residents with gold frames—challenged and democratized ideas of who is worthy of being represented in art.

  “Taking these frames literally off the wall, out of the museum, into the world as a way to proclaim the power and the potency of art.” (Thelma Golden, [04:07])

• Barkley L. Hendricks’s "Lottie Mama" (1969): A portrait of a Black woman with an Afro, painted with an iconic gold background, referencing religious icons.

  “Lottie Mama is a portrait...looking directly at us, right, with a kind of intensity and a seriousness, but also with an incredible amount of serenity.” (Thelma Golden, [04:44])

• Raymond Saunders’s "Watering a Black Garden": Minimalist painting as institutional metaphor.

  “...this is a work that ... speaks to a lot of what I think the effort and intention around this institution has been about for generations.” (Thelma Golden, [05:41])

The Cultural and Political Climate

• Current Climate: Remnick observes the role of the Studio Museum as an unapologetically Black arts institution in a time of “defensive crouch” for many others. ([04:18])
• Resilience and Radicality:

  “This institution...is to be a space boldly, radically defined, right, by the vision and voices of Black artists.” (Thelma Golden, [14:44])

Thelma Golden’s Personal Journey

• Early Inspiration: An intern at the museum at 19, Golden describes her childhood visits to museums and early ambitions as a curator.

  “I wrote in my college application essay that I wanted to be a contemporary art curator at the Whitney Museum.” (Thelma Golden, [09:29])

• Facing Obstacles: Recalls a telling moment at Smith College—when she told a professor she wanted to study Black art, he pointed her to Frank Stella’s (white artist) “black paintings” as a dismissive joke.

  “It made me understand the possibility of what it meant to be a voice to open up the conversation that allowed us to think more broadly about art...” (Thelma Golden, [10:42])

Defining a New Century: The "Post Black" Debate

• Landmark 2001 Exhibition "Freestyle": Expanded the definition of what it means to be a Black artist. The term "post Black" sparked debate over identity, artistic freedom, and generational differences.

  “...artists who were defining themselves through race, through gender, through sexuality, through geography.” (Thelma Golden, [12:33])

Rebuilding and the Future

• Financial and Practical Undertaking:
  • Cost: $300 million ([13:14])
  • Increased space: New building is 80,000 square feet (vs. the former 60,000, only a third of which was for museum use) ([13:44])
  • First purpose-built museum for the institution.
• A Vision for Tomorrow: Amid culture wars and political tension, the Studio Museum’s ongoing mission is to foster dialogue and hope through Black art.

  “...understanding museums as a place that should be, can be, must be, where we engage deeply in ideas in this moment that has to offer some hope as we consider a future.” (Thelma Golden, [14:44])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the essence of the new museum:

  “Can you imagine? I mean, all of this, you know, got built.” (Thelma Golden, [01:03])

• On community and representation:

  “The location is critical...the Studio Museum stayed in Harlem, right down the street from the legendary Apollo Theater.” (David Remnick, [02:37])

• On iconography:

  “The shape of the frame is like a traditional Christian icon or Russian icon of centuries ago.” (Interviewer/Host, [05:30])

• Golden on her purpose:

  “Oh, my work is just beginning, David.” (Thelma Golden, [15:45])

Important Timestamps

• 00:13 – David Remnick introduces the episode and Thelma Golden.
• 01:29 - 04:07 – Tour of new museum, discussion of key works.
• 07:25 – Origins of the Studio Museum.
• 09:29 – Thelma Golden’s personal journey.
• 11:04 – Discussion of "Freestyle" and the "post Black" debate.
• 13:14 – The scale and logistics of rebuilding.
• 14:44 – Role of the museum in the current climate.
• 15:45 – Thelma Golden on the future of her role.

Episode Tone & Speaker Style

The episode is reflective, insightful, and often celebratory, yet underscores ongoing challenges for Black artists and institutions. Thelma Golden is passionate, focused, and inspiring in her vision and storytelling; David Remnick's tone is inquisitive, respectful, and context-rich.

For Listeners Wanting More

This episode is a nuanced portrait of a visionary art institution and its leader, contextualizing the Studio Museum’s continued centrality in both Harlem and American art at large. Golden’s reflections tie personal story, institutional history, and contemporary urgency into an episode that feels historic and of the moment.