Museum Backstage Podcast By Samantha Hunt Durán cover art

Museum Backstage

Museum Backstage

By: Samantha Hunt Durán
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Museum Backstage takes you behind the velvet ropes into the hidden grind of museums, galleries, and cultural spaces. This is where the real work happens, preserving collections, solving problems, and keeping culture alive.


Our bold vision is to spotlight the people who do not usually get the mic, but make it all possible. Guests include museum directors, collection managers, architects, conservators, and cultural influencers with stories that pull back the curtain and challenge the way you see museums.

Art Career Success Economics
Episodes
  • From Concept to Cityscape: Making Public Art | Mirko Carnovali | Museum Backstage | Ep 107
    Mar 12 2026

    Public art is the most accessible art form we have… and it’s also one of the most misunderstood. In this episode, Samantha Hunt-Durán talks with Mirko Carnovali, Art Director at DiBari and Associates, about what it actually takes to bring large-scale public artworks to life: from research and concept development to engineering realities, permits, fabrication, and installation.


    ✨ In this conversation, you’ll hear:


    • Why the best public art creates a sense of place + belonging (Mirko’s “emotional cityscapes”)

    • The hidden steps most people never notice: materials, wind loads, climate, maintenance, bureaucracy

    • The business reality: RFQs vs RFPs, proposal labor, and “finding a new job every day”

    • Designing for communities you don’t live in (with a case study: Sun Salutations, Sunset Park, West Palm Beach)

    • Why public art is the most democratic art form—and a misconception Mirko wants to correct


    🔗 Resources + links:

    • DiBari and Associates: https://dibari-id.com/

    • Mirko on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirkocarnovali/

    • Mirko’s Instagram (digital art): @mcdigitalartist

    • Sun Salutations project: https://dibari-id.com/project/sun-salutations/

    • 1% for Art background: https://nasaa-arts.org/nasaa_research/state-percent-art-programs/


    ⏱️ Timestamps / chapters:

    00:00 Museum Backstage Intro

    00:42 Meet Mirko Carnovali

    03:06 From Idea to Installation

    07:11 Timelines and Teamwork

    09:48 Costs and Misconceptions

    11:58 Winning Public Art Jobs

    14:37 RFQs vs RFPs

    19:25 Advice for New Artists

    21:59 Emotional Cityscapes

    28:22 Story Beats Aesthetics

    31:23 Why Feedback Is Rare

    33:23 Feedback and Fairness

    34:45 Who Is Judging

    35:57 Designing for Strangers

    37:29 Sunset Park Case Study

    40:21 Emotional Cityscapes

    41:50 Knowing the Balance

    45:15 Public Art Is Democratic

    48:12 Do Cities Get It

    50:55 Mirko Origin Story

    56:54 Digital Art and AI

    58:25 Public Art Misconceptions

    01:00:51 Links and Wrap Up


    🎧 Listening prompt: What’s one public artwork that made you feel something—and why?


    #publicart #urbandesign #placemaking #cityplanning #civicdesign #artsadministration #designthinking #creativeindustry #publicspace #museumbackstage

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Behind the Seams: Fashion, Preservation & Creative Reinvention | Jensina Endresen | Museum Backstage | Ep 106
    Feb 26 2026

    🧵 Fashion collections are not just garments—they are living archives of memory, labor, identity, and culture.


    In this episode of Museum Backstage, I’m joined by textile specialist and creative entrepreneur Jensina Endresen to go behind the "seams" of fashion exhibitions, sustainability in the museum field, and what it really takes to build a creative, non-traditional career in cultural heritage.


    We talk about mannequinage, exhibition installs and de-installs, working with Dior on international projects, creative business ownership, and why sustainability in fashion is far more complicated than most of us realize.


    🔗 Resources & mentions

    • Bustleworship (Jensina’s business & portfolio): https://bustleworshipdesigns.com


    • Dior exhibition work – https://www.galeriedior.com/en

    • Denver Art Museum Dior exhibition – https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/dior

    • Sustainability in museum transport resources – https://icom.museum/en/research/sustainability-and-local-development/


    📚 Jensina’s sustainability & theory reading list

    All Art is Ecological – Timothy Morton

    Dark Ecology – Timothy Morton

    Realist Magic: Objects, Ontology, Causality – Timothy Morton

    Fashion Theology – Robert Covolo

    Craft of Use – Kate Fletcher

    Paul J. Crutzen and the Anthropocene: A New Epoch in the Earth’s History

    The Psychopolitics of Fashion – Otto von Busch

    Worn – Sofi Thanhouser


    🔗 Connect with Jensina

    • Website: https://bustleworshipdesigns.com


    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bustleworship


    ⏱️ Episode timestamps

    00:00 Introduction

    01:00 Fashion collections & personal meaning

    06:30 Stories textiles can tell

    11:00 Mannequinage & exhibition logistics

    18:00 De-install & packing couture

    24:00 Working with Dior internationally

    34:00 Creative business ownership

    37:30 Advice for museum entrepreneurs

    46:30 Motherhood & creative practice

    52:00 Sustainability in fashion (hot takes)

    60:00 Museums & sustainability

    63:00 Where to find Jensina


    #MuseumBackstage #TextileConservation #FashionCollections #MuseumCareers #SustainableFashion #WomenInMuseums #CulturalHeritage

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Art for Everyone: Collecting with Heart | Delia LaJeunesse | Museum Backstage | Ep 105
    Feb 12 2026

    Can art collecting be approachable — even if you don’t know the “right” words or have a massive budget?


    In this episode of Museum Backstage, I’m joined by Delia LaJeunesse, founder of Delia LaJeunesse Art Consulting, for a behind-the-scenes conversation that gently dismantles the idea that art is only for elites.


    Delia shares how she helps first-time and seasoned collectors find art that feels emotionally resonant, personally meaningful, and actually good to live with — not just “good on paper” as an investment. We also get into the surprisingly vulnerable side of collecting: intimidation in galleries, fear of “bad taste,” and why so many people feel like they were never invited into the art world in the first place.


    And yes — we go there on AI: what it means for artists, collectors, and why Delia believes story and human connection will become even more valuable as machine-made content grows.


    If you’ve ever felt awkward in a gallery, overwhelmed by the art market, or unsure where to start… consider this your backstage pass. 🎟️✨


    Places & orgs mentioned

    • Bell Projects (Denver) — gallery with a “living room” viewing space: https://www.instagram.com/bell_projects/?hl=en
    • Art Basel (Basel, Switzerland) — referenced as overwhelming but eye-opening: https://www.artbasel.com/basel?lang=en


    Online art marketplaces mentioned

    • Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/
    • Saatchi Art: https://www.saatchiart.com/


    Book mentioned

    • Your Brain on Art (Delia recommends): https://www.yourbrainonart.com/


    Ways to find artists

    • Instagram (following artists + seeing process/behind the scenes)
    • Local galleries and arts organizations (as a great starting point)
    • Gallery newsletters + press releases

    Connect with Delia

    • Website: https://delialajeunesse.com/
    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dlartconsulting
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delia-lajeunesse/
    • Newsletter (every other Thursday): https://delialajeunesseartconsulting.substack.com/
    • Email: inquiries@delialajeunesse.com

    Question for Listeners

    Delia crowdsourced this live: Is there a better term than “art consultant”?

    If you’ve got ideas, drop them in the comments — we’re serious. 😄


    Timestamps

    00:00 Introduction to Museum Backstage

    00:44 Meet Delia LaJeunesse: Art Consultant Extraordinaire

    02:03 Making Art Accessible and Personal

    03:01 Delia's Unique Approach to Art Consulting

    05:23 The Personal Touch in Art Collection

    06:46 Navigating the Art Market

    10:55 Supporting Artists and Building Connections

    13:38 Art Appreciation Practices

    30:48 The Role of Art in Everyday Life

    32:51 Generational Shifts in Art Collecting

    33:50 The Impact of AI on Art and Collecting

    39:03 Navigating the Art Consulting Business

    40:10 The Importance of Art in Personal and Professional Spaces

    43:17 Balancing Multiple Roles in the Art World

    46:36 Supporting Artists as Business Owners

    53:39 Frequently Asked Questions and Final Thoughts


    #MuseumBackstage #ArtCollecting #DenverArt #SupportLivingArtists #ArtWorld #ContemporaryArt #ArtConsultant #ArtAppreciation #InteriorDesign #AIandArt

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    1 hr and 1 min
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