Making a Getty Podcast

If you’ve ever heard a Getty podcast, you have Zoe Goldman and her team to thank.

Zoe is a podcast producer and the person behind shows like Recording Artists, Art + Ideas, and Getty’s new family friendly podcast If Objects Could Talk.

If Objects Could Talk dives into the secret lives of some of the Museum’s more obscure ancient artworks, from a snake bracelet to an owl coin to a lamp in the shape of feet. The podcast aims to be an entertaining and educational look into the ancient world—told by the objects themselves.

We talked with Zoe about the making of this new show.

Tell us about Getty’s new podcast, If Objects Could Talk. What inspired this series?

I went back to my first notes on this project, and they’re from 2020. I’ve been kicking this idea around in my head for five years! I thought, “What if museum objects came to life to share their stories?” It’s a little like Night at the Museum meets Toy Story meets From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

It’s also inspired by my experience working in museums and spending quality time with objects. The best part of studying art and working in museums is that you get to create a personal relationship with the objects. I wanted to share that feeling.

How does If Objects Could Talk differ from other Getty podcasts?

This podcast is made specifically for families, aimed at children six to ten. It’s fiction, historical fiction. We got to make this show with incredible writers, voice actors, and a composer and sound designer who helped build the world in each episode.

This show is lighthearted and silly, and if you’re a person who likes fun facts, there are so many fun facts.

One thing that’s not different about this podcast, though, is how it benefited from the expertise of incredible colleagues who are the best at what they do. Whether that’s curators, museum educators, or designers (I couldn’t ask for a cuter rendition of that owl coin!), the passion and deep knowledge of Getty staff always amazes me!

What do you hope kids and families take away from this show?

I aimed to get kids personally engaged while listening. I hope they learn that they can relate these ancient objects to their world today. They get to discover that lots of these museum objects have a long history and that people are people—many things we do now aren’t so different from what people did thousands of years ago.

I also hope families can experience these episodes together and use them to start conversations—at home, in the car, or on their next visit to a museum.

What was your favorite episode to work on?

I’m a cat person, so of course it would be our episode about a bronze Egyptian cat statue. Working on that taught me so much about the role of cats in Egyptian society and mythology.

Can you tell us something interesting or surprising you learned while working on this project?

I learned so many facts about ancient life while putting this show together. I learned that lamps in the shape of feet were mass-produced. I learned that animal knuckles were used as dice. I learned key technology hasn’t changed that much in 4,000 years. I even learned about early plumbing.

What advice do you have for people making podcasts?

First, think about whether a podcast is the right medium to tell your story. If it is, then follow your inner child and hone your sense of awe and wonder. If you’re excited about something, you’ll get other people excited about it too. If you think it’s fun, somebody else will probably think it’s fun too. Find the excitement, find the fun…but then get to the point.

What are some podcasts you enjoy?

I like all kinds of podcasts. Shows on design, food, biographies, news, epidemiology...podcasts make a wide range of expertise digestible.

I really admire The Indicator from Planet Money podcast for its ability to take economic concepts that many might find boring and turn them into a short and interesting story.

Why an art podcast for kids?

There are lots of kids’ podcasts, but there are almost no art podcasts for kids. It’s shocking, because kids love art. Art and museums can be intimidating for families, but there are so many ways we can be talking about and engaging with art. You don’t need to know everything about every piece to enjoy looking at art. Art can be fun, it can be silly, it can be great for kids. That was something in the back of my mind when working on If Objects Could Talk.

What’s next for Getty’s podcasts?

We’re working on more seasons of Recording Artists, and a new season of ReCurrent is coming later this year. We’re also piloting a couple of top-secret projects, so stay tuned.

Listen to If Objects Could Talk and other Getty podcasts on the Getty podcast page or wherever you find podcasts.