Interviewing guests at the Institute of Design memorial in Crown Hall on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology. The student work on view is a collaboration between the Schools of Architecture and Planning, and the Institute of Design.

Historians and exhibit organizers Rob Okun, Richard Fried, and Peter Novick discuss the Spertus Museum’s exhibit “Unknown Secrets: Art and the Rosenberg Era.” Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were both convicted and executed in 1953 for participating in spy activity for the Soviet Union. Okun, Fried, and Novick discuss the Rosenberg case and the subsequent response from the public after the execution, many of whom felt the Rosenbergs were wrongfully convicted. The art in this exhibit captures the passion surrounding this case.

Author and curator Richard Townsend discusses the book “The Ancient Americas: Art from Sacred Landscapes” and the Art Institute of Chicago’s exhibition “The Arts of Ancient Americas.” The intersection between Ancient American art, nature, religion, and spirituality is discussed. Studs plays "Kacarpari" - Musicians from Huaraya (1958).

Lastly, with his book, "The Library of Great American Writing," Louis Untermeyer talks about Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson and personal friends of his, Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg. Twain, said Untermeyer, started out as a humorist but then became more pessimistic with "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". Emily Dickenson wrote in secret and she only gave permission for six of her poems to be published.

Interviewing Louis Untermeyer [1 of 3 parts].

Curators Jonathan Wordsworth, Robert Woof, and Michael C. Jaye discuss the exhibition “William Wordsworth and the Age of English Romanticism”, an exhibition of paintings, watercolors, manuscripts, and literature inspired by Wordsworth's Romantic Poetry. Jonathan Wordsworth reads an excerpt of lines from William Wordsworth’s “Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey”, "To Toussaint L'Ouverture", and "The World Is Too Much With Us." Studs reads "My Heart Leaps Up" - William Wordsworth. Studs plays "Ça Ira" - Edith Piaf (1954) and "A Man's a Man for A'That" - Ewan MacColl (1959).

Curator John Zukowsky and architect Stanley Tigerman discuss their architecture exhibit and the controversy surrounding it.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Architect John Vinci, art and architectural historian David Van Zanten, and curator Wim de Wit discuss Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Historical Society’s exhibition “Louis Sullivan: The Function of Ornament.” The group discusses Sullivan’s use of ornament to add an organic element to his architecture; as well as some of Sullivan’s most prominent work, including the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, the Auditorium Building, and the Sullivan Center. This program includes a clip from 1956 of Frank Lloyd Wright discussing Sullivan and his impact on architectural design.

In 1963, Charlemae Hill Rollins compiled and published: "The Christmas Gif': An Anthology of Christmas Poems, Songs, and Stories, Written By and About Negroes."  Here, she shares insight into the work that went into the book, as well as her work at the George Cleveland Hall Branch of the Chicago Public Library.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Discussing the book "Delius, a Life in Letters, volume 1: 1862-1908" (published by Harvard University Press) with archivist Lionel Carley.

Professor of anthropology Dr. Erna Gunther and curator Allen Wardwell discuss the exhibition “Yakutat South Indian Art of the Northwest Coast” at the Art Institute of Chicago. The traditions and practices of the indigenous groups of the northwest coast of the United States are discussed.This conversation has the presence of outdated, biased, offensive language. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. 

Dr. Alan Solem, a malacologist, and Dr. John Engle, a bryologist, from the Field Museum discuss a research trip they plan to take to Australia. The two doctors also discuss climate and ecology in the Americas and in Australia. Dr. Solem will be researching land snails and Dr. Engel moss and liverworts.

Douglas W. Druick, scholar and curator of the Art Institute of Chicago, discusses his book "Odilon Redon: Prince of Dreams, 1840-1916." The interview explores Redon's life and art work, including his techniques he developed because of the time period he lived in.