Art Dealer Diaries goes virtual with new episodes featuring key figures from the art world
By Medicine Man Gallery on
By Michael Clawson
At 120 episodes and counting, Mark Sublette’s Art Dealer Diaries podcast has featured every facet of the art world, from prominent collectors and museum curators to magazine publishers and auctioneers. And, of course, dozens of dozens of artists from many mediums and disciplines. His list of guests paints an amazing picture of the art world, but for the podcast host, the picture is still incomplete.
“I learn something different every single time. That’s the beauty of it,” says Sublette, the owner of Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona. “After each episode, I have a better connection to art, to the world, to these great people. That’s why I push forward, because there’s still things to learn.”
Episodes have included School for Advanced Research president and anthropologist Michael F. Brown, renowned Tucson silversmith Frank Patania Jr., Woodstock photographer Baron Wolman and Tucson Museum of Art curator Christine Brindza. A who’s who of Western and Native American artists have also stepped up to Sublette’s microphone: Billy Schenck, Shonto Begay, John Moyers, Terri Kelly Moyers, Dennis Ziemienski, Francis Livingston, Howard Post, Tony Abeyta and countless others.
Dr. Mark Sublette - Host of Art Dealer Diaries Podcast
Recent episodes have focused on Native American artists to coincide with the SWAIA’s Santa Fe Virtual Market: Russell Sanchez, Kathleen Wall, Marla Allison and Mateo Romero, as well as SWAIA executive director Kim Peone.
“The people who come on the show are truly incredible people. I recently had on Seymour Reichlin, a physician and one of the foremost people in endocrinology. He was basically in endocrinology before there was endocrinology. He’s also an art collector and just an interesting person. He was in World war II and he got to meet Babe Ruth. Another person I had on was Peter Miller, who does entrepreneurial guidance for MIT—just a fascinating interview. And then lately with these Native American artists as I’m trying to get them important coverage since Santa Fe Indian Market is all online this year,” Sublette says, adding that he enjoys long-format interviews in the style of podcast hosts like Mark Maron, Joe Rogan and many other top hosts who are creating thoughtful and enlightening shows that are more conversation than an interview. “The goal at the beginning was to capture these voices that are going to be gone soon, especially in the old-time Indian art trade, but as it’s continued it's morphed into people that come through my life that are interesting and very unique, and that’s not even limited to just art anymore. It can be about anything that gives you a sense of wonderment.”
While Sublette prefers to meet his guests in his Tucson gallery, where he maintains an active studio, the pandemic has forced him online like so many other podcasts, TV shows, and events. Until the pandemic subsides, he’ll be doing the show through Zoom, which doesn’t have as many disadvantages as one might think. “In many ways, people are more comfortable in their own environment and they seem to like it better,” Sublette says. “I was very hesitant using Zoom at first, but it turned out to be more intimate than I thought.”
Art Dealer Diaries is available on many podcast apps, as well as on artdealerdiaries.com. Sublette also films his podcasts; the video versions are available on his YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/medicinemangallery.
