Ilona Katzew, Lava Thomas

Episode No. 455 features curator Ilona Katzew and artist Lava Thomas.

Katzew is the department head and curator of Latin American Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She joins host Tyler Green to discuss how she tries to do her work, especially investigation, research, and acquisition, at a time when the pandemic is challenging researchers to find ways to work without traveling to sites or the usual institutional resources (such as libraries).

On the second segment, artist Lava Thomas discusses her experience with the San Francisco Arts Commission and the San Francisco board of supervisors regarding her proposed monument to Maya Angelou for the entrance to the San Francisco Public Library on Civic Center Plaza. Thomas had been the SFAC's top choice for the Angelou monument until a member of San Francisco's board of supervisors objected, demanding a simple, straightforward bronze statue.