logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2019
1h 1m

Model City

ROMAN MARS
About this episode

During the depths of the Depression in the late 1930s, 300 craftspeople came together for two years to build an enormous scale model of the City of San Francisco. This Works Progress Administration (WPA) project was conceived as a way of putting artists to work while also creating a planning tool for the city to imagine its future.

The massive work was meant to remain on public view for all to see, but World War II broke out and the 6,000 piece, hand-carved and painted wooden model was put into storage for almost 80 years.

Model City

This episode was produced by The Kitchen Sisters, Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson with Nathan Dalton and Brandi Howell. Mixed by Jim McKee

Subscribe to Kitchen Sisters Present

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and get exclusive access to bonus episodes. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Up next
Jul 8
Food Deserts
How did millions of Americans end up living in neighborhoods where finding fresh food is harder than ever, and why is the problem by design, not accident? The answer rests in a major policy shift that fundamentally altered the American food landscape.Food DesertsIf you're new to ... Show More
38m 15s
Jul 1
Open Borders
An immigration reporter’s chance encounter in the desert reveals how borders shape our actions, our beliefs, and the way we see the world around us.Open BordersIf you're new to the show (thanks Apple Podcasts!) here are some favorite episodes to get you started:Freedom House Ambu ... Show More
29m 9s
Jun 24
The Titanic's Best Lifeboat
A century-old shipwreck, a sea of glass, and the lifeboats that were never meant to save you.The Titanic Was The Lifeboat Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visi ... Show More
33m 17s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
Susanna Phillips Newbury, "The Speculative City: Art, Real Estate, and the Making of Global Los Angeles" (U Minnesota Press, 2021)
Underlying every great city is a rich and vibrant culture that shapes the texture of life within. In The Speculative City: Art, Real Estate, and the Making of Global Los Angeles (U Minnesota Press, 2021), Susanna Phillips Newbury teases out how art and Los Angeles shaped one anot ... Show More
36m 21s
Aug 2021
[Feminist Art] Katy Hessel talks to artist Eva Jospin, responsible for the huge embroidered work at the most recent haute couture show
Welcome to this 11th episode of the Dior Talks podcast ‘Feminist Art’.  This series explores the connections between Creative Director of Women’s collections Maria Grazia Chiuri, and contemporary women artists and curators.   In this episode, series host Katy Hessel, a London-bas ... Show More
37m 11s
Mar 2020
[Feminist Art] Judy Chicago on how working with Dior brought a long-planned feminist art project to fruition
Welcome to this episode of Dior Talks. This podcast series will explore the connections between Creative Director of Women’s collections Maria Grazia Chiuri and contemporary women artists and curators.  In this episode, Katy Hessel, a writer, curator and art historian, speaks wit ... Show More
30m 25s
Oct 2023
405. Holzmarkt in Berlin - Juval Dieziger
Holzmarkt is a co-operative urban space in central Berlin offering space for cultural activities, restaurants and bars, small businesses, social infrastructure, urban gardening and spaces for community. The idea was born out of a protest against the city’s decision to drastically ... Show More
38m 49s
Aug 2019
Introducing
FINDING VAN GOGH In search of the legendary Portrait of Dr Gachet The last great portrait by Vincent van Gogh disappeared from the public eye three decades ago. It was sold at auction in New York in 1990 – at what was then the highest price ever paid for a painting. The podcast s ... Show More
2m 7s
Jan 2024
Alexandria Tarver
We meet artist Alexandria Tarver to discuss her current solo exhibition at Deli Gallery, New York. Tarver recontextualizes the traditional floral motif into a space between memory, idealization, and presence.Her process begins on a ritualistic evening walk around New York City. F ... Show More
57m 50s
Jun 2024
446. How can the arts build community resilience in urban transformation? - Charles Landry and Madeleine Kate Mcgowan
Placemaking Europe x City of Arts Webinar 3 How can artistic performances, dancing, imagination, creativity, culture, and diversity be integrated into city-making to foster community resilience? Join us for the third discussion in our webinar series, where we explore the vital ro ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2021
Julie Mehretu
In episode 60 of The Great Women Artists Podcast, Katy Hessel interviewsone of the greatest artists of our time, the inimitable JULIE MEHRETU !!!! [This episode is brought to you by Alighieri jewellery: www.alighieri.co.uk | use the code TGWA at checkout for 10% off!] Revolutioni ... Show More
53m 32s
Dec 2022
Bob Thompson, Picasso Cut Papers
Episode No. 578 features curators Diana Tuite and Allegra Pesenti. Tuite is the curator of "Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine," a retrospective of Thompson's brief but hugely productive career. It is at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles through January 8, 2023. The Hammer's present ... Show More
1h 15m