Maybe, Actually, Museums are for me.

The Montclair Art Museum welcomed, Arianna Jobst, as it's first ever Writer-in-Residence this Spring.

Arianna Jobst is a New Jersey native and emerging writer working primarily in creative nonfiction — short stories, essays, and novel writing that explore family, queerness, and identity. She graduated from the Literary Prose program at the Univeristy of Virginia. Her piece My Turn, voicing the frustrations of queer women and their female friendships, was published in the Virginia Literary Review.

During the duration of the exhibition, See It Now: Contemporary Art from the Ann and Mel Schaffer Collection, her literary interpretations of ar...

This week on Maybe, Actually, Museums are for me, host, Alex traveled to Chicago to sit down with the world renowned contemporary artist Nick Cave for wide ranging conversation.

Recorded at Nick's studio, Facility, in Old Irving Park, the conversation offered an intimate look into Cave’s expansive practice, from his iconic Soundsuits to his more recent explorations in bronze and performance.

Cave’s work, featured in major institutions including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Montclair Art Museum, blends art, fashion, and social commentary, addressing urgent themes such as racism, gun violence, and climate change...

The Montclair Art Museum welcomed, Arianna Jobst, as it's first ever Writer-in-Residence this Spring.

Arianna Jobst is a New Jersey native and emerging writer working primarily in creative nonfiction — short stories, essays, and novel writing that explore family, queerness, and identity. She graduated from the Literary Prose program at the Univeristy of Virginia. Her piece My Turn, voicing the frustrations of queer women and their female friendships, was published in the Virginia Literary Review.

During the duration of the exhibition, See It Now: Contemporary Art from the Ann and Mel Schaffer Collection, her literary interpretations of ar...

This week Alex, Creative Media Producer at the Montclair Art Museum, sat down with Audrey Roclore, MAM's Curatorial Assistant to discuss the purpose and importance of public art and civic beautification.

Learn more about MAM—
https://www.montclairartmuseum.org

This week on Maybe, Actually, Museum are for me, Alex sits down with renowned harpist, bandleader, and jazz performer, Brandee Younger. Brandee is a harpist, composer and bandleader whose music connects spiritual jazz and classical training to the rhythmic soulfulness of R&B and hip-hop. In this episode the two discuss the intersection between fine art and jazz music, if playing a show inside a museum has any influence, and how Brandee has started to develop an interest in art collecting.

You can see Brandee Younger perform at the Montclair Art Museum on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at the Museum's a...

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Creative Media Producer at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), is back! In this solo, bonus episode Alex let's listeners behind the scenes to know where we've been the past couple of months.

Going forward, expect a new episode every two weeks with supplemental content here and there.

Learn more about MAM by visiting,
https://www.montclairartmuseum.org

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale. In this episode, they answer some more burning questions asked by our listeners. They talk about accessibility in the arts, how we come up with show topics, trends or movements in contemporary art that excite us and more!

This week, join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), as he chats with Andrea Ferreira, Volunteer and Intern Coordinator at MAM. In this episode, they discuss the importance of volunteers within the arts, why people should give back to their community, and how to get involved in MAM's volunteer program.

Recorded on 01/01/2025

In this week's episode revisit, host Alex Pavljuk, the Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), sits down with his colleague, boss, and resident film buff, Asif Iqbal, the Director of Marketing at MAM, about what place film, as an art form, belong in Museums?

This episode was recorded on 11/13/24

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they discuss some recent developments in the art market.

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM about her recent trip abroad. Having just returned from England, they talk about the seeing some Leonardo Da Vinci work, the array of Museum's Melissa visited, and a brief chat on the Dada art movement. 

Recorded on 11/13/2025

Alex and Melissa need another week to finish the newest episode, so we are revisiting an older one where he sat down with Audrey Roclore, MAM's Curatorial Assistant to discuss the purpose and importance of wall labels in museum galleries, how they tell a more full story about the art and artists on view, and why the insight that a youthful perspective matters.

Episode originally recorded on 05/11/2025
Episode orignally airred on 05/14/2025

Movember is a month-long campaign each November that raises awareness for men’s health issues, including prostate and testicular cancer, as well as mental health. In support of the initiative, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist and host of "Maybe, Actually, Museums Are for Me," sat down with Audrey Roclore, MAM’s Curatorial Assistant, to discuss toxic masculinity, mental health, patriarchal constructs, and gender identity within the art world.

Recorded on 11/04/2025

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM about his recent trip abroad. Having just returned from France, they talk about the Lourve robbery, differences in French vs American museums, the Sargent and Paris show, and Melissa's upcoming trip to London. 

Recorded on 10/28/2025

Alex is away on vaction so we are reairing episode 14 of the show where Alex sat down with Audrey Roclore, MAM's Curatorial Assistant to discover what it’s like to work behind the scenes on an art museum's curatorial staff and learn more about the ranging roles and responsibilities that surround any given museum's curatorial department.

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they answer some more burning questions asked by our listeners. They chat about hidden-gems in the Museum, the balance of showcasing historical works and supporting working artists, and dispelling musuem misconceptions.

Recorded on 10/14/2025

This special episode of "Maybe Actually Museums are for me," features four guests who join host Alex in answering the quinitsential question of the entire show, "Why are museums for you?" 

"Maybe, Actually, Museums are for me," is a podcast focused on inviting listeners who may have never been exposed to or had an interest in the arts to learn more about the culture of museums from somebody who, even while working in the industry, still wonders, Why is that not on display? or Should I know who painted that?

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist o...

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), as he chats with Andy Kahnke, a MAM docent, about the many ways to experience museums, what a docent does, and why tours make a great starting point for newcomers to museums.

This episode was originally recorded on 10/16/2024

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they discuss recent headlines in the art world including a rural Danish art museum acquires a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, and how the mystery behind the small dog featured in Rembrandt's famous, The Night Watch, 1642 was solved.

Recorded on 09/23/2025

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum, as he speaks with Blood and Ink author Joe Pompeo about an upcoming book talk he’ll be moderating with fellow narrative nonfiction writer Michelle Young. They discuss her recent book The Art Spy, the intersection of fine art and literature, and how researchers and historical novelists draw on libraries, museums, and cultural institutions to inform their work.

This episode is in association with the upcoming series of booktalks, From Resistance to Revelation: Stories of Art and Intrigue in France. In partnership with Watchung Booksellers, this three-part book tal...

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), as he sits down again with Audrey Roclore, MAM's Curatorial Assistant to discuss the ins and outs of gallery rotations, how a tranforms in the weeks before an openig, what its like to work closely with artists on an installation, and what new is coming for the Montclair Art Museum in the fall.
Episode recorded on 09/10/2025

In this final summer bonus episode Alex revisits his chat with Eric-Paul Riege (Diné), the incredible and currently exhibiting experimental fiber and performance artist. In this episode the two talk about what it means to activate his hanging soft sculptures, the stigma often associated with performative art pieces, and the philosophy behind Riege’s works that he describes as “totems of memories”.

The original episode was recorded on 09/14/2024

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), sits down once again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. Together, they explore what it takes to market a museum. From the philosophies behind social media and email campaigns to strategies for bringing visitors both to the museum for the first time and back again. It’s a candid, behind-the-scenes look at how digital storytelling helps keep a museum vibrant, visible, and connected to its community.

Recorded on 08/26/2025

This episode of Maybe, Actually, Museums Are for Me is a little different. With summer winding down and vacation season in full swing at the Museum, Alex needed a bit more time to prep upcoming episodes. So, this week, they share a few thoughts about visiting Waves (2011), a public artwork by Tom Nussbaum installed on the Wildwood Boardwalk. Then, we're reairing Episode Two of the show, where Alex sits down with MAM’s Chief Curator, Gail Stavitsky. They discuss Gail’s path into the arts and curatorial work, how to learn to really look at art, what’s coming up at the...

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats with Dana Hawkins-Simons, Director of Development & CommunicationsMontclair Early Music. In this episode, they discuss the upcoming Medieval Fest coming to MAM,  the intersection of renaissance and baroque music and museums, and the importance of supporting local nonprofits.

Recorded on 08/08/2025

Buy tickets to Medieval Fest here—https://www.montclairearlymusic.org/events/medievalfest-2024

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats with Georgette Gilmore, Engagement Editor at Montclair Local. In this episode, they discuss the importance of reporting on the art world, how journalists should be approaching the arts, and the impact of reporting, about the arts and beyond, on the local level.

EDITORIAL NOTE:

This episode was recorded on 08/01/2025 and refrences the removal of President Trump's impeachments from a Smithsonian exhibition. Upon release of this episode the Gaurdian and other news outlets have since reported that the Smithsonian, "will restore Trump impeachment...

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they discuss recent headlines in the art world including how a Jackson Pollock painting failed to sell at auction, and that another million dollar bananna was eaten while on view in an exhibition in France.

Recorded on 07/24/2025

This week on "Maybe, Actually, Museums Are for Me," Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), sits down for a conversation with friend and artist Katie Truk (@ktruk on Instagram). Katie creates dynamic fiber sculptures using pantyhose and is the perfect person to talk about abstraction. In this episode, Alex and Katie dive into what abstract art really is, how to perceive and approach it for the first time, and the wide range of artwork that is often labeled (or mislabeled) as abstract.

You can see a video of Katie at work in her...

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), as he sits down again with Audrey Roclore, MAM's Curatorial Assistant to discuss the purpose of gallery rotations, how a show closing informs what replaces it, working closely with artists, and what new is coming for the Montclair Art Museum in the fall.

Episode recorded on 07/15/2025

This episode of "Maybe, Actually, Museums are for me," is a little different. While Alex is busy prepping upcoming episodes, we thought we’d talk about what to expect for the show this summer, and re-air our very first episode for new listeners of the show who may not have heard the episode which started it all.

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they answer some more burning questions asked by our listeners. They chat about things like how curatorial get large artworks into the Museum? Why MAM staffers choice to work in the arts and museum industry? And what are some museum recommendations in the Northeast?

Recorded on 07/01/2025

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), as he sits down with Katherine Woodward, MAM's Assistant Registrar to discuss the purpose and importance of loaning artwork, why museums do it, how it happens, and what works of MAM's are on view elsewhere in the world.

Recorded on 06/17/2025

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode the two cover the recent breaking news that the Louvre's staff has gone on strike in protest against overcrowding, lacking infastructure, and understaffing. They also discuss, without any influence or experience in museum design, how they would address some of the presented concerns.

Recorded on 06/17/2025

This week on "Maybe, Actually, Museums Are for Me," Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is flying solo, talking about the imporance of public programs, the Museum's first-ever Food Truck Fest & Cocktail Crawl, and why community is so vital in the genetic make up of cultural institutions big and small.

Recorded on 06/10/2025

This week on "Maybe, Actually, Museums Are for Me," Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), sits down for a  with Adrienne Baxter Bell, a leading Inness scholar and Montclair resident who brings context and insight to the artist’s legacy. Together, they explore the history and lasting impact of George Inness as both a historical figure and master of landscape painting.

Recorded on 05/29/2025

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), is joined by Raili, a Marketing Intern at MAM to chat about the interest of the arts in high school, whether or not teenagers even want to come to museums, and how cultural institutions can better program for a younger audience.

Recorded on 05/23/2025

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they answer some burning questions asked by our listeners. They chat about things like what is the most impactful show we've seen at any museum? Or what are the benefits of a small museums?

Join Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), as he sits down again with Audrey Roclore, MAM's Curatorial Assistant to discuss the purpose and importance of wall labels in museum galleries, how they tell a more full story about the art and artists on view, and why the insight that a youthful perspective matters.

Episode recorded on 05/11/2025

This week, Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), chats again with his colleague Melissa Casale, Digital Marketing Manager at MAM. In this episode, they discuss recent headlines in the art world including how a child damaged a famous Rothko painting in the Netherlands, and the Barbara Kruger's new installation on Ukraine passenger train among other topics and conversations.

Recorded on 05/05/2025

This week on "Maybe, Actually, Museums Are for Me," Alex Pavljuk, Digital Content Strategist at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), sits down for a third time with MAM’s Chief Curator, Gail Stavitsky. Together, they explore the art and enduring impact of George Inness on the eve of his 200th birthday—his influence on Montclair, the newly rotated works in his permanent gallery at MAM, and why he deserves a place in the conversation about great American landscape painters.

Recorded on 04/22/2025