Mark Sublette: On the Air

Courtesy Western Art Collector Magazine, August 2018

A new weekly podcast by Mark Sublette aims to explore art, artists and the art business.

If you’re familiar with Mark Sublette and his Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson,  Arizona, then you’ll likely already know Sublette is not camera shy. His YouTube channel – which has nearly 100 posted videos on painting and sculpture, as well as Native weavings, pottery and jewelry – not only has 2,800 subscribers, but his videos have a combined 838,000 views. His picture also appears inside of all seven of his Charles Bloom Murder Mystery Series books.

Sublette is now branching out with a new podcast, Art Dealer Diaries, which brings artists, industry experts and art dealers into his new studio space for long-form interviews in the same vein as many of the top podcasters working today. “I’m a fan of Marc Maron and Joe Rogan… those more interview-type podcasts and I just really love the medium,” Sublette says. “My goal is to make them very informative and to just talk to people about what they do. Also, because I’ve been doing this for 30-plus years and have experienced so much, I thought it would be fun to share what it’s like to be me. I have a lot to say and I want to help my listeners understand art better.” 

The gallery owner and author has already recorded 10 episodes, including interviews with art dealer Terry Schurmeier and Navajo painter Shonto Begay. He hopes to record new episodes weekly. And because the studio is in his gallery he can often record impromptu episodes as his friends, clients and artists stop by the Tucson gallery. “A lot of these dealers are the backbone of our profession and they are getting older and they won’t be around forever,” he says. “That’s why it’s important to capture their stories.”

Art Dealer Diaries can be downloaded free on iTunes and other podcast platforms. Video versions of the episodes will also be posted to Sublette’s YouTube channel and on the gallery site, www.medicinemangallery.com.