John Zeppetelli Interviewed

Howdy!

John Zeppetelli (image courtesy Un Show de Mot'Arts)
John Zeppetelli (image courtesy Un Show de Mot’Arts)

Last week I was able to interview John Zeppetelli, the newly hired director of the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

If you would like to listen

The John Zeppetelli Interview

If you would like to download

The John Zeppetelli Interview

Ogg Vorbis 17MB, MP3 37MB, Flac 305MB, WAV 507MB, BitTorrent.

If you would like a synopsis; He tells the story of how he got hired, which started from this article in Le Devoir by Isabelle Paré. I note the similarities between his hiring and when Marc Mayer was hired. He explains why and how he is so “invested” in contemporary art.

I ask him about concrete ideas on how he plans to increase attendance, he talks about when his presence will be felt, how art has replaced faith as a system of belief in the secular world. He continues by enumerating his wishlist of artists he would like to exhibit at the museum explaining why for each one, although he questions the wisdom of talking about it publicly.

He wonders about the possibility of a redefinition of the mandate of the museum, and ponders the role of the museum in the future. I ask him about budget cuts, and the fate of the Médiathèque. I then ask who is the sous minister responsible for the museum, and what is the chain of command.

He talks about how fascinated he is at how much attention his hiring is getting, and we finish the interview with him talking about the deadline for the groundbreaking of the museum expansion.

2 thoughts on “John Zeppetelli Interviewed”

  1. Hi Zeke:
    Great interview! Interesting insights from M. Zeppetelli on the role of the museum in current culture, plus a sneak peak into his vision for the MAC over the next few years.

    Your site’s a great resource for much of Montreal’s finest (i.e., art and food) – much appreciated :).

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