Barnett Newman’s paintings might seem like the intellectual epitome of modern abstraction, but he actively sought to engage with the world through his art. And decades earlier, in 1933, he ran for mayor of New York City. MoMA Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture Ann Temkin, author Amy Newman, and host Naeem Douglas examine the connection between the campaign and the canvas, speaking about the artist’s persistent moral vision of improving the lives of fellow citizens.

Executive producers: Prudence Peiffer, Alex Halberstadt, Naeem Douglas Writing and research: Prudence Peiffer, Alex Halberstadt, Naeem Douglas, with additional research by Caroline Nieto. Engineered and mixed by Zubin Hensler Original score by Pablo Altar

What happens when an artist spends decades outside the art world, creating work in near obscurity and not because of a lack of talent? For years, Minnie Evans worked as a ticket taker at a garden in Wilmington, North Carolina, while also secretly making drawings and paintings that came to her in spiritual visions. Evans’ great-grandson Wayne Evans, MoMA associate curator Alexandra Adams, and host Naeem Douglas explore the self-taught artist’s journey from obscurity to the world’s largest museums.

Contains an excerpt from The Angel That Stands By Me (1983), directed by Allie Light and Irving Saraf.

Executive producers: Prudence Peiffer, Alex Halberstadt, Naeem Douglas Writing and research: Prudence Peiffer, Alex Halberstadt, Naeem Douglas, with additional research by Caroline Nieto. Engineered and mixed by Zubin Hensler Original score by Pablo Altar