If Objects Could Talk

The Getty Center is renowned for its permanent collection, which includes pre-20th-century European paintings, drawings, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and decorative arts; 19th and 20th-century American, European, and Asian photographs; and contemporary and modern sculpture. The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, United States, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion center opened to the public on December 16, 1997, and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles.

If Objects Could Talk podcast brings objects from the Getty Museum out of the vault to tell their side of the story.

Launched on September 8, 2025, Getty introduced its first-ever family podcast, If Objects Could Talk — a fun, imaginative, and educational audio experience that brings ancient artifacts to life for curious young minds.

Designed for kids and families, If Objects Could Talk unlocks the hidden lives of museum objects through engaging storytelling and surprising historical facts. Did you know that ancient Romans used crushed eggshells for toothpaste? Or that Egyptians shaved their eyebrows in mourning for their cats? These are just a few of the fascinating tidbits listeners will discover as they journey through time with artifacts from Getty’s antiquities collection.

Each episode features imaginative storytelling, vibrant voice acting, and immersive sound design, bringing the hidden lives of ancient artifacts to life — revealing the surprising and often humorous history behind them. From an Egyptian cat statue to a fish-shaped glass flask and ancient dice, kids will explore how these items were created, used, and cherished in daily life thousands of years ago.

Perfect for road trips, daily commutes, bedtime, or quiet time, the podcast offers screen-free entertainment that also enriches listening comprehension, builds vocabulary, and sparks curiosity. Beyond the facts, the storytelling format fosters empathy, emotional growth, and self-confidence — making If Objects Could Talk as enriching as it is entertaining.

Producer Zoe Goldman, who has two kids of her own, knows that art and museums can feel a little intimidating for families. “Making this podcast, we kept the focus on sharing a love of learning through art. We want to encourage families to have fun first and foremost as they approach new conversations and ways of engaging with art in and out of a museum.”

Originally, the Getty Museum started in J. Paul Getty's house located in Pacific Palisades in 1954. He expanded the house with a museum wing. In the 1970s, Getty built a replica of an Italian villa on his home's land to better house his collection, which opened in 1974. After Getty's death in 1976, the entire property was turned over to the Getty Trust for museum purposes. However, the collection outgrew the site, which has since been renamed the Getty Villa, and management sought a location more accessible to Los Angeles.

Throughout the campus, numerous fountains provide white noise as a background. The initial design has remained intact; however benches and fences have been installed around the plaza fountains to discourage visitors from wading into the pools.

The museum building consists of a three-level base building that is closed to the public and provides staff workspace and storage areas. Five public, two-story towers on the base are called the North, East, South, West and the Exhibitions Pavilions. The Exhibitions Pavilion acts as the temporary residence for traveling art collections and the Foundation's artwork for which the permanent pavilions have no room. The permanent collection is displayed throughout the other four pavilions chronologically: the north houses the oldest art while the west houses the newest.

Check out If Objects Could Talk. In my experience, museums produce the most amazing podcasts. It’s like a museum tour in your ears. Or look at it this way. You can tour the world or go back in time, and you only need an RSS feed, earbuds, and a lively imagination.