Something You Can Feel: A Black Art History Podcast

Qiaira Riley is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, and self-described guerilla art theorist based in Philadelphia, and Something You Can Feel reflects that activist, community-centered approach to art. The podcast celebrates under-recognized figures and movements in Black contemporary art, exploring creative practices from across the diaspora. With 10 episodes and a perfect 5.0-star rating from 7 reviewers, the show mixes solo episodes with interviews featuring fellow artists and occasionally family members. The subject matter is specific and deeply researched: episodes cover fiber artist Bisa Butler, painter Henry O. Tanner, Black Panther Party art director Emory Douglas, the Colored Girls Museum, the DuSable Museum, Black-Palestinian solidarity in art, and gendered Black spatialities. Qiaira holds an MFA in Socially Engaged Studio Art from Moore College of Art and Design and is a founding member of 2.0, a Philadelphia collective curating free experimental art offerings for Black femmes and women. That background infuses every episode with both scholarly rigor and genuine community connection. The most recent episode dropped in October 2025, so the show is still active though releases are infrequent. For listeners looking for art history that centers Black artists and cultural workers -- not as a sidebar or special episode, but as the entire point -- this podcast fills a space that mainstream art history shows simply do not touch.