Aired on July 6, 2025

• Philadelphia, Colonialism, Theft

From his early days watching his father paint in a studio in their Philadelphia home, Noah Smalls has been immersed in a life of art, the city’s architecture, and the vital importance of all cultures. In this interview he shares colorful anecdotes about his work with priceless works of art, engaging with community, and his number one focus: demanding equity in all aspects of the art world while shining a light on the theft by colonizers of priceless, culturally relevant pieces belonging to marginalized peoples around the world.

Noah Smalls is a curator, exhibition designer, gallery director, and consultant committed to advancing equity and social impact in the arts. He currently serves as Director of Exhibitions and Collections Management at the Williams College Museum of Art and as Gallery Director at Rush Arts in Philadelphia. He also leads Smalls Museum Consulting, advising institutions such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Professional Alliance of Curators of Color, and the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. Smalls co-curated Mural Arts Philadelphia’s fellowship for Black artists and recently guest curated an acclaimed exhibition with artist Clifford Ward at Grounds for Sculpture, on view through January. Over the past year, he has presented on academic panels at the Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists (ARCS) Conference, the College Art Association (CAA) Conference, and the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. Smalls is widely respected for championing museums as platforms for education, community engagement, and institutional transformation.

“On The Porch” is hosted by Randolph ”Randy” Voller. He is also the publisher of Chatham County Line. Randy welcomes guests to the show who are from the communities of art, academia, business, and politics for friendly and informative conversations. “On The Porch” airs every Sunday at 11:06 AM, and is repeated at 5:06 PM and 8:06 PM on WCHL-FM 97.9. The show also streams on ChapelBoro.com
Current and previous shows of “On The Porch” are posted as on-demand, ad-free podcasts at ChapelBoro.com, Spotify and Apple Podcasts
To be a guest on the show or send us a comment, email: ontheporch@wchl.com