Shows / Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Urgent Matter: Cold Take is a weekly breakdown of the biggest art-world headlines—minus the artspeak. Journalist Adam Schrader, founder of Urgent Matter, reports from the front seat of his car to Colton Crews, a Texas-based outside observer with zero ties to the art world. Recorded over Zoom and minimally edited, each episode digs into the law, crime, labor, and general absurdities of the industry. For the document-driven reporting behind the talk, visit www.urgentmatter.press.
Episodes
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 12: Music in a Time of War, Lilith at The Tank, and the "Worst Aquarium" in America
Adam Schrader and Colton Crews are back after a week off, and a week late to post. The episode opens with the Experiential Orchestra, the Grammy-winning…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 11: Rebuilding Gaza, Iran's Imprisoned Women in Paint, and a Dealer Takes On Art Basel
A leaner episode from a slow news week — Urgent Matter spent most of it building the August print edition — but the stories run deep.Adam and Colton open on…
Urgent Matter: Cold TakeCold Take Ep. 10: Forbidden Bus Ads, Fifty Buffalo and One Man's $150,000 Statue
Adam Schrader and Colton Crews open at the MTA's June board meeting in lower Manhattan, where Orthodox Jewish leaders and a transit union officer asked the…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 9: NPR Picks Up UNT, North Korea's Anti-US Art Show and a $400 Photo Fee
Adam and Colton open Episode 9 by playing the NPR segment that credits Urgent Matter's public records reporting on the University of North Texas censorship…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 8: Giant Bones, Jay-Z Figurines and a Beanie Babies Grudge Match
Adam is fighting a mold problem, Colton is fighting the Smithsonian, and the White House has 162 pages of grievances. Welcome to Episode 8.Adam Schrader and…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 7: A Jailed Artist, a Nude Portrait, and a Guide to Art Theft
Happy Father's Day. Colton surprises Adam with a relic from a past life — the faded Brainbat skull shirt from back when Adam went by "Brainbat" and made art…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 6: The World's Worst Photographer, the Obamas' Double Portrait and a Vinyl Archive
Urgent Matter founder and editor Adam Schrader and longtime friend Colton Crews — a Texas-based everyman and musician with the bands Burning Slow and American…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 5: The MILF Magnet, the Whale Mural and MoMA’s Mystery List
Adam Schrader and Colton Crews run through a strange week in art-world news, starting with the Vagina Museum’s repeatedly stolen MILF magnet and what museums…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 4: Art Crime, War Photography and A.I. Ansel Adams
Adam Schrader and Colton Crews return for another loose, mildly prepared episode of Cold Take, the Urgent Matter podcast about art-world news, lawsuits, crime…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 3: Epstein Files, Space Art and Censorship Fights
In the third episode of Cold Take, Urgent Matter founder and editor Adam Schrader is joined again by longtime friend Colton Crews for a loose, skeptical…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 2: A Demolition, an Epstein Resignation and a Murder Trial
In the second episode of Cold Take, Urgent Matter founder and editor Adam Schrader once again records from the front seat of his car while his kids sleep…
- Urgent Matter: Cold Take
Cold Take Ep. 1: A Freaky Tourist, a Fake Museum, and Other Headlines
In the debut episode of Cold Take, Urgent Matter founder and editor Adam Schrader records from the front seat of his car while his kids are asleep, joined by…