Students in the Adler Agency are putting the final pieces together to produce a new season of the Pitchfork and Paintbrush.

Pitchfork and Paintbrush (P&P) is a podcast about art, humanity, the Midwest, and the legacy of Grant Wood. This podcast started as an assignment in Jeff Grisamore's Content Marketing class to support The Grant Wood Legacy Project. The first season of Pitchfork and Paintbrush featured different Grant Wood scholars who could provide information about the iconic Iowan. Producer and host Liz Smith led the team through the inaugural season.

"We thought it would be interesting to bring in scholars to do a deep dive on Grant Wood, his legacy and why people nowadays should pay attention to this artist from the 1920's," said Smith.

The P&P team prepared for their first season with a massive storyboard, an overarching theme and reoccurring bits.

"We wanted to throw in some fun bits to shake up our interviewee and take them out of their academic mindset," explained Smith.

Smith incorporated internet slang, artistry slang and the game of "kiss, marry, kill" into the academic conversations.

"None of them liked to kill any art, but it was funny to make them try," Smith giggled.

Balancing history discussions with playful conversations isn't easy, but P&P does it well. 

The second season of Pitchfork and Paintbrush will move towards a more modern look at Midwest art.

"We are going to be interviewing an art student and an art professor about Midwestern art and what it is currently," said Smith.

Smith wouldn't divulge any more information about the second of P&P, but she recommends that you listen to the first season to get excited for the new installment.

This exciting type of experiential learning isn't just great for the clients that work with SJMC classes, but rewarding for the students as well. Jasmyn Tran has been part of Pitchfork and Paintbrush since the beginning and feels like she's grown with the show.

"Grant Wood didn't mean much to me before, but working on this podcast has permanently intertwined him with my education and experience at Iowa," said Tran

Throughout the first season of P&P listeners learn more about Grant Wood's effect on everyday people, then and now. Tran felt the significance working on this project.

"You never know how much of an impact you can leave on people by being a good person," she said. "No matter where you come from, you can have an impact."

You can listen to the first season of Pitchfork and Paintbrush here.