Melissa Auf der Maur: Rock Icon and Cultural Visionary

In this episode of The Art Career , Emily sits down with the incomparable Melissa Auf der Maur — musician, visual artist, filmmaker, and co-founder of the multidisciplinary arts center Basilica Hudson . Known for her role as the bass player in iconic 1990s rock bands Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins , Melissa’s journey spans far beyond the stage. From self-producing solo albums to launching a nationally recognized cultural venue in Hudson, NY, Melissa has spent the past two decades creating space — literally and metaphorically — for artists to gather, experiment, and thrive. This conversation covers the full spectrum of her creative life: music, motherhood, mythology, and the radical act of sustaining a long-term, independent practice. We also talk about her upcoming literary memoir , which will explore her time inside the legendary 1990s rock scene — set to be released in 2026 by Grand Central Publishing / Hachette Books. We discuss: • Touring the world with Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins • Creating Basilica Hudson as a haven for artists and community • Her deep roots in visual art and photography • Storytelling, place-making, and the role of women in music history • Writing her forthcoming memoir on the 90s rock era Follow Melissa: @xmadmx Learn more about Basilica Hudson: basilicahudson.org Follow Emily: @emilymcelwreath_art Follow The Art Career: @theartcareer Melissa Auf der Maur was born and raised in Montreal, Canada where she received a fine arts education focused on music and photography. Auf der Maur is most prominently known for her role as the bass player and band member in two Grammy Nominated and Winning 90’s rock bands, Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. At the turn of the millennium, after multiple world tours she set off on her own to self-produce two solo albums, released on Capitol Records and RoadRunner / Warner Brother Records. In 2010 she co-founded the multidisciplinary art center Basilica Hudson in Hudson, NY with filmmaker Tony Stone, which welcomes up to 20,000 yearly visitors to genre-pushing music festivals, large-scale marketplace events, film screenings, and public installations. In addition to her work as an arts and music curator at Basilica Hudson, Auf der Maur has produced films that have been presented at Sundance Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, New Directors New Films, and released by NEON and Magnolia Pictures. Her photography work has been published in National Geographic, American Photo, SPIN and BUST Magazines, and exhibited at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Sotheby's NY, among other venues. Her literary memoir, focusing on her time in the iconic 90’s rock scene, is due to be released in 2026 by Grand Central / Hachettes Books.

You can listen to Melissa Auf der Maur: Rock Icon and Cultural Visionary online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Melissa Auf der Maur: Rock Icon and Cultural Visionary is an episode from The Art Career Podcast by Emily McElwreath.

This episode is 01:24:23 long.

This episode was published on Apr 10, 2025.

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