Category Archives: Recession Advice
The only artform left in Manhattan is Graffiti. street art, not ‘gallery’ art, rocks.
On my way into DUMBO, under a scaffold, in a mouldy corner, was this little bit of wall. Check out that mini-cairn of rocks on the ground, giving the image a 3-D, shrine-like feel.
Nice.
Perfect for place where it was sited. Dark. Not a place you’d want to linger; indeed, something I passed, feeling lost, but [...]
Also posted in Chelsea Galleries, DIY Art, Uncategorized Tagged Chelsea Art Galleries, DUMBO, Graffiti, Mary Boone, street art Leave a comment
Ambition is Dead: Long Live Art
That’s gonna be part of my new philosophy. So stay tuned.
But first, some Buddhist Economics, courtesy of E.F. Schumacher, whose book, Small is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered, was excerpted by one my favorite reads, Chapel Hill, NC’s magazine “The Sun,” which says:
German-born E.F. Schumacher was a British economist best known for his critique [...]
Also posted in DIY Art, Uncategorized Tagged Buddhist economics, E.F. Schumacher, The Sun Leave a comment
Is the foe of artist-statement confusion vanquished?
Or does it still lurk among us? Sorry not to have posted for so long on the topic. After a slew of studio visits, I’m happy to say that we’re getting there, making progress. However, I also must report that there are huge, huge misconceptions harbored by artists on the topic of this itty-bitty, often-no-more-than-350-word [...]
Also posted in Uncategorized Tagged artists statement, David and Goliath, writing advice Leave a comment
Journalism 101 as artist’s statement-writing strategy
Strategy Moment:
I owe this insight to Jean Shin, a marvelous sculptor (who’s got a nice profile in this month’s Sculpture Magazine, btw.) Why not just stick to the basic interview questions journalists use when trying to talk about your work?
WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW?
Ask them of the artwork; you can even interview it as if it [...]
Also posted in DIY Art, Writing Advice for Artists Tagged artists statements, Jean Shin, Journalism, writing strategy Leave a comment
Too cool for school? Never.
As this week of free advice on artist’s statements comes to a close, here’s Two Things I’ve Learned: 1) Don’t give your work away for free (artists, writers, this means You); even if it’s for a nominal fee, your work must get valued. 2) Try not to treat your attempts at writing-to gain-clarity-and-objectivity as a [...]
[#hashtag] Class Dismissed. Everyone gets an A for Effort. Well, Almost Everyone.
William Powhida makes transgressive, self-reflective, art;
and his subjects are often people—or prevailing notions of—Power. Hence, I shouldn’t have been surprised last night when he suddenly called me out as conducting the most in-your-face, authoritarian, put-people-on-the-spot-to-give-a-right-answer #hashtagclass session that he’s seen yet. [Sorry, I have to paraphrase on the above; I was writing on my computer [...]
An open letter to Ed Winkelman, SVA, Dan Cameron, or anyone in a position to help artists speak Truth to Power: we do need “A New Currency”
No wonder artists have a hard time writing statements. Rebelling against the need to write is the only self-defense/self-preservation mechanism they have left in a system that seeks to compartmentalize them. Do you want funding? [asks the foundation] Explain how what you do fits in with our criteria for what’s worth $. Want me to [...]
Why they don’t teach you how to write a decent artist’s statement in Grad School
I’ve thought about this, having gone to grad school (Pratt Institute) and gotten an MFA in painting—and come out with zero instruction from my professors on the art market and how I might find my own voice in it. That, I did for myself.
Since then, I’ve gotten past the rage (mostly) and have come to [...]
Also posted in Brooklyn, Uncategorized, Writing Advice for Artists Tagged art pedagogy, artists statements, hashtagclass, Pratt Institute, Winkelman Gallery, writing advice 2 Comments
Critic writes half-ass artist’s statement on a paper bag at Cafe Grumpy
My friend (if he still is my friend), Kurt Strahm, seems worried that I may not be able to hack writing artists’ statements in 15 minutes at Winkelman this Wednesday; so, I offer to write him one on the spot—only he’ll have to wait ’till after I use the rest room. He insists (to toughen [...]
Shifts of [mental] scale encouraged, as Venice Biennale opens tomorrow.