Wayfinder–In and Through (30), by Matthew Burrows. Ink on homemade paper This year of isolation and social distanced living—with more still to come—has brought so much discussion about the meaning of community and belonging. This difficult year has felt so personal, like watching the upholstery of your favorite chair ripped open to expose the armature […]
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Signs of Work: A New Pell Lucy Exhibit
Work table in my studio (Photo: Martine Bisangi) A new online exhibition, Signs of Work, is now available on Artsy.net. Featuring work by Pell Lucy artists,* the exhibit is on view through March 4, 2021. The title of the show was inspired by words from with the late (and great) artist Tom Nozkowski in speaking […]
Constellating a Future
Above: Microscape Series (River Poem #2) by Taney Roniger. . At the beginning of the year I quoted from Rebecca Solnit’s recent book, Whose Story Is This? We are building something immense together that, though invisible and immaterial, is a structure, one we reside within—or, rather, many overlapping structures…Though there are individual voices and people […]
Keeping Ithaka Always in Mind
John Berger described drawing as something done “not only to make something observed visible to others, but also to accompany something invisible to its incalculable destination.” For so many of us who write, compose, paint or draw, Berger’s sentence brings to mind familiar experiences: Starting with something we see that we want to make comprehensible […]
Fair Share Art Auction
Art’s political power derives…from having no pragmatic application. It can’t fix the world…It stands for itself, it confronts our imagination and our intellect, and so it shapes our capacities as free citizens…If I seek out art in a time of national catastrophe…it’s because I need to be reminded what to live for. Jason Farago, art […]
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Antifragility and Art Making
Note: A few weeks ago I gave a guest lecture for the MFA students at Long Island University Post. At the time I referred to my remarks as a “shop talk:” gathering with fellow tradespeople to share some work wisdom. Art making can resemble a kind of guild after all, one that adheres to the […]
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Somewhere Between What is Hidden and What is Seen: A New Pell Lucy Exhibit
Pell Lucy, the 21 artist collaborative created three months ago, has a new exhibit up on Artsy today: Somewhere Between What is Hidden and What is Seen. The show will be available for viewing through December 3. This exhibit continues exploration into the Pell Lucy credo that form “possesses an intelligence of its own–an intelligence […]
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Under Our Skin
Interior characteristics often differ from surface qualities. A young ‘tween might be sassy and defiant, yet under the skin of these choices, she can possess a very sweet nature. Artwork is the same way. The visceral, visual qualities of the language can be as opaque as all the challenges we experience when we try to […]
The New Comes Out of the Random
Six years ago I read Charles Eisenstein’s book, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible. I was immediately caught in its spell. I described it to friends as a book that will fundamentally change the way you see the world. I know I am particularly susceptible to books. New ideas are the most […]
The Infinity of Aesthetics
“Public opinion doesn’t usually move in staccato bursts,” writes Bill McKibben. “Culture usually shifts gradually—painfully gradually for those of us who want change. But, occasionally, attitudes swing quite suddenly, as if pressure had been silently building up behind a dam until it burst.” Consider for a moment how many build ups are bursting on this […]