What makes an art fair successful? Sales. Crowds. Fairs that give people a reason to come back. This fall, artist William Powhida, Netvvrk Director of Operations Penny Retica, and I walked New York's fair week to see which ones do that job. We went to the Spring Break in the old CBS News offices, Independent 20th Century, The Armory, and Printed Matter's New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1. One of them left us with some serious FOMO. 
Guest credits 
Artist William Powhida 
Netvvrk Director of Operations, Penny Retica 
 
Artists/Projects Mentioned: 
 
Spring Break 
<a href='https://www.springbreakartshow.com/'>https://www.springbreakartshow.com/</a> 
Kara Sheffler & Joanna Herr, Tiki Bar 
David Molesky, Prone to Bruise 
Christopher Chan & Lindaluz Carillo, Soft Bruise 
Kutay Tufekci, Roselynn Sadaghiani, & Richard Medina in Fool Me Can’t Get Fooled Again 
Alice Herbert, HOUSE ARREST 
Matthew Cronin, Catalina Tuca, & Joseph Wilcox, Afterimage, curated by Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen 
 
Independent 20th Century 
<a href='https://www.independenthq.com/'>https://www.independenthq.com/</a> 
General Idea 
David Hammons 
Jenny Holzer 
 
Armory 
<a href='https://www.thearmoryshow.com/'>https://www.thearmoryshow.com/</a> 
Dorian Langberg 
Michelle Grabner 
Darvish Fakhr 
Embajada Gallery 
Katarina Riseing 
Alba Triana 
 
NY Art Book Fair 
<a href='https://nyabf2026.printedmatterartbookfairs.org/'>https://nyabf2026.printedmatterartbookfairs.org/</a> 
African Art Book Fair, The Pan African Library Will Not Be Colonized 
Book Arts Solidarity Network, MAKEREADY 
A, Lukas, Stop Hiding Behind Masks 
Precious Okoyomon, The Pleasure Principle 
Black Sheep, Riso Lantern 

Additional Reading 
Valentina Di Liscia,<a href='https://hyperallergic.com/independent-20th-century-the-mise-en-abyme-of-art-fairs/'> "Independent 20th Century, the Mise en Abyme of Art Fairs,"</a> Hyperallergic, 2026 
Anna Kornbluh,<a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immediacy,_or_The_Style_of_Too_Late_Capitalism'> Immediacy, or The Style of Too Late Capitalism</a>, Verso, 2024 
<a href='https://commoning.art/'>Activating the Transformative Potential of Commons in the Arts</a> 

Free class 
If you want shows beyond your home city, join my free class, How to Get Shows Beyond Your Region, on October 14 at 7 PM EDT. <a href='https://courses.netvvrk.com/growth?htrafficsource=Podcast&hcategory=October_2026&hmedium=organic&el=pod-W-Oct-26'>Register here.</a>

What makes an art fair successful? Sales. Crowds. Fairs that give people a reason to come back. This fall, artist William Powhida, Netvvrk Director of Operations Penny Retica, and I walked New York's fair week to see which ones do that job. We went to the Spring Break in the old CBS News offices, Independent 20th Century, The Armory, and Printed Matter's New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1. One of them left us with some serious FOMO. Guest credits Artist William Powhida Netvvrk Director of Operations, Penny Retica Artists/Projects Mentioned: Spring Break https://www.springbreakartshow.com/ Kara Sheffler & Joanna Herr, Tiki Bar David Molesky, Prone to Bruise Christopher Chan & Lindaluz Carillo, Soft Bruise Kutay Tufekci, Roselynn Sadaghiani, & Richard Medina in Fool Me Can’t Get Fooled Again Alice Herbert, HOUSE ARREST Matthew Cronin, Catalina Tuca, & Joseph Wilcox, Afterimage, curated by Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen Independent 20th Century https://www.independenthq.com/ General Idea David Hammons Jenny Holzer Armory https://www.thearmoryshow.com/ Dorian Langberg Michelle Grabner Darvish Fakhr Embajada Gallery Katarina Riseing Alba Triana NY Art Book Fair https://nyabf2026.printedmatterartbookfairs.org/ African Art Book Fair, The Pan African Library Will Not Be Colonized Book Arts Solidarity Network, MAKEREADY A, Lukas, Stop Hiding Behind Masks Precious Okoyomon, The Pleasure Principle Black Sheep, Riso Lantern Additional Reading Valentina Di Liscia, "Independent 20th Century, the Mise en Abyme of Art Fairs," Hyperallergic, 2026 Anna Kornbluh, Immediacy, or The Style of Too Late Capitalism, Verso, 2024 Activating the Transformative Potential of Commons in the Arts Free class If you want shows beyond your home city, join my free class, How to Get Shows Beyond Your Region, on October 14 at 7 PM EDT. Register here.

What makes an art fair successful? Sales. Crowds. Fairs that give people a reason to come back. This fall, artist William Powhida, Netvvrk Director of Operations Penny Retica, and I walked New York's fair week to see which ones do that job. We went to the Spring Break in the old CBS News offices, Independent 20th Century, The Armory, and Printed Matter's New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS1. One of them left us with some serious FOMO.&nbsp;
Guest credits 
Artist William Powhida 
Netvvrk Director of Operations, Penny Retica 
 
Artists/Projects Mentioned: 
 
Spring Break 
<a href="https://www.springbreakartshow.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.springbreakartshow.com/</a> 
Kara Sheffler &amp; Joanna Herr, Tiki Bar 
David Molesky, Prone to Bruise 
Christopher Chan &amp; Lindaluz Carillo, Soft Bruise 
Kutay Tufekci, Roselynn Sadaghiani, &amp; Richard Medina in Fool Me Can’t Get Fooled Again 
Alice Herbert, HOUSE ARREST 
Matthew Cronin, Catalina Tuca, &amp; Joseph Wilcox, Afterimage, curated by Elisa Gutiérrez Eriksen 
 
Independent 20th Century 
<a href="https://www.independenthq.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.independenthq.com/</a> 
General Idea 
David Hammons 
Jenny Holzer 
 
Armory 
<a href="https://www.thearmoryshow.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.thearmoryshow.com/</a> 
Dorian Langberg 
Michelle Grabner 
Darvish Fakhr 
Embajada Gallery 
Katarina Riseing 
Alba Triana 
 
NY Art Book Fair 
<a href="https://nyabf2026.printedmatterartbookfairs.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://nyabf2026.printedmatterartbookfairs.org/</a> 
African Art Book Fair, The Pan African Library Will Not Be Colonized 
Book Arts Solidarity Network, MAKEREADY 
A, Lukas, Stop Hiding Behind Masks 
Precious Okoyomon, The Pleasure Principle 
Black Sheep, Riso Lantern 

Additional Reading 
Valentina Di Liscia,<a href="https://hyperallergic.com/independent-20th-century-the-mise-en-abyme-of-art-fairs/" rel="noopener noreferrer"> "Independent 20th Century, the Mise en Abyme of Art Fairs,"</a> Hyperallergic, 2026 
Anna Kornbluh,<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immediacy,_or_The_Style_of_Too_Late_Capitalism" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Immediacy, or The Style of Too Late Capitalism</a>, Verso, 2024 
<a href="https://commoning.art/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Activating the Transformative Potential of Commons in the Arts</a> 

Free class 
If you want shows beyond your home city, join my free class, How to Get Shows Beyond Your Region, on October 14 at 7 PM EDT. <a href="https://courses.netvvrk.com/growth?htrafficsource=Podcast&amp;hcategory=October_2026&amp;hmedium=organic&amp;el=pod-W-Oct-26" rel="noopener noreferrer">Register here.</a>

EP 122: NYC Art Fair Report: So-So to FOMO

The art world tells artists that if you just keep going, eventually something will break for you. But persistence can also keep you stuck. If you don’t know something’s broken so you keep doing the same thing, you won’t grow.
That's what happened to Gin Stone. Gin is a Cape Cod artist who did what she was supposed to do. She kept going. And she stayed stuck because she didn't have the right help. In this episode, she talks about the gallery show that made her realize she had nothing to say about her own work, the overhaul that followed, and the grant she landed just last week for a sonification project built on 2,000 years of geological data.
 
RELEVANT LINKS:
Free Info Session, <a href='https://courses.netvvrk.com/museums/?el=pod-W-Jul-26'>How to Get on a Museum’s Radar</a>, Tuesday July 21, 7:00 PM EST 
<a href='https://www.ginstoneart.com/'>Gin Stone</a>

The art world tells artists that if you just keep going, eventually something will break for you. But persistence can also keep you stuck. If you don’t know something’s broken so you keep doing the same thing, you won’t grow. That's what happened to Gin Stone. Gin is a Cape Cod artist who did what she was supposed to do. She kept going. And she stayed stuck because she didn't have the right help. In this episode, she talks about the gallery show that made her realize she had nothing to say about her own work, the overhaul that followed, and the grant she landed just last week for a sonification project built on 2,000 years of geological data. RELEVANT LINKS: Free Info Session, How to Get on a Museum’s Radar, Tuesday July 21, 7:00 PM EST Gin Stone

The art world tells artists that if you just keep going, eventually something will break for you. But persistence can also keep you stuck. If you don’t know something’s broken so you keep doing the same thing, you won’t grow.
That's what happened to Gin Stone. Gin is a Cape Cod artist who did what she was supposed to do. She kept going. And she stayed stuck because she didn't have the right help. In this episode, she talks about the gallery show that made her realize she had nothing to say about her own work, the overhaul that followed, and the grant she landed just last week for a sonification project built on 2,000 years of geological data.
&nbsp;
RELEVANT LINKS:
Free Info Session, <a href="https://courses.netvvrk.com/museums/?el=pod-W-Jul-26" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Get on a Museum’s Radar</a>, Tuesday July 21, 7:00 PM EST 
<a href="https://www.ginstoneart.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gin Stone</a>

EP 119: 20 Rejections Later with Gin Stone

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there to help artists? In this episode of Art Problems Netvvrk member Maggie Hinders shares how the Netvvrk Navigator assessment transformed her artistic experience of this reality from "I can't do this" to "I can do this."
Maggie talks about moving from using Netvvrk primarily for community connection to finally tackling the curriculum with clarity. We discuss how the assessment organizes information into a clear path forward, why understanding what different career levels actually look like matters, and how developing an artistic narrative helps you communicate about abstract work.
If you've ever felt like your brain works like a web and you need help pulling out that first thread, this conversation is for you.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there to help artists? In this episode of Art Problems Netvvrk member Maggie Hinders shares how the Netvvrk Navigator assessment transformed her artistic experience of this reality from "I can't do this" to "I can do this." Maggie talks about moving from using Netvvrk primarily for community connection to finally tackling the curriculum with clarity. We discuss how the assessment organizes information into a clear path forward, why understanding what different career levels actually look like matters, and how developing an artistic narrative helps you communicate about abstract work. If you've ever felt like your brain works like a web and you need help pulling out that first thread, this conversation is for you.

EP 106: Going from “I Can’t Do This” to “I Can Do This” with Artist Maggie Hinders

Artist and accountant Hannah Cole talks about her new book "Taxes for Humans"—your not-boring guide to taxation for self-employed artists. We discuss why tax education is deliberately kept from us, how to fix a messy tax situation without shame, and Hannah's secret agenda to turn artists into activists. 
 
Plus: tax-advantaged accounts, disaster relief benefits, and why it's worth investing in your professional development before the year ends. 
 
Related links: 
<a href='https://wakefieldbooks.com/book/9781394298396'>Taxes for Humans</a>

Artist and accountant Hannah Cole talks about her new book "Taxes for Humans"—your not-boring guide to taxation for self-employed artists. We discuss why tax education is deliberately kept from us, how to fix a messy tax situation without shame, and Hannah's secret agenda to turn artists into activists. Plus: tax-advantaged accounts, disaster relief benefits, and why it's worth investing in your professional development before the year ends. Related links: Taxes for Humans

Artist and accountant Hannah Cole talks about her new book "Taxes for Humans"—your not-boring guide to taxation for self-employed artists. We discuss why tax education is deliberately kept from us, how to fix a messy tax situation without shame, and Hannah's secret agenda to turn artists into activists. 
 
Plus: tax-advantaged accounts, disaster relief benefits, and why it's worth investing in your professional development before the year ends. 
 
Related links: 
<a href="https://wakefieldbooks.com/book/9781394298396" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taxes for Humans</a>

EP 102: Taxes for Humans: A Conversation with Hannah Cole

This week I'm extending a conversation I started in my revived Hyperallergic column: do you need a proper studio space to get studio visits? The answer is no—if you handle it properly.
But the real question isn't about your space. It's how to network effectively so visits actually happen. I break down the exact timing strategy for outreach, why most networking fails in the follow-through, and how to structure emails that make it easy for people to say yes.
The biggest reason artist emails don't get responses isn't disinterest—it's that the email didn't make it easy to respond. I cover four principles that change that and walk through a real scenario showing how to think strategically about follow-up.
Want the exact framework? Join me for my free webinar Monday, November 24th at 7 PM EST. 
 

RELEVANT LINKS: 
Hyperallergic: <a href='https://hyperallergic.com/1057676/art-problems-do-i-need-a-studio/'>Do I Need a Studio? </a>
Free Webinar Sign Up: <a href='https://courses.netvvrk.com/how-to-get-studio-visits/?htrafficsource=Podcast&hcategory=November_2025&hmedium=organic&el=pod-W-Nov-25'>How to Get Studio Visits Without Reading Minds</a>

This week I'm extending a conversation I started in my revived Hyperallergic column: do you need a proper studio space to get studio visits? The answer is no—if you handle it properly. But the real question isn't about your space. It's how to network effectively so visits actually happen. I break down the exact timing strategy for outreach, why most networking fails in the follow-through, and how to structure emails that make it easy for people to say yes. The biggest reason artist emails don't get responses isn't disinterest—it's that the email didn't make it easy to respond. I cover four principles that change that and walk through a real scenario showing how to think strategically about follow-up. Want the exact framework? Join me for my free webinar Monday, November 24th at 7 PM EST. RELEVANT LINKS: Hyperallergic: Do I Need a Studio? Free Webinar Sign Up: How to Get Studio Visits Without Reading Minds

This week I'm extending a conversation I started in my revived Hyperallergic column: do you need a proper studio space to get studio visits? The answer is no—if you handle it properly.
But the real question isn't about your space. It's how to network effectively so visits actually happen. I break down the exact timing strategy for outreach, why most networking fails in the follow-through, and how to structure emails that make it easy for people to say yes.
The biggest reason artist emails don't get responses isn't disinterest—it's that the email didn't make it easy to respond. I cover four principles that change that and walk through a real scenario showing how to think strategically about follow-up.
Want the exact framework? Join me for my free webinar Monday, November 24th at 7 PM EST. 
 

RELEVANT LINKS:&nbsp;
Hyperallergic: <a href="https://hyperallergic.com/1057676/art-problems-do-i-need-a-studio/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do I Need a Studio?&nbsp;</a>
Free Webinar Sign Up: <a href="https://courses.netvvrk.com/how-to-get-studio-visits/?htrafficsource=Podcast&amp;hcategory=November_2025&amp;hmedium=organic&amp;el=pod-W-Nov-25" rel="noopener noreferrer">How to Get Studio Visits Without Reading Minds</a>

EP 101: How to Get Studio Visits Without Reading Minds

Join VVrkshop founder and art critic, Paddy Johnson, as she shares thoughts and insights on the challenges artists face, easy to understand, step by step education, from industry experts that you can apply to your practice, and behind the scenes stories from artists and other professionals so you know you’re not alone.

Join VVrkshop founder and art critic, Paddy Johnson, as she shares thoughts and insights on the challenges artists face, easy to understand, step by step education, from industry experts that you can apply to your practice, and behind the scenes stories from artists and other professionals so you know you’re not alone.

Art Problems: The VVrkshop Podcast Teaser

The Netvvrk podcast for ambitious artists who want more shows, bigger grants, and better residencies.

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The Netvvrk podcast for ambitious artists who want more shows, bigger grants, and better residencies.

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