Artist Natalia Nakazawa believes this moment of extreme uncertainty is actually "artist time"—when we need to step up as visionaries and fill the voids that traditional systems are leaving behind. This is the second interview in my series on how to find hope through artistic practice. Natalia has built multiple collectives and focuses on long-term sustainability over quick wins. We discuss making culture essential infrastructure and why artists need to connect beyond their silos. This is about training yourself to dream big and recognizing that artists are needed everywhere.

RELEVANT LINKS:

After feeling demoralized by Trump’s election, artist Julie Peppito researched how to resist authoritarianism and merged her studio practice with street activism—what she calls "artivism."

We discuss her four-part formula for building hope: community, social proof, joy, and collaboration, plus practical advice on organizing art builds, leading protests, and turning your studio into a "hope-making machine."

RELEVANT LINKS:

When external pressures feel overwhelming and traditional solutions fall short, how do artists move forward? From The Whitney pausing its Independent Study Program to AI threatening brand partnerships, the challenges facing artists today often don't have clear fixes. 

Art Coach Paddy Johnson explores why believing every threat is already reality can paralyze us, how social media platforms prioritize reach over genuine connection, and why the art world's scrappy resilience might be our greatest asset. Plus, an announcement about an upcoming series designed to bring hope and courage to the creative community.

RELEVANT LINKS:

 Do Artists Need Galleries - artnet Art Market Minute podcast

Netvvrk membership

At the end of 2024, artist Amy Kligman left her executive director role to create her own opportunities by identifying gaps in the Kansas City arts ecosystem. She launched Special Effects gallery to make local artists more nationally visible and the Salon for Possible Futures, an artwork that doubles as a community gathering space. We discuss how Amy navigates risk and uncertainty, measures success in experimental projects, and uses art to build empathy and human connection during politically volatile times.

RELEVANT LINKS: 

Amy Kligman: https://www.amykligman.com/

Amy Kligman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amykligman/

Special Effects Gallery: https://www.instagram.com/specialfxgallery

The Salon for Possible Futures: https://www.nermanmuseum.org/exhibitions/2025-03-28-amy-kligman.html

In this second part of our two-part series on New York Art Fair Week, William Powhida and Paddy Johnson discuss the standout artworks from Independent, NADA, and Spring Break. Despite the thin crowds and economic challenges explored in Part 1, there were notable works worth celebrating. The conversation highlights vintage game boards at Independent, playful Nancy Drew-inspired paintings at Spring Break, and meticulously detailed highway landscapes at NADA.

Most significantly, we explore how the most politically relevant work happened outside the fairs, with an extended conversation of Mitchell Chan's "Insert Coins" – a deceptively simple video game installation that reveals itself as a devastating commentary on capitalism, cryptocurrency, and rigged systems. This piece, along with Open Collective's Ukrainian war karaoke installation, connected to the anxieties of the real world, in a way that seemed largely absent from the commercial fair venues.

Relevant Links:

Artists & Galleries Mentioned:

Venues:

Is New York Art Fair Week losing its momentum? This week, artist and critic William Powhida and I spent time at Independent, NADA, and Spring Break—and the energy felt deflated across all three.

In this first part of our two-part series, we dig into what went wrong. Thin crowds. Dealers complaining about slow sales. International collectors staying away due to political uncertainty and travel concerns. The overall market recession.

But is it just market fatigue, or something deeper? We explore whether New York has simply become too expensive for emerging galleries to self-subsidize, whether political anxiety is creating a chilling effect on both artists and collectors, and why even the best new venues (NADA's stunning Star-Lehigh building) couldn't energize the crowds.

From The Shed's "art prison" atmosphere to Spring Break's maturation away from experimental energy, we examine whether these fairs are losing their essential character—or if broader economic and political forces are reshaping the entire ecosystem.

Next week in Part 2: We'll walk through the specific artwork that caught our attention at each fair and discuss why we had to leave the fairs entirely to find art that truly captured this political moment.

Relevant Links:

The Art Problems Podcast is back after a two-month hiatus — and I’m back announcing the biggest update in Netvvrk membership history.

The economy’s rough. The art world’s uncertain.

This episode is about giving yourself that advantage by finding your place in the art world — and actually moving forward.

One of the best ways to solve the problem of not enough shows is to self-organize. No one can launch a show without networking, so it forces network expansion, along with solving the lack of shows thing.

Today, we walk through the origins of Transcultural Exchange and learn about the upcoming conference for artists, taking place March 7-9 at the Foundry Cambridge MA.

Relevant links:

https://transculturalexchange.org/conference-2025/registration/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/transculturalexchange/

LinkedIn:

In which I reveal plans for a game-changing curriculum built from hundreds of artist surveys and 20+ years of industry experience. Plus, get a must-listen podcast recommendation that perfectly captures the creative journey. When Art Problems returns, expect deeper dives into career-advancing strategies.

Doesn't it seem like everyone is talking about crappy things are lately? This starts with the state of politics and extends all the way through to culture. Is culture in stasis? And if not, why does it feel like it is to so many people?

On this episode of Art Problems, the artist William Powhida and I discuss the following articles:

“Why has culture come to a standstill,” Jason Farago, The New York times

"The Painted Protest, How Politics Destroyed Contemporary Art", Dean Kissick, Harper's Magazine.

“The One Word That Describes Art Now” Ben Davis and scholar Anna Kornbluh, Artnet's Art Angle Podcast

You'll get more understanding of where culture is moving forward and where it isn't from this episode than any other podcast I've done. Consider this a must-listen.

Relevant links:

“Why has culture come to a standstill,” Jason Farago, The New York times

"The Painted Protest, How Politics Destroyed Contemporary Art", Dean Kissick, Harper's Magazine

“The One Word That Describes Art Now” Ben Davis and scholar Anna Kornbluh, Artnet's Art Angle Podcast

"Episode 70: Is there a Dead Body Trend in Art?" Paddy Johnson and William Powhida, Art Problems Podcast