Art Problems

Well, this week sure sucked.

If you're like me, you're probably having a tough time figuring out how to feel okay. Because you know, like me, that everything will not be okay.

I want you to know this: you are not alone.

On this episode of Art Problems I talk about how leaning into community can help you find the optimism you need to get through the next couple of years.

Community can be your friends, your neighbors, a local knitting group, a group of artists you share advice with.

Ever wonder how to get your art into museum collections? Museum Exchange co-founder Michael Darling joins me to discuss how his company connects artwork with museums that want it.

Museum Exchange functions like a matchmaking service - museums write proposals for artwork they want, and donors choose the best fit. It's working: small regional museums are building collections, challenging works are finding homes, and donors and institutions are getting what they need.

Listen as Darling, and I get into the thick of it and learn more about a process that might work for you or someone you know!

Is any question more vexing to artists than, "What do you do?"

No, because it's impossible to answer!

This week on the podcast, I turned the tables and asked curator, consultant, and media personality Carrie Scott the same questions she asks artists in her interviews.

What do you do? Who do you make work for? What made you decide to pursue a career in the arts?

In asking these questions, our conversation touches on Seen, her newest membership for collectors and artists, whether you can feel art, and who gets to monopolize parenthood conversations in the art world.

Does advanced age feel more like a liability than a strength? Welcome to the art world, which can suuuuck for mid-career artists.

Ageism in the art world is more than just a problem—it's a barrier that can feel insurmountable, especially for women artists over 60. (And yes, while it affects everyone, the impact on women is particularly harsh.)

I'm not going to pretend ageism doesn't exist. I'm not going to pretend ageism doesn't exist. It does, and it will impact you. However, how you view your age will determine the extent of its effects on your career. YOU are not beholden to another person's preconceptions. Your age does not have to be a limitation. It is a strength waiting to be unleashed.

I'm tackling the issue head-on this week on the Art Problems podcast by sharing seven game-changing tips that will help you:

Reframe your mindset and embrace your ambition

Master essential skills for today's art world

Transform your studio practice to work with you, not against you

Consider these tips a toolkit for visibility, success, and artistic fulfillment in your 60s and beyond.

The best part? Many of these strategies are just as powerful for younger artists. It's never too early (or too late) to take control of your art career!

The problem most artists don't know they have with A.I.? They aren't using it enough.

If you don't use it, you won't know all it can do to help you.

But you also won't be aware of its limitations.

In this podcast, I walk you through exactly how AI can help you save time in the studio, and when you need to switch out the AI for an expert.

Here's the spoiler alert on what AI can and can't do: It's great for agendas and basic writing and editing. I use it almost every day and it helps me enormously.

But it does have limitations. It can't fill in the information you don't give it, and it won't identify specific problems unless you ask it to do so.

As a means of answering those AI limitations, I've created strategic email scripts that artists can use to get better shows, additional funding, and even acquisitions. The scripts come in three separate documents - one for galleries, one for museums, and one for Instagram - and retail at $129 or $49 for the gallery scripts alone. But for a limited time, I'm offering 15% off. All you gotta do to get the coupon is fill in your information when the pop up appears.

During the podcast I give five examples of AI use that can help you grow your career and five limitations you need to be aware. AND I share specific cases so you can see how AI plays out in real life!

Happy listening -- and Netvvrking!

You wouldn't think a town in the mountains would be devastated by a hurricane. That's what happens to cities on the coastlines. But we live in a world undeniably affected by climate change, so all bets are off.

Today on the Art Problems podcast I speak with Hannah Cole an Artist and Accountant based in Asheville, an artist-friendly city heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene.

She shares how the hurricane has affected her and her family over the last several days, which includes losing her life's work, being exposed to toxic chemicals and without water since last Friday. Many artists are in the exact same position as Hannah or worse.

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how the hurricane aftermath affects the residents of Asheville.

Here's how you can help:

There was a time when I couldn't imagine even asking this question. Of course, you need a gallery. How else will you sell your work to collectors?

But now, in the age of Instagram, substack, and websites, maybe it's not as urgent a need. You can connect with buyers on your own.

Even galleries don't always think they need galleries. Many have closed and become advisory firms. Many have become advisory firms and then returned to the brick-and-mortar space!

In this episode of Art Problems, I talk about this new world — how to manage gallery closures and what you need to make a go of it on your own.

Is it possible to leave your family for a couple of months to make art on a residency and not feel guilty for doing it?

For many of us, probably not, which is why on this podcast, I speak with artist Danielle Mysliwiec about why her experience at Surf Point, The Tides Institute, and Long Meadow Art Residency is worth any guilt incurred in the process. 

Put yourself and your career first whenever possible.

In this podcast, we talk about residencies, networking, feminism, and even the new Miranda July book All Fours.

Relevant links:

https://longmeadowartresidency.com/

https://www.surfpoint.me/

https://www.tidesinstitute.org/studioworks-artist-in-residence-program/

https://www.daniellemysliwiec.com/

What's with the dead bodies? Yes, that's an actual question from the New York fairs.

This week on the podcast, I invited the artist William Powhida on to the show ostensibly to discuss what we saw last week.

The discussion, though, ended up going far deeper. On the podcast, we talk about:

What we want from art in an increasingly tumultuous world

What landscapes, florals, and a dead body trend at the fair say about the world.

The shifting landscape of art, which includes many new faces and names

Plus, we talk about all the work in the shows that sparked thought!

Relevant links:

Armory The Armory Show | New York's Art Fair

Lydia Pettit at Dinner Gallery

Rodrigo Valenzuela at Asya Geisberg Gallery 

CHIFFON THOMAS at Michael Kohn Gallery 

Derrick Adams and Jeffrey Gibson at Tandem Press

Rafael Lozano-Hemmer

SPURS Gallery

Jeanne Silverthorne at Marc Straus Gallery

David Scher and Ward Shelley at Pierogi Gallery 

Simonette Quamina at Praxis Art 

Manuel López at Charlie James Gallery (cjamesgallery.com)

Paige K.B.’s installation Of Course, You Realize, This Means War at Blade Study

CURRO (galeriacurro.mx)

Alejandro Almanza Pereda at Galeria CURRO

David Hammons at Jack Tilton Gallery

Tamarind Institute (unm.edu)

Eva Koťátková at hunt kastner gallery

William Kentridge and Ai Weiwei at Whitechapel Gallery

Matt Bollinger

Katinka Lampe at Gallerie Ron Mandos 

The Library Collective out of Baltimore

Caro Jost 

Jennifer Bartlett at Locks Gallery

Grayson Perry at Paragon (paragonpress.co.uk)

Kathris Linkersdorff, Zoe Walk, and Sarah Anne Johnson at Yossi Milo

Broadway (broadwaygallery.nyc)

Theo Pinto at Nature Morte

Whitestone Gallery (whitestone-gallery.com)

1301SW

Sim Smith (sim-smith.com)

Nicodim Gallery

Tschabalala Self at Two Palms

Michael Berryhill at DIMIN

Emily Weiner at MILES McENERY GALLERY

I Gusti Ayu Kadek Murniasih at Gajah Gallery

Andy Dixon at The Hole

Spring Break SPRING/BREAK Art Show - About (springbreakartshow.com)

Jac Lahav and Michele Maslow’s Monster with artists Caitlin McCormack, Taylor Lee Nicholson, and Charles Clary

Stuart Lantry, Post It Notes

Stina Puotinen, "Two Fishes" 

“All’s Fair in love and Lore” curated by Harsh Collective, featuring Laura Benson, Lucinda Gold, and Gabriel Kramer

Gary Gissler at Anita Rogers Gallery

Robert Jamora in “Everything is Fine”

Peter Dayton

Marianna Peragallo

Eric Diehl 

54 | Bobby Anspach Studios Foundation 

ACE LEHNER (ace-lehner.com)’s The Barbershop: The Art of Queer Failure 

Raise your hand if you feel guilty taking time off. 🙋‍♀️

You are not alone, I promise you. This is a challenge I struggle with as well, so if you've said you struggle to maintain a life-work balance this podcast is for you.

Today, I'm here to walk you through what causes guilt around taking vacations and some of the mindshifts involved in giving yourself the space to take a break—what that meant for me, and what it might mean for you.