Bottleracks & Fountains

In this episode we gather a few artist friends to talk about what life is like on their side of the quarantine screen, how their studio practice has changed (if at all), and the shifting thoughts around local arts organizations.

Welcome to Season 2. Our last episode aired in May of last year, since then a lot has happened.

You might recall our debating over organizational structures, whether or not to go nonprofit, what to do about the lack of money for the arts as a whole, the systemic problems and the essential need as artists to take care of each other and throw the parties we want to go to.

The art world, along with everyone else, is now in a different kind of crisis because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). What is an appropriate way to proceed for a small arts organization like us? As ever, we are using ourselves as a case study to discuss these looming conundrums of an ever-evolving situation.

We don’t have any money, but we want art and culture. What do we do? In Episode 10 of Bottleracks & Fountains, Courtney and Agnese dig into how arts organizations are funded and structured, as always, relying on our own experiences, and with help from some insightful writers. We talk about art-washing and farming creativity, and what we can do about systemic issues on a small scale.

This might get snarky. In this episode we talk to artist and writer Vicki Amorose about the importance of art writing and criticism; who writes it, what does it mean, who is it for, where is it going, and what can it do for small arts communities?

Does the community want and need contemporary art? And how do you build an audience? Julia Oldham goes back home to Frederick, MD, and talks to Louise Kennelly - Executive Director of Frederick Arts Council - about big public art projects, local successes, and the possibilities for collaborations between the arts and sciences. They talked as Frederick Arts Council was on the cusp of unveiling their new public art master plan.

Rural outposts may be the most impactful, interesting, and subversive places to make art. In this episode we talk to Stacey Ray, Programs and Communications Manager at Lane Arts Council in Eugene, Oregon. Her passion however - art in rural spaces - is fueled by her upbringing in a small town in Montana. In this episode we talk about engaging with communities, the freedom that comes from working outside urban art center expectations, and her graduate thesis research on experimental contemporary art practice in rural places.

No guest this episode, just cocktails and conversation. Join us as we dive into a couple of texts that describe contemporary art in small towns from different vantage points. We get dirty and technical about stats on email lists, ponder speculative investing in art and the academy as a breeding ground for the market, and recount deep personal experiences with Vanilla Ice.

In Bottleracks & Fountains episode 5 we sit down with Jam Jessie Allison, Maddison Colvin, Andrew Douglas Campbell, and JoJo Ruby, of Tropical Contemporary, to talk about life after grad school, and what it means to be part of a collective that puts on exhibitions and art events right here in Eugene, OR.

What is it like to jump feet first into a successful community arts organization, honoring tried-and-true programming while trying to bring in something new and challenge expectations in a way that isn’t alienating? [Sandee McGee][1] is an artist and Gallery Director at the [Umpqua Valley Arts Association][2] in Roseburg in southern Oregon. She talked to us about creating a space where community arts and more traditional art practices can cohabit with challenging contemporary work, and how they might benefit from each other.

In Episode 3 of Bottleracks & Fountains, ECA’s Julia Oldham is at a residency at The Blue House in Dayton, Ohio, and interviews Nicholaus Arnold and Ashley Jonas about their project. After the interview, we discuss amongst ourselves and respond to the topics that were brought up. We relate Nick and Ashley’s insights to our own experiences and our situation in Eugene, and talk about the residency Julia runs out of her own house: Opossum House.