If you know anything about the art world, likely you've heard of Bill Arning. He's been an important influence on art in many areas since he emerged as a prominent figure in the 1980s East Village art scene, serving as chief curator of the alternative art space, White Columns. Prior to joining Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 2009, he was a curator at the MIT List Visual Arts Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts for nine years. Arning is also known for his personal collection of roughly 800 works by gay artists and recently announced the opening of Bill Arning Exhibitions, his new gallery in Houston, in October of this year.

Most importantly, Bill is getting married and just bought a house in Old Chatham, NY with his fiance, a terrific artist—Aaron Michael Skolnick. Aaron's work is connected to. nature—Aaron does plein air painting, so living in Houston full time just wasn't practical for them.

Here's a quote from Bill's Instagram: Just bought a house from 1830 in Old Chatham NY - I’ve never lived out of the city before and I’m very excited to learn new ways of living at 61, @aaron_michael_skolnick studio is the priority and we will be up there full-time for the summer and then I’ll be back-and-forth between Houston and Hudson valley at least for part of the 22/23 gallery season while figuring out how to contribute to the Hudson Valley Art Community."

This is such a great session. Bill is a blast, honest and direct and entertaining. We discussed so many things, both art related and personal.

More about Bill Arning and his projects HERE. Instagram HERE.

More about his Gay Art Collection HERE. Instagram HERE.