Johnston Foster’s “The Natural” opens at Rare on Thursday, May 24th

This week’s collection of openings, performances, and happenings. (All locations in Manhattan unless otherwise noted.) 

Wednesday, May 23

Exhibition Opening: “(Re)Print” at Hendershot
6:00pm-8:00pm
195 Chrystie

Exhibition Opening: Maria Jose Arjona “The Kiss” at Location One
6:00pm-8:00pm
26 Greene

Exhibition Opening: “Woman’s Work” and “White: An Anatomy of a Color” at National Academy
6:00pm-8:00pm
1083 Fifth Ave

Performance: “Gifted and Talented” curated by Clifford Owens at Third Streaming
7:00pm
10 Greene
Admission: FREE

Thursday, May 24

Exhibition Opening: Bill Adams “Finalist”at Kerry Schuss
6:00pm-8:00pm
34 Orchard

Exhibition Opening: “Silence” curated by Jaanika Peerna at Masters & Pelavin
6:00pm-8:00pm
79 Jay

Performance: Simone Forti at High Line Park
6:00pm-7:30pm
High Line
Admission: FREE

Exhibition Opening: “Creative Destruction” at The Kitchen
6:00pm-8:00pm
512 W 19th St

Exhibition Opening: Sven Lukin at Gary Snyder
6:00pm-8:00pm
529 W 20th St, Fl10

Exhibition Opening: Teun Hocks at PPOW
6:00pm-8:00pm
535 W 22nd St

Exhibition Opening: Elise Adibi “De Capo” at Churner & Churner
6:00pm-8:00pm
205 Tenth Ave

Exhibition Opening: Addie Herder at Pavel Zoubok
6:00pm-8:00pm
533 West 23rd St

Exhibition Opening: Nicole Eisenman at Leo Koenig
6:00pm-8:00pm
541 & 545 W 23rd St

Exhibition Opening: “Data Trash” at I-20
6:00pm-8:00pm
557 W 23rd St

Exhibition Opening: Nicole Wittenberg at Freight + Volume
6:00pm-8:00pm
530 W 24th St

Exhibition Opening: Ferne Jacobs, Eva Hild and Jacob Ouillette at Nancy Margolis
6:00pm-8:00pm
523 W 25th St

Exhibition Opening: Whitney Claflin at Thomas Erben
6:00pm-8:00pm
526 W 26th St, Fl4

Exhibition Opening: Johnston Foster “The Natural” at Rare
6:00pm-8:00pm
547 W 27th St, Fl5

Exhibition Opening: Evan Hecox “Dark Island” at Joshua Liner
6:00pm-8:00pm
548 W 28th St

Exhibition Opening: Kathleen Schneider; Ann Hofkin; Aimee Burg at A.I.R.
6:00pm-8:00pm
111 Front St (DUMBO, Brooklyn)

Exhibition Opening: Emma Bee Bernstein “Exquisite Fucking Boredom” curated by Phong Bui at Microscope
6:00pm-9:00pm
4 Charles Pl (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

Exhibition Opening: John Beardman “Painting as Recreation” at M55
6:00pm-8:00pm
44-02 23rd St. (Long Island City, Queens)

Friday, May 25

Performance: Diana Puntar, Sheila Pepe “Lucid Dream Lounge” at Participant Inc
7:00pm-10:00pm
253 E Houston St

Exhibition Opening: Felipe Galindo-Feggo “No Man Is a Desert Island” at Mark Miller Gallery
6:00pm-9:00pm
92 Orchard

Exhibition Opening: Austin Thomas, Gili Levy, Josh Willis and Meg Lipke “Charting the Not” curated by Paul D’Agostino at Centotto :: galleria salotto
7:00pm-10:00pm
250 Moore St, #108 (Bushwick, Brooklyn)

Saturday, May 26

Artist Talk: Jenny Chen speaks with J Goodman & J.W. Chen at ISE Foundation
4:00pm
555 Broadway
Admission: FREE

Open Studios: LMCC
12:00pm-5:00pm
Building 110, Governors Island

Sunday, May 27

Performance: The Lone Wolf Recital Corps with Terry Adkins etc. at Third Streaming
7:00pm
10 Greene St
Admission: FREE

Exhibition Opening: Jessie Stead at Soloway
6:00pm-8:00pm
348 S. 4th St (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Open Studios: LMCC
12:00pm-5:00pm
Building 110, Governors Island

Rebecca Medel’s “The One” is a work in the “Craft Spoken Here” exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Craft Spoken Here, an exhibition of work by 39 craft artists from 11 different countries recently opened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Fundamentally, this is an exhibition of the handmade that implicitly asks viewers to ponder the continuum on which both art and craft lie. When does craft become art?

Craft, Art and Design

In order to begin to contemplate this, we must first ask, “What is craft?” and “What is art?” And then, because I am an individual who was trained in printmaking, which vacillates on the craft/ art/ design spectrum, I am also going to ask, “What is design?” Crafting is making: to craft something is to make something. Craft is knitting, knotting, sewing, weaving, glass blowing, ceramics, wood carving– it’s the application of a technical skill to create an object, usually by hand. Craft is fundamentally about material and process.

Now, “What is art?” By “art,” I mean to define what is often referred to as “fine art.” Traditionally, that included painting, sculpture, music and poetry. More broadly, I would also include installation, performance, and socially-engaged participatory projects. Art is the expression of an idea, and is fundamentally about concept.

And finally, “What is design?” Design is functional. It’s communication; a system for delivering information; a product that impacts anthropomorphic processes. Design is fundamentally a solution.

Polly Apfelbaum’s “Feelies”

Craft, art and design are all on a continuum; none these terms is entirely exclusive or inclusive. The creation of art can involve craft, or not. A craft can be a work of art, or not. A design can be a craft. A design can be art. A design can be neither, or both. There are many artists, designers and craftspersons that are employing language from more than one of these disciplines: Polly Apfelbaum’s “Feelies” made from Sculpey;  Ghada Amer’s embroidered paintings; Natalie Jeremijenko’s experimental design; Jessie Hemmon’s yarn bombing.

I’d like to return to printmaking, because printmaking is one of those media that moves between each of these worlds. In fact, as a graduate student at Tyler, I was a part of the Graphic Art and Design (GAD) department, which held the printmaking, photography and graphic design programs. Printmaking has often been grouped with design, because the process is often part of a graphic design solution: a screen printed title wall announcing an exhibition; offset litho posters; screen printed bags.

Printmaking includes etching, woodcut, engraving,  lithography, linocut, screen printing, digital printing and even xeroxing. For the most part, there’s a degree of technical skill involved, be it by hand or computer, or a combination of both. There are specific tools– etching needles, burnishers, gouges, and programs– Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign. Printmaking is largely about material and process, and so in that sense it is a craft.

Craftsman v Crafter; CRAFT v craft

In fact, many people’s first exposure to printmaking is as a child at camp making linocuts or potato prints. This is craft in the crafter sense– kits for kids, or projects in Real Simple. Within the craft community, there is tension between the crafter and the craftsperson. A craftsperson is an artisan, with a high degree of technical skill, while a crafter is a hobbyist, yet still invested in a particular material or process. As an undergraduate at Columbia, I was making very technically difficult intaglio and stone lithograph prints. I remember being insulted when Kara Walker suggested to me that I make some potato prints. I realize now that she was encouraging me to find a way to loosen up, to not be so invested in the (capital c) CRAFT, and instead to try to experiment with some of the same concepts I was exploring using (lowercase c) craft. My investment in the technical skill and rules, in creating a precious object, was keeping me from conceptualizing art.

Craft as Populism

Craft as hobby has had a fairly recent resurgence in popularity, a part of a larger DIY movement. You can grow your own vegetables, can your own food, knit your own hats, sew your own cloths, make your own paper, hand stamp your own stationary, the list goes on. There’s a populist ideology to this sort of craft: anyone can do it. It’s appealingly empowering: you can impact the world by making something with your hands. There’s even a craft activism movement, craftivism, that seeks to use craft to build community. And this is a moment where it all comes together– craft, art and design, process, concept and solution.

This week’s collection of opportunities for exhibition, residencies, papers and proposals.

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

Mixed Messages.2: Multiracial Identity Past & Present
Charitable Film Network/ New Orleans Loving Festival
(New Orleans, LA)

The NEW ORLEANS LOVING FESTIVAL is seeking original artwork and films with themes concerning the multiracial experience for a June 9th – 30th group art show at the New Orleans Healing Center. Please follow the guidelines below for consideration:

Visual Art Submissions must be emailed to the attention of “Loving Festival” at info@press-street.com. Please include a bio or resume, and a high resolution photo of the artwork and a description.

Film Submissions must include a bio or resume, film synopsis, and screener DVD or film link. You may email film submissions to mail@charitablefilmnetwork.org

Deadline: May 28, 2012

10th A.I.R. Gallery Biennial
A.I.R. Gallery
(Brooklyn, NY)

A.I.R. (Artists in Residence) is the first artist-run, not-for-profit gallery for women in the US. This year we celebrate our 40th Anniversary of providing professional exhibition space for women artists. A.I.R. Gallery is now located in the thriving DUMBO gallery district in Brooklyn, NY. All women artists may submit original art: painting in any medium, photography, prints, drawing, works on paper, new media, sculpture, video, traditional or non-traditional materials welcome.

Deadline: May 30, 2012
More Info HERE

Virtual/ Monumental Projects
Bronx River Art Center
(Bronx, NY)

As part of a new gallery initiative by the Bronx River Art Center, they are accepting VIRTUAL public art submissions for the West Farms neighborhood of the Bronx. They are interested in pieces created specifically for locations in the West Farms neighborhood.  As these are to be virtual pieces, they could literally be installed anywhere in the neighborhood.  Final projects could take the form of a digital image, website, a 3D Augmented Reality application, etc.

Deadline: May 31, 2012
More Info HERE

Juried Solo Exhibition Program
New York Art Residency and Studios (NARS) Foundation
(Brooklyn, NY)

The NARS Foundation announces its second annual Juried Solo Exhibition Open Call. The Juried Solo Exhibition Program provides emerging and under represented artists with curatorial and administrative support to present a solo exhibition at the NARS Foundation Gallery.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Political Humor
Fort Lewis College
(Durango, CO)

To coincide with November’s bitterly contested election, the Fort Lewis College Art Gallery is organizing an exhibition of artworks that combine political awareness with a sense of humor. This exhibition is dedicated to the proposition that humor can be a sophisticated from of critique, resistance, and activism. The exhibition is scheduled to take place October 22–November 17th. A small catalogue may be published. All media are welcome. Please submit up to 10 digital images of your work, an artist’s statement, and a CV to flc.artgallery@gmail.com.

Deadline: June 1, 2012

Airspace
The Waterfront Gallery
(Suffolk, UK)

The Waterfront Gallery announces a call for entries for the Airspace exhibition 2012.  Submissions are invited in all media which depict or incorporate some aspect of air. The exhibition will run for four weeks from the 8th August – 2nd September and will form part of the Ipswich Maritime Festival which will attract thousand of visitors to Ipswich marina.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Open Call for Art on Brighton Festival
Art on Brighton
(Brooklyn, NY)

Art on Brighton is a community-based multidisciplinary festival, taking place on September 8, 2012, on the Brighton Beach boardwalk and beach, and at the NY Aquarium. The goal is to invigorate Brighton Beach as a cultural hub, with its distinct and evolving Russian Jewish population. Artists who are at all stages in their careers and work in such media as performance, social practice, installation, dance, sculpture, photography, film, sound, video, writing, poetry, and architecture, are welcome to apply. Preference will be given to the works responding to the local issues, stimulating public dialogue, and engaging with the neighborhood, as well as such topics as immigration, environmentalism, politics, language, gender, and religion. To apply, please e-mail your proposal and website or portfolio, along with a brief description of the piece.

Deadline: June 30, 2012
Email HERE to Apply or for More Info

Going for the Gold: Honoring Sport
Center for the Arts Evergreen
(Evergreen, CO)

In honor of the 2012 Summer Olympics, Center for the Arts Evergreen presents Going for the Gold: Honoring Sport, an exhibition featuring artwork inspired in some way by sports. Artists are welcome to submit up to 3 images for jury, and artwork in all media will be accepted.

Deadline: July 2, 2012
More Info HERE

Honickman First Book Prize in Photography
The Center for Documentary Studies
(Durham, NC)

THE CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES/HONICKMAN FIRST BOOK PRIZE IN PHOTOGRAPHY is a biennial prize offering $3,000 in grant money, a solo exhibit at the Center for Documentary Studies, and the publication of a book of photography by Duke University Press in association with CDS Books.

Deadline: September 15, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Submissions
The New Gallery (TNG)
(Calgary, CANADA)

The New Gallery is an artist-run centre exhibiting innovative emerging and lesser-known artists whose work contributes to social and political discourse. TNG encourages a broad range of practices and critical discussion around contemporary visual, media and performative arts, and believes that artistic education and community outreach are as important as presentation. TNG invites artists to submit proposals for exhibitions, projects, or residencies.

Deadline: Rolling
More Info HERE

RESIDENCIES

Artist Studio Program
Lawndale Art Center
(Houston, TX)

Lawndale announces the seventh year of the Lawndale Artist Studio Program. The program is part of Lawndale’s ongoing commitment to support the creation of contemporary art by Gulf Coast area artists. With an emphasis on emerging practices, the program will provides three artists with non-residential studio space on the third floor of the Lawndale Art Center at 4912 Main Street in the heart of Houston’s Museum District. Artists have full access to their non-residential studios 24 hours a day, seven days a week, access to visiting artists, writers and curators. They will receive a $500 monthly stipend for the duration of the program and an initial $1500 materials budget. Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply. The residency is open to all artists, with an emphasis on artists from the Gulf Coast region.

Deadline: May 25, 2012
More Info HERE

Artist in Residence
The Sharpham Trust
(Totnes, Devon, UK)

The Sharpham Trust comprises of 550 acres of sustainably farmed land following a stretch of the River Dart, near Totnes in South Devon. The Artist in Residence programme is being launched as part of the 30th anniversary year of The Sharpham Trust. The residency will be for 6 weeks. They welcome applicants from across different disciplines, covering both traditional and contemporary work, including visual arts, sculpture, poetry, music, theatre and crafts. Accommodation and workshop space will be provided by the Sharpham Trust. The resident artist will be supported by a £1,200 stipend (£200.00 per week) towards food, subsistence and travel costs, as well as an £800 budget for materials, if required.

Deadline: May 31, 2012
More Info HERE

ComPeung Grants
ComPeung
(Chiang Mai, THAILAND)

ComPeung is calling for applications for two grants for artist residency in Chianf Mai, Thailand. Individual artists as well as artist duos are eligible to apply. The period for the 2 residencies is fixed and scheduled for October 2012. Grants cover airfare, a small artist stipend, accommodation and studio, and three home-cooked meals per day.

Deadline: May 31, 2012
More Info HERE

RESIDENCY PROGRAM
HotelMariaKapel (HMK)
(Hoom, THE NETHERLANDS)

HMK {Hotel Mariakapel} is an artist-run residency and project space in Hoorn, a 15th century town by the IJsselmeer, just 40 km north of Amsterdam. The programme involves artists and curators working in a wide range of media, focusing on installation and context based work, video and performance art, with a focus on collaborative projects. Projects are developed both in the surroundings of Hoorn, public space and in the exhibition space. In 2012 HMK was kindly supported by several local and national foundations. They provide artists with free accommodations and use of all facilities during their residency period.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

New Fellowships
Vermont Studio Center
(Johnson, VT)

The Vermont Studio Center announces over 30 fellowships available at their upcoming June 15 deadline. All are welcome to apply.

Deadline: June 15, 2012
More Info HERE

Artists-in-Residence
BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center
(New York, NY)

BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center is now accepting applications for their 2012-13 Artists-in-Residence season. BMCC Tribeca PAC’s annual Artist-in-Residence program (AIR) provides an artistic home for emerging and established artists in the development of new work in all performance genres. Individual artists or small companies without homes are eligible to apply. A stipend of $1000 toward the development and presentation of the work is provided to the artists as part of the program.

Deadline: June 25, 2012
More Info HERE

Artists-in-Residence
Kyoto Arts Center
(Kyoto, JAPAN)

Kyoto Art Center provides Artist-in-Residence programs for emerging artist and art researchers who wish to cultivate artistic creativities in Kyoto. Support includes accommodation, studio at the Kyoto Art Center, publicity, assistance of a program coordinator, and JPY200,000 for production and/ or research.

Deadline: June 30, 2012
More Info HERE

CALLS FOR PAPERS

Art History as Social Knowledge Panel at UAAC Conference
History of Art, University of Victoria
(Montreal, CANADA)

Bruno Latour, Stephen Shapin, Sandra Harding and others have variously challenged the notion that knowledge is an ahistorical rational development in the mind of the modern individual. Instead, such theorists, who may all be grouped under the moniker of social epistemology, contend that knowledge is a social creation: a negotiated result, processed through networks of social relations, essentially situated in history, and often presenting an imposition on some of the concerned parties. Social epistemology has developed a vigorous critique of empiricist philosophy of science over several decades and has of late found its way into anthropology and indigenous studies. To date, little work has framed the practices of art history in relation to this epistemological approach. This panel invites submissions that address relationships between the practices of art history and the development of knowledge as a social product.

Deadline: June 4, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Proposals: Papers, Sessions and Workshops
Art Libraries Society of North America
(Pasadena, CA)

Proposals for Papers, Sessions and Workshops are now being accepted for The 41st Annual Conference of the Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA) to be held on April 25-29, 2013 in Pasadena, California. They welcome submissions from librarians, visual and media resource specialists, archivists, curators, museum professionals, educators, artists, designers, architects, historians, researchers, practitioners and others. The conference theme, Crafting Our Future, is inspired by Pasadena’s renowned arts and crafts heritage and emphasizes the importance of building upon our past as we actively shape the future of art librarianship. Further information regarding papers, sessions, and workshops can be found within the detailed online submission forms: Papers and Sessions; Workshops.

Deadline: June 22, 2012
More Info HERE

Gereon Krebber’s “Contrary Data” opens on May 17th at numberthirtyfive

This week’s collection of openings, performances, and happenings. (All locations in Manhattan unless otherwise noted.) 

Tuesday, May 15

Exhibition Opening: “MFA Exhibition” at NY Academy of Art
6:00pm-8:00pm
111 Franklin

Exhibition Opening: “Reductive” curated by Dina Muenzfeld at Jeffrey Leder
6:00pm-8:00pm
2137 45th Rd (Long Island City, Queens)

Exhibition Opening: “Profiles” at M55
6:00pm-8:00pm
44-02 23rd St. (Long Island City, Queens

Wednesday, May 16

Exhibition Opening: Sven Kroner; Martha Mysko at Marc Straus
6:00pm-8:00pm
299 Grand

Exhibition Opening: “MFA Thesis Exhibition” at Hunter
6:00pm-8:00pm
450 W 41st St

Exhibition Opening: Tom Sachs “Space Program: Mars” at Park Avenue Armory
6:00pm-8:00pm
643 Park Ave

Lecture: “Charles Sabba on the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum heist” at Salmagundi
8:00pm
47 Fifth Ave
Admission: FREE

Exhibition Opening: “I am You/ You are Me: Student Art Exhibition” at BRIC Rotunda Gallery
6:00pm-8:00pm
33 Clinton St (Bed Stuy, Brooklyn)

Thursday, May 17

Exhibition Opening: Nolan Simon at 47 Canal
6:00pm-8:00pm
47 Canal

Exhibition Opening: Gereon Krebber “Contrary Data” at Number 35
6:00pm-8:00pm
141 Attorney

Exhibition Opening: Bo Christian Larsson “The Emperor’s New Thoughts” at Ludlow 38
6:00pm-9:00pm
38 Ludlow

Exhibition Opening: Brandon Herman at Envoy
6:00pm-8:00pm
131 Chrystie

Exhibition Opening: Sergei Tcherepnin at Audio Visual Arts
6:00pm-8:00pm
34 E 1st St

Exhibition Opening: Michael Berryhill at Kansas
6:00pm-9:00pm
59 Franklin St

Exhibition Opening: Bastienne Schmidt “Silhouette Vessels” at Ricco-Maresca
6:00pm-8:00pm
529 W 20th St, Fl3

Exhibition Opening: Julian Jackson “Crossing” at Kathryn Markel
6:00pm-8:00pm
529 W 20th St, Fl6

Exhibition Opening: Manfred Pernice at Anton Kern
6:00pm-8:00pm
532 W 20th St

Exhibition Opening: Chiharu Shiota at Haunch of Venison
6:00pm-8:00pm
550 W 21st St

Exhibition Opening: Gandalf Gavan at Larissa Goldston
6:00pm-8:00pm
551 W 21st St

Exhibition Opening: Maira Kalman “37 Paintings” at Julie Saul
6:00pm-8:00pm
535 W 22nd St

Exhibition Opening: Mia Westerlund Roosen at Betty Cunningham
6:00pm-8:00pm
541 W 25th St

Exhibition Opening: Nicola Samori at Ana Cristea
6:00pm-8:00pm
521 W 26th St

Performance: Channa Horwitz “Poem Opera/ The Divided Person” at High Line Park under the Standard
6:30pm-7:30pm
Highline
Admission: FREE

Performance: Richard Kostelanetz “Avant-Garde Eroticas” at AC Institute
7:00pm
547 W 27th St
Admission: FREE

Exhibition Opening: Barbara Kassel at Hirschl & Adler
6:00pm-8:00pm
730 Fifth Ave

Exhibition Opening: “Face to Face” at Adam Baumgold
6:00pm-8:00pm
60 E 66th St

Exhibition Opening: Frank Stella at Freedman
6:00pm-8:00pm
25 E 73rd St

Exhibition Opening: “Newly Elected Members” at American Academy of Arts & Letters
6:00pm-8:00pm
Audubon Terrace, Broadway @ 155

Friday, May 18

Exhibition Opening: “Ideal Pole” curated by Bjarne Melgaard at Ramiken Crucible
6:00pm-8:00pm
389 Grand

Exhibition Opening: Richard Prince “14 Paintings” at 303
6:00pm-8:00pm
547 W 21st St

Exhibition Opening: Josiah McElheny at Andrea Rosen
6:00pm-8:00pm
525 W 24th St

Exhibition Opening: Stephen Mallon at Front Room
7:00pm-9:00pm
147 Roebling (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Exhibition Opening: at P339
6:00pm-8:00pm
339 Bedford Ave (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Exhibition Opening: Stephen Mallon “The Reefing of USS Radford” at Front Room Gallery
7:00pm-9:00pm
147 Roebling (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Performance: “Sickly Sweet Products” at Grace Exhibition Space
9:00pm
840 Broadway, Fl2 (Bushwick, Brooklyn)
Admission: $10 Donation

Exhibition Reception: “Freecycle” curated by Beatriz Olivetti at Jackson 1
5:00pm-8:00pm
26-11 Jackson (Long Island City, Queens)

Saturday, May 19

Exhibition Reception: “MSU MFA Exhibition” at White Box
6:00pm-9:00pm
329 Broome

Lecture: Jade Townsend at Leslie Heller
4:00pm
54 Orchard
Admission: FREE

Exhibition Opening: “Twisted Sisters” curated with Janet Phelps at Dodge
6:00pm-8:00pm
15 Rivington

Exhibition Opening: Cheyney Thompson at Andrew Kreps
6:00pm-8:00pm
525 W 22nd St

Performance: Kara Hearn, Sarah Cameron Sunde “Unnamed Broadway Musical: The Musical!” at EFA Project Space
7:00pm-9:00pm
323 W 39th St
Admission: FREE

Benefit: Klub 7 at Pandemic
7:00pm-11:00pm
37 Broadway (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

Exhibition Opening: “Things in a Room” at Terminal Projects
6:00pm-10:00pm
1455 Atlantic Avenue (Brooklyn)

Benefit: Kentler International Drawing Space
6:00pm
353 Van Brunt St (Redhook, Brooklyn)
Admission: $200.00 (includes a work of art)

Open Studios: Long Island City Arts Festival & Open Studios

http://www.licartsopen.org

Long Island City, Queens
Admission: FREE

Sunday, May 20

Exhibition Opening: Cameron Crawford and Jibade-Khalil Huffman “Double-Jointed”curated by Megha Ralapati at Scaramouche
6:00pm-8:00pm
52 Orchard

Exhibition Reception: “Raw + Unfiltered” at Heller
6:00pm-9:00pm
420 West 14th St

Open Studios: Long Island City Arts Festival & Open Studios

http://www.licartsopen.org

Long Island City, Queens
Admission: FREE

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS

June Installationz
ARTs East New York
(Brooklyn, NY)

This June, ARTs East New York is hosting a pop-up gallery tour and invites artists in all disciplines to submit work for exhibition relating to the following three themes: “I ART East New York;” “Juneteenth: A Revelation of Freedom ;” “Threadz: Untwining Mistaken Messages Within the Fabric of Hip Hop.” All three exhibitions will be part of a one-night pop-up gallery tour on June 22nd in East New York.  I ART East New York will be displayed in establishments around the New Lots Triangle.  Juneteeth will be showcased about the perimeter of the New Lots Library.  Threadz will have a month long run at the ARTs East New York gallery. ARTs East New York will charge a 10% commission fee for any works sold during the show.

Deadline: May 23, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Temporary Outdoor Sculpture for Myrtle Ave
Myrtle Avenue BID
(Brooklyn, NY)

Myrtle Avenue BID is accepting proposals for temporary outdoor sculpture. Grants of up to $7000 are available.

Deadline: May 23, 2012
More Info HERE

Figure it Out
Craft Studio Gallery
(Columbia, MO)

Whether a finished piece, or a work in progress, this exhibit aims to show the life force within the figure, and showcase how the human form guides the artistic process in this dynamic exhibition. All media are welcome.

Deadline: May 30, 2012
More Info HERE

Vacate
Midwest Center for Photography
(Wichita, KS)

The Midwest Center for Photography is accepting submissions for its upcoming exhibition, “Vacate.” This group exhibition celebrates photographs interpreting the vacation season. All photographic media is welcome; black & white gelatin silver prints, color c-prints, digital prints, alternative processes, etc.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

2012 CCNY Annual Juried Photography Competition
Camera Club New York (CCNY)
(New York, NY)

The Camera Club of New York (CCNY) announces an open call for applications for its Annual Juried Photography Competition. Photographers and photo-based artists working in any genre are eligible to apply. Applicants are encouraged to submit a cohesive body of work.

Deadline: June 4, 2012
More Info HERE

VOX VIII – Exhibition of Emerging Artists
Vox Populi
(Philadelphia, PA)

Vox Populi announces an open call for its Eighth Annual Exhibition of Emerging Artists, VOX VIII.  The jurors for this year’s exhibition, which will take place from July 6 – 29, 2012, are SculptureCenter curator Ruba Katrib and artist Marlo Pascual.

Deadline: June 6, 2012
More Info HERE

No Dead Artists Juried Exhibition 
Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
(New Orleans, LA)

Jonathan Ferrara Gallery announces the Call for Artists for the 16th Annual No Dead Artists National Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Art. The exhibition will take place September 4-29, 2012.

Deadline: June 15, 2012
More Info HERE

In Practice Project Series
Sculpture Center
(Long Island City, New York)

Sculpture Center invites artists to submit proposals for new projects and installations to be presented beginning in January of 2013 as part of its “In Practice” program. The “In Practice” program supports artists in creating new work for exhibition at SculptureCenter. Artists selected for the program will receive a $500 honoraria and up to $1500 in production support. The level of production support will depend on the scope of accepted works and available funding.

Deadline: June 24, 2012
More Info HERE

2013 Gallery Submissions
Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC)
(Glen Falls, NY)

LARAC invites new and emerging artists to submit images of original, recent work for jury for its 2013 exhibition season. Submitting artists will be considered for solo, two-person, or grouped exhibition. Preference given to artists residing locally and in the regional Northeast. Acceptance includes exhibition publicity with opening reception and marketing with postcards, press releases, social media and website promotion.

Deadline: June 30, 2012
More Info HERE

6th New Works Festival
Panndora Productions
(Santa Ana, CA)

New plays, full length or long one acts (over 60 minutes), which have not been previously produced are eligible for consideration for the 6th Annual Festival of New Works, to be held September 28, 29, 30, 2012, at the Empire Theatre in Santa Ana, CA, home of Theatre Out.

Deadline: July 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Entries: Politicizing Aesthetics
University of South Dakota
(Vermillion, SD)

The University Art Galleries invites professional artists to submit entries to “Politicizing Aesthetics.” Contemporary artworks in any 2D and 3D media are welcome. They seek works that address current political and social issues, such as debt, war, human rights; works that explore the body politic; and works that examine the relationship between politics and aesthetic form. For more information, email: Alison.Erazmus@usd.edu 

Deadline: July 6, 2012

Traps
Space 1026
(Philadelphia, PA)

Space 1026 Studios & Gallery is holding an open film and video call for the upcoming screening series Traps. Work submitted will be shown on one of three screening dates and should address themes related to physical or psychological entrapment: the notion of being hemmed-in or tied down; issues of deception and struggle; the nature of control as it relates to capture and possession; getting stuck and unstuck.

Deadline: July 22, 2012
More Info HERE

Homage: Past Influences
Target Gallery, Torpedo Factory Art Center
(Alexandria, VA)

Torpedo Factory Art Center is accepting submissions for its exhibition, “Homage: Past Influences.” This is a juried exhibition that invites artists to submit work that pays respect or dedication to past influences. This is an all-media exhibit open to all artists nationally and internationally.

Deadline: August 6, 2012
More Info HERE

RESIDENCIES

Jentel Artist Residency Program
Jentel Foundation
(Banner, WY)

The Jentel Foundation awards one month residencies throughout the year to visual artists in any medium and writers in fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. The residency is located in a spectacular setting on a working cattle ranch in the foothills of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains 20 miles SE of Sheridan. The award includes a spacious house with common living, dining and recreating areas; a library; a large private bedroom; and a separate low tech/equipment based private studio with wifi. Studio spaces are available for four visual artists and two writers each session. Residencies run from the afternoon of the 15th of one month to the morning of the 13th of the following month.

Deadline: September 15, 2012
More Info HERE

CALL FOR PAPERS

Call for Arts Stories: Expanding Our Vision for Arts in Education
Harvard Educational Review

Expanding our Vision for the Arts in Education intends to push beyond traditional understandings of arts teaching and learning to consider how education in and through the arts best suits today’s sophisticated learners. It will bring together the voices of practitioners, researchers, and youth who engage in innovative arts learning, to provide a launch-pad for ideas that will push the boundaries of what arts education looks like (or may look like) in our current educational system. As part of this project, Harvard Educational Review is looking for stories from children, youth, and adult arts learners that address the question, “How have the arts “expanded your vision?”

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Papers
Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center
(Asheville, NC)

The Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, along with the Buckminster Fuller Institute and the University of North Carolina at Asheville, will present a 3-day conference exploring Buckminster Fuller’s Legacy, including his forward-thinking work during the two summers he was at Black Mountain College (1948 & 1949) as well as his innovative work in architecture, engineering and design science in the decades after BMC. In addition to panels and presentations, the conference will include an experiential Design Science Day held outdoors on the UNC Asheville campus on Saturday, September 29th. Papers, performances, multi-media and panel proposals in all relevant disciplines are welcome. Abstracts of 400-600 words should be submitted to Brian Butler or Alice Sebrell.

Deadline: June 30, 2012

Call for Papers
Dada/ Surrealism

The journal Dada/Surrealism invites submissions for a special issue on exhibitions and display practices. They seek essays that illuminate the relationship of Dada and Surrealism to exhibitionary practices past and present, from studies of early artist-organized events to considerations of recent blockbuster exhibitions and museum installations. Submissions (from any discipline or perspective) that consider other intersections of the concepts “exhibition” or “display” with Dada, Surrealism, their histories, or legacies are also welcome.

Deadline: Abstracts: October 1, 2012; Completed essays: March 1, 2013
More Info HERE

“Civic Action,” featuring work by Natalie Jeremijenko and xClinic, Mary Miss, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and George Trakas opens this Sunday at Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City

This week’s collection of openings, performances, and happenings. 

Tuesday, May 8

Artist Talk: Jeff Volk, “Cymatics & Resonance” at Spoonbill & Sugartown
7:30pm
218 Bedford Ave, (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Admission: FREE

Wednesday, May 9

Exhibition Opening: “MFA Thesis Exhibition” at New York Studio School
6:00pm-8:00pm
8 E 8th St

Exhibition Opening: “A rebours” at Venus Over Manhattan
6:00pm-8:00pm
980 Madison Ave

Screening: “The Double: Video works by Skowhegan alumni” at Cabinet
8:00pm
300 Nevins (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
Admission: FREE

Thursday, May 10

Exhibition Opening: Sam Falls at American Contemporary
6:00pm-8:00pm
4 E 2nd St

Exhibition Opening: Heather Johnson “suck, squeeze, bang, blow” at Kesting/Ray
7:00pm-9:00pm
30 Grand St

Exhibition Opening: Georgi Tushev at Fitzroy
6:00pm-8:00pm
77 Mercer

Exhibition Opening: “Parsons MFA Exhibition” at The Kitchen
7:00pm-9:00pm
512 W 19th St

Exhibition Opening: Marco Breuer “Condition” at Von Lintel
6:00pm-8:00pm
520 W 23rd St

Exhibition Opening: Carlos Estrada-Vega “Building a Painting” at Margaret Thatcher Projects
6:00pm-8:00pm
539 W 23rd St

Exhibition Opening: Billy Sullivan at Nicole Klagsbrun
6:00pm-8:00pm
534 W 24th St

Exhibition Opening: Ari Marcopoulos “Wherever you go;” Chakaia Booker “Conjugal Visit” at Marlborough
6:00pm-8:00pm
545 W 25th St

Exhibition Opening: Judith Murray at Sundaram Tagore
6:00pm-8:00pm
547 W 27th St, Fl1

Event: Gallery Night on 57th Street
5:00pm-8:00pm
Admission: FREE

Friday, May 11

Exhibition Opening: Michael Bilsborough “Austerity Measures” at Invisible-Exports
6:00pm-8:00pm
14a Orchard

Exhibition Opening: “Cornell MFA Exhibition” at White Box
6:00pm-9:00pm
329 Broome

Exhibition Opening: Michael Bauer “H.S.O.P” at Lisa Cooley
6:00pm-8:00pm
107 Norfolk

Exhibition Opening: Jenny Chen “Without Chen” at ISE Foundation
6:00pm-8:00pm
555 Broadway

Exhibition Opening: “MFA Exhibition” at Pratt
5:00pm-7:00pm
144 W 14th St

Exhibition Opening: “Exhibition in conjunction with GB Agency” at Murray Guy
6:00pm-8:00pm
453 W 17th St

Exhibition Opening: Palma Blank “Fully Charged” at Horton
6:00pm-8:00pm
504 W 22nd St

Exhibition Opening: Syd Mead at Bravin Lee
6:00pm-8:00pm
526 W 26th St, Fl2

Exhibition Opening: Taona Sonakul “Foto Constructs” at Kathleen Cullen
6:00pm-8:00pm
526 W 26th St, Fl5

Exhibition Opening: Helen Verhoven at Wallspace
6:00pm-8:00pm
619 W 27th St

Open Studios: International Studio & Curatorial Program 
7:00pm-9:00pm
1040 Metropolitan Ave (Williamsbrug, Brooklyn)
Admission: FREE

Artist Talk: Hanna Rose Shell “Hide and Seek” at Cabinet
7:00pm
300 Nevins (Gowanus, Brooklyn)
Admission: FREE

Closing Reception: “Studio for the Absurd: Good Bye Amsterdam” at M55
6:00pm-8:00pm
44-02 23rd St. (Long Island City, Queens)

Exhibition Opening: “Small Sculpture (by big people)” at Big&Small/Casual
6:00pm-8:00pm
10-20 45th Rd. (Long Island City, Queens)

Saturday, May 12

Exhibition Opening: “Richteriana” at Postmasters
6:00pm-8:00pm
459 W 19th St

Exhibition Opening: Quayola “Strata” at Bitforms
6:00pm-8:00pm
529 W 20th St, Fl2

Exhibition Opening: “Alter Minimal – Worth a Thousand Words” at Parallel Art Space
4:00pm
1717 Troutman (Ridgewood, Queens)
Admission: FREE

Sunday, May 13

Exhibition Opening: Mary Miss, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Natalie Jeremijenko and George Trakas “Civic Action” at Socrates Sculpture Park
2:00pm-6:00pm
32-01 Vernon Blvd (Long Island City, Queens)

CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS 

Young Curators Program Exhibition
Montclair Art Museum
(Montclair, NJ)

The Montclair Art Museum’s Young Curators Program Exhibition is now accepting submissions. Artwork can be submitted for any of the following 3 Exhibition Themes: Emotion, The Kiss of Social Reality, and A Minor Inconvenience.

Deadline: May 20, 2012
More Info HERE

National Juried Exhibition
South Arkansas Arts Center
(El Dorado, AR)

This exhibition at the South Arkansas Arts Center is open to all 2D or 3D artists 18 or older in the United States and artwork completed in the last two years. All styles and media are welcome; traditional and alternate media, as well as innovative and experimental approaches accepted.

Deadline: May 25, 2012
More Info HERE

Lori Ledis Emerging Curator Program
BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn
(Brooklyn, NY)

BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn is accepting proposals for its Lori Ledis Emerging Curator Program. Twice annually, BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn’s Contemporary Art exhibition program dedicates its Project Room at BRIC Rotunda Gallery to presenting exhibitions developed under the auspices of the Lori Ledis Emerging Curator Program. The Program funds thematic group exhibitions of contemporary art focusing on Brooklyn artists.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Pelham Line Subway Stations
MTA Arts for Transit and Urban Design
(New York, NY)

MTA Arts for Transit and Urban Design seeks professional artists for consideration to create public artwork for the Pelham Line stations in the Bronx.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Backlash/ on Women’s Rights and Freedoms
Soho20 Chelsea Gallery
(New York, NY)

In response to the increasing tension against providing women with basic healthcare and the ensuing media firestorm, Soho20 Chelsea Gallery is hosting a venue for outrage. Backlash is in response to this ‘war on women’s basic rights and freedoms.’ They are accepting submissions of art that address this theme.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Houston Fine Art Fair Exhibition
New Emerging Artists
(Houston, TX)

New Emerging Artists is seeking submissions for a Group exhibition at the Houston Fine Art Fair, Sept. 14–16.

Deadline: June 5, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Artists and Curators
Castle Gallery
(New Rochelle, NY)

The Castle Gallery, Mooney Center Gallery, and the Gordon Parks Gallery, at The College of New Rochelle, are now accepting proposals for the 2013 – 2014 exhibition season from individual artists (emerging, mid-career, and established), collaborative groups, and curators.  Artists and curators working with all forms of media are encouraged to apply.

Deadline: June 11, 2012
More Info HERE

2012-2013 Solo Exhibitions
Dutchess County Art Association/ Barrett Art Center
(Poughkeepsie, NY)

Barrett Art Center is seeking two-dimensional or three-dimensional artwork, either traditional or contemporary, on any theme. Drawing, painting, pastel, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and mixed media works are eligible. This call is open to all New York State artists.  Artists are encouraged to develop new works of art for this exhibition opportunity. If selected for a solo show, the images submitted for review do not necessarily have to be among the works exhibited.

Deadline: June 15, 2012
More Info HERE

Cultural Identity: Through the Lens
The Art League of Long Island
(Dix Hills, NY)

Deadline: June 18, 2012
More Info HERE

Surreal Visions
SlowArt Productions
(Hudson, NY)

SlowArt Productions is accepting submissions for its thematic exhibition, “Surreal Visions” which will take place at Limner Gallery September 8 – October 7, 2012.

Deadline: June 30, 2012
More Info HERE

Beyond the Border: The Wall, The People and the Land
Coconini Center for the Arts
(Flagstaff, AZ)

“Beyond the Border” addresses the human and environmental impact of issues that surround the US / Mexico border, the border wall and border policies. Artists are encouraged to submit art that explores this impact and how changing policy is affecting the environment and/or people. The intent of this exhibition is not to advocate for or against any position, policy or political figure; rather, “Beyond the Border” offers an opportunity for stories to be shared and questions to be raised that allow viewers to explore the consequences of intensified focus on this region.

Deadline: June 30, 2012
More Info HERE

Terrain
The Kiernan Gallery
(Lexington, VA)

For “Terrain”, The Kiernan Gallery seeks images that explore the beauty and complexity of our landscape. Looking at both the vast and the microscopic, landscape photography takes us from backyards to national parks; from mountains to coastlines. This genre includes images of the untouched beauty of the earth as well as places impacted by mankind. In addition to beauty, it often explores the contours of our relationship with the land, presenting historic battlefields, high-rise jungles, or threatened environments.

Deadline: July 19, 2012
More Info HERE

Call for Exhibition Proposals
The Hardee Center for the Arts
(Madison, FL)

The Hardee Center for the Arts in Madison, Florida is calling for entries for the 2013/2014 exhibition season. Set in rural North Florida, we are a small venue offering exhibition space to visual artists with original and compelling work. They welcome solo or group proposals, however, exhibitions will be determined according to work that shares a theme or visual aesthetic, therefore, artists may not be grouped with their fellow applicants. For more information, contact Lisa Thompson.

Deadline: July 31, 2012

Saints, Goddesses, and Bodhisatvas
Marnie Sheridan Gallery
(Nashville, TN)

Marnie Sheridan Gallery is accepting submissions for a juried figurative art exhibition: “Saints, Goddesses, and Bodhisatvas.”

Deadline: August 15, 2012
More Info HERE

Mum’s The Word: Mother’s Flowers & Secrets
Smithtown Township Arts Council-Mills Pond House Gallery
(St. James, NY)

Smithtown Township Arts Council seeks entries for a Juried Fine Art Exhibition Mum’s The Word: Mothers, Flowers & Secrets at the Mills Pond House Gallery, October 6-November 3, 2012, juried by Hilary Harkness.

Deadline: August 17, 2012
More Info HERE

Online Curatorial Project
Camera Club Los Angeles
(Los Angeles, CA)

Camera Club Los Angeles is now accepting submissions for their ongoing online curatorial project. Any work submitted in the photographic medium will be considered for exhibition.

Deadline: Rolling
More Info HERE

RESIDENCIES

Artist Residency Fellowships
Contemporary Artists Center
(Troy, NY)

The Contemporary Artists Center (CAC) has recently opened its newest residency program on the campus of the Woodside National Historic Register Site in Troy, NY. Two neo-gothic stone church buildings now house the artist program, which welcome artists from all over the US and abroad. The CAC focuses on emerging and early career artists and accepts applicants who offer quality in their art and encourages diversity of style, medium (2-D, 3-D, 4-D) and concepts.

Deadline: May 15, 2012
More Info HERE

Artist in Residence Program
Headlands Center for the Arts
(Sausalito, CA)

Headlands Center for the Arts is accepting applications for its Artist in Residence program. The Artist in Residence (AIR) program awards fully sponsored residencies to approximately 45 local, national, and international artists each year. Residencies of four to ten weeks include flexible studio space, chef-prepared meals, comfortable housing, and travel and living stipends when available.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

CALLS FOR PAPERS

Call for Papers
FATE Biennial Conference
(Savannah, GA)

Foundations in Art: Theory and Education FATE Biennial Conference is now accepting proposals for papers.

Deadline: June 1, 2012
More Info HERE

Another lamentable creeping usage is not only pretentious, but it distorts and narrows what artists do. I refer to — rather than reference — the word practice, as in “Duchamp’s practice,” “Picasso’s studio practice” and worst of all, especially from the mouths of graduate students, “my practice.” Things were bad enough in the 1980s, when artists sometimes referred to their work as “production,” but at least that had a kind of grease-monkey grit to it.

Smith objects to the term “practice,” as it relates artists to professionals such as doctors and lawyers, who have been trained to fix an external problem, and are licensed to practice. She argues that for artists, the use of the word practice “depersonalized the urgency of art making,” and “suggests that art making is a kind of white-collar activity whose practitioners don’t get their hands dirty, either physically or emotionally.” I disagree. The issue here is that Deitch and Smith (neither of whom are makers of anything but taste) are both focused on the artist’s final product, and they seem to feel that the term practice denigrates the value of that product, as though a true artist is above practicing. However, the term “practice” relates not just to the work, but to the working: the process in which a work is made.

Oxford Dictionaries defines practice as:

(noun)  1. the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it

2. the customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something

3. repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it

(verb)   1. perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to acquire, improve or maintain proficiency in it

2. carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly

If we look at these definitions, it’s very easy to apply the first definition to an artist’s process. Practice is the application of an idea. It’s experiential. In fact we can trace this notion of practice to Karl Marx. In his Theses on Feuerbach, he asserts:

The question whether objective truth can be attributed to human thinking is not a question of theory but is a practical question. Man must prove the truth, i.e., the reality and power, the this-sidedness [Diesseitigkeit] of his thinking, in practice. The dispute over the reality or non-reality of thinking which is isolated from practice is a purely scholastic question.

Practice is revolutionary, bringing together consciousness and reality; it’s the application of a theory. When we speak of an artist’s practice, we’re not merely speaking of the finished painting, the sculpture, the photograph, the performance, the exhibition, but the application of the concept that brings us to the finished work. Whereas medium emphasizes the material end, practice acknowledges the conceptual approach to making. Indeed, studying the practice, rather than the product, can give us greater insight into the work. Art as practice includes cultural, political, social, conceptual, and aesthetic components.

Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Untitled (the map and the land of feeling) I-III”

Earlier this year at MoMA, there were two Rirkrit Tiravanija pieces on view: Untitled (Free/ Still), in which free rice and Thai curry was served to museum goers, and, in the Print/ Out exhibition, Untitled (the map of the land of feeling) I-III,  a series of three scrolls made from digital prints of the artist’s passport, with lithographs and screen prints  of the his drawings and notes layered on top. On the surface, these two works seem disconnected. It’s only in examining Tiravanija’s practice, which includes extensive travel and the creation of social situations, that the relationship between the works becomes clearer. Untitled (Free/ Still) is the more typical manifestation of the artist’s practice, but the scrolls are a physical representation of it. What’s more, the process in which these scrolls were created involved dozens of laborers, which in itself was a social construct. (Full discloser: I was among the dozens who worked on these prints.) Tiravanija is, in every sense, a practicing artist.

So too is Francis Alÿs, an ex-patriated Belgian artist now based in Mexico City.  He has walked through Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Jerusalem; he has chased tornadoes, recruited volunteers to shovel the sand of a dune from one side to another, and collected images of Saint Fabiola– all of these actions are simultaneously the making of his work and the work itself. This is practice.

An unrealized water-driven design from Leonardo’s journals

Indeed, why would it seem ridiculous to speak of Leonardo’s practice? Although a renowned artist, arguably unparalleled during the Renaissance, he was not prolific, if one only considers his finished paintings. But his practice included writing, drawing, sketching, cartography, scientific study, anatomical study including dissection of corpses, engineering, and  designing inventions that would never be realized.

And if we return to the Oxford Dictionaries’ definition of practice, and also look at practice as a verb, to “carry out or perform (a particular activity, method, or custom) habitually or regularly,” this too, can ultimately be applied to a creative practice. I recently listened to an interview on WHYY’s Radio Times with Thomas M. Sterner, author of The Practicing Mind, the premise of which is that we can become more successful if we focus less on the goal, and more on the journey, or process. I was struck by his comment about practice and the arts: ”Practice is akin to breathing…. Breath is to life, as practice is to art.” That is, the artist, whether a visual artist or dancer or musician, necessarily spends a great deal of time performing an activity, whether it be drawing, painting, sculpting, photographing, dancing, stretching, listening, singing and/ or playing. This practice isn’t being performed to master a skill, but rather, is the regular exercising of a skill that is integral to the process of making.

To disregard practice is to pretend that the artist works in a vacuum, locking herself in a room, and  emotionally flinging paint at a canvas until she emerges, exhausted, having created a masterpiece. This is the artist of movies. There is, indeed, an urgency to art making, and the latter description may even be a component of one’s process, but there is also thinking, research, preparatory work– practice. The nature of being an artist is not to have created some thing, but to always be looking, considering, theorizing, making, doing, practicing.