We’re extremely pleased to announce the launch of the Art21 Blog’s newest column, “Alchemy of Inspiration,” penned by the New York-based writer and novelist Jessica Lott. Like Art21’s Art in the Twenty-First Century series on PBS, “Alchemy of Inspiration” will explore the nature of inspiration and the intersection of artists’ lives and work. The column poses an investigation not only into the nature of creating, but also into the multiple personal and cultural forces that factor into the process. In Lott’s words, “I’m interested in how art is both universal and incredibly specific to the creator, and so through a combination of gallery/museum reviews, studio visits, interviews, and biographical research, I’ll be looking at the preoccupations, experiences, passions, and influences (both personal and artistic), that contribute to the development of an idea. What makes up the alchemy of inspiration. And how that plays out, both conceptually and aesthetically, in the work itself.”
We’re thrilled that Jessica has joined the Art21 Blog team as our newest columnist.
Jessica Lott’s first novel, The Rest of Us, about love, contemporary art, and New York, is forthcoming from Simon & Schuster in the summer of 2013. Her novella, Osin, won Low Fidelity Press’ Novella Award and was published in 2007. She has published short fiction and essays in various journals in the U.S. and internationally, including NY Arts and Frieze magazine, London, where she won the 2009 Art Writer’s Award. She holds an MA in Creative Writing (Fiction) from Boston University, where she won the Graduate Fiction Award for 2004, and an MA in English and American Literature from Washington University in St. Louis. Learn more about Jessica’s work by visiting her website, www.jessicalott.com.
Alchemy of Inspiration will post on the third Tuesday of each month.