How does art respond to and redefine the natural world?

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Art21 Extended Play

Ambiguity and Teaching with the Photography Robert Adams

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 11, 2012

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Art21 Extended Play

Ambiguity and Teaching with the Photography Robert Adams

by Joe Fusaro | Apr 11, 2012

Teaching with and sharing Robert Adams’ photography with students can allow for a broader understanding of what makes a great picture.

Of Monuments and Memorials: St. Louis Modernism and Juan William Chávez’s Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary

by Francesca Wilmott | Jul 26, 2011

Of Monuments and Memorials: St. Louis Modernism and Juan William Chávez’s Pruitt-Igoe Bee Sanctuary

by Francesca Wilmott | Jul 26, 2011

Notable attention has turned to what many consider the golden age of modern St. Louis—the 1950s—when the city reached its highest population and garnered international attention for its architectural contributions. …

EVERYTHING TRANSFORMS

by Din Heagney | Jun 15, 2011

EVERYTHING TRANSFORMS

by Din Heagney | Jun 15, 2011

I first met Maya Kramer at a dinner party she was hosting at her home in one of the tree-lined compounds of the former French Concession in Shanghai. But it …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Contemporary Art: The First Three Years

by Joe Fusaro | May 4, 2011

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Teaching with Contemporary Art: The First Three Years

by Joe Fusaro | May 4, 2011

This week Teaching with Contemporary Art here on the blog turns 3. Frankly, I can’t believe that I’ve been writing this column for three years. At the same time, it …

5 Questions for Contemporary Practice

5 Questions (for Contemporary Practice) with Amy Balkin

by Thom Donovan | Feb 17, 2011

5 Questions for Contemporary Practice

5 Questions (for Contemporary Practice) with Amy Balkin

by Thom Donovan | Feb 17, 2011

For the past couple years, I have been teaching Bay Area-based artist Amy Balkin’s work within a curriculum about environmental art and “land expropriation.” I teach her work besides Karl …

What Ever Happened to the Dilettante?

by Kevin Buist, ArtPrize | Feb 11, 2011

What Ever Happened to the Dilettante?

by Kevin Buist, ArtPrize | Feb 11, 2011

In June, the contemporary art podcast Bad at Sports (and regular columnists on this site) featured an interview with artist Mark Dion. Dion said something in the interview that has …

“Elephant,” or Why I Love Performance Art

by Marissa Perel | Dec 9, 2010

“Elephant,” or Why I Love Performance Art

by Marissa Perel | Dec 9, 2010

Recent guest blogger Marissa Perel wrote a post following up her residency on this site. — Ed. 2010 wouldn’t be complete without the Art21 world knowing about this mind-blowing show …

Dan Phillips: Not Merely Vernacular, Pt. 2

by Leanne Gilbertson | Feb 8, 2010

Dan Phillips: Not Merely Vernacular, Pt. 2

by Leanne Gilbertson | Feb 8, 2010

In my estimation, Phoenix Commotion’s ongoing project (founded around 1998 by Dan Phillips) does much more than simply supply a university town with a rich dose of local color. While …

Flash Points

Dan Phillips: Not Merely Vernacular, Pt. I

by Leanne Gilbertson | Feb 4, 2010

Flash Points

Dan Phillips: Not Merely Vernacular, Pt. I

by Leanne Gilbertson | Feb 4, 2010

As a northerner recently transplanted to the Greater Houston area, I admit to having reservations about all things Texan. I have found this a tough place to love at first …

Flash Points

Flash Points: Art + the Environment Wrap-Up

by Mary Cook | Jan 27, 2010

Flash Points

Flash Points: Art + the Environment Wrap-Up

by Mary Cook | Jan 27, 2010

The natural world is a marvel, a playground, an intrinsic adventure, a multi-layered curiosity, an embodiment of fear and  absolute wonderment. It is an artists’ gym where one can exercise …
Andrea Zittel's Island at 100 Acres

Flash Points

The Island in 100 Acres: An Interview with Andrea Zittel

by Richard McCoy | Jan 21, 2010

Flash Points

The Island in 100 Acres: An Interview with Andrea Zittel

by Richard McCoy | Jan 21, 2010

Andrea Zittel talks with IMA Conservator Richard McCoy about her island project in 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park.

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Wonder-Igniters: An Interview with Abbe Futterman

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 20, 2010

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Wonder-Igniters: An Interview with Abbe Futterman

by Joe Fusaro | Jan 20, 2010

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting The Earth School in New York’s East Village and at one point noticed a science classroom through a small window …

Flash Points

Public Art and Sustainability

by Corinna Kirsch | Jan 13, 2010

Flash Points

Public Art and Sustainability

by Corinna Kirsch | Jan 13, 2010

Having recently moved to Minnesota, I became intrigued by the amount of funding and grant programs available for the arts, including many initiatives directed toward funding public art. Although asking …

In Earnest

by Nova Benway | Jan 4, 2010

In Earnest

by Nova Benway | Jan 4, 2010

The last artist I’ll include in my discussion of earnestness, or what one might also call exuberant seriousness, is David Olsen, a sculptor who has spent the last several years …

Flash Points

Inhale. Exhale. Whew.

by Nicole J. Caruth | Dec 29, 2009

Flash Points

Inhale. Exhale. Whew.

by Nicole J. Caruth | Dec 29, 2009

In the New York Times video Copenhagen 101, reporter Tom Zeller asks people in Times Square what they know about the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Copenhagen. …

Flash Points

Art and Ecology at the University of New Mexico

by Matthias Merkel Hess | Dec 28, 2009

Flash Points

Art and Ecology at the University of New Mexico

by Matthias Merkel Hess | Dec 28, 2009

There is plenty of environmentally-minded art these days, but very few academic classes on the subject, let alone degree programs. That changed this fall when the University of New Mexico …

Flash Points

When Nature Takes Over

by Catherine Wagley | Dec 21, 2009

Flash Points

When Nature Takes Over

by Catherine Wagley | Dec 21, 2009

“It is the common mission of the entire mankind to curb global warming and save our planet.” So said China’s Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, addressing the Copenhagen Summit on December …

Flash Points

Art and Nature at Storm King

by Rachel Gagnon | Dec 16, 2009

Flash Points

Art and Nature at Storm King

by Rachel Gagnon | Dec 16, 2009

Flash Points Editor Rachel Craft interviewed David R. Collens, Director and Curator of Storm King Art Center, about the institution’s focus on the relationship between art and nature. —Ed. Rachel …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What's Cookin': The Art21ndex

What’s Cookin at the Art21 Blog: A Weekly Index

by Mary Cook | Dec 12, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What's Cookin': The Art21ndex

What’s Cookin at the Art21 Blog: A Weekly Index

by Mary Cook | Dec 12, 2009

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE — Doris Salcedo | Third World Identity New Guest Blogger: Kelly Rakowski, a graphic designer and Head of the Book Department at Todd Oldham Studio. Check out this …

Flash Points

Tree Museum

by Katie Holten | Dec 10, 2009

Flash Points

Tree Museum

by Katie Holten | Dec 10, 2009

We invited artist Katie Holten to write about her current project, Tree Museum, a public artwork in the Bronx, New York.  — Ed. I think it’s fair to say that …

Flash Points

Deference to the Vernacular

by Anna Kryczka | Dec 9, 2009

Flash Points

Deference to the Vernacular

by Anna Kryczka | Dec 9, 2009

In a short essay dealing with the peculiarities of the West Texas that Donald Judd called home, he writes, Here, everywhere, the destruction of new land is a brutality…Within a …

Flash Points

Electrical Forest: Made in Troy

by Noah Fischer | Dec 4, 2009

Flash Points

Electrical Forest: Made in Troy

by Noah Fischer | Dec 4, 2009

We invited artist Noah Fischer to write about his current project, Electrical Forest: Made in Troy, a site-specific installation in Troy, New York.  — Ed. During my initial research missions …

Blogalogue, Part 2: About ETeam

by Nicole Sansone | Dec 2, 2009

Blogalogue, Part 2: About ETeam

by Nicole Sansone | Dec 2, 2009

ETeam is comprised of Hajoe and Franziska. They were introduced to me by Cary Peppermint, who met them at an exhibition they all participated in, called Ebay. ETeam’s work includes …

Flash Points

Blogalogueing with EcoArtTech

by Nicole Sansone | Nov 30, 2009

Flash Points

Blogalogueing with EcoArtTech

by Nicole Sansone | Nov 30, 2009

Behold! The experiment begins! Listen in on our first Systems vs. Networks conversation with Cary Peppermint and Christine Nadir of EcoArtTech… PS. This is a better spelling of “blogalogueing” right? …

Flash Points

Exploring the Makeshift Landscape

by Eirik Johnson | Nov 30, 2009

Flash Points

Exploring the Makeshift Landscape

by Eirik Johnson | Nov 30, 2009

We invited photographer Eirik Johnson to write about his ongoing exploration of humankind’s environmental impact.  Works in his most recent series, Sawdust Mountain, are on view at the Henry Art …

Flash Points

Blogalog, Part 1: About EcoArtTech

by Nicole Sansone | Nov 26, 2009

Flash Points

Blogalog, Part 1: About EcoArtTech

by Nicole Sansone | Nov 26, 2009

Cary Peppermint and Christine Nadir founded EcoArtTech as their collaborative platform for digital environmental art in 2005. They are 2009 Artist Fellowship recipients from the New York Foundation for the …

Flash Points

Sustainable Architecture: Style vs. Substance

by Julia Walker | Nov 25, 2009

Flash Points

Sustainable Architecture: Style vs. Substance

by Julia Walker | Nov 25, 2009

Sustainable architecture is in danger. This might sound like a surprising claim, given the fact that never before has “green” living been such a popular concept, nor has “eco-consciousness” been …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What's Cookin': The Art21ndex

What’s Cookin at the Art21 Blog: A Weekly Index

by Mary Cook | Nov 21, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

What's Cookin': The Art21ndex

What’s Cookin at the Art21 Blog: A Weekly Index

by Mary Cook | Nov 21, 2009

It’s a cage that went in search of a bird…Sreshta Rit Premnath explores the ocean as a territory that lies outside the realm of governmentality. Nicole rounds them up! From …

Flash Points

Teaching Ecoartivism

by Stacey Ward Kelly | Nov 19, 2009

Flash Points

Teaching Ecoartivism

by Stacey Ward Kelly | Nov 19, 2009

— “ecoartivism”; Pronunciation: ēko’ar –ti,- vi-zəm; Function: noun The practice of using art as a tool for the advocacy of the preservation, restoration, or improvement of the natural environment; especially: …

Flash Points

Mythic Environments: Robert Smithson and Eames Demetrios

by Kevin Buist, ArtPrize | Nov 16, 2009

Flash Points

Mythic Environments: Robert Smithson and Eames Demetrios

by Kevin Buist, ArtPrize | Nov 16, 2009

When I first saw that this site’s new Flash Points topic was Art and the Environment, I immediately thought of two artists: Robert Smithson and Eames Demetrios. They are not …

Flash Points

Landscape Revisited

by Catherine Wagley | Nov 12, 2009

Flash Points

Landscape Revisited

by Catherine Wagley | Nov 12, 2009

“Life is boring,” said Matthew Coolidge, talking about how most of us live in the uneventful “periods between the monuments.” Coolidge, the director of the Center for Land Use Interpretation, …

Dermatographia

by Maria Stenina | Nov 9, 2009

Dermatographia

by Maria Stenina | Nov 9, 2009

Hello Art:21 interweb world! I hope to do you justice with my musings and bits and pieces of contemporary art knick-knacks. I think as an artist and designer working today, …

Art21 Extended Play

Roni Horn | Water

by Wesley Miller | Nov 6, 2009

Art21 Extended Play

Roni Horn | Water

by Wesley Miller | Nov 6, 2009

Artist Roni Horn discusses the paradoxical identity and dependency of water, paired with scenes of Icelandic landscapes. Water and Iceland serve as both subjects and metaphors in the artist’s work, …

Flash Points

Flash Points: Art and the Environment

by Rachel Gagnon | Nov 2, 2009

Flash Points

Flash Points: Art and the Environment

by Rachel Gagnon | Nov 2, 2009

Today we launch the next Flash Points topic, Art & the Environment. We first addressed this issue in Season Four’s episode, Ecology, which delved into the work of artists who …