Writer-in-Residence

Holla from Hotlanta

by Victoria Lichtendorf | May 27, 2009

Holla from Hotlanta

by Victoria Lichtendorf | May 27, 2009

Beyond Tutlanta… I’m writing from Atlanta. A newcomer, I have just learned gardenias are a sign of summer. Apparently, so are Monet’s Water Lilies, which will be temporarily transplanted from …

New guest blogger: Victoria Lichtendorf

by Kelly Shindler | May 25, 2009

New guest blogger: Victoria Lichtendorf

by Kelly Shindler | May 25, 2009

Thanks to Kemi Ilesanmi from Creative Capital for her series of engaging interviews and artgoing tips. Up next is Victoria Lichtendorf. Victoria, a museum educator, is a recent transplant from New …

An Interview with Simone Leigh

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 21, 2009

An Interview with Simone Leigh

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 21, 2009

Simone Leigh is a new world artist/ceramicist of the highest order. Her gnarly yet incredibly beautiful objects and installations provoke, inspire, and remain with you. She works her particular brand …

An Interview with Paul Mpagi Sepuya

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 20, 2009

An Interview with Paul Mpagi Sepuya

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 20, 2009

I met the artist Paul Mpagi Sepya when he worked at Creative Capital a couple of years back. I’ve followed his thoughtful, evocative, and beautiful photo portrait work ever since. …

Solomon: Wherefore wisdom?

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 18, 2009

Solomon: Wherefore wisdom?

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 18, 2009

While I love living in New York City, there are nights when I long for the simplicity of only one truly art-worthy thing to do in town. Tonight is one …

Going Fast!: Treeless Mountain

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 14, 2009

Going Fast!: Treeless Mountain

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 14, 2009

One of my favorite films of the year is ending its New York run at the Quad Cinema tonight! Treeless Mountain is a beautiful, quiet, and moving film by So …

Flash Points

Free & Clear: Exhibition and the Free Store

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 12, 2009

Flash Points

Free & Clear: Exhibition and the Free Store

by Kemi Ilesanmi | May 12, 2009

Is free sometimes the best value for art?  Well, it certainly can be when artists and curators turn an inquisitive and critically-engaged eye towards the nature of exchange, regeneration, and …

New guest blogger: Kemi Ilesanmi

by Kelly Shindler | May 11, 2009

New guest blogger: Kemi Ilesanmi

by Kelly Shindler | May 11, 2009

Special thanks to Julia Steinmetz for her series of clever and thoughtful posts, many of which took our own current Flash Points topic, “What is the value of art?“ Up …

Once more, with feeling

by Julia Steinmetz | May 10, 2009

Once more, with feeling

by Julia Steinmetz | May 10, 2009

Imagine the evening news meets Flight of the Conchords in a project mapping an effusion of feeling onto the flattened affect of reporters and politicians. YouTube video art sensation “Auto-Tune …

Flash Points

The Power of Now: Adrian Piper’s Indexical Present

by Julia Steinmetz | May 7, 2009

Flash Points

The Power of Now: Adrian Piper’s Indexical Present

by Julia Steinmetz | May 7, 2009

Everyone has heard about the value of “being in the moment,” letting thoughts of the past and worries about the future drip away while focusing on the here and now. …

Catching Feelings

by Julia Steinmetz | May 6, 2009

Catching Feelings

by Julia Steinmetz | May 6, 2009

I’ve been trying to ignore all of the panic and mania surrounding swine flu, since as far as I know anxiety has not yet been proven to afford protection against …

Flash Points

The Simpsons Family (Art) Values

by Julia Steinmetz | May 1, 2009

Flash Points

The Simpsons Family (Art) Values

by Julia Steinmetz | May 1, 2009

It seems The Simpsons has something to say about everything, including the value of art. In “Mom and Pop Art,” a treasure of an episode from 1999, Homer is discovered …

Feline Theatricality

by Julia Steinmetz | May 1, 2009

Feline Theatricality

by Julia Steinmetz | May 1, 2009

I stumbled on this YouTube video today, and immediately stopped to think about how much Michael Fried has given me. Sometimes a critic’s description of a phenomenon can be truly …

Flash Points

For the Love of God: The Artist as Capitalist

by Julia Steinmetz | Apr 29, 2009

Flash Points

For the Love of God: The Artist as Capitalist

by Julia Steinmetz | Apr 29, 2009

In 2007, artist Damien Hirst exhibited a work at the White Cube gallery in London which is reputed to be the most expensive contemporary artwork ever made. Entitled For the …

New guest blogger: Julia Steinmetz

by Kelly Shindler | Apr 27, 2009

New guest blogger: Julia Steinmetz

by Kelly Shindler | Apr 27, 2009

Thanks to Nicholas O’Brien for helping us navigate the complex and compelling world of new media (or, as he likes to put it, ‘newMedia‘). Follow his post-Art21 pursuits back on …

Concerning “newMedia” as one word

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 25, 2009

Concerning “newMedia” as one word

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 25, 2009

For my last guest post and in response to Kelly’s question, I thought I’d address the way that I spell newMedia and my intentions behind doing so. As I mentioned …

Indie Games +/or Games as Art

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 22, 2009

Indie Games +/or Games as Art

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 22, 2009

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNBn4wX8AU] Invisible Threads, Double Happiness Jeans by Stephanie Rothenberg and Jeff Crouse In continuing the thread (no pun intended with Double Happiness) of Play and it’s relationship to newMedia art, …

Sketches from/of Cleveland

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 21, 2009

Sketches from/of Cleveland

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 21, 2009

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hd3Vez4tm8k] [youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U36pZu17dk] [youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUTywDyK0T4] I was in Cleveland this past weekend for Notacon and Blockparty two hand-in-hand conferences concerning Hacker, DIY Electronics, and early web cultures (in a cursory nutshell). I …

Obsolescence as Cultural Production

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 20, 2009

Obsolescence as Cultural Production

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 20, 2009

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3Cq_JFzv2I&feature=channel_page] Thinking about this topic often reminds me of a section of Invisible Cities, where Marco Polo is describing a city to Kubla Kahn in which its center is made …

O hai :: Approaches + Modes

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 15, 2009

O hai :: Approaches + Modes

by Nicholas O'Brien | Apr 15, 2009

I thought before I get really started the guest blogging here, I’d speak a little bit about my intentions/directions/plans. BEFORE that, however, I’d like to thank Kelly Shindler for giving …

New guest blogger: Nicholas O’Brien

by Kelly Shindler | Apr 13, 2009

New guest blogger: Nicholas O’Brien

by Kelly Shindler | Apr 13, 2009

Thanks to Lila Kanner for providing us with insight into the great work of Artadia. Up next is Nicholas O’Brien. Nicholas is a new media artist and filmmaker based in …

Flash Points

The value of supporting artists

by Lila Kanner | Apr 11, 2009

Flash Points

The value of supporting artists

by Lila Kanner | Apr 11, 2009

Taking stock of the value of art is integrally tied to the value of artists. Artists’ work as educators, mentors and citizens of our communities is vital to a healthy …

Atlanta Artists To Watch

by Lila Kanner | Apr 6, 2009

Atlanta Artists To Watch

by Lila Kanner | Apr 6, 2009

It’s exciting to contribute to the Art21 blog – and I wanted to share some details about my work as a lead-in to my post about Atlanta. As you might …

New guest blogger: Lila Kanner

by Kelly Shindler | Mar 30, 2009

New guest blogger: Lila Kanner

by Kelly Shindler | Mar 30, 2009

Thanks to Tim Ridlen for chronicling the art scene in his new adoptive hometown of NYC. Up next is Lila Kanner. Lila joined the staff at Artadia: The Fund for …

On the Demuxing Post

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 27, 2009

On the Demuxing Post

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 27, 2009

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPfLZ1B1POU] [youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPNspJIWeio] In one of my previous posts, I mentioned the life of certain obsolete terms taking on new meaning. As the clock runs out on my brief stint as …

Strength in Limitations

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 24, 2009

Strength in Limitations

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 24, 2009

On the drive from Chicago to New York City in a Budget rental truck, I had a conversation with a friend of mine regarding an ongoing gallery project called MWNM …

Emulsion To Emulsion

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 20, 2009

Emulsion To Emulsion

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 20, 2009

The term “emulsion to emulsion” has somehow stuck in my head from my undergraduate days, taking courses in photography.  It is the phrase meant to remind you of the placement …

Art, Work, Power

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 17, 2009

Art, Work, Power

by Tim Ridlen | Mar 17, 2009

Just last month I made the move that many young artists make.  I left Chicago for New York City in what must seem like horribly bad timing given the many …

New guest blogger: Tim Ridlen

by Kelly Shindler | Mar 16, 2009

New guest blogger: Tim Ridlen

by Kelly Shindler | Mar 16, 2009

Thanks to Audrey Chan, who took on our current Flash Points topic with aplomb, and all the way from France! Keep track of her adventures back on her own site …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Notes on a workshop (Part 2)

by Audrey Chan | Mar 14, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Notes on a workshop (Part 2)

by Audrey Chan | Mar 14, 2009

(continued from Part 1…) My students and I had knocked on the door of the Éloignement office of the Préfecture in Nantes. The woman who answered asked us what we …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Notes on a workshop (Part 1)

by Audrey Chan | Mar 11, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

Notes on a workshop (Part 1)

by Audrey Chan | Mar 11, 2009

I’m also teaching a course at the École Régionale des Beaux-arts de Nantes called, “Workshop: I am curious… (The Artist as Ethnographer).” Each Friday morning, my students and I have …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

On representations of the artist at work (Part 2)

by Audrey Chan | Mar 6, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

On representations of the artist at work (Part 2)

by Audrey Chan | Mar 6, 2009

Following up our discussion about documentation of the creative process in the cases of Mark Bradford and Jackson Pollock, my students and I talked about what we might include in …

Teaching with Contemporary Art

On representations of the artist at work

by Audrey Chan | Mar 5, 2009

Teaching with Contemporary Art

On representations of the artist at work

by Audrey Chan | Mar 5, 2009

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX9SVg6L5vA] In the Art:21 Season 4 episode Paradox, artist Mark Bradford cites the legacy of Abstract Expressionism as an influence on his process-oriented paintings and collages. On a formal level, …

Flash Points

Authenticity 2.0

by Audrey Chan | Mar 3, 2009

Flash Points

Authenticity 2.0

by Audrey Chan | Mar 3, 2009

At the École des Beaux-Arts de Nantes (Nantes School of Art), I am teaching a course called “Contemporary Art in the United States, 2000-Today.” The premise of the course is …

New guest blogger: Audrey Chan

by Kelly Shindler | Mar 2, 2009

New guest blogger: Audrey Chan

by Kelly Shindler | Mar 2, 2009

Thanks to Paul Schmelzer for his wonderful series of posts tackling our Flash Points topic head-on. Follow his daily exploits back on his own blog, Eyeteeth. Up next is Audrey …

Flash Points

Practical propaganda: Amy Franceschini reinvents the Victory Garden

by Paul Schmelzer | Mar 1, 2009

Flash Points

Practical propaganda: Amy Franceschini reinvents the Victory Garden

by Paul Schmelzer | Mar 1, 2009

Amy Franceschini is my favorite kind of propagandist: she creates enticing imagery you can’t help but rally around, but backs it up with dirt-under-the-fingernails pragmatism in service of a nearly …