Brainard Carey

The world emerges as if from slumber. Cautiously we step out into the resuming fray of cities and towns coming alive once more. A shadow lurks even still, but many venture forth armed with knowledge to keep safe. Ahead the road bends in obscurity, we cannot know what lies beyond the curve. All we have is this moment, this day, a truth that ever was but one we now see more clearly – understand that we can never know the future. We tiptoe, actions once comfortable and safe now alien and altered for a new and treacherous landscape.

GIDEONSSON/LONDRÉ are a collaborative based in Sweden in a small mountain village near the Norwegian border. At the moment they are preparing for a show that deals with the various aspects of mortality. Their particular work focuses on conservation – particularly peat bodies that have been found largely in the Nordic regions of Europe. Their piece focuses on the various aspects of conservation that take place when one of these bodies is removed from the peat and prepared for an eternity of preservation. Their main medium is performative installation. Their work frequently interfaces with the environment around them – something that has become more pronounced since they relocated from the city to their small mountain town. To hear more about their work, listen to the complete interview. 

Yasue Maetake lives and works in Queens New York. She has been able to access her studio throughout the pandemic lock down. She has focused on her sculptural work during this time utilizing her first floor studio as well as the basement of the building for larger projects. She has also been focused on smaller, semi-life-sized works. Her pieces are mixed media with abstracted appearances. Maetake has been recently working more toward the symbolism of pieces rather than the physical elements of gravity and how her own body is involved in the process of creation. To hear more about this shift and her work, listen to the complete interview.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:

Step forth slowly – mindful of the new world that surrounds us.

Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. GIDEONSSON/LONDRÉ suggest The Bog People: Iron-Age Man Preserved by Peter Vilhelm Glob. Yasue Maetake enjoys comic art and has been accessing it online during the pandemic. One series she cites is Innocent by Shin’ichi Sakamoto  

Deadlines

Goethe Institute invites artist working in all media from Burundi, Cameroon, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo to submit their work to The Burden of Memory Project which examines Germany’s colonial history and the impact this has on the present day. The Burden of Memory Fund financially supports the intra-African artistic exchange with funding available in amounts from 5,000 to 20,000€. For more information, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is July 11.

Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.

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In these uncertain times, our first responsibility is assuring staff, their families and our entire art community is safe. We hope to turn the page on this devastating virus and return to normalcy soon. In the meantime, we continue sharing educational resources and have developed new Facebook Live events, providing an informal and intimate opportunity to meet artists and engage in topics we all love. Follow the GOLDEN Facebook page to join!

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.

Art is a global pursuit. It reaches even the most remote corners of the world and has the capacity to unite cultures in a way that most other media cannot. Through art we can understand each other’s history, present, and the innermost workings of the very soul of those who may have lived a life that is vastly different from our own. This is one of art’s greatest powers – the ability to bring cultures side by side, indeed to mingle thoughts and ideas in order to weave a tapestry that represents the one, small world we have become.

Poznan Art Week invites photographers to enter their work in the A View from the Window competition. Although the organization admits that the theme seems a trivial if not ridiculous idea, in these days of technology when screens are our windows to the world, and with the complication of COVID-19 making the view from our actual windows far more significant, this old theme has taken on new significance. For more information, visit the website. Deadline for entries is June 30.

Goethe Institute invites artist working in all media from Burundi, Cameroon, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo to submit their work to The Burden of Memory Project which examines Germany’s colonial history and the impact this has on the present day. The Burden of Memory Fund financially supports the intra-African artistic exchange with funding available in amounts from 5,000 to 20,000€. For more information, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is July 11.

The U.S. Embassy in Slovenia invites artists who are American or Slovene citizens to apply for cultural grands. Each year, the Public Affairs Section of the United States Embassy in Ljubljana devotes a certain amount of funding towards encouraging and promoting cultural and artistic cooperation, collaboration and exchange between the United States and Slovenia. Funding for cultural grants is decided through a competitive application process, and each proposal is voted on by an Embassy committee. Grant funding of up to $10,000 is available, though typical awards range from $3,000 to $5,000. For more information, visit the website. Deadline is August 12.

Praxis Center is dedicated to helping artists achieve their goals and make their dreams of an artistic career reality. In so doing, we recognize the importance of seeking out the world around us – knowing that our small piece of the planet barely scratches the surface of the bounty of the world. To truly understand ourselves and our place on this planet, it is imperative that we understand the world around us. Join us and journey within yourself and into the world abroad.

Join GOLDEN on Facebook Live!
In these uncertain times, our first responsibility is assuring staff, their families and our entire art community is safe. We hope to turn the page on this devastating virus and return to normalcy soon. In the meantime, we continue sharing educational resources and have developed new Facebook Live events, providing an informal and intimate opportunity to meet artists and engage in topics we all love. Follow the GOLDEN Facebook page to join!

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius and Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius.

Photo credit: Poznan Art Week