Art Career

“So what, ghosts can’t hurt you. That’s what I thought then.” -Stephen King

Ghosts are all around us, though perhaps not quite as we imagine them. They are the lingering memories of those who went before, the mannerisms passed along through generations. They can be found in the whispers inside our minds in the 3 am darkness or the sudden evocation of a place long since archived to childhood days. Perhaps they are not whispy sprites – or indeed perhaps they are, who are we to say – but ghosts inhabit our world, right alongside us, every hour of every day.

Gaby Sahhar joined us from London in late August shortly after their show, Released, came down at Page Gallery in NYC. The gallery itself is quite small, the same dimensions as Sahhar’s London studio. For this show, they decided to create something quite large for this small space, immersing the viewer in a collage of archival imagery from London, New York and Brazil including parts of a protest, streets and sidewalks, mascots and more. The concept behind the work examined our process of articulation, particularly as related to the LGBTo learn more about this work and other aspects of Sahhar’s practice, listen to the complete interview.

Rhys Ziemba joined us to discuss, among other things, his current show, Enchanted Bullshit, at Art Cake. Ziemba has an interest in the material and ethereal worlds. In his art – and in the title of the show – he explores this juxtaposition of the mystical and the very real worlds. One impetus for the show was the poem Large Red Man Reading by Wallace Stevens, in which ghosts return to experience the small inconveniences of the physical world. To hear more about this show and other aspects of Rhys Ziemba’s work, listen to the complete interview.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket

Attune to the ghosts around you and learn what they have to teach.

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 is here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Gaby Sahhar is reading Broken Blue Line: How Life as Britain’s Supercop Broke Me by Alistaire Livingstone. Read Large Red Man Reading by Wallace Stevens here.

Deadlines:

Photographers 18 years of age and older are invited to submit work to the BBA Photography Prize 2022 – One Shot Award. One winner will receive 500 euros cash and international exposure. An additional 50 photographers will be selected by BBA to exhibit in Kühlhaus Berlin on a large digital display in late fall 2022. For more information and to submit your images, visit the website. Deadline is October 11.

 

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.

 

Realizing your desires is about more than just having a dream and waiting for it to come true. Very few people – so few as to be statistically negligent – are “discovered” leading to a life of professional success. In fact, most artists who “make it” do so because of very hard work in and out of the studio. As a career artist, you must make seeking out opportunities part of your regular practice. Mark out time every week for this. The more you seek, the more you’ll earn.

Glass artists are invited to submit their work for the Jutta Cuny-Franz Award 2023. This juried prize is intended to support “artists who show outstanding talent and make significant use of glass in their work.” Applications are open to artists under age 40. For more information, and to apply, visit the website. Deadine for applications is October 11.

Photographers 18 years of age and older are invited to submit work to the BBA Photography Prize 2022 – One Shot Award. One winner will receive 500 euros cash and international exposure. An additional 50 photographers will be selected by BBA to exhibit in Kühlhaus Berlin on a large digital display in late fall 2022. For more information and to submit your images, visit the website. Deadline is October 11.

The Art Commission of the City of Düsseldorf invites artists to apply for a new opportunity promoting contemporary art in public spaces. stadt.raum.experimente calls on local and international artists to develop experimental and temporary concepts for urban spaces around Düsseldorf. Each selected project is funding with a maximum of 60,000 euros. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is October 15.

Praxis Center believes that every artist has the chance to make it. The key is knowing what resources are available to you and how to access them. And this isn’t something that you are expected to intuitively know. Rather it is something you can learn and Praxis can help you do just that. Join us today and unlock the door to the next step on your artistic journey.

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.

 

Photo credit: Alex Drop

“Don’t panic” -Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

When it all feels too much – too many passwords, conflict and catastrophe everywhere you turn, people starving, protests in the street, threats to the very democracy of the world’s leading nations – how do you unplug and care for yourself? How do you make sure you stay on track and don’t overload? What is your escape, your healing, your strength in this era of extremes? After all, you can’t hope to help the world at large if you can’t help yourself.

Ryan Sarah Murphy joined us at the end of August 2022 to discuss her show Structural Integrity at C24 in NYC, which runs until September 23. The title of the show works on a few levels, Murphy says, one related to building and construction and another examining the materials she chooses, mainly cardboard, and upholding the integrity of these. Murphy seeks out colored cardboard, which she does not paint, cutting any logos or graphics out and using the leftover colors to construct her work. To hear more about her process, this show and more, listen to the complete interview.

Thomas Trum spoke to us shortly after his show Loops closed at The Hole in NYC. This large exhibition took over the entire gallery space, including murals made using a line laser paint pump machine typically used to make road markings. The exhibition also included works on paper. To hear more about these remarkable works of art and other aspects of Trum’s life and career, listen to the complete interview.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket

Be sure to find refuge where you need it.

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 is here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Ryan Sarah Murphy was reading Geography of Home: Writings on Where We Live by Akiko Busch when we spoke to her. When we connected with him, Thomas Trum was halfway through The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Deadlines:

Allegro Prize is accepting submissions from artists who want the opportunity to present their work to an extremely wide range of Polish and international recipients. This cash prize of 80 000 PLN is intended to support artists in the endeavor to fully devote themselves to artistic growth. For more information and to submit your work, visit the website. Deadline is September 27.

 

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.

 

As we enter into autumn in the northern hemisphere, now is the perfect time to organize the next few months and beyond. Seeking out opportunities will bolster your artistic presence, practice and your confidence – despite the inevitable rejection. Make this part of your weekly routine, building in time to seek out and apply to as many opportunities as fit your artistic needs. Here are a few to get you started.

Female artists age 18 and over are invited to apply for the Bennett Prize, a stipend/grant-in-aid program to support fine art practice in figurative realism. Winning artists receive $25,000 annually over two consecutive years (for a total of $50,000). In addition, 10 finalists will participate in a traveling exhibition organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art. To learn more and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is October 7.

Art Omi invites artists to apply for residency at no cost apart from travel expenses. Selected artists enjoy meals, lodging and the beautiful surroundings of Columbia County, New York, which sits two hours north of NYC by train. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadine for applications is October 15.

Artists – particularly those with experience and working knowledge of etching, intaglio, or monoprint; letterpress; papermaking; screenprinting; photography; or ceramics – are invited to apply for the Ora Schneider Regional Grant, a month-long residency for artists residing in one of a handful of counties in New York. To learn about eligibility, more detail about the residency and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is October 15.

Praxis Center is in the business of artists’ business. We know how difficult and opaque the art world can feel, and we are here to shed light – and transparency – on the nuances of success. Join Praxis today and unlock the skills and resources you need to take your art career to new heights.

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.

 

Photo credit: Doug Kerr

“A true work of art is the revelation of a new conception of life arising in the artist’s soul, which, when expressed, lights up the path along which humanity progresses”

-Leo Tolstoy, What is Art

Art speaks. It enlightens and guides. Art reminds us where we’ve been, grounds us to where we are and illuminates the way forward. It breathes truth into a dubious world, questions authority and challenges the status quo. Art heals and art ignites. It breaks down barriers and delineates boundaries.

Erick Antonio Benitez spoke with us in mid-August shortly after closing out a group show at Selenas Mountain titled A Country Made of Ice Cream. When we spoke he was working on completing his thesis installation at CalArts incorporating sculpture and video. Conceptually the show plays with ideas of mythology and ideas of virtual and physical space, examining where that meets identity and culture. To hear more about this and more, listen to the complete interview.

Naomi R. Safran-Hon was in the midst of a solo show titled Soft Power at Bonisson Art Center in the south of France. The work consists of around 15 pieces of different sizes that mix different materials like cement and lace to demonstrate the juxtaposition of softness and power. Safran-Hon creates both abstract and specific works tied together by her personal framework based on her upbringing and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. She hopes through her work, viewers are able to receive a message that relates to their own homes, pasts, communities, belonging and displacement. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket

Art is everything.

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 is here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Erick Antonio Benitez was reading Nam June Paik: Exposition of Music, Electronic Television, Revisited by Nam June Paik et al. Praxis user Virginia Bryant recommends What is Art by Leo Tolstoy.

Deadlines:

Allegro Prize is accepting submissions from artists who want the opportunity to present their work to an extremely wide range of Polish and international recipients. This cash prize of 80 000 PLN is intended to support artists in the endeavor to fully devote themselves to artistic growth. For more information and to submit your work, visit the website. Deadline is September 27.

 

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.