Art Career

Was there a moment when you knew that an art career was what you needed to work toward? As you move along this path, it is important to hold onto that first spark, that initial drive that led you to where you stand today. It can be difficult at times to navigate the art world, and no one who has achieved any measure of success will tell you that it came easily. So hold fast to that fire, the passion that first pushed you in the direction you travel today. Here are some opporunities to inspire you along the way.

Centrum Artists in Residence program welcomes applications for upcoming residency. This program, established in 1980, has welcomed hundreds of artists alongside other creative thinkers. Located in Port Townsend, Washington, the campus offers beautiful views while the residency supplies uninterrupted time to create. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is August 15.

Center for Performance Research (CPR) invites applications for a year-long artist in residence program for artist working in the fields of contemporary dance, performance and time-based forms. In their own words:

“The residency creates an open environment for experimentation, exploration, embodiment, and exchange, providing ten artists each year with research and presentation opportunities, rehearsal space, curatorial and project support, and peer dialogue. The program is intended to nurture the individualized creative process, and prioritizes artists for whom the opportunity will make an impact on the growth and evolution of their work and career.”

For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is August 16.

Willapa Bay Artist in Residence program invites applications for creative time on their 20-acre Washington State property. These month-long self-directed residencies are designed for emerging artists and other creatives. Residency provides lodging, meals and work space at no cost. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is August 31.

Praxis Center is dedicated to keeping the dream of art careers alive. We know that the ins and outs of the art world can feel overwhelming and sometimes might push you off the path. That’s why we gather experts in the field to help you stay motivated as you move toward your dream career. Give Praxis a try today and see how far it can take you.

A Few Words to Keep in Your Pocket:

Let go of the little things, do not cling too tightly to the big ones. We are all but specs of dust blown about on the wind of constant change.

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. Rosa Lleo was blown away by Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici and feels it should be required reading for all. Praxis user Kathleen is reading The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor.

Deadlines

Tides Institute and Museum of Art (TIMA) invites artists to apply for the StudioWorks Artist in Residence program. This program is located in quaint and coastal Eastport, Maine – set in the heart of Washington County and nestled up to the border of New Brunswick, Canada. There is a fee to apply but those chosen receive housing and a generous stipend. For complete details, visit the website. Deadline is February 1

 

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

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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: Willapa Bay Artist Residency

“Anyone can lose his temper and fly off the handle. But it’s better than being mean.”

-Tove Janssen, The True Deceiver

Outlets are important. For each of us, there must be a way, a place, a method to get rid of that which no longer serves. Whether this is anger, pieces of grief, resentment, or whatever holds us back, keeping them can cause further damage as we move along the road. These outlets may come in as many forms as there are people on earth. Perhaps no two are exactly alike. But they are an essential part of the resources we need to carry on.

Kristen Sanders chatted with us about her show, Protoself, running through July 28 at Asya Geisberg Gallery. The title of the show derives from the theory of consciousness by neurologist Antonio Damasio. He posited that the protoself is the first in a hierarchical system of consciousness and foreshadows the self to be. The work in this exhibition focuses quite a lot on coming into the self. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.

Amy Winstanley joined us to discuss, among other things, her show, Lost Hap, which recently closed at Margo Samel Gallery. The title of the show came to her about two years ago while reading Living a Feminist Life and The Promise of Happiness, both by Sarah Ahmed. The author discusses the old English root of the word happiness, which shares “hap” with “perhaps” and “happenstance” and has lost some of the breezy element that it once carried. Nowadays, we feel the need to gain things in order to be happy, which has led to our consumerist culture and, consequently, our ecological destruction. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.

A few words to keep in your pocket

What are your outlets?

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. Click here to learn more about the work of Antonio Damasio.

Deadlines:

M&C Saatchi Group announces this year’s Art for Change Prize with a total prize fund of £20,000 to be split between six winners, five to receive £2,000 and one overall winner to receive £10,000. Winning artists will also have the unique opportunity to exhibit their work at Saatchi Gallery in London. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for entries is July 17.

 

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.

Art is a passion. And for those who decide to build that passion into a career, art can begin to feel like a daunting path. But it doesn’t need to be this way. The art world is not impenatrable. You absolutely can find opportunities in every corner, and while you won’t land every one, there will be those that are just right for you. Each week we bring you a handful of opportunities to inspire and put you on the path toward that next step in your career.

Peters Valley School of Craft offers fully funded artist in residence opportunities. Selected artists will spend two weeks or one month in fully equipped studio space with time to immerse themselves in their craft. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is August 1.

SculptureCenter invites artists to apply for their open call, In Practice 2024. Artists who have not yet had institutional solo exhibition in NYC are the focus of this project. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for proposals is August 6.

Malta Biennale invites artists to apply to their open call. Artists local to Malta as well as those from around the world are invited to participate. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is August 25.

Praxis Center believes in artists. We have seen, time and time again, that with the right skills and resources, it is possible to take your art out of the studio and into the world. We know there is hard work along the way, but we also know that it can and does pay off. Give Praxis a try today and see how far we can take you.

 

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: Malta Biennale

“If we cannot even get rid of the most preposterously unnecessary emissions, how are we going to begin moving towards zero?” -Andreas Malm, How to Blow Up a Pipeline

If the first month or so of summer has told us anything, it is that the climate of our planet is anything but normal. From deadly heat around the world that gave rise to three consecutive days of record-shattering global temperatures to catastrophic rains that washed out swaths of New York State and Vermont, places typically somewhat immune to the harsher effects of weather systems, scientists are being quoted left and right on their concern that climate change is here and accelerating quickly. So, of course, our governments around the world are rushing to curb emissions and build a future in which we collectively work toward a common goal, right? And surely the people are rising up, taking to the streets, demanding – and creating – the kind of change we need to save ourselves? …

rafa esparza has an exhibition titled Camino on view through August 19 at Artist Space in NYC. The immersive installation ruminates on humans and cyborgs, mobility, access, the freeways of L.A. and more. The title has two meanings in Spanish, “road” and “I walk.” The work itself is a deconstructed section of freeway and reflects on how the construction of this system has divided the city of Los Angeles and affected lives in vastly different ways. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.

Rachel Stern joined us to talk about her exhibition, One Should Not Look at Anything at Baxter Street at the Camera Club of New York. The title comes from a line in Oscar Wilde’s Salomé, Stern herself being something of a Wilde devotee. Indeed the play informs the work itself. She was interested in the idea behind a line like this, in the tradition of the phrase “whatever you do don’t think about elephants.” To hear more about this show, listen to the complete interview.

A few words to keep in your pocket

The moment is now. What we do with it is our decision, but our descendants will live the outcome.

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. The book referenced in Rachel Stern’s show is Salomé by Oscar Wilde.

Deadlines:

M&C Saatchi Group announces this year’s Art for Change Prize with a total prize fund of £20,000 to be split between six winners, five to receive £2,000 and one overall winner to receive £10,000. Winning artists will also have the unique opportunity to exhibit their work at Saatchi Gallery in London. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for entries is July 17.

 

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.

How do you keep moving forward? Are there specific steps you’re taking to make sure your art career doesn’t stagnate? One often overlooked piece of life as a working artist is just how much other stuff is involved. Certainly, your practice and the creation of your art are important, but these things cannot exist in a vacuum. No, there must be some deliberate planning involved in any art endeavor, whether that is how to contact galleries, land funding opportunities or find residencies to further your experience. It is all grist for the mill. Here are a few upcoming deadlines to inspire you.

“leverages arts and culture to make creative public policy interventions around housing and related issues.”

For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is July 21.

Praxis Center is dedicated to helping artists stay afloat. We know there are practicalities to be addressed in any art career that can seem overwhelming and simply unfamiliar. The key is building the confidence and, frankly, the habit of pursuing these things. Before long, you’ll be a pro at organizing the pursuit of opportunities into your regular routine.

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: M&C Saatchi Group