Hello—
Winter has descended in full force the past couple of weeks, no doubt in response to all of the complaining around where I live that there wasn’t any snow for the holidays. Cumulatively, we received at least a foot here, and I know some places saw much more! Now, it’s below zero, and I can’t think of a better excuse to do the ol’ hunker-down (and a little recovery from a week of lots of shoveling). It’s a prime time to rest and reset, but it can also a great time to dig into backburner projects or get organized for upcoming things. ‘Tis the season to organize, right?
Perhaps you feel this way sometimes, too, but when things slow down, anxiety about whether I’m using my time or resources well enough starts to kick in. To some degree, we’re all spinning lots of plates, and if you’re self-employed or freelancing, your modus operandi is typically all systems go, pretty much at all times. I’m always eyeing the calendar and Tetris-ing tasks and projects for various deadlines, so if there’s a gap, it can feel unsettling. Over time, though, I’ve learned to trust my instincts a bit more and not try to fill gaps just because they make me a little uncomfortable. It’s in those gaps that dots often connect for new ideas, plus they allow space to say “yes” to things that might come your way unexpectedly.
I intentionally putter a lot and try to do other things to fill that time constructively—I believe there’s a sizable difference between producing and constructing—like cooking something from scratch every day (even if it’s literally just an egg), tidying up a space, going down a random research rabbit hole, chatting with my sisters or a good pal about nothing in particular, and so on.
I just listened to a great podcast series from The Atlantic titled “How to Keep Time,” and I particularly liked the first episode, titled “How to Waste Time,” which dives into being in time rather than chasing time. The episode’s guest, author Oliver Burkman, has spent a lot of time thinking about time and productivity, and he says:
I think it is possible in a very down-to-earth way to use one’s time well for some future goal. It’s defining everything about now in terms of some more important moment coming later when it’s going to actually have its value—it’s going to “cash out;” it’s going to have been worth doing. Because what happens when you do this is you end up missing your life—you end up missing the present…—you get to this very strange conclusion that the only real way to use time really well, to actually find meaning in the present is, by some definition of the term, to waste it.
“Wasting” time always get the creative energy flowing or helps to solve a problem I’ve been mulling over, usually for too long or without giving it a chance to resolve itself. Because inevitably—it always happens—so-called spare time resolves itself, too, and there will soon be plenty to do before long! So I’m all for the chill time, too.
See you next week!
—Kate
P.S. The first subscriber-supported story will be published very soon on Dovetail, centering on a conversation with Alice, Nien-pu Ko, curator of the 8th installment of The Brooklyn Rail’s Singing in Unison series, titled Between Waves. In addition to this newsletter, your support helps me to pay writers who help share important ideas around global contemporary art today. Thank you!
What you’ll find this week:
Five exhibitions on view this week in Berlin, Boston, Charlotte, and New York City
Fourteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Exhibitions
BOSTON | STEVEN ZEVITAS
New New England
A five-person group show featuring work by Isabelle Higgins, Sandrea Lovelock Williams, Hannah Rust, Papay Solomon, and Ji Zou (pictured).
Runs through January 27
NEW YORK CITY | JAMES COHAN
Arcadia and Elsewhere
Across two of James Cohan’s locations, Arcadia and Elsewhere is a group exhibition featuring the work of dozens of artists, exploring myriad interpretations and complexities of landscape. Pictured above is work by Muzae Sesay.
Runs through February 10
BERLIN | 68PROJECTS BY KORNFELD
Kyungmi Shin: Fly to India for Gold, Ransack the Ocean for Orient Pearl
I always admire a gallery program with a built-in residency component, and Kornfeld is one of those that supports artists with studio space and resources in the creation of new work for exhibitions. One of the latest of these is Kyungmi Shin’s exhibition at Kornfeld’s 68projects space, exploring narratives and histories that connect Germany to Asia.
Runs through February 24
CHARLOTTE | SOCO GALLERY
Matt Kleberg: Fence Cutting
I’m a long-time fan of Matt Kleberg’s paintings, which combine a skilled eye for color with architectural details in his characteristic arches and shadow play.
Runs through February 28
NEW YORK CITY | LUHRING AUGUSTINE
Constanza Schaffner: Leones, Flores, Constanzas
In the artist’s first solo exhibition with Luhring Augustine, Schaffner plumbs the human psyche. My favorite blip of text about this show is that “she focuses on strategies to ‘re-enchant’ the contemporary world.”
Runs through March 2
Artist Opportunities
Deadlines are coming up soon to apply for these grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.
Marchmont House Skyboat Residency
Deadline: January 29
This residency program invites visual artists to apply for a residency in the tranquil setting of the Scottish Borders from March 11 to April 5, 2024. The residency includes private use of the Old Squash Court Studio, accommodation in one of our Hobbit Pod, and a weekly stipend of £350. Apply via this Google form.
Submission fee: none
Vox Populi Residency
Deadline: January 31
This opportunity is for artists interested in participating in a one-month residency in August 2024 with a group show in September/October 2024. The four-week residency will be granted to two artists to develop work for a fall group exhibition in Vox Populi’s gallery space.
Submission fee: $35 if submitted by January 30, then $45
East London Printmakers Residencies
Deadline: January 31
ELP is offering three 3-month artist residencies that will run consecutively from March 2024 onwards. Applications from printmakers who are local to the Tower Hamlets borough are especially encouraged. Participants receive free 24-hour studio access 4.5 days each week for 3 months; storage space for materials, screens and a plan chest drawer; free Associate Membership for one year (including exhibitions and other events); and a £40 materials allowance from the ELP shop.
Submission fee: none
Staten Island Arts Project Grants
Deadline: January 31
Individual artists, art collectives, and small-budget non-profit organizations based on Staten Island are eligible to receive funding for cultural activities on Staten Island. First-time applicants can request $750 to $3,000.
Submission fee: none
Crafting the Future Scholarships
Deadline: January 31
Crafting the Future provides emerging, mid-career, and established artists of color with opportunities that help plant their roots in the craft community and propel their careers. Applications are currently being accepted from from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People Of Color)-identifying artists who seek to participate in a 2024 Summer craft workshop. 5 BIPOC artists will be identified to attend workshops through CTF partnerships with the following craft institutions:
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN) - 2 scholarships available
Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY) - 1 scholarship available
Haystack Mountain School of Craft (Deer Isle, ME) - 2 scholarships available
Submission fee: none
minus20degree Call for Proposals
Deadline: January 31
minus20degree is looking for artists in the field of sound art, video art, performance, theater, installation, or dynamic land art for their 2024 edition in Flachau, Austria. The application is open to individuals, pairs, or groups at any stage of their career. Participating artists receive a fee of €1,000, a production budget up to €1,600, and a travel budget up to €400.
Submission fee: none
Hayama Summer Artist Residency
Deadline: January 31
This is a 4-week residency in a small, coastal Japanese town in Kanagawa Prefecture, on central Honshū, Japan, from June 1 to 30, 2024. This application is open to any visual artist over 21 years old, working in any medium, based anywhere in the world. The selected artists will receive a roundtrip flight to Japan, shared accommodations for 4 weeks, and a weekly allotment of USD$200 for meals and local transportation.
Submission fee: $95
Textile Arts Center Artist-in-Residence Scholarship
Deadline: January 31 (early bird), then March 17
The TAC Artist-in-Residence Scholarship Fund will support one artist or designer during the 9-month TAC residency who identifies as part of a historically marginalized identity or community in the Arts, (i.e class, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexuality, age, education) and states the need for financial assistance to participate in the program and advance their artistic practice. Applications for the scholarship are submitted along with the program application.
Submission fee: $25 by January 31, then $35
Recharge New Surrealist Prize
Deadline: January 31
The Recharge New Surrealist Prize is a $7,000 award for painters who are working in the New Surrealist Style and living in the United States and/or U.S. Territories.
Submission fee: none
De Ateliers Two-Year Fellowship
Deadline: February 1
De Ateliers offers a two-year studio and tutoring program, beginning in September 2024, tailored to the needs of highly motivated artists who wish to strengthen their artistic foundation, develop their ideas, and deepen their practice. To facilitate and support their stay in Amsterdam, participants at De Ateliers are able to get access to shared housing and stipends to cover basic costs of living.
Submission fee: €60
Tulsa Artist Fellowship 2025-2027 Award Term
Application open January 18 to February 28
U.S.-based artists and arts workers of any discipline are eligible to apply for this three-year fellowship. Ten fellows will each receive a $150,000 stipend, a $12,000 yearly housing stipend, a $1,200 yearly health stipend, a $1,200 yearly studio assistant stipend, a $1,500 relocation stipend, fully subsidized studio spaces, and access to shared art-making facilities. Applicants must have at least five years of experience.
Submission fee: none
Creative Debuts Monthly Black Artist Grant
Deadline: Rolling
This monthly £500 unrestricted grant is awarded to a U.K.-based Black artist.
Submission fee: none
Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund
Deadline: Rolling
The Adobe Creative Residency program supports creators of visual digital work, offering grants of $10,000 for either a portfolio project or a paid Adobe project commission. This year, in light of the continued invasion of Ukraine, the program is available to refugees, internally displaced persons or individuals otherwise affected by the conflict.
Submission fee: none
Awesome Foundation Grants
Deadline: Rolling
The Awesome Foundation is an ever-growing worldwide community devoted to forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe. The Foundation distributes unrestricted $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. At each fully autonomous chapter—there are 79 in 10 countries—the money is pooled together from the coffers of ten or so self-organizing “micro-trustees” and given to creatives, no strings attached.
Submission fee: none
See all opportunities
As a paid subscriber, you can access a full list of all current opportunities anytime without having to search back through earlier issues to find information and links—it’s all in one place! Visit yngspc.com/opportunities.
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