Hello, friends—
Happy spring!? It’s been a bit of a trip here in the Upper Midwest, where it has been quite mild since early February. No one has ruled out that there may yet be a blizzard—we’ve gotten them as late as May. Nonetheless, while the days have been mild, it’s been nice to open some windows and even sit outside for a bit.
I’ve been thinking a lot about what I consider a sort of trickle-down effect of networking—which, if you know me, you know I do not care for that. I remember going to “lunches” with local businesspeople in my little city when I was feeling my way through entrepreneurship right out of grad school, and no one has ever felt more like a fish out of water. I learned quickly that when people say, “You should network,” they don’t mean just go to places where there are lots of people who like to hand out business cards, just because they are there. It doesn’t necessarily follow that you should be, too.
What is valuable—but of course sometimes difficult to determine or find—is an opportunity to connect with like-minded folks in an organic, collaborative setting.
Last December, I went to the art fairs in Miami to catch up on the “scene,” in a way, as it had been a couple of years since I had been to any art fair, anywhere. I wanted to see what was going on, and a gallerist/friend and collaborator of mine urged me to consider it because he thought (correctly) it might be nice to gauge how things had changed over the past five years.
I was characteristically hesitant, wondering if it was worth the expense to go all the way there for “no real reason.” Except that I knew a few gallerists who were exhibiting, and I told myself that if all I did was swing through and say hello, it was better than being absent altogether. Ostensibly, I was also doing a lot of research for articles and had a curatorial project in the back of my mind.
Once I was there, I ran into folks I didn’t even know would be there, had lunch and coffee with artists I’ve worked with previously, got totally overwhelmed at Art Basel (as you do), met people from the art book distributors I’ve worked with, and caught up with gallerists whose programs I have admired for a long time.
[As an aside, efforts to talk to gallerists or the folks in the booth when you’re not clearly a buyer is a crapshoot. It can be the greatest conversation you’ve had all morning or they might look at you like you like a waste of space—and everything in between—but I’ve just learned over time that if the attitude is sour, then there’s no point trying to further anything there. That info can be very useful, too.]
More to my point, it’s been an interesting study over the past few weeks of how casual, spontaneous, or unexpected conversations can lead to collaborations down the line. I know that if I had not gone to Miami, I wouldn’t have run into some prior collaborators from Brooklyn who had a beautiful booth at Untitled and with whom I’m now co-curating a new exhibition. And if I hadn’t been invited to dinner with another couple, I wouldn’t have had the chance to write a text for one of their upcoming exhibitions in Chicago.
Networking is fluid, and at its best it’s organic and genuine. My favorite way to do it is through projects, which ultimately involve numerous players. Having a reason to reach out to people is probably the reason I created the entity that is Young Space to begin with. It gave me an “excuse.” Dovetail is another excuse. Curating a show is one, and so is hosting an event. I realize I do better in a proactive role, but I relish the times when connections just happen. Those opportunities are rare, but they are the most interesting, and it’s worth keeping an eye open for them.
See you next week!
—Kate
P.S. Paid subscribers, in addition to the list below, you can find more opportunities further into the spring and beyond on yngspc.com/opportunities. If you need the password, reply to this email and I’ll send it to you asap. The list is updated a few times each week.
Consider becoming a paid subscriber to keep this digest going in addition to directly supporting independent arts writing and publishing on Dovetail.You’ll be the first to see new opportunities, with access to the entire list all in one place. Thank you!
What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Noah Schneiderman
Five exhibitions on view this week in Basel, Denver, Glasgow, and London
Thirteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Noah Schneiderman
The first thing that captured my attention about Noah Schneiderman’s paintings is the earthiness. In fact, the Los Angeles-based artist uses naturally-occurring pigments from materials like mud, bark, roots, flowers, and insects. It immediately brought to mind Gaia, the personification of the Earth in ancient Greek mythology; the mother of all life. The artist describes the paintings as “mirrors to my inner life and as objects of spiritual utility.”
Schneiderman’s process involves dyeing, through which incidental marks and patterns emerge around spectral central figures—sometimes just the suggestion of them. “These discoveries help to cultivate an understanding of self and an understanding of the world,” the artists says, thinking of the work as a “confluence of the internal and external” as a bridge between our present and the truth, opening up timeless questions about existence, who we are, or why. Nature, the mystical, and memory mingle as Schneiderman seeks “to brush against that which lies just beneath the surface of everyday life.”
The artist has work in The Second Body at Soho Revue in London through March 27 and Unseen Orchestra at Make Room LA, which continues through March 29. Schneiderman also has an upcoming show at Europa in the spring. Find more on his Instagram.
Exhibitions
DENVER | PHILIP J. STEELE GALLERY at ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN
Esteban Cabeza de Baca: West of Federal
This one closes this week but it’s well worth a mention—and a visit if you find yourself in the Mile High City. Cabeza de Baca, who’s based in Queens, draws on connections to Colorado, the title a reference to the culturally significant Federal Boulevard with a long history of Mexican American residents, activism, language, food, culture, and art.
Runs through March 22
LONDON | THE APPROACH
Out of Earth
One of my all-time favorite galleries to visit in London, due not in small part to its location above a great pub (but don’t let that fool you, it’s a stunning multi-room space above). This is an elegant painting show with work by Bill Lynch, James Owens, Ellen Siebers, and Amy Winstanley.
Runs through March 30
LONDON | HUXLEY PARLOUR
Alexis Rockman: Conflagration
There may not be a more dangerous, visceral image of the climate crisis than a wildfire ripping through a landscape. In Alexis Rockman’s solo show at Huxley Parlour, the artist approaches the subject head on in a painterly style she refers to as “natural history psychedelia.”
Runs through April 13
BASEL | CFA
Dead Can Dance
Featuring a blend of works by emerging and established contemporary artists, Dead Can Dance examines the age-old fascination with death, calling up folklore and medieval emergence of the skeleton and its “dance of death.” The show features work by Cecily Brown, Nick Goss (pictured), Leiko Ikemura, Raymond Pettibon, Water Pichler, Maja Ruznic, Dana Schutz, Norbert Schwontkowski, and Dash Snow.
Runs through April 20
GLASGOW | THE MODERN INSTITUTE
France-Lise McGurn: What Everyone Wants
France-Lise McGurn’s washy, chromatic paintings employ a figurative style that evokes Katz or even Nagel, emphasizing line and color in study of the female gaze.
Runs through April 20
Artist Opportunities
Young Space emphasizes fully-funded opportunities with low or no entry fees and programs that focus on creative and professional development for visual artists. Deadlines are coming up soon to apply for these grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.
Plum Lime Residency Spring 2024 Session | Featured
Deadline: April 7
The Plum Lime Residency will provide one artist with a large private studio in the Chelsea Gallery District of New York City for 4 weeks (May 8 - June 7, 2024) to create a new body of work, host studio visits, and take advantage of being in the heart of Chelsea! The Spring 2024 resident will also receive a studio visit from a gallerist/curator and will culminate their residency with an Open Studio event on June 8th.
Submission fee: $20 until March 24, then $25
Old Parcels Office Artspace Residency in Scarborough
Deadline: March 25
The Old Parcels Office Artspace's first artist’s residency is offered as part of their partnership with the Coastal North Collective. The residency runs for 8 weeks (April 8 to May 31, 2024) and offers artists of any discipline the chance to develop a new body of work in a shared studio space. The selected artist will receive a bursary of £250.
Submission fee: none
New Contemporaries Open Call
Deadline: March 25
New Contemporaries welcomes submissions from emerging and early-career artists who are final year students, recent graduates, and post-graduate students from U.K. art schools and alternative learning programs. Being selected includes exhibiting as part of Bloomberg New Contemporaries 2024. Selected artists are offered an artist’s fee and reasonable travel and accommodation costs covered for the private view of both exhibitions. Selection also includes mentorship opportunities, digital programming, and eligibility for future Studio Bursaries, Residencies, Fellowships, Scholarships and other opportunities.
Submission fee: none
Argyll Heritage Craft Residency 2024 at Cove Park
Deadline: April 1
This fully funded residency is for an Argyll, Scotland-based maker and is scheduled to take place from July 1 to 14, 2024.
Submission fee: none
Fernland Studios Remote Residency for BIPOC Artists
Deadline: April 8
Fernland Studios’ artist residencies provide people with time, financial support, and a network to honor how their work contributes to a larger body of activism, artistry, community, and research. This year’s session will run remotely on Fridays from June 14 to August 2. This program is provided at no cost to the applicant, and Fernland Studios provides $1,000 for participants to use toward their creative practice.
Submission fee: none
Hopper Prize
Deadline: April 9
Hopper Prize awards six grants each spring (and an additional six in the fall), including two grants of $3,500 and four grants of $1,000.
Submission fee: $40
ALA for Art Prize
Deadline: April 10
ALA Art Prize was started in 2021 with the aim of supporting, enhancing, and promoting contemporary artists. Through a free open call, artists are invited to create an original site-specific project for ALA's premises, establishing a space for discussion between art, business, and contemporary creativity. The awarded artwork will become part of the permanent art collection housed in the headquarters of the company, within the Teatro Mediterraneo of Mostra d'Oltremare in Naples, Italy. The winning project will be awarded an all-in-one cash prize of €10,000. The winning artist will also receive a fee of €2,000.
Submission fee: none
Art Hub Copenhagen Fall 2024 Residency
Deadline: April 10
Each season, AHC invites three artists in residency. In previous years, the program has taken place at Halmtorvet 27, but from spring 2024, the artists who are selected will instead be offered a studio at the Container Academy in Copenhagen’s Nordhavn. The program includes a 16-sq.-meter studio, access to communal workspaces, DKK21,000 per month, meetings with mentors and curators, professional support, and a presentation or public event.
Submission fee: none
Responsa Foundation This Homeland Open Call
Deadline: April 13
This is an exciting opportunity for up to 40 selected artists to be exhibited for a year within three of London’s prime hospital exhibition spaces.
Submission fee: none
National Sculpture Society Dexter Jones Award for Bas Relief
Deadline: April 15
The jury will determine the recipient of the $5,000 Dexter Jones Award based on an outstanding work of sculpture in bas-relief. The use of figurative or realist sculpture or sculpture that is inspired by nature is of greatest interest.
Submission fee: none
Anonymous Was a Woman Environmental Art Grants
Deadline: April 16
The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants (AWAW EAG) will distribute a total of $300,000 in funding—up to $20,000 per project—to support environmental art projects led by women-identifying artists in the United States and U.S. Territories.
Submission fee: none
Mudflat Studio Year-Long Residency
Deadline: April 16
In 1996 Mudflat began offering a one-year residency position to clay artists. This highly competitive program provides a private studio space at no cost with access to Mudflat’s facility, a monthly materials stipend, a monthly housing stipend, and opportunities to teach and sell work.
Submission fee: none
Populus Fund for Omaha Area Artists
Deadline: April 28
In 2024, Populus Fund seeks to fund artist-organized projects that offer opportunities for artists to use their skills to provide experiences, content, materials, activities, platforms, etc. that engage and connect with the community through art. Artists are eligible who live in the any of 35 counties surrounding the Omaha metro area. This year, Populus Fund will award a total of six $10,000 projects proposed by artists or artist groups working outside established institutions.
Submission fee: none
See all opportunities
Paid subscribers can access a full list of all current opportunities, including many that are further in the future or that don’t even make it into the digest on time! The list is updated several times each week. If you’re subscribed and still need the password, simply reply to this email and I’ll send that to you right away.
Whether you’re a free or paid subscriber, can also browse through listings in earlier digests in the archive, which are opened up to all subscribers after two weeks.
Featured listings are supported by paid partnerships. If your organization would like to learn more about how to feature your visual arts opportunity in this digest and on Instagram, inquire by replying to this email.
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