Hello, friends!
The last few weeks, I’ve been working on moving into a new studio/office, an operations base for my projects in a little creative complex in rural north-central Wisconsin called Standard Projects. The building is a former bank-turned-police-station, and the place has been a constant work in progress as long as I’ve known it. I’m working on a little bookshop and eventually—just maybe!—a little gallery program. We’ll see what happens. I like to go with the flow.
There are interesting mid-century nooks everywhere, from a vault to a cavernous garage where the fire engines lived. A 1970s Airstream trailer was remodeled from scratch in there at one point, then it was a wood shop, and there was even a brief series of artist residencies, a recording studio, and a variety of other projects throughout the building. In what used to be the main hub of operations toward the back, Young Space hosted its first group show in 2017, and the rest is history.
It’s fun to be back in a space where creative energy is always humming and change is constant. One doesn’t often get the opportunity to really feel how much has changed, or in other words, truly comprehend how much has been accomplished. I think this is really important for anyone working on their own most of the time, navigating the ins and outs of a creative practice or entrepreneurship. When you’re so focused on steering the ship, there’s often no time to look back at where you’ve been or understand how far you’ve come.
If you’re always tinkering and experimenting, there’s no way you haven’t made, in a broader sense, great strides. When an opportunity to reflect on that presents itself, it’s such a treat to recognize that, actually, so much has happened! And that can be very empowering for moving forward.
On a side note, I’m heading to Chicago tomorrow for EXPO CHICAGO, which I haven’t visited for quite a long time. I’m looking forward to checking out some great art in the Windy City! I’m always excited for the opportunity to learn about new work and see great presentations in the Midwest.
See you next week!
—Kate
What you’ll find this week:
Featured artist: Cándida González
Five exhibitions on view this week in Chicago, London, Los Angeles, and New York
Eleven opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Cándida González
“I have always enjoyed creating altars in my home from an early age—general altars or altars dedicated to a specific thing or energy,” says Minneapolis-based artist Cándida González. Their detailed installations draw on the interconnections between family history, cultural heritage, and a sense of belonging between two distant locales: Minnesota and Puerto Rico. “I think that anything is an altar if it is an intentionally-made space serving to honor something that you consider sacred,” the artist says.
In their solo exhibition Blood Memory at Public Functionary in Minneapolis, González explores the diasporic experience, digging into spiritual and cultural ties to a place far from their current home. That separation spurred an installation for which the show is named, conceived during pandemic quarantine in 2020 when travel plans were curtailed.
The artist began thinking of ways to bridge the experience of being stuck in the house in Minneapolis with being in Puerto Rico, drawing on the healing power of memory and affinity for her body and spirit during a challenging time. A statement for the show asks, “For people living in diaspora, particularly the Puerto Rican diaspora, how do we connect to blood memories through objects and sensorial experiences when we are miles away from our ancestral homes?”
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Exhibitions
LONDON | UNIT
Jess Allen: This Is Now
Jess Allen’s oil paintings meditate on the idea of presence, drawing us in to moments of quiet in private, domestic worlds, their anonymous denizens passing through a hall, napping on a couch, or lingering in another room.
Runs through April 21
LONDON | MAMOTH
Oliver Clegg: Sometimes, Forever
The subject matter of Oliver Clegg’s paintings has varied from cat paintings to Happy Meal toys sourced from eBay listings, and the substrate itself is composed of salvaged wood, calling attention to the subjectivity of so-called “throwaway” objects.
Runs through May 4
LOS ANGELES | MOSKOWITZ BAYSE
Ernesto Renda: The Moment of Truth
If there were paintings of the feeling of people competing for attention and talking over each other really loudly, they would be by Ernesto Renda. Shadows overlap and spotlights create disorienting contrast in pastel on black-primed canvas, with black-pigmented hot glue figures perched on top as they enact various exercises and mundane activities.
Runs through May 11
NEW YORK CITY | CLAIRE OLIVER GALLERY
Teetering on the Brink: Femininity, Inheritance, and Disaster
This three-person show marks the New York City debuts of work by Sami Tsang (pictured), Ebony Russell, and Suyao Tian. Tsang’s stoneware figures navigate personal memory and conflicts within; Russell’s decadent sculptures tap into a slightly sinister side of cake decorating; and Suyao Tian’s paintings subtly reference the human form in an abstract botanical world.
Runs through May 11
CHICAGO | ANDREW RAFACZ
Soumya Netrabile: mono no aware
I’ve long been a fan of Soumya Netrabile’s glowing canvases, which often brim with florals amidst warm, deep tones. For this solo show, she draws on the Japanese idiom mono no aware, which translates to “the pathos of things.”
Runs April 12 to May 25
Artist Opportunities
Deadlines are coming up soon to apply for these grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.
Paid subscribers, access a list of dozens of current opportunities anytime at yngspc.com/opportunities.
University of Toronto Artist in Residence
Deadline: April 12
The residency at the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto provides financial and other material support for artists working in any medium whose work centers on LGBTQ2S+ lives, communities, histories, and cultures and expressly concentrates on: 1) the role art plays in expanding how we think about sexual diversity, and 2) relations between art, activism, and social justice. In addition to support for an artistic showcase, the successful candidate will also receive a stipend of CAD $20,000.
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
Abbey Mural Prize
Deadline: April 22
The Abbey Mural Prize awards grants to support the creation and restoration of public murals in the United States. Juried by artist and architect members of the National Academy, the Abbey Mural Prize supports projects with grants ranging from $10,000 to $40,000. Grants are awarded to create or restore public murals, especially those that promote accessibility and serve local audiences.
Submission fee: none
Harpo Foundation Grants for Visual Artists
Deadline: April 29
Harpo Foundation Grants for Visual Artists are awarded to under-recognized artists 21 years or older who live in the U.S. Awards are made up to $10,000 toward the development of new work.
Submission fee: $15
Harpo Foundation Impact Award for Native American Artists
Deadline: April 29
A $25,000 fellowship will be rewarded to amplify the contributions of under-recognized Native American contemporary visual artists.
Submission fee: none
French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici Arts and Craft Residencies
Deadline: April 30
Candidates must present a detailed design project specifying the design methods, and if necessary, the identification of production partners in Italy, the technical specifications, a production budget, and a timetable for completion. Artists receive up to €1,000 to cover transporration, a grant of €2,500, and a production grant awarded on the basis of the project, up to €5,000.
Submission fee: none
Fort Union National Monument Artist in Residence
Deadline: April 30
Nestled against the far tip of the Sangre de Cristo Range and facing the great plains, Fort Union National Monument is one of New Mexico’s legendary and historic frontier army posts, located in Mora County near Watrous, NM, was the hub of commerce, national defense, and migration at the final stretch of the Santa Fe Trail. Open to all artists, writers musicians or performance artists. Participant receives housing in Park Service housing suitable for solo artists and couples and a $1,000 stipend.
Submission fee: none
U.K. International Collaboration Grants
Deadline: April 30
This £1 million grants programme supports the creation of new cultural collaborations between U.K. artists, arts professionals, and organizations and their peers around the world. The grants encourage new bilateral and multilateral partnerships, providing funding to enable organizations to make and develop creative artwork with their international peers, and help individual artists find innovative ways of collaborating. Available grants range between £25,000 and £75,000.
Submission fee: none
AiR 351 / CAC Grant 2024
Deadline: April 30
AiR 351 and the Municipality of Torres Vedras, Portugal, have developed a partnership towards implementing a program of art residencies within the Centro de Artes e Criatividade (CAC), held at its headquarters and managed by AiR 351. The call is targeted to artists and curators from all countries at any stage of practice. Three grants are available for €1,100 per month to cover living expenses for a period of 3 months and accommodation at walking distance from CAC (2 minutes). The grant will also cover the fees for the artist/curator to be a member of AiR 351 during that period (normally €500).
Submission fee: none
SPUD New Forest National Park Residency
Deadline: April 30
Artists from all disciplines are invited to submit expressions of interest to undertake a paid residency. New Forest National Park is looking for artists from the U.K. or internationally with a clear direction in their personal practice. Two residency periods run October 1 - 31, 2024, and May 5 - June 2, 2025. The value of each residency is £8,000, which includes a cash payment to the selected artists of £3750, plus £1250 towards travel and materials.
Submission fee: none
Hampstead Art Society Open Call
Deadline: April 30
Hampstead Art Society welcomes submissions for its international exhibition and prize. HAS awards a £3,000 main cash prize, prizes from Cass Art, and more.
Submission fee: £12 per work, up to 7 entries
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