Hello, friends—
This week, I’m back on some old stomping grounds in Northern California, where I spent a formative time as a freshman in college—my first foray out into the big world as a wide-eyed 18-year-old.
The university offered incoming students the opportunity to be a part of a FIG—a freshman interest group—where students with similar majors would all share the same classes, creating (in theory, and in my case, I think successfully) a more tightly-knit community. I was in the Art FIG, and I befriended some wonderful fellow students, all from various parts of California, who also were all rather different from one another but connected through our love of making art.
It’s interesting to circle back to a very specific place after so much time, seeing it with different eyes and appreciating it in ways I couldn’t have then. It was in a tiny lecture hall here that I first learned about Land Art—I remember being completely transfixed by documentation of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. Actually, it was here that first learned about contemporary art, period. I remember thinking, wow, that Andy Warhol guy was really clever.
It took a little while—let’s be honest, many years—to siphon the bits and pieces that spoke most clearly to me and to find the inroads I felt comfortable with, but there’s something pure and perhaps forever-after kind of irretrievable about the first moments—whether minutes or years—of discovering the art form or the creative avenue for you.
When I feel a little unmoored, I like to think back to the kind of unadulterated awe that came with discovering something so exciting for the very first time. The closest thing I can think to compare it to now is the feeling of traveling through an extraordinary place, where your mind and emotions are so wrapped up in a “What’s that!?”—”Let’s go here!”—”Did you see that!?”—kind of experience. It’s the proverbial light bulb blinking on, and then another, and another… Over time, it’s a matter of consciously revisiting that initial sensation so that (hopefully) it never dims too much or goes out.
Adjacent to the university, the town here is small and there really isn’t much art to see, but back when I was in school, I was more than 2,000 miles from home and enjoyed a new kind of freedom. I would bike to the ocean or hike through the redwoods behind campus—on my own schedule. Once or twice I went to the student-run art gallery in the local square, but mostly I hung out with other art students. It was pretty chill.
Slowly but surely, the world began to open up. Art was the lens through which I chose to view it. (Or, interestingly, maybe I didn’t choose it at all.) It’s pretty cool to think about how, over time, some of the earliest impressions indelibly impact everything that comes after.
See you next week!
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Rush Baker IV
Five exhibitions on view this week in Brooklyn, Chicago, Detroit, London, and Ridgefield
Fourteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Rush Baker IV
One traditional way of viewing the process of painting is to think of the ways it is layered onto a surface. “Recently, I’ve been more interested in the gesture as eraser and the act of covering up as opposed to building up,” says Rush Baker IV, “both in terms of the representational aspects of my work and the formal qualities on the surface of the painting. There’s a directness in this approach that intrigues me.”
Alongside photographs or illustrations of specific periods, the artist collects vintage postcards, old magazines, and other historical documents and ephemera that evoke salient narratives that unfolded during the 18th and 19th centuries as the U.S. grappled with division while it quickly expanded west. “Generally speaking, I am drawn to moments in history marked by spontaneous combustion of revolutionary political activity,” Baker says. “These are not necessarily textbook revolutions but rather revolutionary acts that changed the direction of human history in traceable, historically significant ways.”
See more on Dovetail.
Exhibitions
BROOKLYN | CARVALHO PARK
Eutierria
We’re in the final couple of weeks to check out Eutierria at CARVALHO PARK, which it was a pleasure to co-curate with gallery director Jennifer Carvalho. I hope you’ll check it out if you can make it to the area to see work by Taylor Kibby, Liam Lee, Cato Løland, Se Yoon Park, Brian Rattiner, Pauline Shaw, and Grace Woodcock.
Runs through June 29
DETROIT | LOUIS BUHL & CO.
Amy Feigley-Lee: Salon Highlight
Amy Feigley-Lee sources vintage wallpapers from all over the place, in a wide variety of patterns, and applies them in meticulously-cut strips to shaped wooden panels. Incidentally, I also wrote about her work in Colossal, if you want to see even more!
Runs through July 17
LONDON | COOKE LATHAM GALLERY
Laila Tara H: 2002
For this show, Laila Tara H has created an installation “in which the viewer is invited to move through a ‘day’” as they wander through the space, emphasizing a kind of meta impression of gallery and door frame as liminal space.
Runs through July 19
CHICAGO | DOCUMENT
Erin Jane Nelson: Undersight
Atlanta-based artist Erin Jane Nelson’s multimedia stoneware sculptures and tablets incorporate elements of photography and assemblage into dreamy little tableaux. (I also love that she grew up just a couple towns over from where I’m from in Northeast Wisconsin, a crossover that doesn’t happen too often!)
Runs through August 3
RIDGEFIELD, CONNECTICUT | ALDRICH CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
Esther Ruiz: Uncharted
Always a fan of Esther Ruiz’s work with neon, I’m particularly interested in her further explorations of the relationship between the natural and the artificial in her sculptures, which read a bit extraterrestrial in Uncharted.
Runs through September 2
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.
LAST-MINUTE
ABF Breakthrough Artist Fellowship
Deadline: June 21
ABF’s Breakthrough Artist Fellowship was launched in Spring 2024 and is a 10-month program delivered in partnership with selected Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across England and Wales, running from October 2024 to July 2025. AFB Fellows receive £10,000 grant paid directly to the artist in two equal installments, plus a travel bursary to attend in-person Fellowship events; full-time access to studio space and creative facilities provided by HEI partners; access to a qualified mentor/academic staff; and other networking and exhibition opportunities. Artists must be eligible to live, study and work in England or Wales.
Submission fee: none
Harley Foundation Regional Open Call
Deadline: June 30
The Harley Open biennial art competition showcases the best regional art in the Harley Foundation gallery. Entries are accepted by artists from within 100 miles of the gallery (as the crow flies)—located in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, U.K.—and made within the last 2 years. Prizes range from £500 to £2,500.
Submission fee: £10 per work, up to two works
Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts + Agriculture Residencies
Deadline: June 30
Artists, ecological scientists, and scholars wanting to explore connections to nature, land conservation, historic preservation, agriculture and community building projects are invited to Pine Meadow Ranch Center for Arts & Agriculture in Sisters, Oregon. The organization invites artists, ecological scientists, and scholars whose work explores the theme of “Care & Stewardship” to apply for a 2025 residency. Stipends are provided to offset living and travel expenses for out-of-town residents.
Submission fee: none
A Blade of Grass Field Funds for Artist-Led Gatherings
Deadline: June 30
Artists, creative practitioners, and culture bearers with a demonstrated history of creating socially engaged art are invited to apply for a $500 mini-grant to support an artist-led gathering.
Submission fee: none
Light Work Artist-in-Residence Program
Deadline: July 1
Light Work invites between twelve and fifteen artists to Syracuse, New York, to devote one month to creative projects every year. The residency includes a $5,000 stipend, a furnished artist apartment, 24-hour access to our state-of-the-art facilities, and generous staff support. Work by each Artist-in-Residence is published in a special edition of Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual, along with an essay commissioned by Light Work.
Submission fee: none
ARTIST-RUN
Contemporary British Painting Prize 2024
Deadline: July 1
The prize is organized and run by members of CBP, by painters for painters. The prize is in three stages: long-listing; shortlisting for the exhibition; and judging. A minimum of twelve artists will be shortlisted to exhibit by a selection panel of four painter-members of the artist-led group Contemporary British Painting. The winner will receive £8,000, a catalogue essay on their work, an invitation to become a member of Contemporary British Painting as well as a selector for the CBP Prize 2025. The Highly Commended Award is £2,00o; one artist will be selected for the Blyth Gallery Exhibition Award; and the shortlisted artists will each receive a £400 exhibitor’s fee.
Submission fee: £25
RedLine Contemporary Art Center 2-Year Residencies for Colorado Artists
Deadline: July 1
RedLine offers 2-year residencies for 15 to 18 emerging, contemporary artists in Colorado. All Artist Residents and Resource Artists receive fully subsidized studio spaces to provide financial flexibility, giving artists the freedom to explore and experiment without commercial constraints. Resident Artists also receive mentorship, career development, and promotion during their time at RedLine.
Submission fee: none
TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image Residency
Deadline: July 2
TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image invites artists to submit applications to its annual artist-in-residence program. The AIR Program provides support to talented, self-directed, committed artists of all levels who are advancing contemporary photography by incorporating innovative approaches to making in their practice and whose work is aligned with our core values of diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, and justice. Four artists are selected for the fiscal year, with two slots reserved for Philadelphia-based artists, and residencies run for four weeks. Artists receive a $3,000 honorarium; Artist Lab printer and scanner hourly rental fees waived; $1,000 credit for ink and paper usage fees; $1,500 travel/housing stipend for artists living outside of Philadelphia; and a lifetime membership to TILT.
Submission fee: none
Residence NRW*
Deadline: July 5
Residence NRW⁺ is aimed at visual artists and curators with ties to the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and curators from Switzerland. With its four key programme components – dialogue, practice, mentoring and networks – Residence NRW⁺ offers optimum conditions for further developing applicants’ potential in their respective fields of work. Each year Residence NRW⁺ awards four 12-month fellowships to visual artists and four 6-month fellowships to curators. A special feature of the fellowships are the shared facilities for living and working aimed at fostering dialogue and exchange among participants. Suitable accommodation and working space are available free of charge.
Submission fee: none
Rebecca Scott Rome Residency for Artists in North West England
Deadline: July 8
The BSR is happy to announce an exciting opportunity for a studio-based artist living and working in North West England to spend three months at the British School at Rome (early January to late March 2025). The residency allows artists to focus on their practice, free from everyday pressures and distractions, with accommodation, meals and the support of BSR staff all provided. Artists live and work within the BSR’s vibrant international research community, against the backdrop of the splendid, eternally fascinating capital city of Rome. Artists receive a grant of £1,500 per month, a travel grant of £500, board and accommodation in a purpose-designed residential studio, full staff support, and support with studio visits, site visits, exhibitions, and networking, weekly Italian language lessons on-site, 24/7 access to the BSR Library, and opportunities to participate in open studios and to collaborate with local artists.
Submission fee: none
Co-Prosperity Solo Window Exhibition Open Call
Deadline: July 8
Co-Prosperity is delighted to announce that the application for 2025 solo window exhibitions is now open! These are 6-week exhibitions with a work stipend of $1,000. Launched in early 2020, the “Co-Prosperity Peers” solo exhibition series was designed to provide opportunities for emerging artists to have their first one-person shows in Chicago.
Submission fee: none
Request for Qualifications: West Harbor Waterfront Public Art
Deadline: July 8
Angels Gate Cultural Center, the designated Public Art Advisor for the West Harbor Waterfront Development, is seeking multiple proposals for public art of various mediums, including but not limited to, murals, large-scale sculpture, sound art, digital art projections/video displays, and multi-sensory experiences. Selected projects will demonstrate unique artistic perspectives and approaches investigating the Port of Los Angeles and topics relevant to our local, diverse communities that call San Pedro home. This opportunity seeks applications from professional artists/artist-teams based in California. The all-inclusive project budget may range from $1,000 to $80,000 dependent on site, type, location, and scope.
Submission fee: none
Visual Arts Thematic Residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Deadline: July 10
This residency is for visual artists who have completed formal education or training at the post-secondary level, or who have acquired equivalent experience through traditional knowledge and practices, and who have received recognition from their peers. With a focus on studio practice, artists will be encouraged to reflect on “why” they are making art, for “whom”, and to “what” end? In what ways do market influences and institutional expectations consciously or unconsciously impact our work? How does making art heal or help the world? Visual Arts Thematic Residency – The System and Other Universes welcomes participants to consider new, unique, or radical paradigms for being an artist in shifting, uncertain times. This residency runs November 3 to December 7, 2024. A scholarship of 100% is available to cover tuition, with 50% available to offset meals and accommodation costs. If you would like to be considered, complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
Submission fee: CAD$65
ARTIST-RUN
Tiger Strikes Asteroid Los Angeles Open Call for Solo Exhibition
Deadline: July 14
Tiger Strikes Asteroid Los Angeles is pleased to announce a 2024 open call for a solo exhibition, which will run from November 2 to December 10, 2024. The opportunity will include an opening reception on Saturday, November 2, from 7 to 10pm, professional documentation of the installation, and promotion on all TSA LA social media outlets. There will be a $500 honorarium and a $1000 exhibition budget to offset the cost of artist’s travel and transportation of artworks.
Submission fee: $30
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See all opportunities
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