People often ask me if I’m a collector. This came up again at a recent art opening when I was chatting about both the work in the show and the work that I do as an editor/curator, and the person I was chatting with asked, “Do you collect, too?”
I’m always slightly embarrassed when this question comes up because the answer is no. Well, not really. It always feels like the wrong answer, or at least a bit ironic, especially when standing in the middle of a white cube gallery space. Every time it comes up, I interrogate why I feel that tinge of guilt, even though there are practical concerns, such as being nomadic—without walls to safely put anything on—and financial. But I also (and this is the part I typically don’t admit) I’ve never been overly interested in owning art.
I know that probably sounds like heresy. In a wider sense, though, it’s related to an aversion I developed years ago to things. I assume it has to do with my nomadism. Ever since I was 18, I moved every other year or so, and I was constantly cycling through my belongings, purchasing what I needed, followed by donating or offloading various items to friends when I left, then starting the cycle over in the next place.
Now, I’m more frequently on the road, all of my earthly belongings either packed in organized chaos in the back of a vehicle or safely stowed in a storage unit in my hometown until… sometime. Who knows when these items will surface? I feel bad for the lovely drawings and paintings sitting in a dark room with no one to gaze at them.
More broadly, I’ve been thinking about the nature of possession. I recently read Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire for the first time. I’ve been talking about it nonstop because some of his observations are so prescient and relatable that I could hardly put it down. I also happened to be headed for the Southwest when I purchased my copy. (I guess I don’t have an aversion to books.)
In one key instance in the beginning, when he arrives at Arches National Monument (now Arches National Park) in Utah in the mid-1950s, prior to its modernization, he briefly mentions a temporary yet overwhelming sense of needing to possess everything he sees. He wants full control, total dominion. But he quickly comes to his senses, knowing that the landscape belongs to everyone and no one all at once. It cannot be possessed.
Through this lens, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that nature and art are often paralleled. I revel in the experience of art—the museums, the galleries, the artists’ studios, the sculptures in situ, even a fair every now and again—but somehow, for some reason, the magic is slightly lost if a work of art ultimately comes into my possession.
I have both purchased and been gifted some incredible work over the years. I enjoy it immensely. But what I enjoy even more is knowing that an interaction may be brief; I need to absorb from it what I can. I enjoy the context of a temporary installation, knowing that its particular context will never be replicated. I love stumbling upon something unexpected that takes my breath away. I love revisiting work in a public collection because I don’t get to see it very often.
In terms of actively collecting, it’s difficult for me to view art through a purchasable lens. For me, art is the experience of speaking with artists, writing down observations, exploring philosophies, dabbling in different techniques… I love it so much out in the world. This is, of course, not to say that collecting isn’t a thrill, a lifestyle (an enviable one!), or a wonderful and direct way to support artists. People should do it more.
Perhaps I’ll change my tune when I have walls suitable for paintings and tabletops that remain in one place long enough to support a sculpture or two.
See you next week!
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Phuong Nguyen
Four exhibitions in Claverack, New York City, and San Francisco
Eight opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Phuong Nguyen
Toronto-based artist Phuong Nguyen’s experimental weavings and oil paintings hover inside elaborately hand-carved frames, gripping the edges as if they’d otherwise float away. Grommets, ribbons, and domestic items often facilitate or appear to grow from within the warp and weft, nodding to garments and home decor.
Nguyen explores themes of self-discovery through what she describes as “self-tokenism and fantasy,” referencing the aesthetics of Chinoiserie—the imitation of Chinese motifs popularized in the 18th century in Western art and ornamentation—along with ideas of femininity and Ornamentalism in South East Asia.
See more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | JAMES COHAN GALLERY
Ranti Bam: Anima
Anima marks British-Nigerian artist Ranti Bam’s first New York exhibition, confronting notions of vulnerability and care. The artist creates clay forms that draw on the concept of anima, which refers to the soul in Latin or to the feminine spirit in Jungian philosophy. At James Cohan, Bam presents two related bodies of work: abstract vessels and Ifas.
Runs through July 26
NEW YORK CITY | STELLARHIGHWAY
Megan Rea: The Hand That Feeds
London-based artist Megan Rea’s shaped and uneven surfaces are made from hand-constructed papers, referencing medieval imagery. I love how the gallery describes her pieces as “weathered frescoes,” as if they have been salvaged from a crumbling plaster wall.
Runs through August 4
SAN FRANCISCO | ICA
Suchitra Mattai: she walked in reverse and found their songs
I was so excited to learn about Suchitra Mattai’s major solo show at ICA San Francisco, featuring her characteristic large-scale installations and wall sculptures made from vintage saris. She incorporates techniques passed down in her family through the generations, weaving materials into “a collective story of migration and gendered labor.”
Runs through September 15
CLAVERACK | THE CAMPUS
2024 Inaugural Exhibition
A major collaborative endeavor opened this past weekend in the Hudson Valley, combining the visions of galleries Bortolami, James Cohan, kaufmann repetto, Anton Kern, Andrew Kreps, and kurimanzutto into The Campus. The inaugural exhibition is organized by Timo Kappeller. Pictured above is an installation view of Barbara Kasten, presented by Bortolami, in classrooms 4-7.
Runs through October 27
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.
Grand Canyon Conservancy Artist-in-Residence
Deadline: July 15
The Artist in Residence program at Grand Canyon National Park offers artists the opportunity to practice and share their discipline with park visitors at one of the most beautiful sites in the world. Through impactful, site-specific, community-engaged work, the program seeks to inspire the community to deepen their knowledge of Grand Canyon National Park. Contemporary artists focused on site-specific community engagement, social practice, and immersive or interactive artworks are encouraged to apply. Residencies may run three to ten weeks between February - April and June - August. Artists receive accommodation, $200 for travel, up to $300 for supplies, a $750 stipend per week, backcountry trip support, limited staff support, special access to park roads and trails, and more.
Submission fee: A donation of any amount
Loghaven Artist Residency
Deadline: July 15
Loghaven Artist Residency’s mission is to serve artists by providing them with a transformative residency experience and continued post-residency support. The residency is located on ninety acres of woodland in Knoxville, Tennessee. Artists working in Writing, Visual Arts, Dance, Theater, Music Composition, Architecture, and Interdisciplinary Work can apply to receive room and board and an $850 weekly living stipend to support the creation of new work during a residency. Artists live in five historic log cabins that have been both rehabilitated and modernized to create an ideal setting for reflection and work, and they have access to new, purpose-built studio space.
Submission fee: none
Artadia 21c Research Triangle Award
Deadline: July 15
Launched in Louisville, KY in 2021, the 21c Artadia Award marked the beginning of a long-term partnership, which annually provides $15,000 in unrestricted funds to one artist living and working in the unique creative communities where 21c Museum Hotels are located. The 2024 award is slated for Cincinnati, Ohio.
Submission fee: none
Open Call for Art for Change Prize at Saatchi Gallery
Deadline: July 17
This opportunity is part of Saatchi's mission to make art, culture, and creativity accessible to everyone, with a prize that celebrates emerging artistic talent. Emerging artists around the world in the first five years of active practice are eligible. This year’s prize asks artists to creatively respond to the theme "Tomorrow'ing: Visions of a better future." A total prize fund of £20,000 will be split between six winners, five to receive £2,000 and one overall winner to receive £10,000. Winning artists will exhibit their work at Saatchi Gallery in London.
Submission fee: none
Crosstown Arts Residency in Memphis
Deadline: July 20
Crosstown Arts offers multidisciplinary residencies in Memphis, Tennessee, to visiting and Memphis-based artists and curators working in any creative discipline including visual arts, music, film, and writing in all genres. All residencies include a private studio workspace. Studios have varying configurations and amenities. In addition to a private practice space, musician residencies include other amenities through Crosstown Arts Musician & Artist Services department. Live/work residencies also include a furnished private bedroom/bathroom next to a common living area and kitchen. Some accessible housing is available for differently abled residents. All residencies are offered at no cost to participants, who are responsible for covering their own studio materials and travel expenses to and from Memphis.
Submission fee: none
2025 Sunroom Project Space Open Call
Deadline: June 21
The Sunroom Project Space provides an opportunity for New York City-area artists at the early stages of their career, irrespective of their age, to develop and present a site-specific solo project at Wave Hill. Five artists will be selected for solo exhibitions and will receive an honorarium of $2,000 each. One artist will be selected to present a site-specific project or a series of performances on Glyndor Terrace with an honorarium of $6,000. In addition, Sunroom Project Space artists will receive exhibition and professional development support.
Submission fee: none
Lee Ufan Arles x Guerlain Art & Environment Prize
Deadline: July 30
In 2023, Lee Ufan Arles and Maison Guerlain have joined forces to create the Art & Environment Prize, awarded each year to a work of universal scope whose philosophical depth echoes that of Lee Ufan. The link to the environment resonates with the values defended by the Maison Guerlain. The winner will benefit from a six- to eight-week support program at the beginning of 2025, with a production space and accommodation in the heart of Arles. A member of the Lee Ufan Arles team is assigned to support the prize-winner's artistic project, through meetings with international and local artists, curators, and other players. The residency is followed by a summer exhibition of the artist's work in one of the Lee Ufan Arles spaces. The artist in residence will receive free accommodation and a grant of €2,000 per month. In addition to the residency grant, the winning artist will receive an exhibition fee of €2,000.
Submission fee: none
2024 Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program in San Antonio, Texas
Deadline: July 31
This competitive program is open to immigrant artists from all disciplines who live and work in San Antonio, Texas. Accepted participants will receive 1-on-1 mentorship, networking opportunities, professional development workshops, a $200 stipend, and have the opportunity to participate in an exhibition in the University of Texas San Antonio’s Russell Hill Rogers Galleries in Fall 2025.
Submission fee: none
If your organization hosts valuable opportunities for artists and you’d like to learn more about featuring it in this digest and on Instagram, I’d love to hear from you! Reply to this email to inquire or check out yngspc.com/sponsor.
See all opportunities
Paid subscribers can access a full list of all current opportunities anytime—updated at least a couple of times each week.
Whether you’re a free or paid subscriber, you can also browse through listings in earlier digests in the archive.
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