“That’s what I’m interested in: the space in between, the moment of imagining what is possible and yet not knowing what that is.” —Julie Mehretu
Although this newsletter is only about 10 months in the works, it occurred to me earlier this week that I’ve been running Young Space in some way, shape, or form for 10 years!
I started using Instagram to learn about and chat with artists around this time in 2014, as I was wrapping up a master’s degree in Edinburgh. That’s actually pretty much as far as I thought it through at the time. I was vaguely interested in blogging, but mostly I just wanted an outlet for processing what felt quite new to me at the time: exhibitions by emerging contemporary artists.
Young Space was kind of like my entry point into the art world, an “excuse” to talk to artists or gallerists and learn as I went, but I never set out to start a business or anything. It was partly a response to feeling like I didn’t belong in white cube spaces. Having grown up in the Midwest where kids drove their tractors to school and most jobs were in manufacturing, needless to say, there weren’t really any galleries around.
I felt like a fish out of water, and I was never—and often still am not—a fan of the cold or elitist attitude in some galleries. I realize now, of course, not every gallery is like this. But some definitely are. (I usually just choose not to revisit those galleries very much or at all. Back to an earlier note, you just won’t see eye to eye with everyone, and that’s A-OK. Anyway, I digress!)
With Young Space, I just wanted to get to know great work and keep the window open to where I’d been—and the rest of the world—once I’d moved back home to the Upper Midwest.
One of the first trips I took after returning was a brief jaunt to Chicago for EXPO, and when I shared some of my favorite picks from the fair, the account began to blow up. I had no idea at the time what the project would become, but I knew then that it was something, and I was thrilled to be able to connect with other folks in the arts around the world in a way I never realized was possible. (For what it’s worth, despite its algorithmic quirks, I still find Instagram to be the most useful research tool.)
Ten years on, Young Space survived hustle culture (an opening note for another time), a couple of phenomenally failed attempts to start small galleries (alas, I’m doing it again), the pandemic (it actually was going so well during this time that I burnt out and kind of quit—but then I started this newsletter, and I’m so glad I did), and my indecision about its future (which is ongoing, but, I think, necessary).
This project has been and continues to be a wild ride. I’m writing more these days and curating a little less, but having even more fun when I do. I’ve intentionally scaled down rather than up, and approached working in the arts as a holistic endeavor—one that influences just about every aspect of daily living—to find a balance or dialogue between art, work, and life that is sustainable and enjoyable.
It’s an immense honor to run Young Space. It also wouldn’t be here without you, or without the artists who make the work it’s such a privilege to share. Whether you’ve been checking in for ten minutes or the past decade, I really, really appreciate it. Thank you!
See you next week.
—Kate
Consider becoming a paid subscriber and directly support this newsletter and independent arts writing on Dovetail. You’ll be the first to see new opportunities, with access to the entire list all in one place—updated a few times each week.
What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Filip Lav
Six exhibitions to see in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, and Providence
Sixteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Filip Lav
I ran across Filip Lav’s work recently almost by accident, but it was the sort of magical “discovery” moment that reminds me why it’s still worthwhile to do the ol’ scroll through Instagram from time to time. He’s a recent participant in one of my favorite alternative education initiatives, the Turps Studio Programme.
Lav builds paintings that seem to exist simultaneously as a unified whole and as separate paintings unto themselves that could be peeled off and live alone as resolved compositions. Emphasizing pattern, his pieces are anything but flat, almost as if numerous panes of stained glass have been superimposed to tell overlapping, fuzzy narratives. Or from a distance, they also read rather textile-like, as if ornate rugs have turned fluid.
In early 2025, Lav will be exhibiting in duo shows at F2T in Milan and Split Gallery in London. Follow updates on Instagram.
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | SITTING ROOM GALLERY
ARTIFICE
ARTIFICE explores how artists employ illusion and craft to subvert reality, often calling into question the nature of human perception. The multimedia show includes pieces by Thomas Blair, Lena Christakis, Luca Leung, Asher Liftin (pictured), Lukas Milanak, Danny Sobor, and Giancarlo Venturini.
Runs through October 11
LOS ANGELES | SARAH BROOK GALLERY
Ted Gahl/Lydia Enriquez
The first collaborative show of artist-couple Ted Gahl and Lydia Enriquez, who work in painting and mixed-media works respectively, juxtaposes Gahl’s fuzzy, dreamlike, figurative works with Enriquez’s meditative, sculptural works made of plaster, pigments, and finishes like mica and gold leaf.
Runs through October 12
LOS ANGELES | KNOWN GALLERY
Second World
KNOWN presents a group show of dynamic works on paper by nine artists, including Casey Baden, Kyle De Lotto, Greg Eberhardt, Luke Forsyth, Starkey Fossgreen, June Gutman, Michael Haight (pictured), Elías Hernandez, and Hannah Tishkoff.
Runs through October 12
BROOKLYN | CARVALHO PARK
Liam Lee and Elisabeth Perrault: Who Counts the Steps of the Sun
Works by Liam Lee and Elisabeth Perrault come together in this duo show exploring nature and the garden— “a subject, a source of beauty, spirituality, and knowledge.”
Runs through November 2
MILWAUKEE | PORTRAIT SOCIETY GALLERY
Criss Cross
Portrait Society Gallery’s Criss Cross is the second in a series of large-scale group exhibitions dedicated to textiles and fiber, including 27 regional and national artists who stitch, weave, tuft, layer, or build with fabric.
Runs through November 9
PROVIDENCE | THE BELL at BROWN UNIVERSITY
Franklin Williams: It’s About Love
Lush pattern, texture, and abstracted figurative elements come together in Williams’s whimsical paintings and assemblages, in which he “tenderly evokes familial and romantic love, death, sorrow, lust, and humor.”
Runs through December 8
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.
Paid subscribers, check out the whole list anytime at yngspc.com/opportunities and enter the password you received in your signup email. Can’t find it? Just shoot me a note. Thank your for your support!
The Bennett Prize
Deadline: October 4
The Bennett Prize, created in 2018, awards $50,000 to a woman artist to create her own solo exhibition of figurative realist paintings, which then travels the country. The prize propels the careers of women painters who have not yet realized full professional recognition, empowering new artists and those who have painted for many years.
Submission fee: $40
National Sculpture Society Marilyn Newmark Memorial Grant
Deadline: October 7
The Marilyn Newmark Memorial Grant is a $5,000 prize for a sculptor specializing in animal sculpture, who has demonstrated a commitment to sculpting and outstanding ability in his/her/their body of work. Applicants cannot be elected members of the National Sculpture Society. All applicants must be citizens or residents of the United States.
Submission fee: none
National Sculpture Society Alex J. Ettl Grant
Deadline: October 7
The Alex J. Ettl Grant is a prize of $5,000 sponsored by the National Sculpture Society. It is awarded annually to a figurative or realist sculptor who has demonstrated a commitment to sculpting and outstanding ability in his/her/their body of work. All applicants must be citizens or residents of the United States.
Submission fee: none
Green Box Artist Residency Program
Deadline: October 11
The Green Box Artist Residency Program offers artists of national and international stature, across diverse disciplines, and at any stage in their career the opportunity to create new works while living in and engaging with the community of Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. 2025 Residency Opportunities:
Art Installation Rooms: 1-2 residencies are available for artists to create immersive, interactive interior spaces. These residencies will take place before June 2025.
Arts Journalism Residency: A unique opportunity combining a two-week spring residency with on-site presence during the 2025 Green Box Arts Festival (June 27 - July 12, 2025). The selected artist will create feature articles in advance of the Festival, write daily blog posts reviewing Festival events, and provide pre/post-context conversations during Festival events.
Dance Residency: 1-2 residencies between September and November 2025, utilizing the newly restored Sallie Bush Community Center in Green Mountain Falls as the primary studio space.
Open Project Residencies: 1-2 additional residencies to be determined based on applications received.
Private housing is provided as well as stipends in amounts of $9,000 for individual artists, $12,000 for duo residencies, and $15,000 for trio or larger ensemble residencies.
Submission fee: none
Gasworks Residency for Artists Based in Vietnam
Deadline: October 14
This residency open call is for an early-career artist based in Italy. The eleven-week, fully funded residency will take place at Gasworks in London from April 7 to June 23, 2025. Gasworks provides administrative, pastoral, and curatorial support throughout the residency but expect residents to be self-motivated and to lead on the research and production of their own work.
Submission fee: none
Vermont Studio Center Residencies
Deadline: October 15
VSC’s residency program welcomes artists and writers working across all mediums and genres for two, three, and four week sessions. A VSC residency provides artists and writers the time and space to focus on their creative practice in an inclusive, international community within a small Vermont village. Residents enjoy well-lit, private studios within a short walk to residency housing, dining hall, and local amenities. Studio spaces range from 170 to 300 sq.ft., and accommodations include a private room and shared common areas. The campus includes a print shop, digital lab, and metal, wood, ceramic facility. A number of fellowships are available, fully funding more than a third of VSC residencies.
Submission fee: $25
Art Omi Residencies
Deadline: October 15
Art Omi: Artists invites artists, critics, and curators from around the world—representing a wide diversity of artistic styles and practices—to gather in rural New York to experiment, collaborate, and share ideas. Each session, two dozen international artists are invited to the program, along with two critics/curators who participate as Critic Emeritus and Critic/Curator-in-Residence. There is no fee to attend, and a variety of fellowships are available.
Submission fee: none
Great Basin National Park 2025 Artist-in-Residence
Deadline: October 15
At the remote Great Basin National Park, artists will be surrounded by the natural beauty of the park from the 13,063-foot summit of Wheeler Peak to the depths of Lehman Caves. The park offers the solitude of the wilderness and provides expansive and renowned dark-sky stargazing. The park selects artists of many mediums and encourages anybody who considers themselves an artist to apply. GBNP is selecting 3 residents from this call:
Winter: a 2-3 week residency during January and February
Summer: a 2-3 week residency during July and August
Fall: a 2-3 week residency during September and October
The selected artists will be awarded housing (either camping or lodging, depending on the season) but no other stipend. The artists must pay for their own travel as well as food and other expenditures.
Submission fee: none
Artist Residencies Enschede (ARE)
Deadline: October 15
ARE invites international artists to apply for the artist-in-residence program in Enschede for 2025. ARE offers 6 residency spots across 3 periods, and artists may indicate their first and second period preferences: for January-March, May-July, or September-November. Applications are welcome applications from visual artists in any discipline who can communicate in English and are open to collaborative projects with other artists, cultural institutions, or local communities. The residency includes free housing, studio space, basic tools, wifi, a bicycle, and a material budget. Each artist will have the opportunity for a solo exhibition or presentation in the end of the residency.
Submission fee: none
Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice Grants
Deadline: October 21
Collective Imagination for Spatial Justice grants support teams of Massachusetts-based creatives and community members to do the important work of imagining: What does public art that fosters positive social change look, sound, and feel like in your community? A new cohort of Collective Imagination Teams will be selected to participate in a six-month imagination journey from January through June 2025. Each team will receive a $6,000 grant.
Submission fee: none
Creative Scotland Bursaries for Visual Artists and Craft Makers
Deadline: October 22
The purpose of these bursaries is to support visual artists and craft makers in their creative and professional development. VACMA is supported by Creative Scotland through funding from the National Lottery, and in 2024/25, VACMA is offering fixed bursaries of £500 and £1000.
£500 Early-Career Bursary is for artists and makers that have been practicing for less than 5 years. This includes recent graduates (2019 or later) and those that have not studied art formally but have been practicing as an artist or maker for up to 5 years.
£1,000 Bursary is for artists and makers who have been practicing for over 5 years, regardless of whether they have gone through formal education or not.
Submission fee: none
Rbhu Gives Back Grants for Art Engineering Services
Deadline: October 28
The Rbhu Gives Back Grants offer $12,000 worth of free engineering services to artists in need. Any art piece that needs engineering services is eligible. A total of three awards will be announced, one covering 100% of a project up to $6,000, and two awards covering 50%, up to $3,000 worth of services.
Submission fee: none
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.
Visit on the Young Space Instagram.
Read more on Dovetail.
Having experienced "burn out" myself (about 8 years ago, working in a completely different industry), I know how difficult it is. Climbing my way out of it was slow and confusing, but the greatest lesson I received was that often in our darkest or most troubling times, we discover the greatest gifts, opportunities, etc. For me, I picked up a paint brush for the first time in 30 years and now I do it full time - go figure.
You started this newsletter after your burnout and as you said "I'm so glad I did." As one who looks forward to and thoroughly enjoys it, I am so glad you did as well.
Please keep writing and sharing your journey with us.