“The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.” —Francis Bacon
I had a great chat with a friend and colleague this week, who has been running a successful gallery for more than a decade and thinking about ways to both stay nimble and what it might mean to try a new space or inject some different energy into the gallery model itself. It got me thinking about how challenging it can be to see the whole of what you’re doing with much objectivity when you’re the nucleus of it. How do you look at everything as a whole, as if viewed from the outside in?
Recalibrating every now and again is a good thing—and also so much easier said than done. Some tough choices need to be made; some compromises are necessary to enable other aspects to grow. It’s one thing to start working on something from scratch, probably with a healthy dose of naïveté (what I wouldn’t give to get that back sometimes), allowing things to grow and evolve organically.
But what of something that you’ve spent 10 or 15 years shaping and molding for which the balance has somehow teetered off-kilter? In some cases, this may be because of external forces, like shifts in the market. We’re always having to respond to changes happening around us. But it made me think that—in my own work, at least—it sometimes looks a little bit like having lost sight of (or just not thinking about) the bigger picture. It gets even harder if there’s any hint of desperation, like I felt three-ish years ago, burnt out and unsure what move to make next.
We’re often so focused on the macro throughout the day that it’s good practice to consciously pan out and try to take in the whole scene from time to time. From there, it may even be possible to see a different something in the distance, perhaps in a new direction.
I think that’s what I’ve been trying to do by diversifying my own projects and thinking about how, where, when, and with whom I’d like to work. It’s important to keep an eye on how facets of these things interact. Relationships are important; time and energy are important; paying the bills is important; the capacity to ideate, imagine, and evolve is also important. If any of these things feel out of step, it can mess with the rest.
As an aside, here are a few things that have lifted my spirits recently:
Have you ever heard of ceramicist Marguerite Wildenhain and Pond Farm Pottery?
I keep eyeing up this lovely-looking new book from Phaidon about the land and conceptual art maven Nancy Holt. I’ll cave soon.
I’m sort of obsessed with this olive oil mashed potatoes recipe c/o David Tanis and New York Times Cooking.
The Artist’s Palette celebrates exactly that.
See you next Wednesday.
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Eliot Greenwald
Four exhibitions to see in Los Angeles, New York City, and Vancouver
Twelve opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Eliot Greenwald
Eliot Greenwald’s solo show Library at HARPER’S in Chelsea explores the artist’s ongoing fascination with the metaphysical and the nature of interconnected life within the landscapes, inviting us to explore a surreal realm of otherworldly botanicals, double moons, and enigmatic pathways.
Library is on view in New York City through December 7. Find more on Greenwald’s Instagram.
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | OLYMPIA
Naomi Nakazato: Spirit Duplicator
Nakazato’s solo exhibition at Olympia is a remarkable, mixed-media exploration of ancestry and cultural heritage. “In Spirit Duplicator, the artist’s reflections on her Japanese grandmother’s funeral catalyze an exploration of identity, perfectionism, legacy, and cultural transference. Experimental across mediums, each work addresses a funerary rite—from flower cutting to the ceremonial placing of bones in an urn, to the stock images of a funerary display before the ceremony.”
Runs through November 28
LOS ANGELES | CHARLIE JAMES GALLERY
Luke Butler: Color Pictures
Butler taps into Hollywood technicolor in a new body of work at Charlie James Gallery that evokes imagined yet comfortingly familiar cinematic worlds.
Runs through December 7
NEW YORK CITY | MARINARO GALLERY
Ever Baldwin: Stranger in the Echoes
Since seeing Baldwin’s work in Marinaro’s booth in Miami last winter, I’ve been blown away by the sculptural frames and alluring, sneaky visages in their paintings. For this show, the paintings and frames have evolved to merge even more closely with one another.
Runs through December 7
VANCOUVER | W PROJECTS
Attila Richard Lukacs: HAI'KU LANDS
Lukacs presents several landscapes, painted en plein air in Hai’ku, Hawaii, between 2013 and 2014. Known for his large-scale portraits and collages, these works explore another side of the artist’s practice.
Runs through December 7
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!
Art Hub Copenhagen Residencies
Deadline: November 17
Art Hub Residency is both for recently graduated artists and others, for whom the residency program could make a difference in terms of establishing and expanding their practice nationally and internationally. Age is not a factor. The Art Hub Residency features a studio, a monthly fee, a production budget, and a program of development and feedback based on the needs of each individual artist.
Submission fee: none
Asian Cultural Council 2025 Asia Grant Cycle
Deadline: November 18
ACC grants provide long-term, immersive exploration of other cultures. The organization seeks artists, arts and culture professionals, and organizations who demonstrate a commitment to advancing cultural exchange as part of their ongoing artistic and professional growth. ACC has developed four distinct fellowship and grant types to support immersive cultural exchange:
New York Fellowship
Individual Fellowship
Graduate Fellowship
Organization Grant
The 2025 grant cycle is open to applicants who are citizens or legal permanent residents of China (Mainland), Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Macau SAR, the Philippines, and Taiwan ROC.
Submission fee: none
Center for Craft — Craft Research Fund Grant
Extended deadline: November 15
The Craft Research Fund is the Center’s first and longest-running grant program dedicated to supporting new and interdisciplinary research about craft in the United States. Grants up to $15,000 are awarded to support new and interdisciplinary research about craft in the United States.
Submission fee: none
Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief Mini Grants
Rolling applications through November 17
Craft Futures Fund - WNC Emergency Relief takes the form of one-time, unrestricted $500 grants to a broad range of craft-based artists, makers, creative manufacturers, and culture bearers in Western North Carolina who have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. Grants are reviewed and distributed weekly.
Submission fee: none
John Ruskin Prize
Deadline: November 25
The John Ruskin Prize is a multidisciplinary art prize open to all artists, designers and makers, of all nationalities, aged 18 and over. Artists can submit from anywhere in the world. The prize is open to digital submissions to facilitate international entries. The Prize welcomes works in all mediums. Up to 50 artists will be selected for the exhibition FROM THE EYE TO THE HAND, due to take place at Trinity Buoy Wharf in London from January 16 to 26. 1st prize is £3,000, 2nd prize is £2,000, and two more £1,000 prizes are awarded.
Submission fee: none
Culture Moves Europe: Individual Mobility
Deadline: November 30
Artists and cultural professionals can apply with a proposal to carry out a project with a partner of their choice in a Creative Europe country which is not their country of residence. The partner can be, for example, a fellow artist, an organization, or a venue in the country of destination. It is possible to apply either as an individual or as a group of up to five people. The grant is composed of a travel allowance, a daily allowance and individual top-ups and support. The grant calculations are made specifically for each grantee, based on their project and personal situation.
Submission fee: none
Public Art for Spatial Justice Grants
Deadline: December 2
Massachusetts-based artist(s) and Massachusetts-based organizations working with artist(s), are welcome to apply for a project grant. Projects must take place in Massachusetts and creatively cultivate expressions or embodiments of spatial justice through public artmaking. All artistic disciplines are welcome to apply. Public Art for Spatial Justice grants range from $15,000 to $30,000, for up to a two-year grant period beginning March 2025 through February 2027.
Submission fee: none
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum Arts in Nature Residencies
Deadline: December 2
Established in 1980, this internationally renowned program has awarded visual artists of all mediums the opportunities to live and create works inspired by Bernheim’s wondrous natural environment. Up to 4 artists are selected for residencies at Bernheim annually. One residency is always dedicated to an artist currently living in Kentucky or nearby counties in Southern Indiana, and one residency is dedicated to an artist whose work addresses environmental issues and the climate crisis.
Submission fee: none
Material Works Art Award 2025
Deadline: December 8
The Material Works Art Award supports artists through a one-time $2,500 grant in exchange for an original artwork that will join the organization's growing contemporary art collection. This award recognizes artistic excellence and aims to promote career advancement through increasing visibility and exposure. Contemporary visual artists working worldwide in painting, photography, installation, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, mixed-media, experimental, and conceptual art are eligible to apply.
Submission fee: $40
Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency
Deadline: December 15
Established in 2007, Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency (JTHAR) is an artist-centric nonprofit residency that awards an international community of artists the gifts of time and space amidst the extraordinary natural beauty of Joshua Tree National Park. These seven-week residencies in Joshua Tree National Park include $1,500 stipends, living accommodations, and studio space.
Submission fee: $45
Alexander Rutsch Award and Exhibition for Painting
Deadline: December 15
Pelham Art Center is pleased to announce a call for entries for the 13th biennial Alexander Rutsch Award and Exhibition for Painting. This juried competition is open to U.S.-based artists aged 19 and older. The winner is awarded a $7,500 cash prize, a solo exhibition and printed catalog at Pelham Art Center, and $2,500 is divided among the finalists.
Submission fee: $25
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship for New York Artists
Deadline: December 17
The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is an $8,000 unrestricted cash grant available to artists living in New York State and/or one of the Tribal Nations located therein. This grant is awarded in fifteen different disciplines over a three-year period (five categories a year). The NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship is not a project grant, but is intended to fund an artist’s vision or voice, at all levels of their artistic development.
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.
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If you are part of an organization or art business that offers opportunities or services you think artists should know about, consider a featured listing or post. Email me at kate@young-space.com or just reply to this email for more info.
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