“Art is what you can get away with.” —Andy Warhol
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a professional practices class at a University of Wisconsin campus to chat about what I do and what things I work with and think about all of the time—websites, social media presence, the arts ecosystem, where artists find opportunities, publishing, and so on.
At the end of a little slide presentation, I wrapped up with a quick note that I jotted down years ago during an entrepreneurship class. An inventor was sharing how he had secured a couple of patents, and his advice to the group? “Ship it ugly.”
This is still one of my favorite things to share with students and peers; it has lived rent-free in my head ever since. As the presenter saw it, trying to put a product out into the world that had been tweaked ad nauseam—“perfected”—was actually most likely to cause disappointment, the dreaded “failure.” Because if you’ve spent a ton of time and energy getting something just right, but then the feedback is lackluster or it doesn’t pass some test, succeed in getting certified, win an award, etc…. what then?
Shipping something ugly can mean getting a good, solid draft out the door when there is obviously still room for it to evolve and grow. When you feel really good about something but need more information, share it. Whether it’s a business plan, a piece of writing, or artwork, sending it out into the world for potential critique and edits can be wonderfully rewarding if the whole approach is centered around receiving those things.
We can learn so much from genuine feedback, when and where we can get it, and from loosening a tight grip on needing everything to feel fully, concretely, stubbornly finished. For those of us no longer in a formal educational program, this can be pretty difficult to do sometimes, and I’m glad social media can serve this purpose when used intentionally.
Incidentally, during the pandemic I facilitated a number of virtual critique groups, serving as an informal matchmaker of sorts, and I was so happy to hear someone mention to me recently that four years on, they still keep in touch with their group! Creative practices are always works in progress—it’s a beautiful thing to send ideas out the door in order to flourish and come back more full of potential than before.
See you next week!
—Kate
P.S. I really enjoyed reading both Dean Kissick’s “The Painted Protest: How politics destroyed contemporary art” essay in Harper’s and a response by Martin Herbert in ArtReview, “Are You Too Old for the Artworld?” I love this quote from Herbert: “…you need to remain aware of your own fast-accumulating grudges, otherwise it’s never you, it’s always the new art to blame.” I’d love to know what you think if you’ve read Kissick’s piece and/or any other responses!
P.P.S. The feedback I received from last week’s note about editing earlier work from publications or social media was pretty incredible. On that note, thank you so much for actually reading! It means a lot.
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What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Maximilien Pellet
Four exhibitions to see in Cologne, Los Angeles, New York City, and Rockland
Eleven opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon*
*Paid subscribers, keep an eye out for a bonus issue of even more opportunities coming your way over the weekend.
Featured Artist: Maximilien Pellet
Maximilien Pellet’s work blurs the boundary between ceramics and painting, involving a layer of clay on wood panel, which he then scores and adds pigment. Lately, he has been working on a series of abstract uniforms, like suit jackets, which emanate a fantastic postmodern flair from their gridded patterns and shaped metal supports.
Check out Pellet’s work in Double V’s booth at NADA this weekend.
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | PABLO’S BIRTHDAY
Alice Quaresma: Claiming to Be Finding
I’ve long been a fan of Alice Quaresma’s work—I think the first time I saw it IRL was at a Spring/Break fair quite a few years ago. Her current show at Pablo’s Birthday brings together what I love most about her practice—a collage-based approach to lens-based work and installation alike that plays with scale, depth, memory, and sense of place.
Runs through December 20
LOS ANGELES | THE PIT
Isabella Cuglievan: a ripple and a nest
“Most captivating paintings elicit encounters through either centripetal or centrifugal force. The former wind inward, drawing the viewer toward a finite center, while the latter expand outward like an ever-widening gyre, enveloping the viewer from all sides. Isabella Cuglievan’s prismatic acrylic and watercolor paintings mediate both.”
Runs through December 21
ROCKLAND | CENTER FOR MAINE CONTEMPORARY ART
Lauren Luloff: Paint the Air
Luloff’s gorgeous textile-inspired patterns are dyed onto airy, floor-to-ceiling swaths of silk.
Runs through January 12
COLOGNE | GAA GALLERY
Dominika Bednarsky: Clay Pigeons
Flora and fauna often feature in Dominika Bednarsky’s ceramics, and in Clay Pigeons, she focuses specifically on birds. “In almost ironic opposition, Bednarsky places emphasis on the materiality of her Clay Pigeons,” says a gallery statement. Layers, embellishments, textures, and the heft of the clay underscore the medium.
Runs through January 11
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 and curators. 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!
Parents in Art Residency at the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung
Deadline: December 8
This call is for six two-week residencies for writers, translators, and comic artists, in addition to visual artists and curators, at the Arthur Boskamp-Stiftung's M.1 in Hohenlockstedt. Three of the six scholarships will be awarded in the field of visual arts. The scholarship includes a lump sum of €1,700, a rent-free stay in a guest apartment in the M.1 in Hohenlockstedt (including utilities and cleaning), on-site childcare and a travel allowance for traveling to and from the location. The scholarships are intended for parents only.
Submission fee: none
Jupiter + Paisley Studio Residency for Artists in Renfrewshire, Scotland
Deadline: December 8
Jupiter+ Paisley are looking for earl-career artists who would benefit from a studio that is rent free for 6 months, starting from January 13 and finishing June 23, 2025. Rates and bills will be paid for, and the space is suitable for up to 4 practitioners. There is a stipend of £600 per person. The artists must not have been practicing for more than 3 years, and seeking applications from artists, collectives, or community initiatives are welcome.
Submission fee: none
Chulitna Lodge Wilderness Retreat Artist-in-Residence
Deadline: December 10
Chulitna Lodge Wilderness Retreat seeks to provide the time, space, clarity, and facilities for all forms of creative professionals or researchers to make and meditate. Paid stays are available in addition to fellowships, the latter of which cover all expenses, including gourmet meals, travel stipend, and charter flight from Anchorage to the lodge; family/partner and/or studio assistants may join for part or all of fellowship period for a fee on a case by case basic; and a full 6-week commitment is required. Three fellowship periods run between May 18 and October 11, 2025.
Submission fee: $35
Iméra x TEC/CRIAC Work and Culture Research Residency
Deadline: December 10
The Institute for Advanced Study at Aix-Marseille University (Iméra), in partnership with the Centre for Research, Artistic and Cultural Innovation (TEC/CRIAC Work and Culture), announces the launch of the call for applications for a ten-month research residency. The residency will be split between five months in Marseille and five months in Northern Europe, including Northern France, during the 2025-2026 academic year. This residency is aimed at both artists and scientists. Artists and scholars alike will receive a compensation in Marseille amounting to €2,500 per month for five months, plus accommodation and travel support. In Northern Europe, including Northern France, the resident will receive an allowance of €5,000 to cover residency and travel expenses.
Submission fee: none
The Luminary 2025 Residency
Deadline: December 14
The Luminary 2025 Residency Open Call supports creative practitioners who engage with the pressing issues of our time. As a residency focusing on process and research, The Luminary will provide two cohorts of individuals, small collectives, and collaborations with the space and time to rest, reflect and relate around a line of inquiry. The intention is that residents can focus on their research process, free of expectation of a final product. The Luminary welcomes national and international applicants of all backgrounds, such as artists, curators, writers, designers, educators, and arts administrators. Non-traditional backgrounds are welcome. In addition to time and space, each resident receives a weekly stipend for their project and funded travel to The Luminary in St. Louis.
Submission fee: $15
Quinn Emanuel London Residency
Deadline: December 15
This residency is open to emerging and mid-career artists working in all disciplines across London. For four months, the artist-in-residence will be given a studio in the Quinn Emanuel London office to support their existing practice or a new project as appropriate. At the end of the residency, an exhibition will display the artist's works, and at least one piece will be incorporated into the permanent collection. The residency period begins in February, and the selected artist will receive £3,000 per month over the course of four months, for a total of £12,000. In addition, Quinn Emanuel will provide an allowance of up to £1,000 for purchase of art materials.
Submission fee: none
Marilynn Thoma Fellowships in Art of the Spanish Americas
Deadline: December 15
The Marilynn Thoma Fellowship is the only unrestricted research funding in the United States devoted exclusively to the field of art of the Spanish Americas. Scholars may come from any discipline, but all projects must relate to the study of art and art history. Exceptionally accomplished scholars holding an MA may also apply. International scholars, particularly from Latin America, are strongly encouraged to apply. A Predoctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship provides $50,000 (one-year award), and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship provides $65,000/year (one- to two-year award; indicate project length in application).
Submission fee: none
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
The Bray Artist Residencies
Deadline: December 19
The Bray in Helena, Montana, invites applications for its residency programs:
Long-term Residency: Long-term residents are granted a one-year residency with the option to apply for a second year. Long-term residencies begin in June of each year, and each long-term resident receives a one-year fellowship of $7,500.
Summer Residency: Summer residencies run up to 90 days beginning June 1 and ending the last week of August. The Bray’s Scholarship Program supports summer residents while working at The Bray with an award of $1,500.
Short-term Residency: Short-term Residencies without scholarship run between August and October for 1–2 months, with limited availability. Artists are responsible for covering their own housing, travel, and living expenses.
Submission fee: none
WALLSTREET Festival Stockholm Open Call
Deadline to express interest: December 31
WALLSTREET is looking for temporary and permanent works in all kinds within the field of sculpture and installations. All works must cope with the outdoor environment as WALLSTREET is an outdoor festival. Some of the works are intended for a sculpture parks in different places in Sweden, and some of the works may become permanent after the festival. For existing public, shipping costs will be covered between €1,000 to 5,000 per work depending on materials, etc. The festival compensates artists between €2,000 to 5,000 for the creation and shipment of new miniature works.
Submission fee: none
Delphian Gallery x CloverMill Artist Residency Open Call
Deadline: December 31
This open call is operated exclusively on Instagram, giveaway-style. Two artists will be selected for a duo residency as part of CloverMill Artist Residency’s international residency program in The Netherlands, running from May 5 to 18, 2025. Artists must be present for the entire two-week period. The residency will conclude with a presentation in the CloverMill Gallery Space co-curated by the organizers. Each artist is provided with private, onsite accommodation with a shared shower, and artists have 24-hour access to the studio space. Artists are responsible for their own transportation, materials, and food for the duration of the residency, and each participant will receive a stipend of £250 to use towards their costs.
Submission fee: none
New American Paintings Open Call for the American South
Deadline: December 31
New American Paintings has a targeted readership of more than ten thousand art collectors, art world professionals, and art enthusiasts. The competition is currently open to artists based in AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, and WV, and is juried by Alexis Assam, Regenia A. Perry Assistant Curator of Global Contemporary Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Submission fee: $50
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.
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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