“An artist should always bite the hand that feeds him—but not too hard.” —Nam Jun Paik
Back in mid-2020, I had a bit of a meltdown regarding Young Space on Instagram. I was losing followers left and right, and none of my posts seemed to be reaching anyone. I had probably been shadow-banned for some reason, and at the time, it was heartbreaking. It was one of a few reasons that I took a nearly two-year break from the project altogether.
For a while before that, I had been low-key anxious that putting all of my eggs in a single basket held by someone else could one day bite me in the ass, because it was clearer by the day that with no control over ever-evolving algorithms and privacy policies, a business—my 100% livelihood at the time—could be devastated pretty much immediately.
It’s how I imagine countless TikTok creators felt over the past few months, probably even more keenly than I did at the time about Instagram. And while there are a lot of other things that are actually much more important than who or who isn’t leaving the Meta platforms, I felt compelled to consider whether I, too, go. But for now, and for me at least, there are more reasons to stay than go.
I’ve spent almost all of my adult life on social media—first Facebook, then Instagram. For the sake of this writing, my Facebook use fell off a few years ago, so I’m mostly talking about Instagram here. I’ve spent innumerable hours facilitating, participating, and nurturing communities in these places. And regardless of the platform, we are afforded the right to speak our minds.
It’s not that there’s nowhere else to go. It’s just that the virtual communities we’ve built become dispersed and further decentralized once we decide to turn to different platforms in an effort to replace another. That puts the onus of rebuilding our communities on us. Not only would my presence probably not be missed much at all on Instagram—I’ve already significantly relaxed how much time I spend there and how much I post—but I’d have to spend so much more time trying to find or organize something new. “So it’s hard work—who cares?” The clincher is that it could effectively silence me, shuffling me to another less populous platform… one I might not even end up sticking with.
I have used Bluesky in the past. I’ve tapped into Mastodon, Threads… someone was talking about something called Pixelfed? I think maybe this? Maybe that one? There’s always the barrier of getting to know a new platform or find one that is as globally available. If we’re wondering where they all are, where we belong, or it exhausts us thinking about how to get started again and again—all the while still just putting our eggs in another basket we have no control over—does it really matter where we land? It’s like leaving the mainland and all going to a bunch of different islands. Maybe that’s nice. Maybe it’s actually really unhelpful.
I just can’t shake the feeling that, even though the direction the government has formally taken since Monday-before-last is atrocious, and even though the people who run some of our favorite apps are fully revealing their true colors, I’m the one that loses if I decide to call it quits in any platform where I’m still able to find information I need or organize with likeminded people.
It’s important to emphasize that I think people have every right to use, test, or leave any platform they wish. All of our experiences are different—the algorithms ensure that. And communities more broadly are formed in all shapes and sizes; everyone’s has unique qualities that benefit them or, alternatively, can feel like a burden. I also understand how one doesn’t want to play into the hands of anyone whose politics or sensibilities seem diametrically opposed to our own. And yet the landscape Instagram—at least the version of it that I see—is not in itself a hateful place. It is still an arena for ideas, inspiration, and information. It can still be used.
So, I suppose this is my way of saying, I’m staying. For now. I won’t defend it, I’m certainly not paying to be verified, and I’m spending a lot less time there (mostly to avoid screen burnout), but I also find it difficult to give up something that still has plenty of value for learning of and encouraging the good and the sanity that still exists in this art world it’s such a privilege to be a part of—and in the rest of it, too.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you’ve left Instagram, where have you moved? Or if you read my column last week, perhaps you’re like me and you’re seeking a little more quiet nothing.
See you next week.
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Four exhibitions to see in New York and Los Angeles
Fifteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | MY PET RAM
Dominic Terlizzi: Never Shine Sun
Terlizzi’s paintings are intricately mosaicked, honing in on figurative scenes and places where the sun is rising, eclipsing, or setting. “These transitional times are when the body is waking or falling asleep, and when the mind is partly dreaming.”
Runs through February 2
NEW YORK CITY | RAINRAIN
h(u)m//Echoes
This intimate group show “captures the whispers of consciousness as we navigate the delicate threshold between our accustomed perception and reality's misty horizon.” Works are included from Jason Carey-Sheppard (pictured), Siheng Liang, Mitch Patrick, Maya Perry, and Zack Rafuls.
Runs through February 22
LOS ANGELES | CHARLIE JAMES GALLERY (CJG2)
Maya Fuji: Igokochi・居心地
I’ve been a fan of Maya Fuji’s work since writing about it for Dovetail last year. For her solo show with Charlie James Gallery, “Fuji interweaves Japanese myth and folklore with contemporary iconography to explore ideas of identity and space, history and heritage. The title of the exhibition refers to the particular feeling of a certain place, and the works negotiate the constant push and pull of living between two continents and two cultures. Fuji populates remembered Japanese interiors with ancestors, playful deities and spirits, imagining them all coexisting in the modern day.”
Runs through March 1
BROOKLYN | CARVALHO PARK
Nicola Turner: Fabric of Undoing
Stunning and slightly unsettling, Nicola Turner’s creature-like installations take over CARVALHO PARK’s second gallery, cascading from the walls and tucking themselves into the building’s infrastructure. The show runs concurrently alongside a presentation by Yulia Iosilzon, The Threshold Beckons.
Runs through March 15
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!
Artadia Awards Los Angeles
Deadline: February 1
The Artadia Awards provide financial support, exposure, and recognition to artists. The awards are unrestricted, allowing artists to use the funds in any way they choose. Following the studio visits, the second round jury will designate three awardees to receive unrestricted funds of $15,000*, as well as access to the Artadia Network. Awardees are determined based on the sole discretion of the jury. *The Marciano Artadia Award gives unrestricted funds of $25,000 to one artist in Los Angeles.
Submission fee: none
2025 Artists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE) Residencies
Deadline: February 3
The AIRIE Residency program is a fully immersive experience that revolves around the core principles of process, experimentation, and expanding one's artistic practice. Each fellow is offered a $4,000 research grant, institutional support from AIRIE’s network and partners, and a month-long residency in the Everglades National Park (with additional $1,500 financial support for travel and food). In return, the artists share their work and experience in the Everglades through public conversations, digital platforms, writing, and/or public viewing of artwork created during or resulting from their residency.
Submission fee: $20
Fine Arts Work Center Visual Arts 2025-2026 Fellowships
Deadline: February 3
The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown grants 10 annual fellowships to visual artists and 10 annual fellowships to writers for a seven-month residency that runs from October 1 to April 30. Visual Arts Fellows are provided with a private furnished apartment and a separate work studio of approximately 400 sq. ft. Fellows are awarded a $1,250 monthly stipend, plus a $1,000 exit stipend to support relocation at the end of the Fellowship.
Submission fee: $65
Creative Australia International Travel Fund Grants
Deadline: February 4
The International Travel Fund supports international travel costs associated with Australian artists, creative workers, and organizations attending market development or key gatherings overseas. Market development activities are those that enable applicants to promote, market, pitch, or sell works with a focus on entering or maintaining new or existing international markets. Applicants can apply for flat rates of AUD$5,000, $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000.
Submission fee: none
Creative Australia Marten Bequest Scholarships
Deadline: February 4
The Marten Bequest Scholarships offer talented young artists the chance to explore, study, and develop their artistic gifts through traveling either interstate and/or overseas. In 2025, the scholarships will provide financial support for the disciplines of architecture, ballet, prose, sculpture, and singing. In 2026, the scholarships will provide financial support for the disciplines of acting, instrumental music, painting, and poetry. Scholarships are each worth AUD$50,000, payable in quarterly installments over two years.
Submission fee: none
Shenandoah National Park 2025 Artist-in-Residence
Deadline: February 5
Shenandoah National Park's Artist-in-Residence program offers artists a chance to live and work in this exceptional environment. The works completed during the program will serve, through the creativity of the selected artists, to deepen the understanding and appreciation of Shenandoah National Park. The artists will be housed in a furnished home in the park (housing is only for the artists; family members, friends, and significant others may not stay in the housing). Residency dates are available between May and October.
Submission fee: none
Visual Arts Scotland Linkshouse Residency in Orkney
Deadline: February 6
Visual Arts Scotland (VAS) announces a month-long funded residency partnership with the Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust at Linkshouse, part of the Pier Arts Centre, Orkney. The residency will offer a VAS member the opportunity to spend a month there to develop their ideas and practice. The residency will take place from March 1 to 31, 2025, and includes: shared accommodation and studio space for the duration of the residency (possibly shared); an artist fee of £2,200; travel costs up to £250 to and from the residency venue; support from a VAS liaison and on-site support whilst in residence; and an opportunity to exhibit work at the VAS annual exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, in December 2025.
Submission fee: none for members
Art House UK International Residency 2025
Deadline: February 6
The Art House (TAH) and the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) announce the return of this UK-based residency opportunity in 2025 for artists living and working outside of the UK in a commonwealth (or former commonwealth) country, the US/EU/EEA, or Switzerland who have not previously lived in the UK. TAH and ROSL are seeking proposals from artists who would like to take up a two-month supported residency at TAH’s purpose-built accessible studios in Wakefield. The residency includes fully covered travel costs, fully covered visa costs, living costs covered with a per diem, funded studio space and accommodation in The Art House, funded access to a fully equipped Print Studio, and more.
Submission fee: none
MacDowell Fellowships
Deadline: February 10
MacDowell encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and all countries in the following disciplines: architecture, film/video arts, interdisciplinary arts, literature, music composition, theater, and visual arts. About 300 artists in seven disciplines are awarded fellowships each year, and the sole criterion for acceptance is artistic excellence. There is no cost for a MacDowell Fellowship, but to open the residency to the broadest possible community of artists, MacDowell offers financial assistance programs to those who have been awarded a fellowship. Artists may apply for stipends and travel grants, and funding is awarded based on duration of stay and demonstrated financial need.
Submission fee: $30
QEST Scholarships for U.K. Makers and Conservators
Deadline: February 10
The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust supports contemporary and traditional craft, as well as the exploration of innovative techniques. QEST defines craft as: the skilled making, by hand, of tangible objects, or the conservation/restoration of such objects. Three types of grants are available:
Scholarships: For mid-career to established craftspeople, these grants are between £3,000 and £18,000 and include a place on QEST’s professional development program. These grants support talented individuals to sustain vital skills through targeted training. Applicants should have a high level of skill, a strong body of work and be aiming to elevate their craft further.
Emerging Maker Grants: For early-stage craftspeople, the Emerging Maker Grants aim to develop the next generation of craftspeople, typically those practicing for 4 years or less. The grant provides between £3,000 and £10,000 for essential skills training. Applicants should demonstrate strong potential, a growing body of work and a commitment to progressing their craft.
Apprenticeship: These grants help enable a hands-on collaboration between a skilled master and a talented apprentice looking to start a career in craft. Focused on the transfer of expertise through practical workplace learning, the apprenticeship offers funding of up to £12,000. The grant is designed to supplement the apprentices wage over the course of the training.
Submission fee: none
Allianz Foundation Grants Program 2025
Deadline: February 10
Allianz Foundation supports initiatives with civil society, ecological, cultural, and artistic backgrounds, placing a special emphasis on projects working at the intersection of these areas and pursuing systematic change. The foundation emphasizes partnerships in Europe and the Mediterranean. Projects are funded in the range of €80,000 to €200,000 for a period of up to 24 months, starting from August 1, 2025, at the earliest.
Submission fee: none
Artist at Soane Drawing Office Residency
Deadline: February 11
Those working in all disciplines, who practice both observational and conceptual work, are encouraged to apply. Drawing must be central to all applicants’ practices, and entries will be accepted from individuals and collaborations. Artists will be contracted for a minimum of 12 days working either in the museum or in their studio during the three-month period. There will be an honorarium of £2,000 per artist or collaboration to cover materials, travel, and other expenses. There will also be the possibility of an allowance for each artist, on a case-by-case basis, to help cover accommodation. Please note: this will not cover international artists’ travel expenses or visa application fees.
Submission fee: none
Center for Cultural Innovation LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund
Deadline: February 18
The LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund is a pooled fund led by the J. Paul Getty Trust with support from a coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists. The Fund is for the benefit of Los Angeles County’s artists and arts workers in all disciplines impacted by the unprecedented wildfire crisis. Individuals may apply only once for up to $10,000. Funds are unrestricted and can be used in any way that alleviates financial hardship. Moreover, as a federally qualified disaster under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, financial support is not counted as taxable income.
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.
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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