“One of the glories and terrors of working in public is that you do see if your output means anything to anyone.” —Jenny Holzer
When I was in my twenties, the idea of long-term planning was an entirely foreign concept. I could usually wrap my head around about 4 months, roughly equivalent to a semester in college . If I was planning a big trip, maybe I could think about a year in advance to start getting ducks in a row, but even that felt abstract. Until recently, the idea of a “five year plan”—even a “three year plan”—felt next to impossible.
Spontaneity has always been the name of the game for me. I’ve worked in coffee shops or retail where my hours were unpredictable and weekends typically meant more work or fitting in my own personal projects where I could find any spare moment. When I had time off, I’d make a decision day-of to go for a drive and find a place to hike or take my camera somewhere. Spontaneity is what I love about road trips, because even though some preliminary planning is involved, the entire experience is predicated upon finding things along the way that surprise you or even encourage a change of course part-way through.
Lately, and maybe it’s something to do with being in my “mature thirties” at this point, I’ve realized that I relish the planning almost as much as the doing. And while I hesitate to call it anything as formal as an X-year-plan, for the first time I’ve been thinking about what I want and need two years from now, six years from now… and the one thread through all of it (because I’m always changing my mind, alas) is more flexibility. The best way I can think to distill this down is to embrace planning (some things) in order to feel comfortable not planning (other things).
As an arts writer, I feel like I’m constantly in observation mode. I’m always piecing together what artists are communicating, how they work, what they’re working with, how art connects to history or ideas in society more broadly, how we connect with one another through a variety of mediums, and on and on. My work, by its nature, comprises similar types of task on a day-to-day basis characterized by remarkable diversity. I’m always challenged in some way, and always learning.
We intuitively, meticulously, and often unconsciously construct our homes, work, and spaces around us to accommodate what we need. But if we really stop to think about it, we might not be where we thought we were: maybe there are too many obligations, or somehow we’ve accumulated too much stuff. Maybe you don’t feel like you’re in the right place, or the community around you has shifted over time and you’re only just realizing it. Maybe your city has changed or your work has switched gears—somehow the puzzle pieces just don’t fit quite right. If I’m feeling anxious or unsteady, it’s usually something like that.
I’ve been thinking lately about how we’re always simultaneously following numerous tracks through our daily lives, characterized by work, family, friends, hobbies or pastimes, travel, and so on. We often unconsciously prioritize what we don’t consciously have to. But when external circumstances change—the things we don’t personally control—our priorities also sometimes go a little wonky. Because sometimes they have to shift, but sometimes the shifting continues unconsciously until we reach a point of fatigue or burnout and wonder how everything got so mixed up. I wonder how to be more holistic about all of these things.
Right now, I’m in take-stock-and-build mode. I’ve gutted a room roughly the size of an Airstream Land Yacht in the rear of my parents’ house to make a small, tucked-away home base, library, and writing corner that I’ll use for maybe half the year without having the pay rent for a place I won’t be a lot of the time (I just maintain a garden and cook a lot for my parents—a true single-income, childless, I-work-in-the-arts, extemely-Millennial setup, and I’m not ashamed at all to admit it).
Ultimately, all of this is in the service of getting a sah-weet van to kit out from scratch and take on the road for several months out of the year. That’s the “plan,” at least—the plan to allow me to plan even more spontaneously, more flexibly. I want to go see more nature and more art by more people in more places—I want to feel a part of a wider world while still being able to make a living. The road is calling, and I’m just hoping the puzzle pieces fit.
I’d love to hear about what kinds of work/life setups you have. And if you are or have ever been a vanlifer, you know where to find me. ;)
See you next week.
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Danny Leyland
Four exhibitions to see in Bentonville, Detroit, London, and Los Angeles
Thirteen opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Danny Leyland
Danny Leyland’s vibrant compositions draw on the legacies of surrealism and the likes of Henri Matisse. Everyday scenes and recollected experiences are obscured by washy, brushy, overlapping imagery that blur distinctions between scenes, people, and goings-on. Occasionally perception-bending, like a room dispersed like water as a rowboat passes over it, the artist investigates slippage in the relationships between figures, space, and objects and reflects an engagement with material culture and archaeology.
A solo exhibition titled The Map Maker’s Colours in at Mare Karina in Venice showcases new paintings the artist made following his graduation from the Royal College of Art, London, and during recent travels and art residencies in Portugal and Australia. The show continues through March 15. Find more on Leyland’s website.
Exhibitions
LONDON | KEARSEY & GOLD
Woo Jung Ghil: Savouring Silence
Woo Jung Ghil’s paintings journey into the human psyche, reflecting a search for mental clarity and meditative stillness. She visualizes what she describes as an “ideal state of mind,” a space of quietude and introspection.
Runs through March 14
DETROIT | MATÉRIA GALLERY
Mark Joshua Epstein: Laughing Along with a Lump in My Throat
My friend Mark Joshua Epstein’s vibrant works draw on the legacy of the pattern and decoration movement, and his first show in Detroit—he spends much of his time living and working in a converted church in Michigan—spans work made during the past few years.
Runs through March 15
LOS ANGELES | ANAT EBGI
The Wave: A Benefit for LA Wildfires
This group exhibition features 15 LA artists to support artists affected by the wildfires which devastated Los Angeles in January. 10% of the gallery’s proceeds will be donated to the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund.
Runs through March 22
BENTONVILLE | CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART
American Sunrise: Indigenous Art at Crystal Bridges
A large-scale exhibition featuring Crystal Bridges’ collection of Indigenous art, including new acquisitions. Pictured is a 2024 work by Jordan Ann Craig.
Runs through March 23
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 Chicago
Deadline: March 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.
Submission fee: none
Prairie Ronde Artist Residency — Summer Session
Deadline: March 1
Prairie Ronde is hosted by The Mill at Vicksburg, a redevelopment project of the former Lee Paper Company mill, in the historic village of Vicksburg, Michigan. The program provides artists from a range of disciplines with a 5 to 6 week residency, with the goal of engaging with The Mill and its surrounding 80 acres of property. Three sessions are offered annually during the spring, summer, and fall. Artists receive a$2,000 stipend upon completion of the residency, a $500 travel grant, private housing, a gallery show in downtown Vicksburg, and more.
Submission fee: $25
Gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix Mentorship Grant for Milwaukee Artists
Deadline: March 2
gener8tor Art x Sherman Phoenix is a program that serves the Milwaukee creative community through professional development workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and grant funding for individual artists. With a focus on supporting creative professionals who have been traditionally underfunded (BIPOC, LGBTIA+, women, nonbinary individuals, persons with disabilities, neurodiverse individuals, veterans, etc.), this program aims to support the business side of these creative practices. Selected artists will receive a grant of $10,000 and 7 weeks of individualized mentorship on how to strengthen the business side of their art practice.
Submission fee: none
Gagel Farm Reconnect Residency 2025
Deadline: March 2
The Reconnect Residency at Gagel Farm in the Netherlands includes a tiny house with a double bed, a small kitchen, a regenerative library, and a small space for desk work; a complementary budget with a maximum of €4,000, including the artist fee and taxes; access to the vegetable garden, and more.
Submission fee: none
NXTHVN Studio and Curatorial Fellowships
Deadline: March 3
Each year NXTHVN welcomes up to 7 artists and 2 curators to participate in its paid 10-month intensive Fellowship Program. Each Fellow will receive studio or office space, a stipend, and subsidized housing. Selected from an international pool of applicants, Fellows relocate to New Haven to participate in NXTHVN’s mentorship-driven curriculum which includes professional development sessions led by visiting artists, curators, scholars, and practitioners. Selected Fellows are also matched with a high school Apprentice, for focused one-on-one mutual learning, which gives the next local generation a chance to grow and excel in creative fields. The Fellowship year culminates with an annual group show at a prominent gallery space.
Submission fee: none
Augusta Savage Grant for Sculpture
Deadline: March 3
National Sculpture Society is presenting a $2,500 grant to be awarded to a talented emerging sculptor who self-identifies as Black or African American. A racially diverse jury of three sculptors and/or curators, including at least two of whom are Black or African American, will review applications and select one winner. Applicants must be citizens of or residents in the United States with a social security number. Works inspired by nature are preferred.
Submission fee: none
Gasworks London Residency for Artist based in Pakistan
Deadline: March 3
This residency open call is for an artist at a pivotal point in their career based in Pakistan. The eleven-week, fully funded residency will take place at Gasworks in London from July 7 to September 15, 2025. Gasworks provides administrative, pastoral, and curatorial support throughout the residency but expects residents to be self-motivated and to lead on the research and production of their own work during their time in residence.
Submission fee: none
2025 Artlab Editorial Fellowship
Deadline: March 3
This Fellowship is open to art writers from anywhere in the world and at any stage of their career. The two selected fellows will be provided $10,000 each to produce three pieces of writing every other month for Artlab Editorial in 2025 and will be paired with one of this year’s Fellowship Advisors for one-on-one guidance and mentorship throughout the program.
Submission fee: none
Creative Australia Grants for Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups
Deadline: March 4
This program funds a range of activities that deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public, including national and international audiences and communities. Grants are available from AUD$10,000 to $50,000. Supported activities must not last longer than two years from the proposed start date.
Submission fee: none
Cove Park Emerging Visual Artist Residency 2025
Deadline: March 7
Cove Park’s Emerging Visual Artist Residency is for a visual artist based in Scotland and in the early stages of developing their practice. Developed by Cove Park in partnership with The Bridge Awards, this four-week fully funded residency offers time for self-directed studio work and the development of new ideas and projects. The artist will receive a fee, a travel allowance, and a research/materials allowance. The residency will run June 30 to July 27, 2025.
Submission fee: none
Hugo Burge Foundation Borders Traditions Residency
Deadline: March 7
This is a residency for an artist or creator of any medium who has an interest in looking to history, legend, and local culture as a source of creative inspiration and who would help capture a tradition, place, or story that is significant to the Scottish Borders. This is a fully funded residency that includes exclusive studio space, accommodation in one of Marchmont Estate's Hobbit Pods, and a weekly stipend of £350. Residents are asked to conduct one public event, such as a workshop or educational activity. The residency runs from June 11 to July 9, 2025.
Submission fee: none
Hugo Burge Foundation Botanical Arts Residency
Deadline: March 7
This is a residency aimed at botanical artists at any stage in their career who like to work with and be inspired by Marchmont Estate's Walled Garden and the surrounding environment in the Scottish Borders. The successful resident will have the opportunity to work with the estate’s garden team and have extensive access to these spaces. This residency is fully-funded and includes on-site accommodation, studio space, and a weekly stipend of £350. Residents are asked to conduct one public event, such as a workshop or educational activity. The residency runs from June 11 to July 9, 2025.
Submission fee: none
Millay Arts Core Residencies 2025 Round 1
Deadline: March 8
Located at “Steepletop" in the Hudson Valley, the historic estate of poet/activist Edna St. Vincent Millay, Millay Arts is a nonprofit organization that offers multidisciplinary artist residencies. Residencies invite 6 to 7 artists for periods between August and November 2025, plus group residencies in December. Fellowships may be available.
Submission fee: $45
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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