“Art is exorcism. I paint dreams and visions, too; the dreams and visions of my time. Painting is the effort to produce order; order in yourself. There is much chaos in me, much chaos in our time.” —Otto Dix
Over the weekend, I was busy working on an article for Ceramics Monthly (excited to share that soon) about ceramic artist Ginny Sims, whose journey to the practice she has established sounds about as circuitous—and at times joyfully wayward—as mine. She told me about growing up in a small city in flyover country where the art program at her local college lacked vigor and the faculty was aging and ready to retire.
It reminded me a lot of a fading state university art department I served in once as interim curator, which was suffering due to all sorts of things—some out of anyone’s control, like system-wide budget cuts that have since shut down entire campuses—including a majority of the tenured staff all retiring within a couple of years.
Anyway, when Sims graduated, she essentially flung herself geographically as far as she could with the options available to her, spending the next few years bouncing between the U.K., Italy, Ireland, and different parts of the U.S. All the while, during that time, she expresses how she was in the midst of a search but its object was unclear. At the time, working with clay was throughline, but it took numerous trips and the generosity of others to instill a sense of what the work—the lifestyle—could look like.
It struck me how sometimes when we’re feeling unmoored and we’re casting around for something to hold onto, certain things work out because others simply didn’t.
With only a vague feeling that there must be more out there but not sure how or where to find it, the inimitable naïveté of early adulthood is both a blessing and a curse. I technically attended four universities before I earned my bachelor’s degree—somehow within four years—and moved all over the place trying to find a community that felt like one I could belong to. I began by studying studio art and ended up in art history. When I graduated, during the 2008 recession, I couldn’t get a job in the field, and over time and through many projects, the search still continues.
What resonated so much when speaking with Sims is that some of the most definitive decisions we make at forks in the road aren’t made because we’re sure what we want to do but because we’re absolute about what we don’t. She wanted a holistic work-life balance that was hard to imagine any other way. Through a ton of trial and error—emphasis on really trying—eventually the path opened up in places and continues to convey her to new methods and research.
It’s underrated how learning what we don’t like or don’t want to be involved with can help to steer us toward the things we do, especially if we can’t yet define what that direction might be. Through the deluge of information we consume every day, it’s good to remember the groundwork we’ve built over time to help decipher what feels right or true, not only for ourselves but for our communities. Can’t wait to share that article.
See you next week.
—Kate
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What you’ll find below:
Featured artist: Mike Cloud
Exhibitions to see in Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Miami, Montréal, and New York City
Eleven opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Mike Cloud
Bespoke stretcher bar frames in puzzle-like compositions appear to unfold, origami-like, in the mixed-media work of Chicago-based artist Mike Cloud. “Paintings are always objects within a system of objects,” he says in a statement. “My paintings are firmly anchored in the contemporary life of reproduction, symbolism, and description.”
I also love this bit of text from Corbett vs. Dempsey’s current solo exhibition of Cloud’s work, Circle Chat: “Are Cloud's paintings abstract? This is a complicated question to address. Are they representational? Yes, they represent specific and concrete things in the world—people, places, objects. Do they represent these things through visual likeness? Not so much. Instead, Cloud invokes other forms of semiosis, producing meanings through a variety of means—written language, linguistic permutations, website URLs, hieroglyphs, pictograms, and other symbolic imagery such as hand-birds. Again, are they abstract? Yes, Cloud's paintings are abstract in the sense that they condense vast amounts of information into a limited space.”
Circle Chat continues through April 26 in Chicago.
Exhibitions
LOS ANGELES | VIELMETTER
Kyle Dunn: Devil in the Daytime
It’s been fascinating to see Kyle Dunn’s paintings evolve over the past few years, from carved foam reliefs to subtly melodramatic tableaux and still-lifes. His paintings of detailed, cinematically-lit interiors “explore intimacy and estrangement, often portraying male figures in scenes of quiet contemplation or languid eroticism.”
Runs through March 29
NEW YORK CITY | SIKKEMA MALLOY JENKINS
Difficulty is cheerfully accepted
A remarkable selection of ceramics by artist Kathy Butterly, Louis Fratino, Magalie Guérin, and Heidi Lau—a few of whom like Fratino and Guérin are known primarily for painting—in a show that celebrates the medium’s potential.
Runs through April 5
LONDON | AMANDA WILKINSON
Aileen Murphy: Crackers for Lorelei
Murphy’s paintings enigmatically explore folds, relationships between visibility and concealment, and information passed between two points evocative of the surrealist practice of exquisite corpse.
Runs through April 5
More shows worth a peek:
Diana Guerrero-Maciá: Paintings for Birds at Secrist | Beach, Chicago, through March 8
Purvis Young: A Visionary of Miami’s Cultural Identity at Pan American Art Projects, Miami, through March 22
Patrick Hartigan at 1301SW, Melbourne, through April 5
Nadya Myre: All This and More… at Blouin Division, Montréal, through April 5
Warp and Weft: Technologies within Textiles at The Shepherd c/o Library Street Collective, Detroit, through May 3
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!
Sloss Metal Arts Visiting Artist-in-Residence – Summer
Deadline: March 14
Sloss Furnaces Foundation hosts three 8-week visiting artists throughout the year, typically in Summer (June to August) and Fall (September to November). This program is designed for artists interested in developing their studio practice and honing technical skills. Artists will be provided with a furnished apartment near Sloss Furnaces, casting materials, and 24-hour studio access in Sloss' historic casting shed. Artists are expected to have a final exhibition at the conclusion of their residency.
Submission fee: none
The RAiR Foundation Artist Residencies
Deadline: March 15
For over fifty years, the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program has provided talented artists a year-long opportunity to focus on their creative work. The Roswell Residency is not project-based nor engagement driven, providing the artist an opportunity to look inwardly. The Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art (AMoCA) invites fellows to have a solo exhibition of their work toward the end of their stay, however, this opportunity is optional. AMoCA then offers to purchase a piece from the artist for permanent display. Six residencies will be staggered throughout the year with start dates between January 1 and August 1, 2026. Monthly stipends are available.
Submission fee: $25
PhD Fellowships in the Arts 2025 at Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp
Deadline: March 17
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp grants two PhD fellowships in 2025 (55% research assignment for four academic years, starting on 15/09/2025).
Submission fee: none
Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort
Deadline: March 17
Thirty mid-career craft artists who teach will receive $10,000 grants and join a 6-month cohort experience that supports their artistic and teaching career development with programs, mentorship, and peer-to-peer learning creating an enriching impact on the communities they engage, developing a network of teaching craft artists.
Submission fee: none
Art Fund Jonathan Ruffer Curatorial Grants
Deadline: March 17
Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants support U.K. curators, museum professionals, and researchers to undertake travel and other activities that will extend and develop their curatorial expertise, collections-based knowledge, and art historical interests. Small grants are awarded up to £2,000; large grants are awarded over £2,000.
Submission fee: none
Wisconsin Arts Board Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program
Deadline: March 20
Folk Arts Apprenticeships are designed to strengthen and encourage the continuity of Wisconsin's diverse cultural traditions by supporting exemplary traditional artists and culture bearers in passing their skills and knowledge on to committed and talented apprentices. Any form of traditional art, as carried on by members of Wisconsin's various cultural groups, is eligible. Priority will be given to instruction in art forms that are in danger of being lost or that help to preserve an endangered language. Both the instructing artist and apprentice should be committed to preserving and advancing the art form in their shared community. Maximum awards are $3,500 to the instructing artist or a fiscal receiver.
Submission fee: none
Galveston Artist Residency
Deadline: March 22
Each year, the Galveston Artist Residency awards three artist-in-residence fellowships. For ten months, from October through July, resident artists receive 24/7 access to a 500-sq.-ft. studio space, a studio apartment a couple blocks away, and a monthly stipend of $1,100. Residents take part in a group exhibition near the end of their stay and have various studio visits throughout their time.
Submission fee: none
ARCUS Residency in Japan for International Artists
Deadline: March 25
Located around an hour from Tokyo, a residency at ARCUS Studio allows participants to come into contact with the contemporary art scene in Japan as well as devote themselves to their creative endeavors in a calm environment while interacting with the local community. The program is scheduled for August 29 to November 26, 2025 (90 days). The residency provides a studio, accommodation, round-trip airfare, living and research expenses (540,000 JPY), as well as support from a director and coordinators.
Submission fee: none
New Contemporaries Open Call
Applications open March 3 to March 31
New Contemporaries welcomes submissions from U.K.-based emerging or early career artists (aged 21 or above, with no upper age limit) who are within the first 7 years of their professional practice.
Submission fee: £25
Vermont Studio Center Residencies
Deadline: March 31
VSC’s residency program welcomes artists and writers working across all mediums and genres for two, three, and four-week sessions. 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 square feet. Accommodations include a private room and shared common areas. The campus features include a print shop, digital lab, and metal, wood, ceramic facility. Studios are open 24/7. Through the generosity of individual donors and foundation partners, Vermont Studio Center is able to ensure a full or partial fellowship for every attendee. More information is available about fees and fellowships.
Submission fee: $25
Decorative Arts Trust Publishing Grants
Deadline: March 31
Two grants support book-length academic publications based on completed dissertations or by first-time authors seeking to publish a scholarly work, as well as book-length publications tied to collections, exhibitions, and conferences that increase the awareness and appreciation of important areas of research in the decorative arts including catalogues and compilations of conference papers.
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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