“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”
—Zora Neale Hurston
This issue is making it to your inbox a couple of days late because last weekend, I headed to Chicago to see the tail-end of EXPO, but more specifically, to attend the inaugural Midwest Arts Writers Convening, which sounds a lot like what it is—a wonderful gathering of arts writers and publishers from around the region with the aim of visioning community needs, building upon and establishing networks, and exploring “hyper-local learning.”
Firstly, my swing through EXPO was necessarily quick. I stopped in Milwaukee en route for a studio visit with Jimmy Cobb (whose wonderful space is pictured below) and hit a bit of traffic getting into Chicago. I spent a couple of hours at the fair, noticing quite a lot more geometric abstraction than I’ve seen in recent years, along with an undercurrent of folktale/fairytale vibes, and wonderfully a lot of galleries from Seoul—there was a partnership in place with Korean galleries—South America, and Chicago, many of which were new to me.
Starting Sunday, the writers event convened a few dozen folks from across the Midwest, some of whom I’ve known for a while and worked with or met during Arts Midwests’ 2024 Creative Media Cohort, and many who I met for the first time. For me, when a gathering is as industry-specific as this, “networking” doesn’t sound remotely as off-putting as it often does otherwise, and it’s always a good reminder of the wide variety of approaches to and types of arts writing.
We spent far more time talking about publishing and platforms than the art, so to speak, of art writing. We fielded lots of questions around the challenges of building or sustaining platforms; finding or holding onto audiences; how or if writers—especially freelancers—can find outlets; serving niche communities and underrepresented demographics; the stewardship of ideas and archives, and more.
On day one, it was an honor to sit on a panel discussing sunsetting publications, sustainability, and regionality, among many other topics. As someone who writes from a decentralized perspective but is dialed into the international contemporary art world, it was interesting to think more about what it means to be writing from a certain geographic place or across a web of different physical and dispersed communities, especially if there’s little to no access to contemporary art programming in those places.
Embedded into many of our discussions were reminders of capacity, whether emotional, psychological, budget-wise, or time-wise. I wasn’t the only one who announced a publication or projects that had recently gone on hiatus (speaking of which, Dovetail will most likely be back).
One thing that arose in numerous conversations is the “ecosystem” not only of the a art world at large but of arts writing and publishing in particular. Within our group of a few dozen, there were myriad publishing models we work within/create, from DIY initiatives to weekly newspapers that have been operating for decades, from one-person teams to large newsrooms, from artist-writers or curator-writers to podcast hosts and editors.
If one thing settled with me in the course of all of those conversations, it’s that living in a rural or decentralized area and also working in the art world feels a lot like tapping in and tapping out. I think this goes for all artists and art practitioners, not just writers. For example, I’ll visit a major arts city and see show after show for a few days straight, but then I’ll leave and feel completely checked out of the IRL experience—until the next trip rolls around.
I sometimes think there must be a way I can merge the two experiences (identities?) more fully because that’s how I feel as a person. I often feel some level of guilt about not being as invested as I’d like to be in my local community’s art scene because I’ve struggled to “fit” within it or find enough parallels with my niche interests in contemporary art.
Frankly, if I wasn’t working remotely, I’d have to find a city where there are jobs in my field. But I’m also not necessarily interested in investing that energy in any other single other place either, because I enjoy bouncing around so much and the kind of unique neutrality or flexibility that offers. Frankly, I don’t think I could afford it either—not as a single person who wants her own place, at any rate. Sometimes I like to wander through a major international art fair. And sometimes I want nothing more than to work from a picnic table, using my phone has a hotspot, adjacent to some remote natural space. So I’m gradually coming to terms with seemingly disparate yet intertwined realities, and the discomforts—and opportunities—they present.
My heartfelt thanks to Sixty Inches from Center for facilitating the convening!
—Kate
P.S. Another wonderful Q+A is coming your way soon on Sunday! Keep your eyes peeled. The newsletter will also return to its standard Wednesday schedule next week.
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What you’ll find below:
Featuring artist: Katie Garth
Exhibitions to see in Hong Kong, New York City, and Šamorín
Ten opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Featured Artist: Katie Garth
I’m so taken with Katie Garth’s City Folk series, pairing icons of urban life—NYC subway seats, rats, package delivery services—with references to folk painting and craft like cross-stitch samplers and Pennsylvania Dutch, Amish, and Fraktur design. “As a Philadelphian, I'm interested in using those motifs as a space to ask questions about derisive narratives of contemporary urban living, and how those fall in stark contrast to the wholesome, moralistic perception of that folk art,” she says.
Garth is preparing for a residency at Women’s Studio Workshop soon, and you can find more on her website and Instagram.
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | ASYA GEISBERG
Carolyn Case: Wild Domestic
I love an artist-made frame, and Carolyn Case’s ceramic additions to small paintings, in addition to larger compositions, really caught my eye this week. “The artist's deceptively abstract work hides fragments and hints of the everyday, elevating routine and domestic duties to the realm of the ethereal, and allows the untidy to remain cleverly uncontained.”
Runs through May 10
ŠAMORÍN | VILTIN GALÉRIA at AT HOME GALLERY
Rita Koszorús: Ephemeral Onsets
Nothing excites me more than an exhibition within a striking architectural space, and Rita Koszorús’s site-specific presentation finds at fitting companion in a reimagined synagogue in Slovakia.
Runs through May 11
HONG KONG | MASSIMODECARLO PIÈCE UNIQUE
Dominique Fung: Beneath the Golden Canopy
In line with MASSIMODECARLO’s Pièce Unique concept, Fung’s Beneath the Golden Canopy comprises only a small number of works, but they pack a punch. As always, I’m enthralled by the artist’s glowing palette and dreamlike approach to Chinese history and material culture.
Runs through May 16
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!
Triangle-Astérides Residency
Deadline: May 9
The residency program (program 1) is intended for early/mid-career artists from French (excluding Marseilles) and international scenes, regardless of age or nationality. The associate artists program (program 2) is intended for early/mid-career artists from the local scene, based in Marseilles and its surroundings.
Program 1 runs in three sessions for two months each between January and December 2026 and offers a studio, curatorial support, a single room (or two rooms for duos), a grant of €1,000 per month, a fee of €150 for an open studio event, and more. Program 2 runs a single session for the whole of 2026 and includes a studio, curatorial support, a production budget of €1,000, €150 for each of three open studio events, and more.
Submission fee: none
Salt Artistic Research and Production Grant for Turkish Artists
Deadline: May 12
This two-year grant program will provide a dynamic space for artistic research and production, encouraging robust engagement between creative practitioners and their communities across the region. This year’s grants will support two works at the intersection of art, technology, and ecology and are open to creative practitioners from Turkey who work in various disciplines. The two grants of €20,000 each include:
Artistic Research Grant facilitates in-depth artistic research, focusing on contemporary art and design, technology, and ecology. The use of Salt Research’s archival resources is encouraged for this research grant.
Production Grant supports an artistic production responsive to the dynamic, diverse, and evolving nature of the moving image. The scope of this grant includes traditional or expanded forms of storytelling, visual expression, and performance using film, cinema, and new media.
Submission fee: none
Cuttyhunk Island Artists Residency
Deadline: May 15
CIAR’s Fall Residency Programs offer visual artists focused time and a uniquely supportive environment to develop their work. On a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, CIAR hosts groups of twelve artists, who are invited to use the island itself as their studio. Two one-week sessions run in early September. Depending on accommodation, costs range from $1,950 to $3,600 with a number of full and partial fellowships available.
Submission fee: $25
VIA Art Fund Artistic Production Grant: Fall 2025 Award Cycle
Deadline for letter of inquiry: May 15
Artistic Production grants fund the production and exhibition of new artistic commissions, in amounts ranging between $25,000 and $100,000. Often exhibited beyond museum walls in public space, these projects feature high levels of thought leadership, artistic production, and public engagement. VIA Art Fund accepts Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) on a semiannual basis for Fall and Spring award cycles.
Submission fee: none
Burnaway 2025 Art Writing Incubator
Deadline: May 15
The Art Writing Incubator is an annual online writing intensive, which cultivates the next generation of critics and art writers through a series of workshops with leading culture writers and artists from around the world and one-on-one tutorials with Burnaway’s editors. Much of the program is funded by Critical Minded, which supports emerging writers of color, LGBTQ+ writers, and writers in rural communities.
The 2025 Art Writing Incubator will be held virtually. Applications are open to anyone over the age of 18 with a connection to Burnaway's coverage area – Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., West Virginia, and The Caribbean. Tuition is $250.
Submission fee: none
Northern Clay Center McKnight Residency and Fellowship for Ceramic Artists
Deadline: May 16
The program provides recipients with the opportunity to be in residence for three months at Northern Clay Center, where they can develop their work and exchange ideas and knowledge with Minnesota ceramic artists. Up to three, three-month residencies will be awarded in 2025. Each resident artist will receive a $6,000 award to account for expenses during their residency, studio space provided at no cost, and a glaze and firing stipend. During the residency each artist will present a public lecture, for which they will receive an additional honorarium. Artists from outside Minnesota are eligible to apply.
Submission fee: none
Center for Craft—Craft Archive Fellowship
Deadline: May 20
Six fellowships of $5,000 will be awarded to support archival research on underrepresented and non-dominant craft histories in the United States. Artists and scholars are invited to apply.
Submission fee: none
Ortega y Gasset Projects Open Call for Two Solo Exhibitions
Deadline: May 21
Ortega y Gasset Projects announces an open call for two solo exhibitions opening in January 2026: one in the Main Gallery and one in The Skirt, OyG's dedicated space for site-specific installations.
Submission fee: $25
Artica Svalbard 2026 Fully Funded Residencies
Deadline: May 23
Artica Svalbard offers several funded residencies in Longyearbyen throughout the year. These residencies are awarded through nominations by partner organizations, each with its own selection criteria and process. The program lists organizations it partners with to learn more information about open calls and nominations. Independently-funded 3-week+ residencies are also offered, with applications open on a rolling basis.
Submission fee: none
Bundanon Artist-in-Residence Program
Deadline: May 23
Established in 1997, the Artists in Residence program is the largest of its kind in Australia and spans Bundanon’s 30 year history. All art forms are supported through the program, including visual and performing arts, literature, dance and music, moving image, jewelry and silversmithing, and ecological and scientific research. There are no direct costs to artists for the Bundanon 2026 Artists in Residence Program. Artists, groups, and organizations from around the globe and across all creative disciplines are encouraged to apply.
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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