Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful In Bed with the Tropicals, 2015, inaction. Photo: Frances Pollitt / Courtesy of Nicolás Dumit Estévez In Bed
with the Tropicals consisted of a five-hour stopover by a sleeping subject in Wave Hill’s conservatory, NY. This dormant being rested uninterruptedly, side by side with the vast array of orchids, lichens, air plants and ferns that make up the lush greenhouse’s collection. In this exercise, which relied on inaction, the cessation of the most visible movements on behalf of the sleeper were meant to put him on a par with the imperceptible activity generated by the plant world around him. In Bed
with the Tropicals was meant to conjure images of hibernation, catalepsy, the Dormition of the Virgin, and the continuous interplay between life and death. It also signaled the urgent call for what deep ecology activist Joanna Macy refers to as the “greening of the self” or the eco-self; an awareness for one’s inextricable interdependence with all living beings irrespective of the lesser status “humans” have assigned to them.
“Don’t own so much clutter that you will be relieved to see your house catch fire.”
-Wendell Berry
Ours is a society of stuff. We purchase to pursue a better self, a better life, a better experience in the world. We live in an age of instantaneous acquisition, a time when the click of a button can summon goods to our door in a matter of hours. No longer do we need to leave home to accumulate, it is possible to shun the outside world and covet it at the same time. The truth is, none of these items fulfills the promise of changing us or our lives in any way. We receive them and experience the
rush of endorphins that comes with newness, but before long another fix is all that can maintain the facade. The cycle is endless unless we consciously choose to disrupt it. It is choking our world. We are drowning in our own stuff.
Nicolás Dumit Estévez Raful Espejo Ovalles joined us in October to discuss his work. Ovalles believes we have collectively entered a new dimension as a result of the last few years and the extreme negativity they have wrought. Because of the digital world we find ourselves in, Ovalles
has had the opportunity to interact with people around the world he otherwise might not have been able to, a benefit of the altered state of the world that counters some of the negativity. One such connection is a group he joins every two weeks to discuss death and dying. In addition, Ovalles recently taught a workshop on ancestors at Copper
Beech Institute. These opportunities to connect simply would not have materialized if it hadn’t been for the changes the pandemic set in motion. To hear more about Ovalles experience of the last few years as well as his work, listen to the complete interview.
Amaranth Borsuk spoke to us from Seattle in late October. A writer, she explained that at the start of the pandemic she was on sabbatical working on multiple manuscripts. As she was finding a rhythm with this – while also having a one-year-old at home – the world changed profoundly. She suddenly found herself
without childcare and having a difficult time setting aside the tumultuous events of the pandemic and civil unrest that marked the last few years. Borsuk decided to take back up with a collaborator. She has worked with a few collaborative partners – all also mothers, which offers an immediate connection. To hear more about how the experience of parenting has changed Borsuk’s work and life, and to hear live readings of her work, listen to the complete interview.
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Weekly Grants &
Resources for Artists
Every week you will find updated resources here to apply for grants, find residencies and
more.
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Life’s work is never done. Until the day we make our final exit, there is no moment to which we can point and say, there. That is when I felt complete. We may approach completion within certain facets of our lives, but we must always continue to strive and learn and grow. For artists, this rings especially true...
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Opportunity comes in all forms. Whether that means funding for your next project or getting your work out into the world, there are myraid ways to advance your career, enrich your artistic practice and engage with the world around you. You simply have to know where to look. Here are a few opportunities to get you started...
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In a cold and frozen world, where do you find the spark? For an artist, this is a question that must be pursued. There is no time of year, for those who choose to make their living in the arts, when inspiration should not be sought. Take time, make time in your days, weeks and months to seek out those opportunities that will...
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Flourishing can take many forms. For some, it might mean finding a comfortable place to carve out a quiet life and for others, it may mean seeing the world, refusing to quiet down no matter what. As a career creative, you must do what makes your creativity flow, find your way of flourishing. Below are a few...
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Rubedo: The Alchemical World and Artists (84:41)
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These are positive and / or negative reviews of galleries, art fairs, consultants, writers, online pay to play offers,
residencies and more – all written by artists so that other artists can beware of situations where institutions treat artists badly, or that end up costing the artist money or are outright scams.
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