Thursday, March 28, 2024

Bereft

“Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.”

-H.G. Wells

The world. On fire. At every turn, disaster seems to reign. And yet. There is beauty. There is art. There is a pinprick of light darkest places. When we despair, we let go of the opportunity for it to break through, for optimism to take us by surprise. Oblivion is not a foregone conclusion. Not yet. There is time. There is hope. Hold on tight and let the good moments wash over you.

C. Finley spoke to us from London in mid-July shortly before pandemic restrictions were due to be lifted. The previous Friday she closed the final day of the Every Woman Biennial in NYC and London, the first time the festival has had a trans-Atlantic presence. The event included around 279 participating artists who were women and non-binary artists. Finley reports that the entire event was a smash – the artists were very happy and the events were well attended and well received. After much debate over whether to hold the event during these extraordinary times, the organizers, including Finley, decided that artists needed something like this and that assumption was just right. To hear more about the Every Woman Biennial, including its origin as the Whitney Houston Biennial, as well as Finley’s own work, listen to the complete interview.

Susan Louise Aberth also spoke to us in mid-July from Hyde Park, NY where she is a professor at Bard College. Her own work at the moment focuses on surrealism, something she finds gaining more popularity – in particular the women artists associated with surrealism. Much of Aberth’s research – including her Ph.D. dissertation, examines the life and work of Leonora Carrington, the British-born Mexican surrealist artist and writer. Among Carrington’s body of work is a Tarot deck, something that was of particular interest in the surrealist movement. In addition to women in surrealism, more attention is being paid to other countries where the surrealist movement took root but that have not received as much attention to date. To hear more about Aberth’s work including her deep knowledge of Leonora Carrington, listen to the complete interview.

A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:

Do not allow the depths to pull you under. Rise above.

Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews here.

Books to Read

What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. C. Finley was reading At Certain Points We Touch, a debut novel by Lauren John Jones. To find the writings of Leonora Carrington, as discussed in the interview with Susan Aberth, click here.

Deadlines:

National Parks Arts Foundation invites artists to apply for residency at Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico. There are two residencies per year, in April and October, and both are open to all artists. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is September 30.

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists; Making it in the Art World, New Markets for Artists, The Art World Demystified, Fund Your Dreams Like a Creative Genius, Sell Online Like a Creative Genius, and Succeed with Social Media Like a Creative Genius. His book, Making it in the Art World, is available now with bonus content here.

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