Wednesday, July 9, 2025

How We Flourish

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

Marcel Proust

As summer unfolds in full bloom, it’s a good time to pause and appreciate the people who bring light and warmth into our lives. Whether it’s a friend who checks in, a collaborator who sparks ideas, or someone who simply makes you laugh when you need it most—these are the quiet forces of growth and joy.

Julianne Nash joined us to talk about Flora non Grata, her show at Amos Eno Gallery until July 27. Nash gathers a lot of images using her Nikon camera before retouching them. The central image in her current show, Juniper and Sagebrush, is an infrared image with layers of golden hour images. To learn more about Nash’s process and work, listen to the complete interview.

Dena Schutzer discussed her recent show at Bowery Gallery, Agitation and Retreat. When she creates, Schutzer does not start with ideas. Instead, she paints things that have caught her visual interest. This leads to a body of work that moves in a multitude of directions, but her reaction to the moment is a through line in all the work. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.

A Few Words to Keep in Your Pocket.

Who are your charming gardeners?

Outings.

Join me at DIANA Gallery for Seeded Futures, Arboreal Drifts, by Amba Sayal-Bennett

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

More Books to Read.

Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis user Robert Pinto recommends Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism Not Textualism by Stephen Breyer

Opportunities.

The Rauschenberg Medical Emergency Grants offer up to $5,000 for artists facing recent medical, dental, or mental health emergencies. Open to eligible visual, media, and choreographic artists in financial need. To learn more, visit the website. Application deadline is July 8.

 

Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center for Aesthetics and is currently faculty at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. He has written seven books for artists, including Making it in the Art World. His seventh book, The Problems in the Art World: An Artist’s A-Z Action Guide, is available now.
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