“There’s always a moment when you start to fall out of love, whether it’s with a person or an idea or a cause, even if it’s one you only narrate to yourself years after the event: a tiny thing, a wrong word, a false note, which means that things can never be quite the same again.” -Douglas Adams
Our lives are narratives. While we often convince ourselves that we see objective truth, in fact everything around us is nuanced and influenced by the narratives we carry and continue to develop. True learning is the willingness to break those narratives to see what lies beyond, to boldly accept that much of what we know to be “true” may in fact be nothing more than stories we have been told or that we have told ourselves.
Kevin Blythe Sampson has just returned from Italy where he taught at a conference of international activists for three weeks alongside colleagues from around the world. During his time there, Blythe collected materials to build a piece of art that he left for the town. The town in which he stayed is largely abandoned which allowed him to go house-to-house collecting materials such as furniture. From his findings, he created a piece titled Time is on my Side after the Rolling Stones song. His work was a nod to the ancient town and the old objects he was able to accumulate. To hear more about Kevin Blythe Sampson’s work, history and some of the residencies he has been a part of, listen to the complete interview.
Jeremiah Ariaz lives and works in Louisiana where he is presently exhibiting a body of work titled Louisiana Trail Riders documenting Creole trail riding clubs. These riders were some of the first “cowboy culture” in the U.S. and exist to this day. More broadly, Ariaz’s work examines tropes of the American West, questioning things that are thought to be understood about American culture and shedding light on alternative narratives. To hear more about Jeremiah Ariaz’s work and the Creole trail riding culture, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Each and every one of us carries with us myriad narratives. What are some of yours?
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. Kevin Blythe Sampson is reading Athanasius Kirthcer’s Theatre of the World by Joscelyn Godwin. Jeremiah Ariaz is reading Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas by Rebecca Solnit.
he Loewe Craft Prize is accepting entries from artists (in their own words) “whose artistic vision and will to innovate set new standards for the future of craft.” The winner receives a prize of 50,000 euros. Winning and shortlisted works are exhibited and featured in a catalog in Paris, 2020. For full details and to enter, visit the website. Deadline is October 30.
Deadlines
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
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Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis Center 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.