“Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!” -Charles Dickens
At this time of year, we reflect. Upon the year that has been, and the one we are about to greet. For many this is a time when we open what coffers we can to give to those in need – all beings, be they humans, animals, or the very nature that sustains us. We give to the arts or to advancements in medical science. We give so that others might receive and flourish by our gifts.
Josephine Halvorson teaches at Boston University and maintains a studio overlooking Cambridge toward the Charles River. At present she is finishing some paintings using gouache and found objects from the locations where she created each of the paintings. She also includes silkscreening to create something like a map or key that corresponds with each painting and the location where the objects were found. Other work includes paintings made over the summer in Mexico when Halvorson was the first artist in residence at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. To hear more about her work, teaching, residency and more, listen to the complete interview.
Steven L. Bridges lives and works in Lansing, Michigan. He anticipates an exhibition called Seeds of Resistance opening in May of 2020 at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University where he works as an Associate Curator. The theme of the exhibition is the idea of a speculative future and involves the idea of seed banking. To hear more about this as well as a conversation about the intersection of the commercial art world and the academic/museum world, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
It is during these days of the calendar that each of us has the opportunity to connect ourselves to the greater good, whether in ways large or small, and make the world a better place than when we found it.
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. Josephine Halvorson is reading Ninth Street Women by Mary Gabriel (this book was also mentioned in a previous post). Steven L. Bridges is returning to Antwerp by Roberto Bolano.
Visual AIDS invites artist to submit comics for consideration for the 2020 Visual AIDS exhibition. This project is intended to spark a dialogue about HIV/AIDS, engage in activism, support those living with HIV/AIDS and educate. All proposals must be in English. There is one time stipend of $500 for chosen artists. For complete information, visit the website. Deadline is December 20.
Deadlines
Weekly Edited Grant and Residency Deadlines – review the list here.
—
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.