“The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting.” -Andy Warhol
We live in an age of instantaneous everything. Want something? Buy it with the tap of a finger and have it delivered to your door the very next day. Need to be in touch with someone? There are a million ways, all of them with instant results whether that someone is at home or elsewhere. There are very few things that we in the West need to wait for any longer. And yet – isn’t waiting part of what makes something worth having or doing? Is this culture of immediacy perhaps at the root of our society’s feeling of constant searching and hollow acquisition? No longer do we anticipate things – even holidays seem to arrive just a little sooner each year, crowding out each other on store shelves and urging people to overlap their celebrations – and certainly their purchasing. Can we take a moment to breathe?
Charles Traub spoke to us in mid-September. He wears two hats – one as the founder of the MFA program of Photography, Video and Related Media at the School of Visual Arts in NYC for which he now serves as Chair. The other is in his own art practice as a photographer with over 50 years of work under his belt. Throughout the pandemic, he felt – and still does feel – the need to adapt on a daily basis. For the last few years, Traub has been photographing exclusively with his iPhone, recording his passage through anything he encounters. He recently published a book of 208 pictures taken with his iPhone titled Tickety Boo. The book has no words, only photos, and speaks to Traub’s concern about the time in which we live. To hear more about this and his other work, listen to the complete interview.
Bertha Rogers also spoke with us in mid-September. A poet, Rogers reports that the lockdown was a good period for her professionally speaking. She lives in a quiet, rural area with few distractions which allows her to simply get on with her work. Throughout this time, she has done quite a bit of reading as well as continuing to teach literary workshops for children through the organization she co-founded, Bright Hill Press and Literary Center of the Catskills though she resigned as its executive director. Rogers also works on translations, including a translation of Beowulf published in 2000. To hear more about her prolific career as well as live readings of her work, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in your Pocket:
Lean away from the instantaneousness of the world in which we live. Embrace the feeling of anticipation.
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. Tickety Boo by Charles Traub can be explored and purchased here. To learn more about the poetry of Bertha Rogers, please follow this link.
Deadlines:
The Aftermath Project invites artists to apply for the 2022 grant cycle under the theme of 1492/1619 American Aftermaths. In their own words:
I can’t stress enough how much we’re looking forward to considering your projects related to the aftermaths of these key periods in American history. You don’t have to address both 1492 and 1619, but you do need to have a thoughtful proposal (and strong work) that shows your understanding of how these aftermaths still resonate today.
For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for submissions is November 30.
From 24 June to 20 August 2021, Marian Goodman Gallery and Holt/Smithson Foundation will present the first exhibition of Robert Smithson’s work in the gallery’s New York space. The exhibition, Abstract Cartography, will focus on a crucial five-year period in Smithson’s development: 1966 to 1971, a time when his “inklings of earthworks” began. This careful selection of artworks will trace Smithson’s radical rethinking of what art could be and where it could be found.
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.