The trials of a young art-school graduate
Meeting of Fronts, from Jeff Swartout’s senior show went to New York and was sold. Heady success for a young kid. One of the groups affected disproportionally by the 2008-13 economic malaise has been recent college graduates. About half of them scrape by either unemployed or marginally employed. It’s always taken time for kids to find …
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Working under duress
Annunciation to Joseph, c. 2000, by little ol’ me. Who likes hearing upsetting news? I was recently diagnosed with cancer. It’s kept me from doing much of anything these past few weeks, as I’m in a sort of paralysis of awe and anxiety. This is why I’ve been writing about art theory and history and …
Feminist design, for real.
An outdoor toilet block in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. No lights, no doors and a pit toilet. (Photo courtesy of Douglas J. Perot) My friends have gotten a mighty good laugh at Bic’s totally pointless For Her ballpoint pens. But if you think all work of interior and industrial designers is trivial, then consider …
Stranded
An Everyman moment for the modern world, from Amy Stein’s Stranded. Every once in a while an artist comes up with an idea that’s so universal I wish I’d thought of it. Amy Stein photographs people stuck at the side of the road. Stein’s artist statement demonstrates the disconnect between what we say we’re investigating …
Etsy’s just another craft fair that’s now allowing resale.
Charm bracelet by Jennifer Jones Jewelry. Jennifer Jones makes handmade statement jewelry from vintage brooches, pins, buttons, and the occasional Tabasco sauce bottle. Since she’s my former painting student and friend, we frequently talk shop. Recently, she’s been telling me that Etsy, the e-commerce website focusing on handmade craft items, has started allowing the resale …
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