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“And now, we’re at the end of our history block, right in the middle of our crisis. We’re in the process of changing our world again.”  “These crisis are like forrest fires, unpleasant but necessary they clear the woods for new growth. As we work towards our next high, this crisis will tilt the playing field away from the old, and towards the young.” 

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Forever into these dialogues.

Copyright: Why We Can't Have Nice Things

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Some thoughts on exhibition making I came across a while back. Consider 5 useful questions to augment your curatorial task. 

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“Millions of Americans consume “news” from outlets that pump out lie after lie. And the groups most likely to be fooled are those who have low levels of media literacy and are unable to discern questionable sources from reliable ones. If better forgers are coming, we, as citizens, need to ensure that voters are educated to become better detectives.”

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I’m in the VICE print publication! Pick it up if you can find it!

Thrilled!!!

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https://www.datawranglers.com/negations/issues/96w/96w_peretti.html

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Grind. Grind. Grind.

“Talent is cheap.”

“Persistence and determination alone are all powerful.”

Manifesto of a Doer (larger)

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Seamless transitions make it difficult to notice when an agency/author has been editing. I’ve stressed to students the importance of always recognizing that an author is present, that author has a stake in any given message. It is important to ask ourselves if we should trust the author of any given message. Post production software is ubiquitous, and typically invisible. Here, something like a glitch is visible and we’re able to register that post production software is at work. These lips could utter a fictitious message in a seamless manner, and suggest fictions as fact. How would one recognize the subterfuge? 

Stay vigilant friends. 

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Freelance arts laborers in NYC wish to achieve basic/comparable living wages. 

Get that skrill. You’re worth every penny.

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Some general info:

Independent contractors pay full taxes out of pocket, whereas a full time employee pays half taxes, an employer matches those taxes, and they apply that $ to the IRS for you as the year progresses.  

As an independently contracted arts laborer, If I’m offered a wage of $20 an hour that means I make about $15 an hour after I set aside that other $5 to go towards quarterly taxes which I pay independently to the IRS. If I’m offered a wage of $15 an hour that means I’m making something like $11 an hour after I set aside $ for taxes. These numbers are anything but progressive, and this is what’s being offered by institutions that consider themselves to be progressive. 

I’ve been working jobs in construction my entire life. I have 10 years of product training to pull from, gained while working retail in a big box corporate hardware environment. I have an MFA, thus I’ve been studying and installing art works and bringing exhibitions to fruition since I was 18 years old, I’m currently 39. I gained on the job training in arts handling as an intern almost 10 years ago, the (capital A) art exhibits I’ve been a part of installing here in New Orleans are getting national attention. 

This background suggests that I’m a skilled laborer. I’m tired of being treated as if I’m an unskilled laborer. 

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https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/jerry-saltz-how-to-be-an-artist.html

How to be an artist?

Follow the link to the New York Magazine article for an in depth examination of each Lesson. 

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I’ve recently spent 10 days executing a piece of work (several pieces honestly) with a team of artists/handlers/installers/interns to materialize the setting of an institutional gallery exhibition.

We’re long/way past the days where an individual artist is the sole creative entity physically executing to realize/materialize any arts goal. Scale, for one, can be a determining factor as to why extra hands are needed. Skill set is often another determining factor. 

As an arts preparator, sometimes fabricator, but also artist, the roles within these settings often blur. It’s nice to see the topic discussed, pleasing to see a broader discussion about skill and execution by assistants/fabricators foregrounded. 

The reality is that when I do an excellent job, my labors are nearly invisible. It would be nice to see wages that validate my skillset. I’m tired of being lowballed for quality/specialized labor. Art’s preparators are literally being asked to do it all. 

Institutions step up.... or lose your labor.  

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Does your consumption/use of digital platforms leave you feeling fulfilled? Is the time you spend online productive, or is it a time suck?  

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Another complex installation successfully executed for Zarhouie Abdalian at the CAC in New Orleans, LA. I’m regularly working with an amazing crew of talented art preparators. Looking forward to future ventures and opportunities here in the city. 

This show has generated a heavy dialogue surrounding labor and standards for service workers here in the city. It will be interesting to see if these talks lead to changes/advances and/or tangible security for arts laborers.  

Critics Pick recognition by Charley Tatum via ARTFORUM.

https://www.artforum.com/picks/contemporary-arts-center-new-orleans-77635?fbclid=IwAR0WWFC_-cFJFSNcyz2PleAb8YiNBsLKxOMPmlYkUDTe-JM8PH9jDCB7fb8

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I worked Fallen Fruit’s Empire install this past Spring via Porter Art Services. 

Our efforts crafted gorgeous aesthetics that set a stage where alternative narratives could resonate. Although critical, the strategic mash up of historic objects (Tulanes permanent collections and Fallen Fruits locally sourced wallpapers) seems celebratory, it’s a really ambivalent space. 

Go see it if you haven't prioritized it yet. It’s the best show up in New Orleans, provides the most bang for your buck. 

*I placed those books. I leveled all these paintings. I hung all this wallpaper. Thanks to the Porter dudes for letting me play.

*The imagery of this post sourced from the Tulanian. Sept. 2018 issue. 

https://www.facebook.com/NewcombArtMuseum/videos/2187392977969705/UzpfSTEwOTY1OTY5MDE6MTAyMTYyNDIyOTA5ODU0MDM/

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Publicity regarding New Southern Photography at The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is here and positive! We’re in Lenscratch and in TIME! These galleries look amazing, the art superb! Show opens tonight 10/6/18 from 6-9. 925 Camp St.    

With 25 artists represented, our galleries offer a robust consideration of the creative strategies at play within contemporary art photography. The Ogden’s focus is on regional artists and their production, The South is at the heart of all their conversation.    

I’ve been working at the Ogden for the past 6 weeks as an art preparator, we crushed this install! It’s been a steady 9-5 grind with a few days of overtime, but honestly it’s been a relatively smooth experience. Great thanks to Richard McCabe for his vision and coordination, and to Patrick Barnes, Jillian Gibson, and Bonnie Maygarden for mind and muscle. A shoutout to Bradley Surmall for his insight and assistance.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/lens/ogden-museum-new-southern-photography.html?fbclid=IwAR1uvD4MjBHVX7W9sxNkLSjgxvWs1pYCPMEtSNSPYyyA3KuzZrs7CVAVt2o

http://time.com/longform/new-voices-american-south-photography/

http://lenscratch.com/2018/10/new-southern-photography/

https://bittersoutherner.com/southern-photography-21st-century-style-ogden-museum

http://bittersoutherner.com/from-the-southern-perspective/the-ogden-museum-is-desegregating-southern-photography?fbclid=IwAR0N6_cfVZ0WzAuGuPjuh6-t_ThVo93xn7R2sY_JnA57En2rLE_Q9Jl29E8

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Go deeper.