Artists Talk, making art during wartime, last chance for exhibitions at 68 Prince Street Gallery and CLEA RSKY, Resident Artists, next Open Studios, “Street Corner Conversations” review, babies, more
Hey you,
I was doing an artists talk with Jason Travers at 68 Prince Street Gallery in Kingston, NY, two weeks ago, and the subject of politics came up. Jason said he kept going back to sinking ship analogies. “It’s sometimes lost that even on the sinking Titanic there was hope for humanity. While it was sinking, there was a string quartet playing for panicked passengers. These musicians kept playing while the ship went down. The man who led that quartet was Wallace Hartley. I don’t want his name to be forgotten. There was a time when I would think about him and feel angry— why are you playing music when you should be getting on one of those boats? Now I look back at his contribution differently, and I do think it was a contribution. He was doing the only thing he could do. He was restoring a sense of humanity at the moment it was most needed — even if no one was listening. In a way, that’s the right analogy for the artist today. I feel like Wallace Hartley — playing music while the whole world is falling apart and nobody’s paying attention.”
I had the same feeling about Morandi, who lived through two world wars and much of the Cold War in Italy. How could he keep making those sedate paintings of jars and vases? Now I understand why he wasn’t always out in the streets and continued his detached practice undaunted. It’s an important aspect of being an artist. You keep making art whatever else is going on around you not to ignore or escape strife — most artists I know are acutely aware of what’s happening here — but to advance a better civilization in spite of it. Continuing to work in the studio is a small act of resistance…
(Note: This text was originally written for the introduction to the Two Coats of Paint NYC March Gallery Guide, but I wanted to share it with newsletter readers.)
On view this month
Last chance: “Spot On,” is on view 68 Prince Street Gallery in Kingston, NY, and runs through Sunday, March 8. Sharing the main space with me are painter Jason Travers and sculptor-furniture maker Kieran Kinsella. In the front gallery, Murray Hochman and Eileen Power’s work will be on view.
Last Chance: Through March 6: Sharon Butler: Insomnia Project is on view at CLEA RSKY. It’s an outdoor project, so you can check it out anytime, even at night or in the snow. Located at 925 Bergen Street in Brooklyn, the space is curated by Tommy White and Jim Lee.
Two Coats of Paint March Artists-in-residence
March 8 – 13: The Two Coats of Paint Residency will be hosting artist Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie lives and works in Alfred, NY, where she is a professor at SUNY Alfred and co-founder of the Alfred/Düsseldorf MFA in Painting and Residency Program. We’re hosting an Open Studio on Wednesday, March 11, 5 – 7 pm.
March 16 – 20: Nichole Van Beek, a visiting professor at West Virginia University, will be in town. Tune in to Two Coats of Paint in a day or two for more details. Her Open Studio is on Wednesday, March 18, 5 – 7 pm.
Location: Two Coats of Paint is located at 22-19 41st Avenue, 6th floor, Long Island City, NY.
Review
“Street Corner Conversations” at McBride /Dillman (195 Henry Street, NYC) is no longer on view, but you can check out Taylor Bielecki’s excellent review on Tussle.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Together, these three artists share a deep commitment to material, process, and form. The foundations of painting (line, form, value, color, etc) become important pillars within these processes. Each is staking out her own vocabulary of abstraction while expanding the possibilities of what the medium they each use can hold. With each painting, they evolve the process of painting. They reveal painting not as an escape from the present, but as a space where thinking can be embodied, explored, and where form becomes a mode of conversation amongst artists. A place where discoveries become important additions to this ongoing conversation.” Read more.
Gratitude
Big thanks to Ashley Dillman for including my work in “Street Corner Conversations.” Wendy Fulenwider Liszt @wendyfulenwiderliszt and Ariel Mitchell @arielldmitchell were also in the show – and I thank these two talented artists for fine conversations throughout. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and saw the show, and special thanks to those who took the time to post images to their friends.
Finally, my appreciation goes toJodi Hayes for inviting me on her “Visual Quitter” podcast to talk about a few times I tried to quit. You can read a transcript here.
Bonus article
On the occasion of my daughter’s new baby, I’d like to share a link to “Neo-Maternalism: Contemporary Artists’ Approach to Motherhood,” an article I published in The Brooklyn Rail when my daughter was eight. Here’s to the cycle of life, even during wartime.
That’s it for March. Thanks for reading.
Hoping for the insanity to end,
Sharon
Images of new work and information about past projects, writing, and exhibitions, can be found on my website at www.sharonlbutler.com. Follow me on Bluesky at @sharonbutler.bsky.social and on Instagram at @sharon_butler.
