2023 / OUTPUT with Bill Albertini, R.C. Baker, and Sharon Butler
For Dumbo Open Studios, 20 Jay Street resident (and Two Coats of Paint publisher) We invited R.C. Baker, artist and editor-in-chief of the Village Voice, and multi-disciplinary artist Bill Albertini to present work in a studio show that explores the different ways each combines commercially-available printing and digital processes with traditional methods and materials. Organized by Sharon Butler and Jennifer Baahng. Read more.
2022 / MOD, at Platform Project Space, DUMBO
For the word “mod,” like all homonyms, everything is a situation. It’s a slippery term with many meanings that depend on context, which could be early twentieth-century philosophical and aesthetic iconoclasm, postwar architecture, 1960s Carnaby Street, or something else altogether. For Two Coats of Paint, a favorite definition comes from contemporary gaming: mods are created when a player takes the basic code or structure of a game and changes the plot. In one way or another, the five artists selected for this exhibition could all be considered “modders,” whether exploring ideas about Modernism, working modularly, hacking the outcome, or serving as moderators who steer conversations. Artists include Sharon Butler, Peter Dudek, Steve Hicks, Sheila Pepe, and Adam Simon. The expanded version of the exhibition will also include work by installation artist Lisa Hoke. Read more.
2019 / 1959: Spirit of the Void
For Dumbo Open Studios, Two Coats of Paint invited Stephanie Theodore, founder and director of Theodore:Art in Bushwick, to co-curate an exhibition of work by artists born the same year (Two Coats publisher) that Two Coats publisher Sharon Butler was–1959. We were surprised when more than fifty artists responded to our call, making the choices difficult, but we ultimately put together “1959: Spirit of the Void,” on view Saturday and Sunday, April 27 & 28, 1-6pm at Two Coats of Paint HQ. Birthday cake was served. Read more.
2018 / Two Coats Marathon Art Conversation @Clubhouse
On May 13, to help kick off another online edition of Dumbo Open Studios, Two Coats of Paint organized a marathon art conversation on Clubhouse featuring a lively crew of DUMBO regulars. Artists and arts organizations joined Two Coats publisher Sharon Butler throughout the day to talk about art, exhibitions, issues and ideas. Guest hosts included Matthew Deleget from Minus Space, Becky Sellinger from Smack Mellon, Beth Dary and Jeff Wallace from the Main Window Dumbo project, Elizabeth Hazan from Platform Project Space, Alexi Worth, Laura Karetzky, Teri Hackett, Samantha Taylor, Lauren Skelly Baily, and many others. Read more.
2017 / BLUE STATE at DUMBO Open Studios, 2017
Can anyone stop thinking about politics these days? We can’t. For “Blue State,” an exhibition we organized for DUMBO Open Studios, May 13 & 14, 1-6pm, Two Coats of Paint selected work that reflected our state of mind. Artists included Matthew Deleget (Minus Space Gallery), David Mann (Margaret Thatcher Projects), Helen O’Leary (Lesley Heller Workspace), and Sharon Butler (Theodore:Art), who hosted the show in her studio at 55 Washington Street. On Saturday at 4pm, Rob Kaiser-Schlatzlein, a member of the Two Coats $50 Stock Club for Artists, presented a lecture/performance called “Inflation: The open secret of everyday life.” Read more.
