Joe Fig interviews 24 contemporary artists (from the usual to the young) and askes them each the same questions. From "what kinds of paints do you use and special devices" to "when were you able to dedicate yourself full-time to being an artist?" The questions are exactly what artists want to know and (I think) [...]
Many artists today rely on their computers as part of their studio practice. Whether this be Photoshop, video-editing or some other practice, there is a heavy reliance (and trust) of color on our own computer screens. The problem resides in not knowing how the monitors of others will see the work. I have already written [...]
Every Semester, Meadows School of the Arts hosts a series of talks by artists which are free to attend. These world class visitors are organized by Noah Simblist, who works tirelessly to coordinate these events. Be sure to check out the full schedule on http://meadowseye.com. (The website is a little wonky, a blog being used [...]
Tonight was the opening of the Arthouse charity auction at Dunn and Brown Gallery . The walls were peppered with hundreds of tiny 5×7 artworks, all lined up in three rows. Many artists had more than one piece, displaying a series of 3. For thirty minutes, the packed room of people circled the room to [...]
When I finished my undergraduate degree in art, I was flying high with excitement. After Graduate school, I was torn apart, dejected … but still highly motivated. There has been lots of writing about development during those exciting times, however, what often does not get written about is how an artist comes to terms with [...]
Jerry Saltz has been using Facebook for a while now, and gaining some well-deserved press. His posts range from simple comments/questions to more recently his major commentary on the MOMA. Notice that I am having to link to the blog of Ed Winkleman. This will allow non-facebook users the ability to read and comment [...]
Part 2 of 2: Chris Jagers interviews Dean Terry in regard to new mobile technologies. Art making is usually thought of as Intimate. Mobile devices are usually thought of as a mass consumer product. But you combine both, so what kind of status does the mobile phone have for you? The mobile phone is [...]
Mobile devices are opening the gates for a flood of location-based products and real-time communication tools. At the forefront of exploring this technology is Artist/Teacher/Technologist Dean Terry. He is currently the Director of the Emerging Media program at UT Dallas and is the head of their innovative MobileLab. Below is my interview with him, part [...]
The winner, for the much talked about Xero Project, has been announced. The block behind City Hall has been designated for an experimental building that will "connect the city of Dallas with greenways while bringing local agriculture, public orchards, community gardens, private planter boxes, and food stalls into the city." The architectural renderings of [...]
KickStarter is a new site to "fund ideas and endeavors." The site seems particularly geared to artistic communities that only need a few hundred to a few thousand dollars for a project. I was skeptical at first, but you can browse all the other projects, their funding and see how everything works. A really impressive [...]
It is so easy to criticize art education … and certainly there are problems. But I would like to highlight some great attributes of art education which are sometimes missing from other disciplines. These are not directly art-related, but rather general practices that I see as "nutritious." 1) Slowness. Art education cultivates the habit of [...]
“In my work, I am deconstructing the idea of …”“This artist deconstructs popular conceptions about …” I have to vent about the misuse of the verb: “Deconstruct.” I hear people say this all the time, when they should be saying, “analyze,” “explore” or any number of other verbs. And yet, there is insistence on using [...]
As artists, we are constantly using the Web to share/promote artwork. We email galleries, publish websites, enter contests, etc… everything is online. However, very few artists understand the medium of an Internet browser. It has its own rules and “color space” that can deeply affect the quality and color of images. Making sure your work [...]
The SMU faculty exhibition at the MAC just closed, but I wanted to report my experience of Jay Sullivan’s new work. From a distance, the installation looks like a geology display: a table of rocks. However, closer looking reveals something conspicuous … a few of these rocks are digital 3D manufactured forms, barely given away [...]
The New York Times just posted an editorial titled “The End of the University as We Know It, ” by Mark Taylor. It is a proposal & reexamination of the University’s relationship to society. It is full of damning criticisms and bold solutions. He criticizes the financial structures, the tenure system, curriculum and specialization. Mark [...]
It is so common for artists to work from photographs today… I believe dangerously common. It’s flatness, stopped-time look and palette permeate so much artwork with the consequence of looking like it is about photography, rather than anything else intended. It is a huge crutch/convenience that is not silent, even though many think it so. [...]
The Division of Art @ Meadows just finished the last of 4 presentations by candidates for the position of Chair (soon to be vacated by Jay Sullivan). I was somewhat surprised to see that all of these candidates were “conceptual” artists, specifically not concerned with visual form as much as they were engaged in explicit [...]
Last week, the Ceramics Department @ SMU brought in 3 former students (from 10 years ago) to make a presentation about their current development. I have given an intro to all three artists on my personal blog , but would like to spotlight one here in more detail. Tom Lauerman graduated from SMU in 1996 [...]
