1. How long have you been in Atlanta? What brought you here?
I've been in Atlanta for almost 3 years. I came here to accept a position at Georgia State University, but I had been looking for positions in Atlanta for a while.
2. Did you go to art school? Do you have any degrees?
I do have an MFA in painting and a masters degree in art history from Ohio University. And before that I got a liberal arts degree in WV, where I grew up.
3. Tell us how you got your start as a working artist.
Well, I didn't have any role models for being an artist, but somehow I always knew that's what I would do. I didn't get into the professional world of art until I left school. I took a 1-year job out of school serving as a college gallery director in Lexington, KY. Then after that ended I decided I was ready to move to New York. I had all types of jobs there, but I ended up working in the museum and gallery world--including the Guggenheim--and teaching an evening class whenever I had a chance.
4. What are you working on in your studio now?
I've been working on paper a lot lately. And I've been building props for performance pieces that I have on the horizon.
5. What is it like to be an artist in Atlanta today? How can Atlanta improve?
I think Atlanta is a very interesting city, and I like working as an artist here. All of the cities that are not New York City or Los Angeles have the same issues. Everyone wants more sophisticated criticism, more energetic collectors, and more innovative gallerists and curators. Atlanta is growing all of those things I think. The addition of BURNAWAY magazine has been a tremendous contribution to the art community, and a way to train and nurture new critical voices. The Contemporary has always supported new art, and the High Museum seems to have sprung to life in an interesting way regarding local work. I don't know the collecting community that well, but lately I have had some of the most interesting conversations I've ever had in Atlanta with local collectors. So I'm hopeful.
6. What is the role of an artist in society? How do you see your role in this way?
Oh I think there are multiple roles. And one artist may play multiple roles simultaneously. Cynics may say that art is a microenvironment with late capitalism to test what can be bought or sold. Old humanists might go back to the "canary in the coal mine" argument. Venture capitalists might say art is the "research and develop" branch of the culture industry. Marxists may prop up a fantasy of relevance by claiming that art is an agile interventionist tool against the armature of the state. They might all be correct to some degree, but I don't dismiss art as the delivery system for a very particular type of pleasure.
7. What is the job of Art?
Love and glory!
8. Does Atlanta have a specific role to play for Art/Artists?
It's tempting to say that the art community in Atlanta is responsible for itself to a large degree. And yet in NYC it took a city zoning law to create a situation where the Soho art district could spring up. In that sense, the city of Atlanta could be more helpful in helping to promote the growth of an arts community. There have been moments in Atlanta where big injections of money have entered the system in targeted ways, but it's unclear how useful that is to a longterm art community.
9. Do you have any advice for younger artists?
The reason people don't have art careers is that they stop making art. So if you really want a creative life and career, don't stop.
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