Arts in Boston, and attitudes about Artsyness (New Bedford, Fall River: city hall, to rent)

[uncalifornian girl]

Originally Posted by dravogadro

I don't want to derail your thread, but have you thought about moving to Minneapolis? I know it is a smaller city (and definitely not like Chicago) but it seems like it might be a good fit. I'm not in the arts scene but I haven't gotten that scencester vibe and there are tons of small galleries, workshop spaces and events that are throughout the year. Much lower cost of living, plenty of 20-40 year olds and what seems to me to be a high concentration of advertisting/design firms.

Yeah, I should probably take a trip there too.

[uncalifornian girl]

Originally Posted by miu

From reading some of her posts, I'm surprised that the OP wouldn't give Chicago another try...

Hmmm...yeah. I know. I guess I just want to try something completely new. Lots of somewhat dark memories for me in Chicago. Not that it wasn't fun. But not sure I want to relive it.

[miu]

Well hopefully you learned from your dark experiences and won't repeat them wherever it is you move to next.

Originally Posted by uncalifornian girl

When I did it before, I moved from LA to Chicago, almost as far...well not really, but it was an extreme move. I survived, just not great. I regret not sticking it out, actually. It was in 2008-09 right when things got really bad, which scared me. I thought it was me! Now I know it was just happening everywhere.

[mdovell]

Well I mean this depends on what you call "art". I think the visual form of artwork (paintings, photographs) gets to be a harder sell then music. There's plenty of small bands all across the state and they can get play from college radio. You can't exactly get the same distribution with artwork. Then again with HDTV's you could sell if you have a tv show of some type (cable access is still in sd not hd..try youtube maybe).

The idea of selling art also brings up another issue if it is about the money, the creativity or both or something else. I personally know a man who is very well off that went to MassArt. He isn't well off from the paintings but rather an inheritance. A coach of a major boston sports team bought one of his..and wants another of the view from his office....and if he doesn't like it after five days wants his money back! huh? That's how demanding some can get for artwork. How can you return a custom artwork piece?

There actually is a interesting show on the arts on the Ovation Channel about of all places...Detroit.
'Motor City Rising,' a series based in Detroit about artists, to debut June 1 | TV and Radio | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

When it comes down to it I don't see the Boston area really making that much empty space for studios and other venues. Yes technically there can be old mills to convert but many might either be preserved for historical purposes or made into apartments (expensive but it can be done). When you don't have as much space it makes things harder to do. Also factor in although the high student population might be nice when they move they might be less apt to want to keep larger pieces. If someone is a international student they hardly ever take things back. If they don't own a wall it is hard to put something on it.Whereas if you have a surroundings of nearly permanent residents they might make for better clients.

[uncalifornian girl]

Originally Posted by mdovell

There actually is a interesting show on the arts on the Ovation Channel about of all places...Detroit.

Detroit?!!! Oh man, you wanna talk about darkness...I wrote a short story about my art-related experiences in Detroit

Originally Posted by miu

Well hopefully you learned from your dark experiences and won't repeat them wherever it is you move to next.

And yeah, lessons learned. Really need to write a Bret Easton Ellis style memoir of my time in Chicago. If that tells you anything.

[miu]

But what kind of work are you looking for in Boston? Will you try to be an artist again? Or do you just want to be friends with other artists?

[jackshaw]

uncaliforniangirl, I have an outsider's perspective on the Boston art scene. My wife is an artist who shows regularly in Boston and also shows in New York, Toronto and other cities. We lived in NY for 5 years. We know artists in other cities.

There are quite a few talented artists in the Boston area. The museums and galleries are probably not that edgy. My wife has shown paintings and prints for years and galleries tend to like her to keep doing what she's been doing and be uncomfortable with the fact that she keeps pushing and doing different things. That said, this year she has done some installations that are more sculptural and they have been embraced. They are definitely edgier (though still beautiful). She had one up in a major public building and another in a museum show and will have a show of similar pieces coming up at another museum. She's shown at galleries in Boston since graduating from art school and is frustrated with the gallery scene here. Lots of galleries have gone out of business. Those that remain are just keeping afloat.

I don't hear about large numbers of huge performance artist. And the local museums are for the most part not supportive of regional artists. The De Cordova had a regional focus but has switched its mission to be contemporary and national. The ICA is very conceptual and nationally focused. The MFA is for the dead and nearly so.

Anyway, at this point, my wife loves living here, although she realizes she's going to have to increase her representation outside of Boston. But, she doesn't want to move.

Like LA, real estate is expensive here. some of the outlying places mentioned earlier draw artists in part because they are cheaper.

[uncalifornian girl]

Originally Posted by miu

But what kind of work are you looking for in Boston? Will you try to be an artist again? Or do you just want to be friends with other artists?

Not sure. Most likely I will continue to be a corporate designer, since it easily pays my bills. I would ideally like to transition out of it, into something that is perhaps more academic, like teaching art at the college level. As far as exhibiting my personal art....that is probably less of a priority for me now; I am actually more of a writer than an artist when it comes to my non-paid "for fun" creative work these days. But I guess I am still interested in what is going on with exhibiting artists in the city. Despite my sell-out corporate design roles, I still consider myself to be a "real artist" at heart, albeit a frustrated one.

I am extremely susceptible to the "mood" or "vibe" of a place, and just want to be in a location that will inspire creativity. I feel like the sheer history and antique look of Boston alone will probably be enough to put me in that mental place, whether the people are "conservative" or not.

[miu]

Boston might be a good fit for you then. Our employment rate is strong, so that you should be able to find work being a corporate designer. And there are artsy communities in the area and surrounding areas like Providence and Northampton. You might like living in Jamaica Plain.

What is your art like? What media do you work in?

[uncalifornian girl]

Originally Posted by miu

Boston might be a good fit for you then. Our employment rate is strong, so that you should be able to find work being a corporate designer. And there are artsy communities in the area and surrounding areas like Providence and Northampton. You might like living in Jamaica Plain.

What is your art like? What media do you work in?

Glad to hear it about the employment rate! I would like to get back into my personal art again, that would be a really positive thing for me. My art is actually quite traditional, at least in terms of medium. Lots of etchings, very antique-looking, and pen and ink drawing, and sometimes watercolor. But...I don't exactly choose traditional or "safe" subject matter. Granted I am no longer a twenty year old out for shock value...but odds are there would still be a heavy erotic side to my work, were I to take it up again. It's not as crass as it sounds, though. It's actually very spiritual/mystical...if that makes sense. I got frustrated when I exhibited before (in LA, and Chicago, and Detroit) because the higher meaning was completely lost on people...all they saw were naughty body parts. I guess I had that coming. But really, it's nothing you wouldn't see in an old world erotic print. I wonder if Boston audiences would get it? Interesting to think about. It's very academic/classical, so maybe they would.

Thanks for the tip about JP.