r/ContemporaryArt

Hey guys,

I am a sculptor, got accepted to RCA's "Contemporary Art Practice" program, as well as CSM's Fine Art program.

I am really not sure which to choose. I have a bit of a scattered direction.

RCA

• only 1 year (pro and con)
• big acclaim
• not much face time with the professors + cohort not often strong English speakers (friend who did the program)
• Just Postgrad

CSM

• more commercially focused?? (sustainability of art career)
• 2 years
• Undergrad + postgrad

Also was accepted to Pratt in NYC, but I am considering London because my partner may move there and its much less expensive than Pratt haha

how do you all process a rough critique or confusing critique? my final 1st year grad crit was tough and I’m unsure how to process it productively.

Hey all, just curious if those of you have had had works bought by museums have any insights as to what that process feels like? Do the museums reach out to you directly, your gallerist, both? Does your gallerist pursue the museum? If you sold from a fair, how long into/after the fair did you get word that the institution was interested?

Hey so im tryna be a professional comic/manga artist and I started college a while back for business( my mom told me to) but then dropped out because stuff happened and I fell behind in math. I decided that a business degree isn’t necessary for what I want to do with my life, my goal is to make my own comic studio or maybe just my own main comic I haven’t decided yet. I’ve been thinking about going back but everywhere I go says that art college is terrible, I would be going back to Mdc if I did go back. They don’t have anything for comics and from what I hear if I try getting an associates over there in an art major I would be wasting my time with other skills like sculpting or learning how to make clothes. I always wanted a college experience but idk if it’s worth it. Should I go back or keep studying art on my own? Just to clarify I’m trying to be a comic artist and writer.

I’m working on an article about alternative ways to support contemporary artists and curators, and I’d really like to hear what people here think. The current reality is difficult with rising living costs, less public funding, pressure to self-promote, apply for opportunities, network, work part-time and still find time for the studio or research. At the same time, public interest in contemporary art feels is growing with exhibition openings at art spaces being full. People clearly enjoy being there because of art, conversations, the feeling of belonging to the cultural scene...

But how many of those people actually buy art there? It's rarely a quick purchase. People may love a work, speak to the artist or curator and still not be ready to buy anything. This made me think about micro-patronage as direct contributions to artists or curators when someone appreciates their work. Patronage has always existed in art, but it has usually been connected to wealth. I’m interested in whether smaller forms of support could feel more natural now, especially for younger audiences who already support podcasts, independent publishing and other creative work directly.

I’m also interested in curators here, because curatorial work is less visible. Supporting a curator could mean granting greater experimental freedom for research and broader cultural development. I’m not suggesting micro-patronage solves the financial precarity, but I wonder whether it could create a missing support layer between attendance, buying and philanthropy.

If you are an artist or curator, would you feel comfortable offering that option to visitors? How does it make you feel?

If you're a frequent exhibition/art studio visitor, would you consider contributing to support curatorial and artistic work?

Obviously know seesaw but wondering if there any other apps you guys are using to plan / share gallery routes? Finding seesaw a bit limited tbh

If a work sells right after a consignment contract expires, as a direct result of a collector who saw the work at the show, do you ever offer the gallery their commission anyway, if you have a great relationship with them? Or is that stupid thinking

I'm a visual artist and this was to be my first exhibition. When I read his text, initially he said the venue cancelled last minute, when I asked him to send me the cancellation mail he sent me mails where they've confirmed the slot twice. So I said this doesn't mention cancellation at all- to that he replied that they spoke and decided and offline BECAUSE he goes to the venue often.

This decision happened around 5th May, he informed me on 18th May, when I asked him why wasn't I informed earlier, he got defensive and said I don't trust him and cut the call.

I had to be the voice of reason so I calmed him down and then he sent a long text where he mentioned how all the artists aren't available so he had to postpone. Now idk which story is true, was it the venue, was it the artists, was it a secret third reason.

I asked him to communicate with me better, I asked to be added to the email thread with the venue, he said no. I asked if all the participating artists can be added to a group together so I'm not left out on important details and decisions like this he said no because he doesn't understand what we would have to talk about and that it's unnecessary.

The venue is beautiful, one of the best, and that's why I want to stick around but honestly, I don't have any respect for him. He has been unprofessional on many occasions.

He forgot to ask me in advance to send my artist bio and statement, he called very late and said I need to send it in the next 30 mins. I was in the middle of a shoot. And another time, in the middle of a conversation he said he is a bit drunk and I felt very weirded out by that and stopped texting him.

He is also weird online, you can tell he has bought followers and bots/fake accounts comment on his posts and it's a bit uncanny.

Idk what to do, I mean I don't want to miss out on this great venue and the chance to exhibit my work, but ohgod I hate him so much I respect nothing about him and I don't want to be represented by a guy like this.

Should I leave or stay? And what if I regret it.

Hey everyone. Seeing the thread yesterday about the toxic residency nightmare is exactly why I hit my breaking point with art opportunities. I'm really sick of application links asking for $50 just to be ignored by a juror, or spending an hour reading a prospectus just to find out my zip code disqualifies me.

To try to fix this for my own oil painting practice, I started putting together a database tool that easily filters out the noise and only shows opportunities that are strictly, fully funded.

Here are a few massive ones with deadlines closing in the next few weeks so you don't miss them:

• The Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant - For global student or emerging representational artists aged 18-41. CAD $17,000. Deadline: May 29, 2026.
• Working Assumptions Project Grants - US Photographers. USD $10,000. Deadline: June 1, 2026.
• Oak Spring Garden Foundation Eliza Moore Fellowship - Global early-career artists interested in the natural world. USD $10,000 grant, plus housing and studio space. Deadline: May 31, 2026.

I put the whole database on a free webpage. I also added some filters so you can just plug in your exact medium and location, and it will hide everything you aren't actually eligible for. It's completely free for artists, with no paywalls.

I'm not posting the direct link here to avoid breaking the self-promo rules, but if you want to use the tool to find stuff for your specific medium, just let me know in the comments and I'll send it to you.

Hope this helps some of you save time, get funded, and avoid the scams out there!

(Note to mods: I left the website link out entirely so I don't step on the self-promo rule in the sidebar. I just built this for free to help people dodge fees, but if even mentioning it is too far, just let me know and I'll edit that paragraph out!)

More and more, the social media feeds seem to dictate what art is shown.

So many people spinning around a canvas.

Is Vimeo the place to look? YouTube ads just ruin the moment.

How do you find art that isn’t an ad?

I know it will never happen, as it's in the collection of The Saint Louis Art Museum, but hypothetically, how much would it fetch at auction?

I normally never post things like this, but I honestly feel obligated to warn other artists before they spend money, time, and emotional energy on this residency.

I applied to and got accepted into a residency (bureau of queer art) that was heavily advertised across multiple art platforms. At first I was excited and put a huge amount of effort into participating. Over time, though, the experience became one of the most toxic and unprofessional situations I’ve experienced in the art world.

Some examples:

• Participants were expected to pay ongoing fees, and there were additional charges tied to exhibiting in Mexico City.

• I offered to give a lecture/workshop out of goodwill while visiting, but was told I would have to pay the residency in order to do the workshop, despite already covering my own travel expenses.

• During Zoom sessions, I was publicly shamed for asking too many questions and was called derogatory names in front of other participants.

• A homophobic slur in Spanish was used as an entry code connected to one of the exhibitions, which I found incredibly inappropriate and disturbing as a native Spanish speaker

• I was eventually removed from the residency without clear explanation after putting a huge amount of work into it.

Beyond my own experience, I also later became aware of past allegations and legal issues connected to the leadership involving sexual misconduct. I cannot independently verify every detail of that history myself, so I want to be careful and factual about what I say, but combined with my own experience, it deeply concerned me.

Overall, the residency felt far more like a pay-to-play system than a supportive residency environment for artists.

I’m posting this because I genuinely do not want other emerging artists wasting money or ending up in a situation that negatively affects their mental health or career. Please do extensive research before applying to residencies that require large amounts of money while offering very little structure, accountability, or professional conduct in return.

​I am planning a large-scale, heavily textured mixed-media piece(think something like Anselm Kiefer) thick, impasto surfaces. I'll be working on a high-quality, sealed plywood substrate.

​Regarding archivability, cracking, and adhesion, how do Knauf Goldband (gypsum plaster with aggregates), Plaster of Paris, and artist-grade Acrylic Moulding Paste compare over time? Which of these combinations is considered truly museum-grade, and what steps should I take to prevent delamination or chemical degradation of the wood?

Appreciate ur help guys.

Preferably folks who are younger, emerging, and excited to write about shows for free/on their own time!

Based on the comments I should also clarify that I myself am a young, emerging Asian arts writer. I'm in no way looking to exploit people for their labor. I work with a small arts non-profit and am mainly looking to build community and know that folks who are more established in their career do not have the capacity to attend or write about the shows we put on. I've done some writing for the non-profit already, but it would be great to have more voices in the midst, also, for folks who are emerging I think it could be a good developement opportunity (this is why I've joined).

I've already reached out to folks who have gotten publicity but thought I'd reach out here in case there were people who aren't super public that people might want to put forward!

Hi everyone,

I’m a Design and Anthropology student from Colombia and I’ll be traveling around Japan for three months starting in July. I’ve been trying to reach out to artists, studios, publishers and independent creative spaces because I’m really interested in learning more about local art, editorial and craft practices while I’m there.

So far, I haven’t had much luck getting follow-ups or replies, and I wanted to ask if anyone here knows:

• artists open to studio visits or conversations
• small galleries, residencies, bookshops or independent spaces
• communities where I could connect with creatives
• or honestly just where people usually look for these kinds of opportunities in Japan

I’m especially interested in contemporary art, publishing, material practices, design, photography and alternative cultural spaces.

Would really appreciate any recommendations, contacts or advice. Thank you 😄

Looking for human-made works or writings that are interested in exploring AI's relationship to art or meaning without, crucially, themselves being AI. This has proven very hard to search for, as I'm getting either artists like Anadol (maybe the opposite of what I'm looking for), or listicles about how to avoid AI on Pinterest. I know this is well-trodden ground, and while I'm not very familiar with what's out there historically I'm really more trying to find works produced after the LLM Renaissance of the last couple years. Any suggestions?

Sort of a long post! Sorry.

For the past few weeks I have been stressing on
where I want to go in my life, I have a strong love for the arts, I go to an arts school, and I specialize in painting. But the instability of becoming a professional artist is not what I look forward to in my life and would much rather work for someone. Curation sounds like a perfect job for me because I love history and It’s my best education subject in school. I know it is a difficult career to get into but im looking into getting an MFA at Georgia state within five years (I’m planning to major in art education) Is there anyone with experience in this career who have an MFA who can give advice on how to start and what internships to look for now to get a head start? I’m based in Atlanta and I know the high museum is huge here but I’m not sure how hard it is to work there fresh out of college.

when work feels blocked, the assumption is often thst something in the work is not working. but is that really the case? what if the work is actually not stuck and it is that our perception of something being stuck is the problem? I mean the way of looking at it as stuck ? often I think the work itself doesn't need to get unstuck , it;s not an external thing, but we just have stopped being aware of our own seeing for a moment. in some situations (most), nothing in the work needs to change. what do you think is actually stuck in those moments?

does practice practicing your art get abandoned for financial reality and other long term goals? and how do you sit with that?

I keep circling a question that feels hard to resolve cleanly.

There is a path where I put all my time into art and full financial resources and I either hit the lottery ticket and become successful or (way way more likely!) nothing happens and I’m broke. I wonder if being a full time artist takes delusional self belief or confidence because how tf else can you do this?

There is another path where most time goes toward steady paid work in the corporate world because it carries rent, stability, and the ability to plan a life that includes home, family, and long term responsibilities. I am currently doing this and it’s comfortable but I day dream constantly about making art and spend a lot of my time looking at paintings and art and going to shows wishing I could just have my art somewhere one day.

The reality hits though that I am an adult and no longer in my 20s and cannot afford to be making low money.

Currently I am at a job that has an ok work life balance but takes 50 hours of my week so it gives me SOME time to make art on weekends. However this job doesn’t provide me with as high of an income as I’d like so I’m thinking of going back to do more schooling which will take away all my time as potential career exit opportunities result in hours of 60-70 a week; this means no more art at all probably and the thought of it makes me sad.

I’m trying to balance the pull of being an artist and expressing myself and potentially not having much income with the balance of going hard towards the corporate grind being miserable a little but having all the creature comforts I need and potentially, being able to support a future family and partner. For men, this desire for income is especially higher and noted.

As one gets older, time and energy become finite in a way that forces a decision in practice.

For people who have been in this longer, I’m curious how that has actually unfolded. At some point does full time studio practice get set aside mainly for financial reasons. How does that decision land internally over time. Does it feel like a clean shift into stability, or something more gradual that carries a kind of ongoing tension.

There is also a version where the art practice continues alongside work, but on reduced terms. That version seems common, and I’m curious how sustainable it feels over years rather than months. I know it doesnt have to be one or the other but in practice it’s way more difficult to balance. I miss the freedom and wish I started with my art practice when I was younger.

Would be interested in hearing from people who have lived through that stage of the question.

^cancaseS

Most of the time i use random wood I find on the street, but I prefer canvases, but if I want to buy them as many and as big as I want them its really expensive and just too much since i don’t really sell my painting?

Do you have any tricks or information?

thank you in advance