Michael

Friday Visit: Sherry Millner and Ernest Larsen

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For the first Friday session of 2013, the Practicum met with Sherry Millner and Ernest Larsen to learn of their filmmaking practice. The couple — who are ardent anarchists and have been honing their craft for 40 years — invited the Practicum into their home/studio.

Collaboratively merging politics with cultural analysis, interest and humour, Millner and Larsen spent the visit speaking of the softening of radical politics in the current cultural climate. They related their experiences of the Left, as Americans, during the Vietnam War, and attributed the weakening of current Leftist politics to the immersive rise of globalization and late capitalism. For the duration of the visit, Millner graciously shared an unfinished film on the current economic crisis in Greece. The film, which has been shown a handful of times, is a wondering foray into the resistance of anarchists in Greece and its possible relationship to both Old and New Left struggles during the past 150 years.

Both Millner and Larsen welcomed the Practicum into their home, continually wanting to engage in political and artistic discourse. For the filmmakers, this is life and resistance.

Caroline Woolard at Exchange Café and Ellie Glicklich from MoMA

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The Practicum visited the Brooklyn-based artist Caroline Woolard at the Exchange Café, the Department of Education’s Artists Experiment initiative in the MoMA Studio.

The Exchange Café is a social space in the mezzanine of MoMA’s Education and Research building that is dedicated to exchange-based practices. Taking the form of a café, the Studio encourages visitors to question notions of reciprocity, value, and property through shared experiences. Tea, milk, and honey—products that directly engage the political economy—are available by exchange. Instead of paying with legal tender, Exchange Café patrons are invited to make a resource-based currency. Exchange Café features an interactive participatory archive, a matrix of exchange projects, and a library of books and ephemera.


The artist talked to us about her work, her experiences, and her future projects.

Ellie Glicklich from MoMa talked to us about different job opportunities in the art environment

Announcing the 2013 New York Arts Practicum

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New York Arts Practicum, Call for Applications Summer 2012

Applications are being accepted for the 2013 New York Arts Practicum, a summer arts institute for current students and recent graduates to learn experientially in order to bridge their lives as art students into lives as practicing artists. Participants complete apprenticeships with mentor artists, produce work for critique without access to their institutional facilities, and learn about contemporary practices through site visits to artist studios, galleries, and museums.

The 8 week intensive program offers participants a supported environment to experience the challenges of life as an artist, seeing the many different ways one can be an artist today. Mentees work in their mentors studio two to three days per week, meet Tuesday evenings for a critique seminar, and convene Fridays for site visits in artist studios, galleries, and museums. Past participants called the experience: demystefying, life changing, and an inspirational reality check.

By working with an artist on a day-to-day basis, participants gain a view of their near futures as artists, learning models for negotiating a creative life outside of school. Mentors for 2013 include: Chloë Bass, Brendan Fernandes, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Pablo Helguera, David Horvitz, Marisa Jahn/REV-, Jen Liu, Josh MacPhee/Interference Archive, Brad Troemel, Penelope Umbrico, Andrew Norman Wilson, Caroline Woolard.

Critique is structured to develop strategies for creating work without institutional studio facilities. Practicum mentors lead seminars on their work, or related topics. Last year several seminars leaders shared intimate views into their in-progress work, with a focus on process. Others created specific events for their seminar, such as David Horvitz’s “Life Drawing” session.

Program Director Michael Mandiberg guides site visits to artist studios, galleries, and museums, many of which will include conversations with curators and gallerists.

Past Mentors and Site Visits:

In the inaugural year, Steve Lambert, Jen Liu, Ricardo Miranda Zúñiga, and Caroline Woolard were guest critics. Sara Greenberger Raffery, David Horvtiz, Eva and Franco Mattes, Trevor Paglen, Penelope Umbrico and The Yes Men lead seminars. Site visits took place with artists Brody Condon, Pablo Helguera, Marisa Jahn, Matt Levy, Kristin Lucas, Jill Magid, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Joe McKay, Lize Mogel, Graham Parker, William Powhida, Mark Tribe, Kevin Zucker, and Stephanie Pereira at Kickstarter, and with curators such as Amanda McDonald Crowley, Risa Needleman of Invisible Exports, Steve Sacks at Bitforms, Magda Sawon at Postmasters and Artie Vierkant at Stadium. Visits included galleries from Chelsea to Bushwick, Dia Beacon, MoMA and the Met.

Application Details

The 8 week New York Arts Practicum runs from June 10th to August 2nd, 2013. The application deadline is March 1st, 2013. Apply here.

Tuition is $2900, with financial aid available.

Academic credit is possible through arrangements with students’ home institutions.

For general questions please see the FAQ, and please contact us with specific questions.

New York Arts Practicum – fall update

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Brody Condon answers questions with New York Arts Practicum

The New York Arts Practicum went really well this summer, and will be running again this coming summer. I saw so much personal and artistic growth from the 10 participants over the short but super intense 8 weeks. Many of the participants were calling their experience: demystefying, life changing, and an inspirational reality check. The participants spent those 8 weeks meeting with artists and curators, working in their mentors’ studios, and making work for critique without access to their collegiate studio facilities. We met Tuesdays for a critique seminar, and Fridays for all day site visits in artist studios, curator talks, and visits to museums. The goal of the program is to bridge the gap between life as an art student and making art outside of school.

In the inaugural year, participants worked in the studios of David Horvtiz, Eva and Franco Mattes, Caroline Woolard, Sara Greenberger Raffery, Jen Liu, Ricardo Miranda Zuniga, Graham Parker, and Mark Tribe; each of these mentors led a seminar, or was a guest critic. Steve Lambert was a guest critic. Trevor Paglen, Penelope Umbrico and The Yes Men lead seminars. We had site visits with Brody Condon, Pablo Helguera, Marisa Jahn, Kristin Lucas, Jill Magid, Jennifer and Kevin McCoy, Joe McKay, Lize Mogel, William Powhida, and Kevin Zucker. We met with curators such as Amanda McDonald Crowley at the Austrian Cultural Forum, Risa Needleman at Invisible Exports, Stephanie Pereira at Kickstarter, Steve Sacks at Bitforms, Magda Sawon at Postmasters and Artie Vierkant at Stadium. We visited Christian Marclay‘s clock, galleries in Chelsea, Lower East Side, and Bushwick, and went to MoMA and the Met.

There are blog posts that go into more detail, as well as photos on Flickr.

Ricardo Miranda Zuniga is guest critic with New York Arts PracticumRicardo Miranda Zuniga is guest critic for the second critique of the New York Arts Practicum.

New York Arts Practicum visit with Marisa Jahn at the Studio MuseumMarisa talks to the participants about her Bibliobandido project at the Studio Museum, Harlem

Eva and Franco Mattes talk with the New York Arts PracticumEva and Franco Mattes lead a seminar for the New York Arts Practicum

Kyle Petreycik, Ben Lerchin, Meaghan Scanlan, and Matthew Brinkley at Eva and Franco Mattes talk with the New York Arts PracticumNew York Arts Practicum participants hang out after Eva and Franco Mattes’ seminar

William Powhida leads a walk through the remains of the Williamsburg scene

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William Powhida leads a walk through the remains of the Williamsburg scene

William Powhida led an afternoon walk to the remains of the Williamsburg gallery scene. Charting a rapid rise and fall, and loss of community. Powhida emphasized the importance of Bushwick learning the lessons from the mistakes made here. The photo above is the start of the walk, in front of the former site of Dam Stuhltrager, a gallery that left for Berlin.

William Powhida leads a walk through the remains of the Williamsburg scene

Sitting on the steps of the defunct Roebling Hall gallery Powhida told stories and talked to the participants about the importance of community. The building is now luxury condos.

William Powhida leads a walk through the remains of the Williamsburg scene

In front of the former space of Bellweather, a gallery that moved to Chelsea before closing. The space is now a laundromat.

William Powhida leads a walk through the remains of the Williamsburg scene

At the end of the walk in front of Perogi, one of the few galleries left in Williamsburg

Studio visits with Marisa Jahn, Graham Parker, Kevin Zucker, and Kent Rogowski

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New York Arts Practicum visit with Marisa Jahn at the Studio Museum

New York Arts Practicum visit with Marisa Jahn at the Studio Museum, where Marisa talks to the participants about her Bibliobandido project.

Meeting with Graham Parker to talk about spam with the New York Arts Practicum

Afterwards we met with Graham Parker for a ranging conversation about football, performance art, English literature, and computer spam

Kevin Zucker talks about his new paintings with the New York Arts Practicum Participants

At the end of the day, Kevin Zucker talks about his new paintings with the New York Arts Practicum Participants

Kent Rogowski talks to the New York Arts Practicum

A few days later we met with Kent Rogowski, who talked to us about his book and his new body of work.

Kent Rogowski talks to the New York Arts Practicum

Eva and Franco Mattes talk with the New York Arts Practicum

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Eva and Franco Mattes talk with the New York Arts Practicum

We visited Eva and Franco Mattes at their apartment for a conversation about their recent video interventions and performances in online forums such as Chat Roulette, YouTube, and Counter Strike. In the middle, we took a break on the patio. We closed off the seminar with a viewing/taping of their secret video.

Eva and Franco Mattes talk with the New York Arts Practicum

Parker Shipp, Franco Mattes, and Tatiana Leshkina chat

Kyle Petreycik, Ben Lerchin, Meaghan Scanlan, and Matthew Brinkley at Eva and Franco Mattes talk with the New York Arts Practicum

Kyle Petreycik, Ben Lerchin, Meaghan Scanlan, and Matthew Brinkley share a laugh