Survive + Thrive

Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny"

brs-logo.gif
Publisher, Matthew Nash, of the popular Boston-based art blog "big RED & shiny" shares his thoughts about art in the city.

In a few words, describe Bostonians' attitude towards art.
Boston is pretty schizophrenic about art. On one hand our collectors are pretty conservative, which leads the commercial galleries to show fairly tame work. On the other hand, we have the colleges and universities which support a range of experimental and conceptual work, some of it very edgy.

 

Many of the experimental spaces in Boston were created by art school grads looking for opportunities. Two current iterations are the Berwick Research Institute and Axiom, and I can think of 20 or 30 others that have come and gone in the last decade.

How does the Boston art scene differ from the New York art scene, if 
at all?
How does Toledo differ from Paris?

How is the online community and blogging changing the art scene in Boston?

It is bringing a lot of attention to art that might not get seen by too many people otherwise. Sites like Big RED & Shiny, Greg Cook's blog, HubArts and a few others are talking about what we find interesting, most of which is in out-of-the-way places. It's hard to see everything, so I like to think of the Big RED & Shiny archives as a sort of collective memory for a certain perspective about art.

Before we started Big RED, there was no place for people to find out what was going on outside of Newbury Street and the MFA, so there were a number of small, isolated groups working in different parts of town. Now, online dialogue puts them together, gets them collaborating. Occasionally this spills over to substantive change, like working with the Deval Patrick administration on health care issues, or supporting one part of the community that needs help.

What other trends are occurring right now in the Boston art scene?

The art scene in Boston is contracting dramatically. The biggest shift I have seen is the decline of independent alternative spaces, the kinds of places where artists go to experiment. The result is that many schools have been taking on this role more actively, especially MassArt, AIB (The Art Institute of Boston), NESAD (New England School of Art and Design), and SMFA (School of the Museum of Fine Arts).

The other big trend, across the art world generally, has been a rapid attempt to adapt to the art fairs. So we have seen a rise in fairly simplistic, flashy, vapid art that survives in that context. Galleries have moved in that direction because of the spread of the fairs, but now as the economy implodes many are rethinking that program. It's hard to say what we'll be seeing a year from now, but I would predict more contemplative and "hard" work, rather than the "easy" stuff created for the art fairs. The List at MIT, and Judi Rotenberg Gallery 
on Newbury Street, seem to be the bellwether galleries in town right now, and both have moved toward a more craft-oriented, understated and contemplative style of work recently.

Can you briefly name a couple of up and coming artists and what 
they're doing?

Here, I can really only tell you my favorites and who I'm rooting for. I love Scott Listfield's Astronaut paintings  http://astronautdinosaur.com (I own one and I'm buying  a second). I'm a huge fan of Andrew Mowbray's installation/performance  work in the tradition of Joseph Beuys  http://andrewmowbray.com   (I just recorded an audio  article for Aspect: The Chronicle of New Media Art about Mowbray), and  I'm also a huge fan of Jeffu Warmouth - http://www.jeffu.tv/. Darren Foote had two successful  shows this year, and Ria Brodell - 
http://www.riabrodell.com/
seems to be on the rise, as is her  partner Georgie Friedman - http://www.georgiefriedman.com/georgie_friedman.html.  And, of course, the Miracle5-http://themiraclefive.com/ have been making big waves lately.

I'm also a huge fan of our homegrown type of social intervention/performance art, which includes the Institute for Infinitely Small Things -
http://www.ikatun.org/institute/infinitelysmallthings
, Platform2  - http://www.myplatform2.com, and the work of Jane D. Marsching - http://www.janemarsching.com. Can I plug my  own Harvey Loves Harvey http://harveylovesharvey.com/cgi-bin/HLH.cgi  here too? Oh, and let's not forget the Collision Collective.

The ICA, List, universities, etcetera will feature a lot of the social intervention and new media listed below; the commercial galleries will push the salable work. Sometimes they cross over (Marsching, for example) but rarely.
http://bigredandshiny.com/cgi-bin/retrieve.pl?&issue=issue100§ion=article&article=DARREN_FOOTE_4195418

http://www.bigredandshiny.com/cgi-bin/retrieve.pl?section=review&issue=issue83&article=COLLISION_COLLECTIVE_SUPERARTIFICIAL_2565540

Will the Boston Art Awards program be a success for years to come? 

The Boston Art Awards were created as a response to the end of the AICA awards last year. Greg Cook and the Big RED team had talked about picking up where they left off, with a dirty blogger aesthetic. This year's event came together pretty quick, but we were happy with it.  The Beehive is already talking about next year so it might happen again -- and if it does I'm sure it will be bigger than before.

How do you feel about purchasing art or prints over the Internet?
I'm not opposed to it, but I'm a believer that the art, the artist and the transaction are 
all part of the give/take of the community. I like to talk with the artist, know their ideas about the work, what they are working on in the future. In one case, the artist even came to my house and installed the work in my library, art directing and micro-managing the whole thing! To me, that is the best part about belonging to a 
community of creative people, so why forego that if you can get the pleasure of that interaction?

I know some galleries and artists are trying to find models that work for selling art online. Some may be more successful than others; I think it depends on the type of work, the type of collector, and the expectations created by the transaction.

How do you feel about the number of galleries closing due to the 
recession?

I've already written about this. Here is a link:
http://bigredandshiny.com/cgibin/retrieve.pl?&issue=issue83§ion=article&article=THE_STATE_OF_2565619

What do you love most about Boston and art?  And why do the two make this a great place to be an artist or an art lover?

Boston is a city that never gets old, never gets tired, never gets boring. Every fall a lot of students show up, and every spring a number of them graduate into the community. They bring their energy, their excitement, their fresh vision. No one I know who spends real time among the art community of Boston gets old, gets lazy, gets out of touch. It's impossible because you are always confronted with new ideas, new inspiration, and new faces.

What's the coolest part of your job as the publisher of an art blog?
I think the coolest part is getting to talk at different places about art, about what I see and what I'm excited about. I don't know if I'm changing people's minds or not, but it's pretty cool to be given a platform to talk about art, all because a few friends and I started writing about what we saw in galleries on a pink website!

I've gotten to share my thoughts in a number of fun contexts. Recently I was part of a panel talk at the MFA; I've hosted studio tours of my favorite artists for MIT funders; I've spoken at more universities then I can count. Plus, it's nice to have everyone (in the arts, at least) know me. I get warm hugs at every gallery in town, and get to have intelligent, 
inspiring conversations every day.
Check out big Red & shiny out: www.bigredandshiny.com


69 Comments

I like Your Article about Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston Perfect just what I was searching for! .

Appreciate it for sharing Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston with us keep update bro love your article about Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston .

Thanks for sharing Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston with us keep update bro love your article about Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston .

Thankyou for sharing Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston with us keep update bro love your article about Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston .

Thankyou for sharing Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston with us keep update bro love your article about Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston .

Appreciate it for sharing Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston with us keep update bro love your article about Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston .

I got what you will, thanks for swing up. Woh I am glad to chance this website through google. Thanks For Share Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston.

I got what you think, thanks for putting up. Woh I am pleased to maturate this website finished google. Thanks For Share Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny" - Survive + Thrive Boston.

Great write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s blog, maintain up the nice operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a lengthy time.

I’ve been exploring for a little for any high-quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this information So i’m happy to convey that I've a very good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to don’t forget this site and give it a look on a constant basis.

Thanks for giving your ideas in this article. The other thing is that when a problem arises with a laptop or computer motherboard, people today should not consider the risk connected with repairing this themselves for if it is not done properly it can lead to irreparable damage to the whole laptop. It is usually safe just to approach the dealer of the laptop for the repair of the motherboard. They've already technicians with an competence in dealing with laptop motherboard complications and can make the right analysis and undertake repairs.

Very good blog! Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring writers? I'm planning to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like Wordpress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm totally overwhelmed .. Any tips? Thank you!

Today, while I was at work, my sister stole my iPad and tested to see if it can survive a forty foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is completely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say wonderful blog!

I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I'm looking to construct my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. kudos

Howdy, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam remarks? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can suggest? I get so much lately it's driving me insane so any help is very much appreciated.

Have you ever considered writing an ebook or guest authoring on other websites? I have a blog based upon on the same subjects you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my readers would enjoy your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.

Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It's on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!

Wonderful blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I've been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Many thanks

Hi there! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the great work!

Have you ever considered publishing an ebook or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same subjects you discuss and would really like to have you share some stories/information. I know my audience would appreciate your work. If you're even remotely interested, feel free to send me an e mail.

Amazing! This blog looks just like my old one! It's on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Outstanding choice of colors!

Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to be running off the screen in Safari. I'm not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I figured I'd post to let you know. The design look great though! Hope you get the problem solved soon. Cheers

When I initially commented I clicked the "Notify me when new comments are added" checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get three e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Cheers!

It's a pity you don't have a donate button! I'd definitely donate to this superb blog! I suppose for now i'll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will share this website with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

Greetings from Ohio! I'm bored to tears at work so I decided to check out your website on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the info you provide here and can't wait to take a look when I get home. I'm surprised at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile .. I'm not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyways, very good blog!

Heya are using Wordpress for your site platform? I'm new to the blog world but I'm trying to get started and create my own. Do you require any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I really like what you guys are usually up too. This type of clever work and coverage! Keep up the great works guys I've you guys to blogroll.

Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!

One thing is the fact one of the most frequent incentives for applying your cards is a cash-back as well as rebate offer. Generally, you'll receive 1-5% back with various acquisitions. Depending on the card, you may get 1% in return on most purchases, and 5% back again on expenditures made at convenience stores, gasoline stations, grocery stores in addition to 'member merchants'.

Iˇ¦ve recently started a website, the info you provide on this website has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.

I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout to your weblog. Is this a paid topic or did you customize it yourself? Anyway stay up the excellent quality writing, it’s uncommon to look a nice weblog like this one these days..

I have been exploring for a little bit for any high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of area . Exploring in Yahoo I at last stumbled upon this site. Reading this info So i’m happy to convey that I have a very good uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most certainly will make sure to do not forget this site and give it a look regularly.

Hi! I could have sworn I've been to this blog before but after checking through some of the post I realized it's new to me. Nonetheless, I'm definitely happy I found it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back often!

Hi there! Do you know if they make any plugins to help with Search Engine Optimization? I'm trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I'm not seeing very good results. If you know of any please share. Thanks!

I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is needed to get setup? I'm assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I'm not very internet savvy so I'm not 100% positive. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic however I'd figured I'd ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest authoring a blog post or vice-versa? My site covers a lot of the same subjects as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from each other. If you are interested feel free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Fantastic blog by the way!

Hmm it seems like your website ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I wrote and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I'm still new to everything. Do you have any suggestions for first-time blog writers? I'd certainly appreciate it.

I'm wanting to look at blogs containing music I like, but sifting through all the detached, outdated and crap blogs is a hassle. . I know there are thousands of blogs, is there a good resource to seek out the preferred ones?.

I want to create a blogspot of my own and want to earn some money from that. Is possible?.

I was thinking of publishing or posting online some of my articles I've written for school but can't afford to copyright them. If they are in my school paper, do I hold any ownership over them or are they protected by law?.

How many articles does it take to start a good blog?

I need help and ideas to start a new website?

I have face major problem with my blog that it was not spam and blogger take my blog as spam....Can any one help me to recover my blog back..

Whenever I go on my computer after a few minutes (I'd say about 5) it just restarts for some reason. I've tried to restore my computer but can't because it will restart before it finishes. How can i stop the restarting or reatore my computer when this is happening Someone please help.

Awesome post This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing websites that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. It?s the old what goes around comes around routine.

If I start a blog on Myspace, will it get listed in search engines like Google?

I'm studying Journalism at the University of Minnesota, and I am looking for a good website to start blogging on. I'm mostly looking for a good sports blogging website, but a music website would also be of interest. I've heard about Bleacher Report, is that one of the main sites?.

How can I get new free layouts for blogspot, without using Webfetti?

How do I go about removing articles that breach copyright?

I need some very creative ideas that will loosen up the atmosphere as my students are very serious. Any word games or writing games are appreciated!.

I made a website using joomla and I have a domain and a server, the problem is whenever I go to that domain the site is still unviewable. Does onybody know how to help me out?.

I want to create a site where it's a one stop shop for stories and articles on a particular subject....as long as I give credit to the author or source will I be ok, I will not steal original content, but rather gather it...is this legal?.

How long can my computer keep running with an outdated browser?. I browser my computer is outdated. However my computer's little outdated too, and doesn't have what it would need to run the new browser. Should I start saving up for a new one, or can this problem be dealt with for a few more years yet?. . By the way, I love my computer I don't want to start over because I love all the programs on my computer..

I want to start a blog that deals with moral issues. I want people to be able to see it, and also be easy to use and post..

I have a school project for my creative writing class that requires a writing portfolio, but I have no clue how to make one. I never really understood what a portfolio was. If someone could help out, it'd be wonderful..

I'm planning to create my own blog, and a question comes up to my mind..

Basically, I want it to be on the main page where all of my posts go but then I also want to be able to put it on a separate page of my blog dedicated to only that subject. Hopefully this makes sense!.

How to make my second blog my default one on Tumblr?

I want to start a newspaper online and need to register the name and the content. Need to do it internationally. However, not a clue how to do it... I've already got a domain, but the title would be slightly different from the domain name..

Today, I went to the beachfront with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is entirely off topic but I had to tell someone!

I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I'll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Many thanks

Hey there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Many thanks!

Key values which include the pound, the actual Ough.Vertisements. usd, The english language single pound, Canadian dollars ... really are might be able to wafting foreign exchange. The so-called impressive foreign exchange for example, the Oriental yuan, may be plus the foreign exchange in the repaired interest rates.

those are some sad statistics. it really shows how pathetic and superficial the country has become; and all being rammed down the throats of people be this disgusting media.

thanks,
mimiko

Where did you find this template? I run a penny stock investing website and I am thinking about using it for just one of the sites with regard to my penny stock email alerts.

Exactly where did you find this theme? I operate a penny stock investing web site and I'm thinking about utilizing it for one from the websites with regard to my penny stock e-mail notifications.

Where did you discover this particular template? I operate a penny stock investing web site and I am thinking about using it for just one from the websites for my personal penny stock investing email alerts.

Excellent article. You should check this website simply because they have a large amount of information on the actual exciting world of small cap stocks.


Leave a comment


Remember personal info?

Q&A with publisher of the popular art blog "big RED & shiny"