Comments on: Surveying Artists to Find Out Just How Bad It’s Gotten http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/ Where hope springs eternal in the eye of the artist. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:24:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Zie L. http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-2093 Zie L. Thu, 01 Sep 2011 21:17:19 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-2093 Having graduated from the CSLB with MFA many many years ago, I knew back then 20 some years ago that art field was quite doomed in America. Where coming from my home town Taiwan, the TV is always showing interviews with local artists, train stations and public places there are always art exhibiting, people respected artists more than here in America. Boy I am sadden by the sad situation of art scene but this is how it is living in a corporate fascist state I guess, where the corporate media prostitutes are worshiped and kissed with fervor by the brainless hypnotized mass..... Having graduated from the CSLB with MFA many many years ago, I knew back then 20 some years ago that art field was quite doomed in America. Where coming from my home town Taiwan, the TV is always showing interviews with local artists, train stations and public places there are always art exhibiting, people respected artists more than here in America. Boy I am sadden by the sad situation of art scene but this is how it is living in a corporate fascist state I guess, where the corporate media prostitutes are worshiped and kissed with fervor by the brainless hypnotized mass…..

]]> By: admin http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-2014 admin Wed, 18 May 2011 14:01:10 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-2014 Hi Matthew! Thanks for the comment. While the site is somewhat inactive still, I remain active, and I read your note with interest. If you are indeed serious about the idea of moving to Germany, send me a note. I know a least one artist, and soon perhaps a second, who has made that exact move. I can perhaps put you in touch with him/them. Hi Matthew! Thanks for the comment. While the site is somewhat inactive still, I remain active, and I read your note with interest. If you are indeed serious about the idea of moving to Germany, send me a note. I know a least one artist, and soon perhaps a second, who has made that exact move. I can perhaps put you in touch with him/them.

]]> By: Matthew Kopp http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-2002 Matthew Kopp Mon, 16 May 2011 20:04:31 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-2002 In 2008 I graduated from Grad school MFA. Luckily most of it was paid for. But my peers went into much more debt to continue their unappreciated career. I worked during grad school teaching art to underpriveledged disabled children art and theater. In 2008 we were all out of a job. I needed to do something to pay the bills so I got odd jobs and started selling Midcentury furniture at a discount by going to estate sales. I still made theater over the last few years, one or two shows a year. But my visual art production came to a screaching halt. It is somehow easier for me to do theater work, I get paid something via ticket sales and have group support. But now after a few years of getting on my feet I am coming to the sobering conclusion that perhaps I really should just leave America. In Germany, Berlin has a larger art endowment than the entire U.S. artists are respected and financially supported. Even when we were in a good economy artists barely survived. The truth is Americans are so ignorant as to the value of art that it has become almost stupid to want to stay here. But it is more than just ignorance. Comparatively Americans are overworked, underpaid and undereducated. In 2008 I graduated from Grad school MFA. Luckily most of it was paid for. But my peers went into much more debt to continue their unappreciated career. I worked during grad school teaching art to underpriveledged disabled children art and theater. In 2008 we were all out of a job. I needed to do something to pay the bills so I got odd jobs and started selling Midcentury furniture at a discount by going to estate sales. I still made theater over the last few years, one or two shows a year. But my visual art production came to a screaching halt. It is somehow easier for me to do theater work, I get paid something via ticket sales and have group support. But now after a few years of getting on my feet I am coming to the sobering conclusion that perhaps I really should just leave America. In Germany, Berlin has a larger art endowment than the entire U.S. artists are respected and financially supported. Even when we were in a good economy artists barely survived. The truth is Americans are so ignorant as to the value of art that it has become almost stupid to want to stay here. But it is more than just ignorance. Comparatively Americans are overworked, underpaid and undereducated.

]]> By: Janet Silk http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1818 Janet Silk Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:03:37 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1818 Hi Michael, If possible, please leave your blog up and running, even if you don't have time or inclination to post anymore. It's a wonderful site for scope of content, quality of writing, humor, angst, reality-checkism and reflection. I enjoy reading it very much! Thank you! Hi Michael,

If possible, please leave your blog up and running, even if you don’t have time or inclination to post anymore. It’s a wonderful site for scope of content, quality of writing, humor, angst, reality-checkism and reflection. I enjoy reading it very much!

Thank you!

]]> By: William Barry Roberts http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1792 William Barry Roberts Thu, 13 May 2010 04:27:14 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1792 Wow! What a fantastic blog. This is a pessimists dream, a collective affirmation of the total rejection of the visual arts by a recession-laden society. Americans hate visual artists most of all, a disdain which far pre-dates the recession and is only increasing with it. I exhibited alongside some very big name contemporary artists this past year and did not see one sale. It is interesting to see a "de-glossed" view of the dire situation artists find themselves in. Wow! What a fantastic blog. This is a pessimists dream, a collective affirmation of the total rejection of the visual arts by a recession-laden society. Americans hate visual artists most of all, a disdain which far pre-dates the recession and is only increasing with it.

I exhibited alongside some very big name contemporary artists this past year and did not see one sale. It is interesting to see a “de-glossed” view of the dire situation artists find themselves in.

]]> By: admin http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1789 admin Wed, 05 May 2010 01:25:50 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1789 Thanks for the note, Carl. Indeed, it's been almost a year since I last posted on the Chronicle of Artistic Failure in America. Part of the reason for this stoppage is I reached a saturation point in constantly searching for and posting bad news about the arts. As the recession ramped up, I got more and more depressed reading about the great sweep-under-the-rug that was our nation's approach to the arts. I just couldn't take it anymore. And I simply stopped posting. Several times since then I've tried to raise the necessary ire to start blogging again; several times I've considered a revamping of CAFA's basic mission; once, right around the time I needed to renew my server space subscription, I even thought of scrapping this blog altogether with a grandiose and (perhaps) overly bombastic G.B.C.W. -- all to no avail. This blog is currently the victim of basic blog inertia (blogertia?). And this is unlikely to change anytime soon, since last December my wife gave birth to a lovely, and very time-consuming, baby girl. So, I guess I'm saying, all you suffering and struggling and failing artists, my heart is with you, but unfortunately it looks like I will be, for the foreseeable future, out of the game. Thanks for the note, Carl. Indeed, it’s been almost a year since I last posted on the Chronicle of Artistic Failure in America. Part of the reason for this stoppage is I reached a saturation point in constantly searching for and posting bad news about the arts. As the recession ramped up, I got more and more depressed reading about the great sweep-under-the-rug that was our nation’s approach to the arts. I just couldn’t take it anymore. And I simply stopped posting. Several times since then I’ve tried to raise the necessary ire to start blogging again; several times I’ve considered a revamping of CAFA’s basic mission; once, right around the time I needed to renew my server space subscription, I even thought of scrapping this blog altogether with a grandiose and (perhaps) overly bombastic G.B.C.W. — all to no avail. This blog is currently the victim of basic blog inertia (blogertia?). And this is unlikely to change anytime soon, since last December my wife gave birth to a lovely, and very time-consuming, baby girl. So, I guess I’m saying, all you suffering and struggling and failing artists, my heart is with you, but unfortunately it looks like I will be, for the foreseeable future, out of the game.

]]> By: Carl Nelson http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1788 Carl Nelson Tue, 04 May 2010 20:17:46 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1788 Where have you been Michael? I haven't seen any updates since last year. On the playwrights front a new study came out and was published in book form: Outrageous Fortune. Renumeration and production possibilities are so much more dismal than was even imagined. But, we keep putting up our little shows here in Seattle. Best, Carl Nelson Where have you been Michael? I haven’t seen any updates since last year. On the playwrights front a new study came out and was published in book form: Outrageous Fortune. Renumeration and production possibilities are so much more dismal than was even imagined. But, we keep putting up our little shows here in Seattle.

Best, Carl Nelson

]]> By: pilar http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1784 pilar Tue, 27 Apr 2010 16:45:20 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1784 Things have gotten much worse. Here in California they are laying off teachers and, of course, the arts went bye-bye a long time ago. I think if you want kids to do well in school you should throw out everything but art, PE, theater, shop and home ec. That way kids grow up knowing how to do things and all the reading, writing and math would be part of those activities. But that's not why I'm writing....how bad has it gotten? I had to go get a "day job" 4 years ago, my art fell out of favor I guess and I couldn't support myself anymore by doing shows and gallery sales. But still I'm asked all the time to donate art for charity events because I have so much laying around. And we act like sheep and give the stuff away! When I protested and said that I wasn't being compensated for my work I ended up looking like scrooge! Sp what happened? I donated a piece and then I bought another one during the event because I couldn't stand seeing a friends work not get bid on...there were 100 pieces in the auction - all given for free. At one time there was a reserve price for the artist, anything over that reserve was donated. Now no reserve is given....I don't get a warm fuzzy feeling from these and I don't see any value to me as an artist. Things have gotten much worse. Here in California they are laying off teachers and, of course, the arts went bye-bye a long time ago. I think if you want kids to do well in school you should throw out everything but art, PE, theater, shop and home ec. That way kids grow up knowing how to do things and all the reading, writing and math would be part of those activities. But that’s not why I’m writing….how bad has it gotten? I had to go get a “day job” 4 years ago, my art fell out of favor I guess and I couldn’t support myself anymore by doing shows and gallery sales. But still I’m asked all the time to donate art for charity events because I have so much laying around. And we act like sheep and give the stuff away! When I protested and said that I wasn’t being compensated for my work I ended up looking like scrooge! Sp what happened? I donated a piece and then I bought another one during the event because I couldn’t stand seeing a friends work not get bid on…there were 100 pieces in the auction - all given for free. At one time there was a reserve price for the artist, anything over that reserve was donated. Now no reserve is given….I don’t get a warm fuzzy feeling from these and I don’t see any value to me as an artist.

]]> By: admin http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1718 admin Sat, 29 Aug 2009 13:21:14 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1718 Thanks for the clarification, Laura. With all the organizations involved, it was inevitable that I'd get confused. Thanks for the clarification, Laura. With all the organizations involved, it was inevitable that I’d get confused.

]]> By: laura zabel http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1717 laura zabel Sat, 29 Aug 2009 04:11:43 +0000 http://www.artisticfailure.com/2009/08/28/surveying-artists-to-find-out-just-how-bad-its-gotten/#comment-1717 Actually this survey is being conducted by Leveraging Investments In Creativity (LINC) and was designed by Helicon. McKnight is one of many organizations helping them disseminate the survey to artists. Actually this survey is being conducted by Leveraging Investments In Creativity (LINC) and was designed by Helicon. McKnight is one of many organizations helping them disseminate the survey to artists.

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