"Day Job" Exhibition

The Drawing Center

poster for "Day Job" Exhibition

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Day Job
December 10, 2010–February 3, 2011

Main Gallery
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 9, 6–8pm
Press Preview: Thursday, December 9, 5–6pm
Left to right: Mary Lydecker, Westgate Shopping Center (Asheville, NC) / Glacier National Park (MT), 2010. Collage, 4 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches. Courtesy of the artist; Roberto Osti, Shaman in Spring, 2008. Watercolor on paper, 78 x 52 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
The Drawing Center presents Day Job, on view in the Main Gallery from December 10, 2010–February 3, 2011. Comprised of work by 23 artists, the exhibition looks at the relationship between an artist’s “day job” and his or her creative practice. Although the term “day job” may be cast as something that steals time and focus from an artist’s practice, a generative relationship can also exist. Rather than subscribing to the idea that having a job is by definition disruptive, Day Job looks at the ways in which the information, skills, ideas, working conditions, or materials encountered on the job can become a source of influence. This presentation explores the ways in which artists relate to and choose their day jobs, or conversely, how one’s job may serve as an impetus for creating artistic work. Preceded by a long history of artists whose creative practice existed in parallel with other jobs, such as Alan Saret, who worked for New York’s Port Authority engineering division; Rosalyn Drexler, a wrestler; Andy Warhol, who worked in advertising and magazine illustration; and Adrian Piper, a philosophy professor, this presentation also provides a window into the myriad ways in which today’s working artists support themselves in an economic climate that often demands diverse and flexible solutions to staying afloat.

Works in Day Job were selected through an open call to all artists enrolled in The Drawing Center’s Viewing Program. From art handlers, art teachers, and a museum guard, to an attorney, an electrician, a pilot, and the scenic artist for the soap opera “One Life To Live,” the artists in the exhibition demonstrate a striking range of interests and influences. Whether created in resistance to the job, inspired by the job, or even while on the job, all works are a deliberate result or response to the artist’s job circumstance. Part of the Selections series, this exhibition is curated by Viewing Program Curator Nina Katchadourian.


PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Saturday, December 11, 2:00pm
Viewing Program Curator Nina Katchadourian will lead a walk-through of the exhibition; various artists in the exhibition will be present to speak about their work.

Thursday, December 16, 6:30pm
Law School for Visual Artists: Copyright, Agreements, and Employment Issues
Artist and art lawyer, Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento, will discuss legal issues relevant to contemporary artists. His presentation will be followed by a Q & A session.

Sergio Muñoz Sarmiento received his BA in Art from the University of Texas-El Paso; MFA in Art from CalArts; Van Lier Fellow in Studio Art at the Whitney Museum’s Independent Study Program; and JD from Cornell Law School. He is currently Associate Director for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts; Adjunct Professor of Art & Law at the Tisch School at NYU; and Adjunct Instructor of Clinical Law at Brooklyn Law School. His work has been shown nationally and internationally, and he has published essays and projects in various art and legal journals. Sarmiento's website project on art and law may be viewed at clancco.com.

Thursday, January 6, 6:30pm
Making Money Less Scary: Financial Planning and Taxes for Artists
Susan Lee, a tax preparer who has worked with freelancers and artists for over twenty years, will give a presentation about financial issues confronted by artists.

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