Recently NY Art Beat sat down with the talents behind five of the best art blogs you may have yet to hear of. These passionate voices from the arts blogosphere each have something unique to offer: a bit of entertaining snark, a feminist street art community, a gallerist’s perspective, and more. You may have your own favorites and we encourage you to add them to the conversation via our comments below, but here are our picks for five under-appreciated gems to get the conversation started.
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Blogs for Bloggers The Stefan Stux Gallery (STUX) |
ERIC GELBER
Eric Gelber’s blog offers a glimpse into the mind of a New York artist. As News Editor for artcritical.com, he focuses on the work of others. Gelber’s personal blog turns that attention inward, and the result is good stuff and great comic art. “I started out as an artist. Then I became an art critic,” said Gelber. “When I started blogging I tried to combine the two.” The postings of his sketches and art comics (sometimes silly and sometimes, as he puts it, “off-color”), are entertaining enough, but the string of comments they generate are also worth checking out. His satirical comics are something he’s included since he started blogging, and his critiques are informed, funny, and honest. “They are crudely drawn and very cynical. They deal with galleries, artists, critics, museums, academia, and my own situation. I try to use humor to mitigate the negativity and sometimes it works…my comics are not objective in any way.”
NYAB’s pick for… getting inside an art insider’s mind on his day off.
ART RAVELS
Linnea West’s perspective on the art world is like most of us: She’s an outsider looking in. That lack of formal artistic study is what keeps her blog sounding fresh and unpretentious. “[Blogging] has become almost an obsession!” she says, with what sounds like her typical enthusiasm. “I visit a lot of art exhibitions and want to use the space as a way to work through my reactions.” A good read if you want something accessible and enjoyable, Art Ravels never sounds like a summary from some art history student’s latest academic essay. She admits her writing is a work in progress. “I cringe when I look back at some of the first posts,” she says. Kind of like your high school journal.
NYAB’s pick for…a blog that reads like your smart, funny arts-loving best friend.
YOUNITY
Younity, founded by artists Alice Mizrachi and Toofly, offers a comprehensive glimpse into the world of street art—from a feminist perspective. Sounds like it would be a small niche, but read their blog and it’s hard to deny that these women are spurring a discussion that’s both powerful and provocative. Younity acts as a “diary of life,” said Toofly. The site offers a forum for other artists to communicate and gain exposure. “The content we create helps contribute to the New York state of mind, arts culture, and lifestyle by giving the public at large a local’s perspective.” Toofly added. “We know how to navigate this city more than anyone and give shine to our own people, which sometimes doesn’t happen in other media outlets.” With links to over 50 badass New York City female artists and consistent coverage of street art and music events, it is clear Younity is dedicated to making the New York art scene a community effort.
NYAB’s pick for…reading that makes you want to get involved.
NYC ART
Chris Rywalt, author of NYC Art, offers something to the art community that’s sometimes hard to find—he straight up doesn’t take himself too seriously. Like a friend with impeccably good taste and strong opinions about most everything, he’ll fearlessly put out exactly what he’s thinking. “When I started [blogging] I thought I was alone,” said Rywalt. “Then I did some research and found out there were a good number of New York art blogs out there, so I looked to join the community. I’d be really active on one blog for a few weeks, then get bored or piss someone off or whatever, and move on to another blog. Over and over.” Kind of like a serial womanizer…but Rywalt’s coverage is too fun to resist.
NYAB’s pick for…a healthy serving of well-curated arts coverage with a satisfying side of humor and snark.
EDWARD WINKLEMAN
Edward Winkleman’s eponymous blog offers a way to stay informed on current art market issues and the state of the art world. Writing about topics even a well-informed reader might not normally come across, this blog is your link to the source. Winkleman owns the Winkleman Gallery in Chelsea, and his strong connection with both the art and the commerce is clear. His posts include lucid, well-researched interviews with a wide-array of interesting art world authorities, and Winkleman’s writing makes it easy for the casual reader to grasp. He’s also part of a group blog, Artworld Salon, which Winkleman said “is a moderated discussion focused upon the fast-paced transformations currently taking place in the global artworld.” As bonus for up-and-coming artists, the advice from a seasoned gallery owner is invaluable.
NYAB’s pick for…market and industry expertise from an eloquent art world professional.
Eric Gelber
2009-07-10
Wow. So far this article has increased the traffic on my blog by exactly one visitor. Thanks! By the way, my blog was the only one that didn’t get a “NYAB’s pick for…” before the blurb about it. Granted my blog came first, which is an honor, but I think I need to start a Truth Commission and get to the bottom of this.
Eric Gelber
2009-07-10
Okay now four people have visited my blog because of this article.
Matt Schlecht
2009-07-10
Eric, you are the art insider! NYAB has picked you. No conspiracy, we promise.
Eric Gelber
2009-07-10
Duh. I didn’t understand the format or layout of the piece and a conspiracy theory was born. Perhaps this is a valuable lesson for us all.
“NYAB’s pick for… getting inside an art insider’s mind on his day off.” Yeah that’s me alright.
If you are interested in hiring me for nyartbeat.com, I would be happy to have my people meet with your people in a lavishly furnished conference room somewhere. I hear that the pay is great. By the way, when you figure out a way to make money doing this shit please let me know.
Nomi
2009-07-10
Eric, you ungrateful wretch.
Oh, wait. You’re just maintaining your personae. That must take hard work. I feel for you.
Eric Gelber
2009-07-10
The following art bloggers have been trying to destroy me and my art blog since 1990, two years before Al Gore and the Military Industrial Complex invented the World Wide Web: Vittorio Colaizzi, Nomi Lubin, Oriane Stender, Martin Bromirski, and Luis Coig Reyes. Now that I have hit the big time, thanks to Jennifer Orbom’s excellent article, I truly fear for my life.
p.s. Personae is plural. Persona is singular.
Chris Rywalt
2009-07-10
When Jennifer wrote to me and told me she was writing this up, I wanted to know if she was getting paid. She never answered me….
So far I’ve gotten ten hits from here. Eric, if what you want is to drive traffic to your site, you can copy the page from my site which gets the most hits through Google: John Currin’s porn. Zing!
Oriane Stender
2009-07-11
I protest this scurrilous slander! I’m not an art blogger, or any other kind of blogger. Also, personae might be correct because it’s possible that Eric has multiple personalities.
Nomi
2009-07-11
The most insulting thing here by far is the supposed correction of my spelling.
While Eric Gelber may not have multiple personalities (I’m not a doctor!), he certainly has multiple personae, and that is of course what I meant.
Nomi
2009-07-11
Ha, yeah, Oriane doesn’t even have a blog.
Eric Gelber
2009-07-11
I did not want to look like a nepotistic ass kisser by posting links to my readers’ websites or blogs. I am sorry if you can’t appreciate my cleverness. Chris I think I will post something on John Currin and his use of pornography soon and make sure that I tag the post to death. Sorry Oriane. You would never sink so low as to have an art blog. We should all face the facts. No one is getting paid!
Luis Coig Reyes
2009-07-11
Eric, you can hide but you can’t run. I will annihilate you, sooner than I think and not a minute later. As nobody knows, my blog is far more unknown, in the darkest pit of the unfathomable, than yours, and I get far less commentary. Your reign as the most obscure and desolate art blogger in cyberspace is coming to an end.
Nomi
2009-07-11
Ah, the cleverest go unrecognized in their own time . . .
“As nobody knows, my blog is far more unknown” (LCR)
Funny.
Eric Gelber
2009-07-12
This art blogging stuff is very important. Please let us not take it too lightly.
TC
2009-09-07
TheCompleteness, a public forum for discussing the relationships between all things.
kate honestly
2009-09-13
It’s great to see other art bloggers profiled, especially those who are independent and providing some much-appreciated fresh air to the art world!
Lee Wilde
2009-11-18
Kudos to all the featured bloggers. Great work…some very interesting reading.
Paul
2009-11-26
these are all great you should check out this canadian couple
http://www.fuzzyladies.blogspot.com
Fabrizio Van Marciano
2009-12-09
Great read, thouroughly enjoyed reading your blog. Everyone does well with bloggin in art. nice to read everyone’s thoughts as well.
MonicaElayne
2009-12-22
You may be interested in a company called GYSTIink.
http://www.gyst-ink.com
GYST-Ink is an artist-run company providing information, technology and solutions created by artists for artists. GYST–Ink stands for empowering and educating artists instead of exploiting artists for profits. Our software and services aim to streamline the business aspects of an art career, saving artists money and freeing up more time for work in the studio. Spearheaded by Cal Arts professor and renowned artist and curator Karen Atkinson, GYST-Ink has been the leading resource for professional practice, art advice and art business services in Southern California for over ten years, and helping thousands of artists from all over America get on the road to career success.
It has been a phenomenal resource to me, to my peers, and has brought light to the BUSINESS of art, rather than just the proces and/or hobby of it. Check it out!
Ed T.
2010-01-21
Thanks for turning me on to some very interesting blogs. I would of never read (and seen) some great stuff if you hadn’t made this post.
Nature Photography
2010-02-09
thanks for posting interesting blog sites. keep up the good work. Congrats.
HarlemGal
2010-02-24
We would like to start covering artists who live in Harlem and whose work has a postive link back to the community. In our first feature, we introduced a local watercolorist-Lynn Lieberman. If you have suggestions please visit our site at http://www.harlemcondolife.com and write to feedback@harlemcondolife.com