This week on Centerfield, our twice-monthly column for Art:21 blog, we introduce a new regular segment: a special, (mostly) Chicago-centric podcast focusing on current issues and events in the contemporary art world called “Fielding Practice with Bad at Sports.” We’re really excited about bringing an audio dimension to our “Centerfield” column, since talking about art is, at heart, what Bad at Sports is all about. To this end, we’ve brought Chicago artist and arts writer Dan Gunn on board for our regular discussions, with Duncan MacKenzie leading our conversations and Richard Holland introducing each show and weaving a fantastic soundtrack into its contents.
This week, Dan, Duncan and I talk about the implications of Americans for the Arts’ newly issued National Art Index, an attempt to report on the health of the arts sector in a manner not unlike the Gross Domestic Product’s tracking of the Global National Economy. We also discuss Los Angeles’ desire to host a major art fair, perhaps under the auspices of Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI), the group that runs the Armory Show and Art Chicago; and we consider two painting shows by Michelle Grabner (at Shane Campbell Gallery) and Pamela Fraser (at the Gahlberg Gallery, College of DuPage) that are currently on view. We end the segment with brief plugs for upcoming (or just-opened) Chicago exhibitions that we’re especially looking forward to seeing.
In future episodes we’ll feature guest panelists from the Chicago art community to keep things lively and add new angles to the conversations. So, click on over to art:21 blog and give it a listen…we hope you like it!
- Michelle Grabner, Anthony Elms, Stuart Comer Named Curators of 2014 Whitney Biennial - November 29, 2012
- New Fielding Practice Podcast on the Art21 Blog! Episode 16: Summer Review-O-Rama! - July 19, 2012
- Tom Sanford is a Busy Man…Here’s Why - June 12, 2012
