A New Project - Artists Interview Artists

Though I feel the One Word Project was a great success, it seems to have lost some steam. Those artists who said they would participate but never did (I won't publish that list!) can still send me their writing and I will publish. But I can no longer wait for you. I'm going to start a new project... Artists Interview Artists!

Here's what I propose... This project will be open to any artist in any city. I ask that artists who want to participate in this project send me an email and provide five (5) interview questions that they would like to ask another artist. These questions can be about [almost] anything art related... I will exercise some editorial control when necessary. By submitting interview questions you are agreeing to answer some other unknown artist's questions. When I have received a significant number of interviews, I will randomly distribute them back out to the participating artists. I will ask that you answer all of the questions honestly. When I publish your response I will include images just as I did with the One Word Project.

As you likely know by now I find run-of-the-mill artist interviews to be incredibly boring. But there is a great possibility at attaining true insight into the artist's mind and I persist in trying to find the best way possible of getting inside. I know it can be very difficult to put words on your art but I encourage you to try. I think this can be an interesting little project. If you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to leave a comment here or send me an email.

Comments

[Zeke]

Howdy!

Sounds reasonable, but are there any Artist interviews on the internet that you do like? Or are all of them "run of the mill?"

[J.T. Kirkland]

I'm sure that I've read some very interesting interviews but I can't recall them right now. My general impression of interviews (ones I've read and ones where I've been the interviewee) is that they are all the same. Granted, this isn't really a supportable position, but that's my sense.

I find all artist interviews informative at some level, even if they aren't wildly interesting. Since I don't have a subscription base to appeal to (for financial reasons) or an editor looking over my shoulder, I want to take risks in terms of interviews and see if we can't find some way to be more interesting. My angle is to put the power in the hands of the artists and let them ask the questions they really want to ask. It may bomb... but it might not.

In terms of art blogs, I really enjoyed the series of interviews Anna Conti did a while ago at http://www.bigcrow.com/anna/journal/home.html.

I wish more people would do artist interviews... but I might be in the minority on that position.

[Joseph Barbaccia]

Grat Idea J.T. My questions will be sent to you soon.

[James W. Bailey]

Dear J.T.,

Great concept! I would like to participate and will forward my questions to you by the end of the weekend.

WARNING!: The truth to the answers of some of my questions may require the licensed administration of sodium pentathol by an agent of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In the special and difficult case of any artist that has been overtaken by postmodern art theory drivel in the effort to intellectually support the overarching purpose of their work, I may request the use of bamboo splints under the fingernails to divine the truth -
this procedure would be administered by trained medical staff from metro D.C. area hospices that have a general familiarity with inserting and removing feeding tubes.

Sincerely,

James W. Bailey

P.S. I would, naturally, agree to indemnify and hold you personally, as well as Thinking About Art corporately, blameless and harmless for all causes of actions that may or could arise from the subjection of an artist to my questions and techniques of interrogation.

P.P.S. I think I'm solid artistic legal ground with this - I believe some postmodern art theorist
artfanista once said something about how art "interrogates" things. Yeah, I'm all for that!

[J.T. Kirkland]

James,

A simple, "I'll participate" would have sufficed!!

I'm kidding... what would I do without my almost daily dose of Bailyisms?

I look forward to your questions and feel for the artist who has to answer them!

[crisptaco]

"I will exercise some editorial control when necessary." Are you Ms. Beetle from Little House? Your project seems to be a little rigid for artists.

[J.T. Kirkland]

I'll assume you will not be participating, crisptaco.

[crisptaco]

Sure I'd love to participate. Let me know when Hirst applies. But please don't be offended by me calling you Ms. Beetle. Its a light jest at best. You guys have the beginnings of a good thing here. But derailing Hirst while pedestooling yourselves, well its run of the mill banter from emerging artists who haven't got their feet wet yet let alone dunked.

[J.T. Kirkland]

Crisptaco,

Could you please enlighten us "emerging artists" with the wisdom that is Crisptaco? I'm sure we are all holding our collective breath anticipating the insight you have to offer us.

So, with that, where is your blog, or web site, or other writing?

Finally, don't feel obligated to stick around here with us young'uns. We'll manage without you somehow. I promise!

[Hirst]

Here I come to save the day!

[crisptaco]

jt -- my main point is this: jabbing hirst for pulling in the big bucks and having assistants is ridculous and melts you in to the common lot of sophmoric critics. hirst probably has a thousand new ideas everytime he stares at his own shit (literally) and outsourcing production is fine. hirst could probably forgo the object all together. i read awhile back on this site you lamenting about not selling anything at a show which is bad enough but now begrudging hirst what's his, i just had to speak up. by the way who is we? i didn't realize this was a country club.

[J.T. Kirkland]

Crispy,

Your blatant misreading of my writing is funny. I'm on Hirst's side and I actually wrote positively about his Chelsea show. Sure, I poked fun at Hirst and his assistants in my post about my car wreck, but come on, where are you reading this stuff? I'm one of the few to publicly come out and admit I enjoyed his latest paintings. And I'm all for assistants... I view them as another tool, just like a brush or chisel.

And where have I written anything about not selling work? I don't even expect to sell work, much less complain when it doesn't. I don't make work to sell, although I will if someone wants to buy it.

So, please, get your stuff straight. It is tiresome having a discussion about things I've never said. This will be my last response to one of your comments unless your accuracy improves and becomes more substantial. Seriously, this is ridiculous...

[crisptaco]

crispy, that sounds almost affectionate.

you view an assistant as a chisel? ouch. im sure you'll get a lot of takers to help you out with that perspective.

and i did find the comment. i suppose it was more of an aw shucks than a maoning lament but its always depressing to hear young artists desire to see their work translate.

i think its a little funny too that you keep trying to shuffle me out. if you're really so into community particpation you would welcome everyone, even if you found them abrasive. sandpaper on one's perspective gets rid of the dead cells.

"This will be my last response to one of your comments unless your accuracy improves and becomes more substantial" --- and maybe you'll make me write crisptaco need to behave appropriately 500x?

woody

[Janette Fritz]

I am a student of interactive media and have done a number of artist interviews and am interested in collaborating with you on Artists Interview Artists. Janette Fritz

[Elin]

Danish artist on Journalspace.com

[Sofia Kanavle]

Hi,
I am new to this site, but it certainly piques my interest! I just started writing articles on artists for an art magazine in Santa fe, and I agree...most articles written about artists are about as exciting and original as...well...something really un-exciting...and un-original...I don't want my articles to fall into that category of rhetoric, and name-dropping, and every artist, no matter how un-inspired, insipid and romantisized their work is, to flap their lips about how their inspiration comes from the old world masters...blahdy blahdy blah...so, what I would LOVE, is for you to share with me a small tidbit of your insight...what are some of your favorite interview questions? Questions that stand out, and illicit interesting, though-provoking, or humourous responses? Thank you for your time!

[Andrew]

J.T.
Sounds like an awesome project. I guess there's plenty of folks out there w/ some similar ideas. My project isn't exactly the same, but in that vein. Maybe we can help connect some people up, or you'd be interested in some of my interviews. Let me know. I'm trying to hunt people down in Mexico right now, and it's been tough to really get some good interviews. Anyway, keep it up, I'm glad to see this come up in my web searches! Andrew at the momentsoftruth.wordpress project.