Radiovisual podcaster Michael Connor asks where the “Red State” artists are in this year’s Whitney Biennial, in episode #004 of the Radiovisual podcast.
“I don’t know what the purpose of the Whitney Biennial is, if it’s not to represent a nation of artists. I don’t feel like the Biennial did that. So here’s my question; where are the artists from the flyover States? From the red States? There just not there. I’m sure there’s artists out there – I want to see them.”
For what it’s worth, Georgia is still definitively red, and no artists from Georgia were selected for this year’s Biennial, where 33 of 55 artists selected live and work in New York.
March 21st, 2010 at 7:04 pm
i would posit this thought:
looking briefly through where the selected artists were born tells a different story. of the first 22 artists listed, 21 originated outside nyc, including artists from va, al, tn, and midwestern states like wi, mi, il, etc. the facts are, if you want to take part in the larger conversation of the “art world” you need to live in a place that supports the discussion. in this country that means new york and maybe LA. until the rest of the country provides a viable market and support system for artists, this will be the case. i say this as an artist who moved from nebraska to brooklyn. most of my friends are artists who moved from mn, il, oh, ia, wi, etc. just how it works.