Art Problems

Paddy Johnson
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  • Arts
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The Netvvrk podcast for ambitious artists who want more shows, bigger grants, and better residencies.

  1. 22 hr ago

    EP 120: Jennifer Sharpe on Shifting Ground

    Have you ever struggled to figure out exactly where your art fits? Or maybe you’ve tried to write an artist statement only to find it one of the hardest tasks you’ve ever had to do. Today’s guest, Jennifer Sharpe, a multimedia artist and experimental filmmaker, has a way of making those problems vivid and infinitely relatable.  In this episode, we talk about how a continuously shifting cultural landscape affects artistic practice. Over the last twenty years, we’ve seen multiple online communities collapse and rebuild. Jennifer came away convinced that while platforms vanish and institutions wobble, the relationships you build are the only durable asset an artist has.  This conversation wanders in the best way. Racehorses, vagabonds, cave paintings, jobs, and a whole bunch of other ideas you wouldn’t think have anything to do with artists, but really do. RELATED LINKS Free Info Session, How to Get on a Museum’s Radar, Tuesday, July 21, 7:00 PM EST Jennifer Sharpe

  2. 3 days ago

    EP 119: 20 Rejections Later with Gin Stone

    The art world tells artists that if you just keep going, eventually something will break for you. But persistence can also keep you stuck. If you don’t know something’s broken so you keep doing the same thing, you won’t grow. That's what happened to Gin Stone. Gin is a Cape Cod artist who did what she was supposed to do. She kept going. And she stayed stuck because she didn't have the right help. In this episode, she talks about the gallery show that made her realize she had nothing to say about her own work, the overhaul that followed, and the grant she landed just last week for a sonification project built on 2,000 years of geological data.   RELEVANT LINKS: Free Info Session, How to Get on a Museum’s Radar, Tuesday July 21, 7:00 PM EST Gin Stone

  3. 4 days ago

    EP 118: Patience Pays off with Peter Walsh

    After years of producing social practice art, Peter Walsh wanted to get back in the studio. So he rented a space and started painting. But when he started reaching out to his old painting friends, he found most had moved on to other things. He needed community.  He joined Netvvrk, along with many of the artists in his Brooklyn studio building. Then he practiced patience: he went to other people’s shows, built relationships, and let the work lead. That led to his first solo show in New York.  In this episode, we talk about restarting a practice mid-career, the self-doubt that shows up even with a long CV, and why the artwork always has to come first. Peter lost a painting the day before we recorded. He painted over it and kept working. As he puts it, he's not done. RELEVANT LINKS Free Info Session, How to Get on a Museum’s Radar, Tuesday July 21, 7:00 PM EST Peter Walsh

  4. 5 days ago

    EP 117: Building an Art Career Without Art School

    Guest: Mark Witzling, abstract painter In this episode of Art Problems, I speak with Mark Witzling about his career path as a painter. Witzling continues our series on artists who are building careers regionally, and his story takes on a second challenge that artists ask me about all the time. Witzling doesn’t have an MFA or a BFA in art.    And he works full time on his art. Want to know how he got his studio paid for and work placed without institutional bona fides, while living in St Louis, MO? Tune into this episode and find out!    RELEVANT LINKS    How to Get on a Museum’s Radar, (Free info session) Tuesday July 21, 2026 Mark Witzling Craft Alliance (St. Louis)  Southern Vermont Art Center — site of his solo show last year

  5. 6 days ago

    EP 116: From Open Calls to Gallery Representation with Meg Lagodzki

    Meg Lagodzki paints from a studio in the woods just outside Bloomington, Indiana, five hours from the nearest major art center. In this conversation, part of an ongoing series on artists building careers outside NYC and LA, she talks with Paddy about what it took to grow beyond her local market: the critique group that pushed her work in a new direction, the cold DM from a gallery that turned into a five-year relationship, and the shift from applying to open calls alone to finding opportunities through other artists. Meg also talks candidly about what changed once she started applying to harder, more selective opportunities instead of easier ones, and why the collectives inside Netvvrk, the smaller groups built around a shared thread like medium or geography, became one of the most valuable parts of her membership. Meg Lagodzki is a painter based in Bloomington, Indiana, and a member of Netvvrk's Woods and Forest Collective. Relevant links: Join the Free Live Webinar: How to Get on a Museum's Radar, July 21, 7:00 PM EST Meg Lagodzki https://www.meglagodzki.com/ Momentum Gallery https://momentumgallery.com/

  6. 7 Jul

    EP 115: Three Mistakes to Avoid when Applying for a Guggenheim Fellowship [Re-air]

    In this episode, Paddy gives you the skinny on the Guggenheim Fellowship, one of the most prestigious awards for mid-career artists. The talk contains tips and strategies you won't find on their website, including knowing when to apply and how often. You won't find this information anywhere else, so have a listen. Even if you're not planning to apply, this episode will give you strategies for ALL grant applications. Relevant links: https://www.gf.org/

  7. 22 Jun

    EP 114: Katie Hargrave on Building a Career from Chattanooga

    Katie Hargrave is a visual artist and associate professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, where she's lived and worked for twelve years. This is the second episode in a series on artists building careers outside city centers. Katie talks about what that has required: virtual studio visits that now feel more natural to her than in-person ones, a social media presence built on sharing other people's work without an obvious ask, and getting really good at logistics. She and her longtime collaborator Meredith Laura Lynn work six hours apart by car, and Katie explains how that distance has shaped their partnership for the better. She also talks about why being direct early in a relationship makes everything that follows easier. Katie Hargrave is represented in exhibitions across the Southeast and beyond, including recent shows at the Hunter Museum of American Art, the Knoxville Museum of Art, and Granary Arts. She often collaborates with artist Meredith Laura Lynn. Relevant links: Katie Hargrave: katiehargrave.com Meredith Laura Lynn: meredithlauralynn.com

  8. 8 Jun

    EP 113: How to Build a Thriving Art Career from Outside a Major City Center

    Ever wondered how to build a growing art career without moving to New York or L.A? Today, I speak with Jodi Hays, an artist who has done just that.  In this episode, Jodi talks about deciding early on not to bend to the art world’s preference for artists located in major cities, and to build something sustainable on her own terms. This meant investing in Nashville as her home and part of her practice, taking the long view on relationship-building, and using follow-up, not just outreach, to open doors. She also gets into the financial realities of working outside the major markets, and what it looks like to finally have gallery representation she trusts. About Jodi Hays: Jodi is a visual artist based in Nashville, Tennessee. Her work is held in public and private collections, and she is represented by David Lusk Gallery.  Relevant Links  Jodi Hays David Lusk Gallery

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About

The Netvvrk podcast for ambitious artists who want more shows, bigger grants, and better residencies.

Information

  • Creator
    Paddy Johnson
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Art Problems

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