Art for Stolen Glances Across the Room
Artwork selections from People's latest vernal exhibition, plus a panel on digital art
Good morning and happy birthday to my dad! He spent years researching Michigan families in the nineteenth century (some of whom I am related to) and published a book called The Spirit of Modern Times. He has since started a Substack called Spirited Times where he writes historical fiction built on that same research, and I highly recommend you subscribe!
My dad’s writing is a welcome relief from inbox fatigue and AI slop. I love taking fifteen minutes to find out what happens next in each issue in the lives of four young adults navigating the start of the Civil War. It is like when TV shows came out once a week and you could not binge watch. My dad would say that having to wait for the next issue “builds character”. (And do not even try to impress him by mentioning that you are reading War and Peace unless you are reading it in the original Russian).
Looking at art is the other version of this for me: the same forced stillness, the same being present. Give art a little space for you to breathe and think about its meaning; live in the moments when you are not looking at a screen.
Being present is also one of the best parts of People’s and it’s why I love curating the art there. People are fully alive and engaged during the moments in those rooms. I love that there is art in every stolen glance and in each memory made there. I am so pleased to share the latest artworks from our spring exhibition at People’s!
I curate the artwork selection around figurative works that reflect the community, engagement, and sometimes voyeuristic views of the guests. One cheeky anecdote for this latest exhibition is that I included 13 works by Jonathan Wateridge to pay homage to the address, 113 West 13th Street, the same building where Edith Halpert launched her Downtown Gallery one hundred years ago. Paid subscribers will see details below for the ArtStack event at People’s next month.
Lastly, I am excited to share with you that I am moderating a panel this Friday evening in collaboration with Layer about the future of digital art. Please let me know if you are interested in attending and I will add your name to the guest list!
If you can’t make the panel on Friday, I hope to see you at the New York Academy of Art Tribeca Ball on Monday. Purchase Tickets Here. Enjoy!
