Another connection

www.saraschnadt.com

A friend of a friend, Sara Schnadt; really interesting artist with whom I reconnected with last month. I feel connected to the direction of her work, and am thinking about her today as I look at her latest postcard on my wall in studio. Among other things, we spoke about the interesting opportunities for artists in Chicago, where she is based, and a lack thereof in New York City, where I am based.

It seemed like a lot of the conversation that night was about the changes and differences between the two cities over the past decade or so; about how expensive and actually uncreative New York City has gotten, and how Chicago still retains a lot of experimental spaces for artists, spaces where "emerging" or un(der) represented artists have a chance to exhibit without the behemoth of the Art Market breathing down their necks. I've never lived in Chicago so I can't say, but my experience of being an artist in New York has certainly proved a lot about the direction of this city and the parallel but distinctly divergent direction of my own work. I've never felt I really belonged here; I haven't ever thought I had to "conquer" New York because I was born and raised here.

Hearing that echo from another artist in a clear and concise way (in North America even!) was refreshing, if still a little melancholy because I'm still in New York (at least for the next year)...but to hear a different opinion, one I share about the confines about the city and to see the proverbial Emperor's New Clothes was GREAT.

I wish I could have seen her performance in Chicago. I hope we can collaborate in the future.