Artist Commons

Applications are now open for the next Artist Commons cohorts. Beginning this July, visual artists will spend a full year in conversation with mentors, art world professionals, visiting artists, lecturers, and a small cohort of peers who are serious about building a stronger, more sustainable art practice. If you’ve been looking for better feedback and more structure for your work, this is your call to apply. Early Admission Deadline: Monday, May 25 #ArtistCommons #ArtAdvice #ArtEducation

When someone asks to see your portfolio, are you sending them your website? That might not be enough. In this clip from last month's panel, former Sotheby’s director Brian Beccafico (@Arthemort) explains why artists need a PDF version of their portfolio, and what curators and juries expect. If you enjoy learning from experts like this, applications are now open for Artist Commons' July-start cohorts. #ArtistPortfolio #ArtAdvice #YoungArtists #CreativePortfolio #VisualArtists #ContemporaryArt #ArtEducation

Applications are now open for the next Artist Commons cohorts. Beginning this July, visual artists will spend a full year in conversation with mentors, art world professionals, visiting artists, lecturers, and a small cohort of peers who are serious about building a stronger, more sustainable art practice. If you’ve been looking for better feedback and more structure for your work, this is your call to apply. Early Admission Deadline: Monday, May 25 #ArtistCommons #ArtAdvice #ArtEducation

THE DAM SHOW: HAIVER AND ARTIST COMMONS! x.com/i/broadcasts/1…

When does an artist's intention matter? It's always a hot topic. Dr. Rebecca Millsop (@_noumenal) presents Noël Carroll's theory as a middle ground between the two extreme ends of the spectrum on artist intention versus viewer interpretation. TL;DR – Intention must be supported by features of the work itself. ㅤ #ArtHistory #Philosophy #PhilosophyOfArt #ArtEducation #StudioArt

Roger is such a generous and thoughtful interviewer. I loved getting to talk with him about @Artist_Commons and the kind of long-term support artists need to truly grow. Grateful for the chance to share more about the program we’re building.

Tune in at 12pm ET to hear Roger and I discuss how to grow as an artist.

If you're interested in learning from amazing artists similar to these, there's still a few weeks left to apply. Our next batch of cohorts start in July. The early admission deadline is Monday, May 25. Or sign up for the newsletter to learn more about the program at: artistcommons.art/subscribe

We're delighted to announce Artist Commons' next two Visiting Artists in Residence! One of our favorite things about designing this artist development program was finding a way to put students in close contact with established contemporary artists actively shaping the field. Visiting artists spend five weeks with the program's students presenting their body of work, giving a process lecture, answering questions from students, and doing a candid interview about what it means to build a longterm career in the arts. This quarter, our Visiting Artists in Residence are: SASHA STILES – @sashastiles Stiles is a first-generation Kalmyk-American poet, language artist, and AI researcher working at the nexus of text and technology, known for pioneering experiments with generative literature and computational poetics. Her practice refracts heritage and tradition through disruptive explorations of creativity and consciousness, probing human voice in an increasingly post-human age. Stiles has been recognized by MoMA, Art Basel, Christie’s, NPR, Artforum and Gucci, and received the first AI in Art Award of Distinction from the Prix Ars Electronica. ANDREW BENINCASA – @andrewbenincasa Benincasa is a paper cut artist. His work spans fixed works on paper, animation, and light box installations. His stop-motion films have been featured on NPR’s First Look, On the Media, HavardX, and the Alain de Botton’s School of Life. In 2023 his work was celebrated with a solo exhibition at the Artemizia Foundation in Bisbee, Arizona. He’s the recipient of residencies with a variety of organizations including Yaddo, St. Anne’s Warehouse, the Orchard Project, TAC, and Holes in the Wall Collective.

THE DAM SHOW: THURSDAY 12PM ET! Let's dig into the developmental side of the art business with @HaiverArt and @Artist_Commons. Strong conversation ahead. Livestreamed right here on X.

LOL. We have a good time in our weekly cohort feedback sessions workshopping work-in-progress.

The best version of an artwork isn’t always the one you planned. In this final clip from papercut artist Andrew Benincasa’s process lecture, he describes how many of his strongest works evolve toward the end. Not because his original plan failed, but because making art is often intuitive. You have to feel the work with your body and respond to what’s actually happening on the canvas. When has a work in progress surprised you? #ArtistProcess #PapercutArt #StudioPractice #CreativeProcess #VisualArt #ContemporaryArt #ArtPractice #ArtEducation

Our visiting artist in residence this quarter, Andrew Benincasa, describes his papercutting process as one of constant revision: erasing, changing, stepping back, and returning to the work with fresh eyes. He's not only trying to get each part to look right. He's watching how each part changes the feeling of the whole artwork. That's the real work of composition, and it's because of his attention to relationship and balance that's he erases so much throughout the process. How much are you erasing in your art practice? And how often do you step back from a work in progress to see what the whole is doing? #ArtistProcess #StudioPractice #PapercutArt #ArtMaking #ContemporaryArt #VisualArt #ArtEducation

@nftkhatoonart Thanks! Sharing inspiration where we can.

@Artist_Commons Great

Stillness can make movement read stronger. In his process lecture this quarter, visiting artist in residence, Andrew Benincasa, reflects on Hokusai, where a fisherman’s active body is set against a calm, open field of sea. Rather than weakening the image, that quietness gives the fisherman's gesture more force. It helps the viewer feel the action, and maybe even the stillness within the picture's protagonist. #JapaneseArt #Hokusai #Composition #ContemporaryArtists #VisualArt #StudioProcess #ArtistCommons #ArtHistory

In art, sometimes the question isn't what the shape is, but what the shape is made of. In his process lecture this quarter, papercut artist Andrew Benincasa shows how black paper and white cutout can create two very different kinds of figures. One feels more self-contained, stable, and grounded. The other is shaped by the area around it. That difference matters for artists because every material decision changes how an image is read. Weight, lightness, presence, absence, stability, energy. These aren't abstract ideas. They're compositional tools. #ArtEducation #Composition #PositiveSpace #NegativeSpace #FigureGround #VisualArt #ContemporaryArt #PapercutArt

What if an artwork could change not just what you see, but how you understand your own story? Artist Do Ho Suh’s installation art pushes viewers to reevaluate their relationship with space and memory, and to rethink their perceptions around architecture, intimacy, migration, and our connection to home. His work is a powerful reminder that contemporary art doesn't merely represent the world. It can change the way we move through it.

This was a fantastic lecture by Dr. Millsop. I highly recommend the @Artist_Commons artist development program, led by @HaiverArt. I'm part of the first cohort, and I'm learning a lot.

How does category matter in your art? One of the hit lectures in our program this quarter came from Dr. Rebecca Millsop (@_noumenal). Listen to how she explains why artistic categories shape not just how we classify art, but how we see it. #Philosophy #ArtEducation

For me, creating abstract art is something I’m still learning how to improve and do better. Philosophy of art reminds us that although being abstract, a piece of art can create a connection between the art and the viewer, and be as meaningful as a figurative one. So here I am trying.