Dr. Eric Avery on "Art and Health"

Go check out the second episode in our segment on “Art and Health (/Healthcare)”, with visual artist, activist, and physician Dr. Eric Avery. Dr. Avery "...is an artist/printmaker who became a physician during the Vietnam War in the 1970's. In 1974, he received his medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas and then in 1978 completed his psychiatry training at the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York City. For forty years he has worked at the intersection of visual art and medicine, leaving the practice of medicine several times to concentrate on his art career. His social content prints explore issues such as Human Rights Abuses, and Social Responses to Disease (specifically HIV and Emerging Infectious Diseases), Death, Sexuality and the Body....

​For twenty years, Avery worked as the HIV psychiatrist at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas....from 1992-2012...he made prints, paper and art actions that reflected his clinical work with HIV/AIDS. In the 1990's, in clinical art actions that high lighted developments in HIV care, he moved HIV medical practice into the protected aesthetic art space of museums and galleries, trying to prove that art can save lives.".

I first came across Dr. Avery’s work at Smith College Museum of Art’s exhibition Bearing Witness, showcasing prints made by Avery which document the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

As It Is, from Damn It Suite. (1987). Eric Avery. Woodcut printed in color on handmade Mulberry paper. Permanent collection Smith College Museum of Art.

During this conversation, we discuss Avery’s humanitarian work across the world, his human rights activism, how he brought an AIDS clinic into museums, the opioid crisis, printmaking, living in a building owned by Warhol, and so much more.

Susan Aldworth on "Art and Health"

Very happy to share this lovely conversation with visual artist, experimental printmaker, and filmmaker Susan Aldworth.

“Susan Aldworth is a visual artist who lives and works in London. She is an associate lecturer on the Art & Science MA at Central Saint Martin’s, London. Aldworth studied philosophy at Nottingham University and fine art at Sir John Cass, London. She is an experimental printmaker and filmmaker with a strong interest in investigating the workings of the human mind, especially consciousness, sleep and our sense of self. She has developed experimental print techniques to realise her ideas including the historic Transience etchings printed directly from human brain tissue.”

We talk about neuroscience, consciousness and the human brain, the ways in which Aldworth is inspired by art, philosophy, and science, and about her latest projects including "Out of the Blue", a kinectic sculpture installation project that looks at epilepsy through the stories of 100 people.

Adela Goldsmith on "Art, Gender, and Sexuality"

Head over to Soundcloud (or any of our other hosting services via the buttons above) to hear our latest episode with Adela Goldsmith about queer elders, our love/hate relationship with museums (some we really love), the value of experiential knowledge, the importance and innate queerness of archives, the future of museums (is there one?), the roles of care networks, mutual aid, and queer methodologies during this historic moment, what the Critical Bounds drinking game would look like, and "What is a Career?".

Adela Goldsmith is an independent art scholar and curator, who graduated from Smith College with a BA in Art History and a concentration in Museum Studies, wherein they completed a project which examines the relationship between the development of museums’ permanent collections and archival documentation.

They have held curatorial internships at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, as well as an archives internship in artist Cass Bird’s studio, and was a Junior Assistant at the Center for Curatorial Leadership.

Currently, Goldsmith has joined forces with the think-tank/research lab known as the Institute of Museums Against All Fucked Up Social Systems (IMAAFUSS), which explores adaptive solutions for experiencing art collectively and critiquing arts institutions in the midst of a catastrophic pandemic and a watershed reckoning with racism and inequity in the cultural sector and beyond. They have also gotten involved with the soon-to-debut mutual aid and resource-sharing network, Aid for Art Now (A4AN), which aims to support and sustain current and prospective arts workers and create a more inclusive and accessible museum field.

Their curatorial practice focuses on the intersections of queerness, archival
impulse, and institutional memory.

T.s. Flock on "Art, Gender, and Sexuality"

T.s. Flock self-portrait (courtesy T.s. Flock)

Check out our latest episode with T.s. Flock for our “Art, Gender, and Sexuality” segment. where we discuss the titular subjects, as well as etymology, the importance of aesthetic literacy, embodiment, and a plethora of other things.

“T.s. Flock is a Seattle-based writer and critic, and co-founder of Vanguard Seattle, an arts and culture publication, and was formerly an Arts Editor for Seattle Weekly. Other publications for which T.s. has written include Fabrik, Arts Africa, and Visual Art Source. T.s. holds degrees in English Composition, German Language and Biology from Georgia State. T.s. is launching a new video series aimed at expanding aesthetic literacy in connection through the history of arts, etymology and technology.”

Post-Hiatus Post

Aaand we're back to releasing and recording episodes after a short, but necessary hiatus. Putting the finishing touches on our episode with T.s. Flock (@whyabodyandnot on Instagram), visual arts critic and co-founder of Vanguard Seattle for the "Art, Gender, and Sexuality" segment. And ooh! Some of that tea is scalding, but in the best way. We cover arts writing, queer art, the AIDS crisis, the evangelical destruction of the US gov't, and More. So tune in tomorrow when it drops and in the meantime, check out some of our other episodes. Happy almost Fall, y'all. Sending you all best things through the ether.

Until Next Time!

Hi everyone! Summer intern Tori here. My internship ends today, so I wanted to give a big thank you as well as an “until next time!”

Last June, I was fortunate enough to be connected with Nicole through the career department at Smith College. As an Art History major focused on art that is influenced by global issues, and as an aspiring educator of this art, CB’s mission of opening dialogues about these topics for wide audiences seemed to align well with my academic and personal missions. 

And it did! At CB, I was given the opportunity to write about these critical issues, such as art-world representation, queer art, and public art, for larger audiences (beyond my professors and peers, that is). I was also introduced to phenomenal emerging artists and curators. The special treat for me was CB’s mission itself: listening to these artists and curators discuss their work themselves and how their everyday experiences influence it.

Critical Bounds kindly gave me a platform that taught me how I can effectively take part in pushing for diversity, accessibility, and challenging the exclusionary ways “things have always been done” in the art world and everyday life. As I pursue my ambition of becoming an educator, I will apply what I learned at CB to continue advocating for these changes.

Thank you all for letting me join you this summer! I look forward to continuing to tune in.

Signing off,
Tori

More Ways of Seeing, More Ways of Creating

Hi everyone! Summer intern Tori here with my penultimate blog post. I can hardly believe how quickly August flew by.

As a current Smith student, I am so excited to share the work of a Smith alum, artist Erika Marie York '12.

York is a painter who was diagnosed with Stargardt during middle school. Stargardt is a disease that causes vision loss. As a visual artist with low vision, York’s bold, bright, abstract style on large canvases was born of her everyday visual perceptions, and her techniques for making creation and viewing more accessible to those with low vision. As she tells us in her recent interview for The Vision and Art Project, “Creating art isn’t only for able-bodied people.” (x) Certainly, art is often influenced by artists’ perceptions of the world, and low vision is another way of seeing and perceiving the world that results in another way of painting it.

This is something York’s work shows us. Shaped by her perceptions of the world as a low-vision artist, her bold abstract style first gained recognition when she was in high school: 

“What I learned in art class in high school was impactful because it taught me that I could do whatever I wanted with art. I learned that my version of a still life was way more abstract then the teacher expected and I was rewarded for that. My version of a still life was different and my high school art teacher encouraged that. I think that’s the best lesson that I learned.”

York’s work and words, which you can read in her interview for The Vision and Art Project, are important and insightful. She shows us that low vision is another way of seeing the world, and so, it is another way to paint it, too. 

You can view York’s work on her Etsy store, ArtfulDiscourse.

CALL TO BIPOC ARTISTS, ART SCHOLARS, AND CURATORS

CALL TO BIPOC ARTISTS, ART SCHOLARS, AND CURATORS from around the world: Critical Bounds Podcast is currently looking for up to 12 artists for our biggest segment yet examining Colonialism, Nationalism, and White Supremacy and the effects of these issues on the art world. Please submit to criticalboundspodcastATgmailDOTcom, or through our contact form. As usual, guests will be paid 100USD after recording. Please SHARE!.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on "Art, Gender, and Sexuality"

We are so pleased to finally release our conversation with artist, performer, and curator Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for our Art, Gender, and Sexuality segment. We talk about Bhutto’s journey around the world to his current home in San Francisco, his queer, Muslim, futuristic, revolutionary, zombie drag performance alter-ego Faluda Islam, Bhutto’s collaborations, and his work in Queer Muslim Futurisms.

Tiffany Shaw-Collinge on "Art and Climate Crisis"

Head over to Soundcloud (or Apple Music, Spotify, We Heart Radio, or your chosen podcast subscription service) to listen to our latest release with Métis artist and architect Tiffany Shaw-Collinge, where we discuss holistic sustainability, Ocicicwan Contemporary Art Collective, and Contemporary Indigenous Art and Architecture.

“Tiffany Shaw-Collinge is an interdisciplinary artist, curator and registered architect based in Edmonton, Alberta. She holds a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) University, a Masters in Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc). Tiffany has exhibited widely including the Architecture Venice Biennale, Winnipeg Art Gallery and more recently the Chicago Architecture Biennial. She has been the recipient of a major commission for Edmonton's Indigenous Art Park, among other public art projects, has produced several notable transitory art works and is a core member of Ociciwan Contemporary Art Collective. Tiffany was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in Edmonton - her Métis ancestry comes from Fort McMurray via the Red River. “

Pinar Yoldas on "Art and Climate Crisis"

Head over to Soundcloud to tune in to our latest episode for our "Art and Climate Crisis" segment with Pinar Yoldas! Pinar is an infradisciplinary designer/artist/researcher. Her work develops within biological sciences and digital technologies through architectural installations, kinetic sculpture, sound, video and drawing with a focus on post-humanism, eco-nihilism, anthropocene and feminist technoscience.

Her solo shows include The Warm, the Cool and the Cat at Roda Sten Konsthall (2016), Polyteknikum Museum Moscow (2015), An Ecosystem of Excess, Ernst Schering Project Space among many. Her group shows include ThingWorld, NAMOC National Art Museum of Beijing (2014); Transmediale Festival, Berlin (2014), ExoEvolution at ZKM (2015), 14th Istanbul Biennial (2015), Taiwan National Museum of Fine Arts (2016).

Pinar’s residencies include the MacDowell Colony, UCross Foundation, VCCA, National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Duke University, Quartier21 Künstlerstudio-Programm, Transmediale Villem Flusser research residency at UdK Berlin. She has been an invited speaker at SAIC, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Northwestern University, Angewandte Kunst, University of Arizona, Reed College, University of Buffalo, BacNet15, Penn State and UCLA among many others. Her work has been featured in Arte TV, Die Welt, The Creators Project, Art21 Blog, Der Spiegel, Vogue Turkey and Artlink BioArt issue to name a few.

She holds a Ph.D. from Duke University where she was affiliated with Duke Institute of Brain Sciences and Media Arts and Sciences. She holds a Bachelors of Architecture from Middle East Technical University, a Master of Arts from Bilgi University, a Master of Science from Istanbul Technical University and a Master of Fine Arts from University of California, Los Angeles where she worked at the Art|Sci Center and the UCLA Game lab. Her book An Ecosystem of Excess was published by ArgoBooks in 2014. Pinar is a 2015 John Simon Guggenheim Fellow in the Fine Arts and a 2016 FEAT Future Emerging Arts and Technologies Award recipient.

She holds a bronze medal in organic chemistry in the national science olympics and had her first solo painting exhibition when she was five.  

All the Updates

It has been a busy past month, with moving, settling in, and recording.

During the past few weeks we have been fortunate to speak with several illuminating guests: Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman spoke with us about his upcoming feature film Early Stage, “…an anthology film, speculating about the inner life of artificially intelligent networks.”

For our segment on Art and Death, we conversed with Bethany Tabor, a cultural arts programmer whose work focuses on death and end of life practices, J Simmz, a curator, writer, and co-founder of Doppelgänger Projects in New York, who works closely with the Death Positive Movement. Simmz conceptualizes exhibitions with heavy focus on the cycles of life and death, mysticism, and transcendence. This segment also included poet, mixed media artist, founder of Thedna Arts, and death doula Carrie Redway. Redway’s work with death is closely related to cycles of nature, folklore, mythology, and ritual.

We also delved more deeply into our Art and Health segment, speaking with artist and physician Dr. Eric Avery. Avery’s work has spanned several decades, and includes work exploring the social side of the AIDS/HIV crisis, as well as emerging infectious diseases, human rights abuses, death, and sexuality. We were also excited to speak with Dr. Bettina Judd, a writer, artist, performer, current Assistant Professor of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington, and author of Patient, a book of poems that explores the historical utilization of, and standardization of the dehumanization of Black, non-cisgender male bodies in the field of Eurocentric healthcare that continues today.

Our new intern, Tori Currier.

We would also like to take this time to welcome our summer intern Tori Currier! Tori is originally from East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She currently resides in Northampton, Massachusetts where she attends Smith College. Tori is a junior (2022J) majoring in Art History. Focused on LGBTQ+ art, she is passionate about the role of art in social movements. Presently, she is conducting research for an honors thesis about AIDS crisis art and its continued censorship in the art world today. 

Tori intends to pursue a career in higher education. Her ambitions include changing how art history is traditionally taught by giving more attention to artists who have long been excluded or underappreciated. Interested in how history can be conveyed through creative fiction, Tori is developing a television screenplay about LGBTQ+ artists from the 60’s - 80’s, hoping to educate younger generations about the community’s history and the significant social roles that art has played throughout these decades. 

As an intern for Critical Bounds, she will strive to facilitate conversations about the importance of art in critical global issues. She is enthusiastic about how programs and websites in the social media age can become spaces for marginalized voices as well as tools to make education more accessible.

Tori will be doing research, handling a lot of our social media, and taking over the blog for the next few weeks, as well as making an episode of her own in August, and we are so happy to have her.

Black Lives Matter, and that’s all there is to it.

We posted this on our @criticalboundspodcast instagram a couple of weeks ago, and realized that it should be here also. We stand with Black Lives Matter activists and believe that police in the United States should be Defunded, Disarmed, and Disbanded. We try to uphold this system of belief Every Day, not just when hashtags are trending. All of our episodes are about learning to decolonize your mind by seeing things from a point of view perhaps never known before. For episodes that detail lived-experience and critical scholarship, check out our episodes with Temar France, Negarra Kudumu, Carol Rashawnna Williams, and our upcoming episode with Bettina Judd, as well as the writing and messages of those we mentioned in the above image. #blacklivesmatter #acab #decolonizeyourmind

Text from Image: “We stand with BIPOC against racialized violence and oppression. We recognize that this state-sanctioned violence is rooted in White Supremacy. Please read the words of @ijeomaoluo @osopepatrisse @blklivesmatter as just some of those who are experts, and whose voices are more valuable during this time than this white woman.” **NOTE: This is a recommendation to *read* the words, *absorb* the impact, and do the work for anti-racism within and without, this is not a recommendation to bother these people to educate you. They are already more than generous, and the information is there**

Carol Rashawnna Williams on "Art and Climate Crisis"

It is time to listen to the first episode of our Art and Climate Crisis segment with Carol Rashawnna Williams. Through her work, Williams presents climate crisis through the lens of racial inequalities. Her often-communal art experiences explore our personal relationships to the land in order to promote healing, and further our understanding and personal responsibilities—to the earth and to each other.

In addition to her creative endeavors, Williams herself is active in community-building, and has been certified through Seattle Parks & Rec as an Urban Forest Educator, spending time teaching about “…conifers, indigenous, and invasive species.”

Listen on Soundcloud, Apple Music***, and Spotify to hear us talk about all of this, her childhood in Germany and Tacoma, the changing face of Seattle, how structural inequity affects climate concerns, and what individuals can do to make a difference.

Our Episode with Carol Rashawnna Williams is almost here.

It has been A While since we recorded with Carol Rashawnna Williams for our Art and the Environment segment. Right before the Covid19 pandemic really hit the US, in fact (which is part of what has taken so long) but look for her episode to hit @criticalboundspodcast over the next few days. Image: "WATER". (2017). Carol Rashawnna Williams (Instagram @k_love_4art @klove4art). Painting, oil monoprint on canvas, 72 x 72". Photo by Chloe at Artist Trust.