3 min read

#MatteredToMe & #BuyArtFriday - November 13, 2020

Hello, everyone! I thought that since I’m changing things up by moving the newsletter to Substack, I might as well take the opportunity to get back to my Friday art round-ups as well. So, going forward, in addition to my weekly #MatteredToMe list, I’ll also be sharing a list of art-related stuff: online lectures and events, photobooks, online art and print sales, things like that. Not all of it will necessarily involve spending money but in the past I’ve used Becky Senf’s #BuyArtFriday hashtag on social media and I still like that tag, so that’s what I’ll be using here as well.

For now, I’d like to combine the two round-ups into a single letter. That way you’ll not only be getting fewer emails, but also perhaps there’s some opportunity for cross-pollination. Of course, if you’d rather I split things up into separate letters, just let me know.

And speaking of letting me know, one thing about Substack is that it has a much better commenting system than TinyLetter—which is to say that it has a commenting system at all. So far, these round-ups have mostly been a one-way thing where I share a list with you. But I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. If there’s something you’ve read or watched that mattered to you, or if you have some artwork for sale or an exhibition or online event to share, please post a link in the comments! That way not only will I see it, but potentially the other subscribers will as well.

Finally, the whole point of sharing these links every week—especially the art links—is to try to support the things that matter to me. To that end, I would really love it if these could get shared more widely. So please do forward these emails to whoever you think might enjoy them, or share them on social media.

That’s all the housekeeping, so let’s get started!

I’m happy to be getting back into the swing of things with #BuyArtFriday, and here are some items for your consideration:

  1. My friend Valerie Guardiola is open for commissions on custom art pieces. Prices are very affordable, from $40 to $160. Find more info on her website.
  2. Eye Lounge is doing a Holiday Art Sale & Fundraiser through December 5. They still have a number of pieces available and everything is priced under $100.
  3. In Carmel, CA: The Center for Photographic Art’s 2020 International Juried Exhibition opens tomorrow, 11/14, and is having a virtual reception via Facebook Live. This was juried by my friend Aline Smithson, and between the gallery exhibition and the online exhibition includes work by more than 100 artists, many of whom are friends of mine. The Facebook event will be from 4 PM to 6 PM, Pacific Time, and you can find a full listing of the artwork, price lists, and a purchase link for the exhibition catalog on CPA’s website.
  4. My friend, photographer scott b davis, will be giving a lecture next week with the San Diego Museum of Art, titled “every mile, fell the shadow.” The lecture is from 10 AM to noon on Friday, 11/20, and tickets are pay what you like.
  5. scott also still has some prints available from his #PhotographersSupportPledge sale. These are being offered at a steep discount and are limited-edition prints, so if you've wanted some of his work this is a really good opportunity.

That's what I have for this week! As I mentioned above, if there’s an event or art sale that you know about coming up, please share your links in the comments so that everyone can see them—that includes your own stuff! And remember to support the arts however you can.

Here are some things that mattered to me recently:

  1. Jeopardy was a staple of my young life, so losing Alex Trebek this week was hard. I saw Parul Sehgal's recent review of his memoir going around, and it was such a loving tribute to the man, a balm to my sadness on the day I read it.
  2. I’ve long been a fan of Helena Fitzgerald’s griefbacon newsletter, so I was very happy to see her start it back up again after a long hiatus. This week she wrote about election nights and living through historical moments, the large and small details, and how we tell these stories.
  3. Lyz Lenz wrote “Dispatch from a Red State” for her newsletter this week, about living in a space that may not be safe for you, about claiming that space anyway. I'm struggling with staying and fighting, too, and this meant a lot to me.
  4. Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom wrote about why choosing a path of moderation and incrementalism would be dangerous for the Biden administration. I agree, and I think she lays out her reasoning very well, and the articles she linked were also useful.
  5. Finally, Ada Limón's poem “It Begins With Trees” was just lovely. I wish I had something more insightful to say about it—it deserves more. I've been reading it over and over and sighing and smiling.

As always, this is just a portion of what mattered to me recently. My emotions have been oscillating wildly this week, but I think I'm trending toward resolve. In any case, I hope you can find a moment of peace soon.

Thank you, and take care.

-Mike