Current Issue

1.17 / Glass Houses

June 17, 2010. The idea that an artist needs to be highly introspective is a prevailing one, and it butts up more or less against the perceived mandate for one to effect wide-ranging change.  An artist stakes territory somewhere along the spectrum of poet, seer, truth-seeker, and activist. In this issue, our writers offer commentary about each of those positions, as well as how they are performed for, and perceived by, audiences.  Studio research and personal inspirations are put on view in “Lending Library,” while the recent Open Engagement conference generated a long list of questions that spin off from the seemingly straightforward one, “Do artists have an ethical obligation to the community with which they engage?” In other words, an artist’s impetus and motivation falls under examination alongside the work s/he produces.  Who gets to throw the first stone? Enjoy. - PM