Bean Gilsdorf

From this Author

Help Desk: What to Give ‘Em

Draw It with Your Eyes Closed: The Art of the Art Assignment (2012). 128 pages, perfect-bound

Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is co-sponsored by KQED.org. Merry Hanukkwanzmas and Happy New Solstice Apocalypse! ‘Tis the season for gifting, so this week I’ve prepared a list to make your holiday shopping easier. My suggestions are[…..]

Help Desk: Odds & Ends

Joav BarEl, Yin Yang I, 1969. Acrylic on canvas, 40 1/8 x 31 7/8 inches

Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is cosponsored by KQED.org. 2012 is almost gone, and over the course of this year I received some questions that didn’t seem quite right for the column—either because they only required a[…..]

Help Desk: Residencies

Ellen Kooi, Nagele - wachthuis, 2011. Fuji Crystal Archive, Plexiglass, Reynobond, 31 ½ x 72 ½ inches

Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is cosponsored by KQED.org. I want to start applying for artists’ residencies and I don’t know where to begin. Is there a good place to find a listing of residencies, what are[…..]

Help Desk: Digital Dilemma

Cory Arcangel, Sweet 16, 2006. Projection from a digital source, dimensions variable, edition of 5

Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is cosponsored by KQED.org. I recently had to pick the edition size of a digital interactive project I made. I just went with a standard ten but it got me thinking. I[…..]

Help Desk: Insults & Insecurities

Dimitri Kozyrev, Last one 14, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is cosponsored by KQED.org. Is your practice hot or not? Frieze Magazine is ready to assist you with your latest statement. This week’s column features the artwork of Dimitri Kozyrev. His solo[…..]

Art & Vexation: Interview with William Powhida

William Powhida, Oligopoly (Revised), 2011. Watercolor, acrylic ink, and colored pencil on panel

William Powhida’s text-based drawings* skewer the contemporary art world with relish. From fake Rolling Stone magazine pages to charts explaining economic relationships, or trompe l’oeil pages torn from the notebook of an art-world malcontent, Powhida sticks his finger into the wounds of modern culture. For example, What Do Prices Reflect? pessimistically lists the rationale used to determine an artwork’s financial value: “Whether or not the work[…..]

Help Desk: Rock the Lecture

Isa Genzken, White Horses, 2008. MDF, mirror foil, tape, spray-paint, colour print on paper, 38 7/8 x 31 3/8 x 3/4 inches

Help Desk is an arts-advice column that demystifies practices for artists, writers, curators, collectors, patrons, and the general public. Submit your questions anonymously here. All submissions become the property of Daily Serving. Help Desk is cosponsored by KQED.org. “You’ve seen the pictures. You’ve read the tweets. New York City looks like a post-apocalyptic wasteland along its waterfront. Among the many things New York City needs right[…..]