SEEING SUCCESS: EVERYTHING THAT RISES MUST CONVERGE

Chairs: Michael Krueger and Breanne Trammell

Panelists: Grace Chin, Amos Kennedy, Erin Zona

 

This panel is a bit of a riff off the Failure panel from the PDX conference and aims to overturn ideas about what success in the arts looks like today. We will pose several alternatives and questions: how can we construct our own models for success that rise above a need for affirmation from the “art world elites.” The commonplace models for success in the art world are rooted in myth: that one must be young, live in NYC or LA, and have a high-profile gallery in order to be considered a “successful artist.” Success and sustainability look different to everyone as do the paths that we take. What do these trajectories look like? What activities in the arts do we find valuable, meaningful, and rewarding? Is the MFA still a valuable degree? If money does not equal success then what does? The panelists will be artists of diverse backgrounds and at various stages in their careers. We are interested in redefining what success means, and each panelist will talk about their personal experience.

 

ABOUT MICHAEL KRUEGER

Grounded firmly in drawing, Michael Krueger works in a variety of media including, painting, drawing, printmaking, animation, and ceramics. His ideas dictate the media and he floats freely between them. Krueger’s artwork reflects a deep interest in American history, contemporary American culture, art history, the human experience, and personal memoir. Recent solo exhibitions include, Haw Contemporary, KC MO, Sunday L.E.S., New York, NY, and Blackburn 20/20, New York, NY. Important group exhibitions include, The Drawing Center, New York, NY, KRETS Gallery, Malmo, Sweden, The Denver Museum of Art, Denver, CO, Glasgow Print Studio, Scotland, UK, Adam Baumgold, New York, NY, Planthouse, New York, NY, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Philadelphia, PA and the Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, CA. Michael Krueger is Professor at the University of Kansas.                                        

 

ABOUT BREANNE TRAMMELL

Breanne Trammell is a multi-disciplinary artist and Friday Night Lights enthusiast. Her studio practice explores objects and icons from popular culture, the confluence of high brow and low brow, and mines from her personal history. Trammell’s publishing imprint, Teachers Lounge, operates as a forum to explore subversive topics and reveal hidden histories related to education, activism, politics, sports, and visual culture. Her work has been widely exhibited and she has been an artist-in-residence at the Women’s Studio Workshop, Ox-Bow School of Art, Kala Institute, Endless Editions, Zz School of Print Media, The Wassaic Project, and Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. Trammell received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and is an Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Cincinnati.

 

ABOUT THE PANEL

Grace Chin is and independent artist. Amos Kennedy is a printer specializing in letterpress. Erin Zona is the Artistic Director of the Women’s Studio Workshop.