A Letter From the Editor: The Pandemic

by Christina Rees March 17, 2020

Ludwig Schwarz, “The jury is out, the jury is…OUCH!” 2019, chairs, various materials. At Conduit Gallery, Dallas in 2019.

Glasstire is still on, still working, still publishing, and as of right now, busier than ever. Glasstire’s staff held one last comprehensive in-person meeting at the Houston office yesterday before shutting down our headquarters for the time being. (We office in a midtown high-rise with a lot of active medical practices.)

But Glasstire’s role in Texas art, as we work to expand the conversation about art across the state, is to be responsive. We did it during Hurricane Harvey, and we’re doing it now. We, the staff, are in touch with each other all day, every day, and we are thinking of how to best serve you.

The wave of Texas art-world closures and cancellations that we’ve been reporting on since last week is as upsetting as any news in my 25 years as someone who makes a living and stays sane though art and the greater art economy. We are all — non-profits, artists, gallerists, curators, educators, arts journalists, and collectors — bracing for an immediate future of not only the loss of life, but also a long and deep recession. The coming months will test all of us in ways we can’t even predict.

But artists are responsive, and survivors, and will make art. For the sake of our own well-being and humanity, we need to see that art. Glasstire can and does show it.

A couple of points, then:

One: Glasstire is and has always been a non-profit, for its nearly 20 years of publishing. We are a low-overhead, high-impact resource. If you’d like to support us, you can go here to do so, and we will be profoundly grateful that you have enabled Glasstire to continue to shine a light on Texas art.

Two: If you are a gallery, non-profit museum, art space, or an artist-run organization, and you have an exhibition you’d like to get online and in front of a Texas audience (and well beyond!), we will host your video walk-through, for free, on our site. As a community, we may not be able to “Go see some art” at the moment, but we can still  “See some art.” Let’s get it up on the site. We’re waiting for you.

-Christina Rees

 

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1 comment

Naomi Schlinke March 22, 2020 - 10:57

This is such a great idea. It would be so good for the health of the arts in Texas if you chose to continue these “walk through” videos beyond the current pandemic time frame. So many shows fall below your radar and due to distance are simply inaccessible to a broader community. Please consider taking one more step toward a more equitable cultural landscape.

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