Artist Pay Project, the installation
I've been creating an immersive version of my reporting on artist pay.
Greetings friends!
I know it's been a long time. But I'm back with some exciting news.
When I launched the Artist Pay Project last year, I had no idea of the life it would take on. I began the art rebellion focusing on stories about artist activists in underreported communities, and now I see my work shifting into the economic justice space — itself a form of advocacy for artists. I've mentioned this previously, but one of my big dreams has been to approach my journalism more creatively and develop an installation inspired by the work I've done.
It's happening. Over the past two months, I've been working with the University of Michigan's Arts Initiative to develop "Making It: $napshots from the Artist Pay Project." The installation pulls excerpts from the now 30+ interviews I've done with artists about pay to share their perspectives in a visually immersive way. My goals with this project are to demystify the labor and costs associated with being an artist and fight exploitation in the arts.
To see my reporting go from writing on a page to something people can digest in a unique way is so personally fulfilling for me. The installation will weave interview quotes, data about pay, portraits, and video documentation to explore the financial landscape that artists navigate.
I'm so grateful to the core installation team, Kathryn Grabowski-Khairullah from Arts Initiative and Jon Geiger of DUO Fine Art Services in Detroit, who are helping me bring this vision to life.
One of the interesting aspects about the installation is that it will be located in the university's business school. Something the team and I have talked about is using its location as an opportunity to share the financial realities artists face with a group people who have, or may eventually have, the power and money to hire artists and pay them well.
I hope the installation challenges some visitors, or opens their minds to perspectives they may never have considered.
"Making It" opens on Friday, Nov 15 and will run through Dec 12 at the University of Michigan. If you live in Ann Arbor or Detroit, please stop by. And of course, I'll be documenting everything to share photos and videos for those who aren't able to attend.
For those who are in town, please consider coming to the opening party on Nov 15 from 5 to 7pm. It will be a good time.
In addition to feverishly getting ready for the installation opening, I've started reporting more artist $napshots in Chicago, thanks to some funding from the city. I'll also be working on a zine with themselves press.
So many exciting things ahead!
If you'd like to read more about my work and the Artist Pay Project, I was recently featured in the Tiny News Collective's "5 Questions" series.
TNC
Let me know if you plan to attend the installation opening, or are thinking about stopping by while it's up.
As always, please consider sharing this work with a friend and following this work on Instagram and TikTok.
See y’all next time. ⭐️