From the category archives:

From the Desk of AFC

Art F City Launches PARADE, A New Programming Arm Focused on Creating Civically Engaged Art

by The AFC Staff on October 4, 2018
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Art F City is pleased to announce the launch of their new programming arm, PARADE, which supports and commissions civically engaged public art in Western Queens and beyond. Founded with a mission of fostering dialogue and connection through art, PARADE is co-directed by Paddy Johnson, writer, organizer and Art F City founder, and Nancy Kleaver, a nonprofit management arts education consultant, and community advocate.

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We’re So Not Getting the Security Deposit Back: DC Edition

by Paddy Johnson on August 5, 2018
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Last October, we published the first edition of our zine series, We’re So Not Getting the Security Deposit Back: A Guide to Defunct Artist Spaces in partnership with Beltway Public Works in DC. Today, we’re making it freely available to all in the form of a PDF. (If you want the physical version please contact AFC directly paddy@artfcity.com)

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Art F City Announces New Commissions Program to Support Artists/Writers Affected by Trump Policies

by The AFC Staff on January 31, 2017
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These are not good times. None of Donald Trump’s bat-shit crazy ideas should ever see the light of day, much less take the form of executive orders (EO). But here we are, 12 days into his presidency and the chaos is taking root. Trump’s EO on visa bans effects 7 countries, approximately 90,000 people directly and innumerable more indirectly. His tariff plan to pay for a needless wall between the US and Mexico will cost Americans billions. And it’s already costing Mexicans—the peso is at a record low due to increased worries of Trump-led trade war.

None of this is beneficial to the country or the world, so we need to respond. There are many ways to do this, but here at AFC we’ve settled on a fairly direct approach. For the next year, we’re allocating $4,000 of our commissions budget to supporting artists, writers and cultural workers effected by Trump’s policies. If we’re able to raise more money for the program, we’ll increase that number.

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We’re Still Here

by Paddy Johnson and Michael Anthony Farley on November 11, 2016

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Dear readers,

This week’s posts have not been easy to assemble. There’s not a shred of post-election news that’s good. It’s all terrible, horrifying and deeply frightening. After a small meeting about how to respond, Michael and I decided that while there is no normal right now, perhaps the best thing we can do for ourselves is carry on. And thus, we have links. And we will have reviews. And we have each other.

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How to Keep AFC in Your Newsfeed

by Michael Anthony Farley on October 11, 2016
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When AFC launched in 2005, the internet was a totally different beast. Blogs were the little guy, out to upset the corporate media and democratize web content. And we succeeded! But fast-forward to 2016, and “user generated content” is what’s doled out to us by Facebook’s algorithms.

As Facebook continually tweaks its content-prioritization metrics, you’ve probably noticed less and less posts from small publishers like us. Instead, you’re likely to see trending stories about the Kardashians, paid content, and family members fighting about the election. Or worse, baby photos.

Thankfully, there’s a simple way to keep abreast of content such as our daily curated links (much better than Facebook’s!), features, weekly events listings, artist opportunities, commissioned projects including our IMG MGMT series and so much more. Simply visit our Facebook page, rollover the “Like” button, and select “See First” in the newsfeed options (see GIF above!).

We promise prioritizing independent art criticism will make your social media experience exponentially more rewarding. And it will make our days more rewarding—we work hard to bring you the best, weirdest, and/or most relevant stories from the art world and internet. We want to make sure you see them!

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Posting Notice: Suck It, Facebook

by Paddy Johnson on March 4, 2016

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Readers looking for updates from AFC on Facebook won’t have seen a hell of a lot for the past two days. Wednesday, our account was suspended when Facebook’s software grabbed the NSFW GIF of the Hump Day rather than our SFW header that warns people about the sensitive nature of the post content. This is annoying for several reasons, not the least of which being that we typically have more posts to share during Armory Week. We’d like them to reach our readers.

I am particularly unhappy, as the ban has affected not only me, (for seven days) but any AFC Facebook administrator (for three days), and there seems to be little I can do about it. For the last 24 hours Facebook has been rejecting the federal state ID they claim they need to verify my identity.

Needless to say, until this gets sorted out, look to Twitter and the blog for updates. Facebook can suck it.

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Art F City Launches Fine Art Gallery at SATELLITE Tonight

by The AFC Staff on December 1, 2015
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Art F City is pleased to announce the debut of Fine Art Gallery at the SATELLITE art show Artist-Run. Located inside a derelict hotel, Fine Art Gallery will transform room 219 into F.A.G. Bar, an installation and homage to shuttered gay dive bars across the country. These closures occur for a myriad of reasons, but increasingly, they are the result of gentrifying forces. F.A.G Bar highlights the work of six artists who make work that either specifically addresses these concerns, or would simply find a good home in one of these spaces. These artists include: Edie Fake, John Criscitello, Matthew Leifheit, Macon Reed, Rachel Stern, and Wickerham & Lomax.

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AFC Fall Fundraiser Extended | Cue Art Foundation Gala Tonight | NURTUREART Benefit Next Week

by Paddy Johnson on November 4, 2015
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A few fundraiser related notes:

  • We have extended our fall campaign for Independence to November 18th so everyone has a chance to donate. At this point, we have 80 backers and only $5,400 to raise. Just imagine if a donor purchased that tattoo we made available on Michael Anthony Farley’s butt for $5000! We’d be only $400 away from meeting our goal. Help us make this happen! There are plenty of perks to choose from – many of which are disappearing quick in the final days of this fundraiser. [Indiegogo]
  • Meet us at The Cue Art Foundation for their annual gala and benefit auction. Cue offers artists exhibitions, art education programs and young writer support. We like all three. It’s our first time attending a benefit by this organization so we can’t wait to see what they do.[Cue Art Foundation]
  • NURTUREart will hold my favorite benefit of the year next week, November 9th and 10th! I like this benefit because it’s filled with cool, down to earth people who are super excited about art. Every time I’ve visited people can’t stop talking about the art they’ve picked up. The fundraiser helps the artist community exhibition space pay their bills for the year, so it’s super important for them too. Support them today! [NURTUREart]
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What’s With all the Creepy Art on True Detective?

by Michael Anthony Farley and Corinna Kirsch on June 22, 2015
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Last night’s hotly anticipated debut of True Detective’s second season on HBO was really confusing. Of course, fans of the show expect to have no idea what is going on with the series’ convoluted plots, but one scene in particular caught us off guard. Colin Farrell and company paid a visit to a supposed kidnapping victim’s house and found his collection of misogynistic contemporary art pretty disturbing. Ick. We did a little detective work of our own to find out more about the shudder-inducing curatorial preferences of (potential?) murder suspects.

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So Long

by Whitney Kimball on February 13, 2015
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Dear readers,

After four years, and with a heavy heart, I’m moving on from Art F City and probably the art world at large.

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