An Art Help Desk? Yes! ~ Art Advice from Bean Gilsdorf

One of my latest discoveries is Bean Gilsdorf. She is an artist, writer, and California College of the Arts (CCA) alumna. With school just around the corner, it's great seeing CCA graduates doing some really phenomenal things in the art world. Gilsdorf runs a column titled Help Desk, which is co-sponsored by KQED and Daily Serving.

From writing an artist statement to art vernacular, Gilsdorf is equipped with possible solutions. If you're the type that loves advice columns and you're an artist, art critic, art student, etc., this column makes for some great reading. Whether you agree with her or not, you definitely walk away with a fresh perspective.

Quora: The Virtual Place for Questions (and Answers)

One of my dear friends and extremely talented artist, Matt Ganucheau, suggested I hop onto Quora (Side Note: Matt ALWAYS has something awesome to share so you may be seeing his name mentioned here quite a bit). Quora is a unique way to socially network with like minded folks (or people that think it's funny to be offer up a lame answer but I have yet to see this happen). It is a virtual spot where you can ask questions and get answers. You're also able to "Thank" (think of the "Like" function on Facebook) other Quora users and vote up answers to questions. So, imagine if Reddit and Pinterest had a brilliant prodigy lovechild, that's pretty much how I view Quora. Now, it doesn't replace writing your papers or answer the difficult abstract questions you need to address for your thesis BUT it is a great stepping stone to see what others think of your questions, research, and most importantly, its a place to learn something new (constantly)! Are you on Quora? It would be great to connect and check out your questions and maybe, just maybe, answer your questions. I know I would appreciate your answers to my questions. See you there.

Purpose of this Space

Although I have blog, dorothysantos.wordpress.com, I decided to create a space strictly for research and writing purposes. I wanted a spot devoted to posting interesting finds and resources after seeing and having been inspired by a friend's (Valerie Leavy) blog titled Air Guitar Riffs. She uses the blog to collect references from the book Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy by Dave Hickey. She recommended the book, which is proving to be great read. In any case, I figured this virtual place would serve as my online collection of research materials. I'm hoping other Visual and Critical Studies scholars or folks interested in the Arts join me in the ongoing dialogue. Overall, it is for anyone interested in research, reading, and writing! I welcome research applications, resources, book, music, film, and artwork recommendations. I'm not sure how this space will evolve over time but we shall see. As always, I welcome feedback and comments.