Okay, okay, I’m very late to the party, but at least I’m finally here. (Don’t mind the dust.)
My excuses for not starting a Substack were only growing, partially out of stubbornness but primarily out of fear. I’m not good at writing casually or off the cuff—I proofread every Instagram caption way too many times—and I hate to feel like I’m bothering folks with emails, updates, music recs, and ramblings. But Substack is the writer’s and reader’s social network, and that sort of digital connection is hard to find these days. Mailchimp, for now, goes off into the sunset.
Recent Articles
For Garden & Gun, I wrote about how “Winston-Salem is Worth Another Look” thanks to the city’s surprising use of its generous plenty of old buildings.
It was a joy to highlight some of my favorite gems in the place I’ve called home for the past few years; it was equally wonderful to speak to Michelle McCullough, Winston’s historic resource officer, for the story. She’s passionate about Winston’s architectural history and was quick to share quirky, entertaining tidbits about how our buildings came to be. When I asked her about Winston’s eclectic blend of architectural influences, she put it simply: “Well, you had wealthy people picking and choosing from many styles. And it wasn’t always high-style.”
I also took a deep dive into the career of Grace Hartigan for ARTnews with “Grace Hartigan’s Artistic Kinship with Midcentury Poets”, a feature tied to a new Hartigan survey exhibition here in North Carolina.
Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention, curated by Jared Ledesma, focuses on the painter’s connections with midcentury avant-garde poets, including Daisy Aldan, Barbara Guest, Frank O’Hara, James Schuyler, among others. The show emphasizes the strong bonds she developed with these (primarily queer) writers, forging relationships that provided a sense of belonging in a downtown scene where she initially felt out of place.
The exhibition catalog is also a treat, collecting some of the most poignant works of Hartigan’s career. I can’t recommend it enough!
What’s Playing, Looking, Reading, Doing
I’ve been in a spirited reading phase lately—not the norm!—and recently finished Yiyun Li’s masterful, heartbreaking, impossible-to-put-down Things in Nature Merely Grow, a meditation on an unthinkable amount of grief that I’d recommend again and again. Finally got around to Catherine Lacey’s Biography of X, an art-world speculative metafiction that feels more prescient than pretentious. (Yes, The Mobius Book is next.) Lucas Schaefer’s The Slip has garnered praise from many far and wide (Ron Charles!!), but I’ve got to get through the Laceys first.
In short form, n+1’s recap of the early days of DOGE takes the long view of a nonsense fiasco, nailing the confusing paradox at the heart of the effort: “If the government is good for business, why destroy the government?” Texas Monthly’s chronicle of Buc-ees’ bathroom art gallery is the kind of art writing I want to see more of.
Pavements is a pitch-perfect, inscrutable document of the ‘90s slacker kings. The band’s immense influence has always conflicted with their desire to stay arm’s length from fame, the cultural zeitgeist, and the legions of fans who remain hopelessly devoted to them. Weatherspoon at UNCG has a powerful exhibition on view, "The Opioid Project: Changing Perceptions Through Art and Storytelling," showcasing the importance of art as outreach, therapy, and a means of communicating hope. I wish I had the time to make the road trip to Lexington to see Ceirra Evans’ show at Institute 193. Belle Townsend describes it perfectly in the show’s statement: “As a queer artist, her gaze challenges caricature and patronization alike, offering a vision of rural life that is honest, complex, and political by nature. The absurdity of blow-drying a plant in such bitter weather lands not as mockery, but as survival.”
The playlist?
Lorde - Virgin • Addison Rae – Addison • Swearin’ – Fall into the Sun • Beach House - Depression Cherry • Bright Eyes - Cassadaga • Cartel - Chroma • Garbage - Bleed Like Me
Addicted to this one and waiting for more Baby Bash interpolation to infiltrate pop:
For some extra YouTube-rabbit-hole-weirdness, I’m celebrating Cole Escola’s incredible Tony win (and their red carpet tribute to Bernadette Peters) with an early sketch from their OG YouTube series VGL Boys with equally-hilarious Jeffrey Self: Bernadette Peters on Prop 8. (“Vote No on Patti Lupone!”)
See you next month, friends! As always, thanks for reading.
Glad you’re here xoxo