The Subversives the Post Feminists and the Category Expanders: Bushwick Art Crit Group
Kelsey Shwetz presenting at crit
(via whitehot magazine)
By WILLOW GOLDSTEIN, JAN. 2015
There is only standing room left as the first artist begins to delve into her current body of work. Pale legs opened wide appear on the walls, the projector washing out some of their hues, as the captivated audience listens. For eight minutes, the artist tells us where the ideas for the paintings come from, about her artistic process, and real life anecdotes masked in the lexicon of art school. The speaker is artist Kelsey Shwetz, who soon would become the Director of Exhibitions for Bushwick Art Crit Group.
Moving past the media headlines dubbing Bushwick Hipster Heaven and The 7th Coolest Neighborhood in the World, what does being an artist in Bushwick actually mean? As Bushwick Art Crit Group (BACG) founder Christopher Stout will tell you, “It’s not just the fact that Bushwick is where people are making it, it’s that the things that are going on at this point in our history are of crucial importance and are changing the game.” There is real passion here, demonstrated by both the DIY attitude that crams art shows into basements, rooftops, and tiny apartments as well as the work being exhibited at some of the neighborhood’s top galleries.
