Paddy Johnson says she's learned some of her most important lessons through trial and error, or in some cases error upon error. In her early years in New York, this meant repeatedly taking gallery assistant jobs and then losing them. She learned a lot about the business through this process including the fact that you can always blog when you can’t find a job. And thus, in 2005, she founded Art Fag City.
Art Fag City was Paddy’s way to participate in the art world and get immediate feedback. When Facebook became a thing, Art Fag City became Art F City. Professionalism kicked in while she managed to retain a fresh and candid perspective. We talk about income inequality, valuing time, speaker fees, and the belief that art and artists can contribute greatly to communities. While talking about artist-run projects as a movement we talk cat boxes, microwaves, puppies, and new models.
Paddy Johnson is the founding Editor of Art F City and an active independent curator. She has published in magazines such as New York Magazine, The New York Times and The Economist and lectures about art at venues such as Yale University, South by Southwest, and the Whitney Independent Study Program. In 2008, she became the first blogger to earn a Creative Capital Arts Writers grant from the Creative Capital Foundation. In 2010 and 13, she was nominated for best art critic at The Rob Pruitt Art Awards. Curating highlights include the Columbia MFA show at Judith Charles Gallery in 2015 and a retrospective of the work of Carol Cole at The Weatherspoon Museum in North Carolina in 2018. She also has a podcast, Explain Me, with the artist William Powhida.
