Tanya Quick

I gave a talk this week at Parsons’ BBA alongside four other professionals about how New York City has shaped our careers and POV. I grew up in a place where the tallest things were trees, and the only elevator in town went to the 2nd floor of the mall. So when I moved to Chicago and then NYC, the city was initially about what you saw when you looked up. I was enamored by the built environment, and collaborated with architects and developers as I began to build my own practice. I spent a lot of time in those early years on rooftops looking for the views we would incorporate into renderings and websites. At the same time, I began a community garden on my own building’s roof, as an opportunity to keep my hands in soil and to hone the patience of a gardener. Looking back over my 25+ years living and working in NYC, I realized the birds-eye view has become my way to see systems. And while I still love architecture, after moving on to examine the streets through cycling advocacy, the human relationships within service businesses, and the networks between art, farming, and adaptive reuse of space, the City now lives for me at the ground level—as an organic living ecosystem instead of a skyline of monoliths. How has it changed for you? [Introductory slide featuring my favorite mantra from Jenny Holzer’s “Truisms” (1977-1987)]

January spent in Tucson. Where your eyes go, your body follows. Time is the parent of presence. This country is so young and so flawed. The land remembers a time before us. It knows the way back, and a better way forward. The processes we do internally are scalable. Team creature forever.

Looking back on the full cycle of making-to-dismantling SALT at Facility, I’m (once again) transformed by the people who collaborated along the way. Former creative partners in new roles, the children of loved ones budding into their own adulthoods, and new friends who arrived without hesitation at the invitation of those involved… everyone let me see something new in them and in me. This was my first self-authored public creative work. Unlike client-driven design, there was no goal beyond engaging passersby on a human level. To slow the moment for participants in a world of increasing vulnerability. It was also a slow-to-create work, made without deadlines, but rather when the time was right. That pace allowed me to carve out time to really be present with those involved. That time spent was a reminder that the circular path is truly an upward spiral. 🌀

But how do we agree on what is Real or Fake anymore, without contact? ……. SOPHIE CALLE Real-Fake, 2018 Color photograph, embroidered woolen cloth, framing from the “Because” series up now at “Behind the Curtain” at Perrotin Gallery.

My love letter to Chicago, first chosen home. Where I found my chosen family, each of us migrating in our own way. City of big shoulders and open arms, especially now. Thoughts begin as feelings. I hope all Chicagoans feel how connected we are. SALT at @facility_chicago 3616 N Milwaukee Ave. Video portraits by @olivkh Carl D’Aquino @carldaquino   Cole Mueller Marielle Vargas @marscreative_nyc Niquita Taliaferro @ssupermagicc Noel Hennessy @Noel_Hennessy Ryan Cadiz @goodbloodcreative Syd Jimmerson Urcella Di Pietro @uedp and the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans

“There’s a side to life that is like drinking coffee on a terrace in the coldness of winter and wrapped in wool.” Clarice Lispector, Água Viva In summer, there is a side of life like the weight of cold water around the body. Upper body exposed to hot summer air. Skin calling for my full attention, holding two sensations in equal measure. This summer, the heat radiates from inside as well. Rage at daily erosion of truth, equality and caring. The abundance at farm stands reverberates the weaponry of starvation. The haze from wild fires is too strong to ignore. I spend mornings watching birds fly, seeing no borders. The full moon was radiantly watchful. I fall deeper in awe of nature’s open hand while simultaneously watching her resist our destruction. Two sensations in equal measure.

Chicago folks, join us at Facility next Saturday, July 12, from 7:30-10pm for an opening reception of “SALT,” a visual examination of common bonds. Sidewalk viewing through October 25.  Deep gratitude to friends and family  Carl D’Aquino @carldaquino   Cole Mueller Marielle Vargas @marscreative_nyc Niquita Taliaferro @ssupermagicc Noel Hennessy @Noel_Hennessy Ryan Cadiz @goodbloodcreative Syd Jimmerson Urcella Di Pietro @uedp and the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans  for being trusting collaborators. Thanks to @facility_chicago @faust_specialprojects @nickcaveart for making this idea a reality. And all the flowers to @olivkh for going deep with me, coast to coast. See link in bio for more.

Every collaboration is an opportunity to learn, but some projects shift my worldview at a deeper level. Working with Linda Goode Bryant and Sam Rauch on Project EATs’ Inside/Out was like a slow peeling of the onion: we started with the simple idea of a catalog, dove into a 15-year archive of conversations around how food and creativity nurture each of us, pushed against definitions of who is an artist, and literally tried to turn a rectangle inside out. @projecteats tagline—and mantra—is “Art. Food. Life.” These three things nourish and strengthen communities… and we need them now more than ever. Is it possible to turn a rectangle inside out? How would it change you to see art everywhere? Why can’t we use what we have to create what we need to survive and thrive? (We can.) Inside/Out invites you to look with curiosity and use your talents with tenacity. See the next post for details! “I will always hold dear to the belief that the essential quality of all life, no matter what form it takes, from amoeba to animal to human beings and beyond, is the ability to use what you have to create what you need.” — Linda Goode Bryant

What’s the last thing you saw that made you stop? Project EATS is proud to announce “INSIDE/OUT,” an initiative combining the release of a limited edition interactive artist book and the launch of a community archiving and storytelling project by our founder and president Linda Goode Bryant. Read on to find out how you can participate! —-- Created in collaboration with curator Sam Rauch and designer Tanya Quick, “INSIDE/OUT” documents three site-specific public installations by artists David Hammons, Maren Hassinger, and the duo Arthur Jafa and Garrett Bradley. Commissioned by Project EATS, their works were exhibited in 2022-2023 at and around farm sites in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the Lower East Side. The book also celebrates 15+ years of Project EATS’ dual roles both as a living, distributed artwork of its own, and a platform for community empowerment and catalyst for creativity of all kinds. Project EATS emerged out of Linda Goode Bryant’s celebrated career as an artist, gallerist, and activist, and its story is told here both in images (by artists Lorna Simpson, Paul Pfeiffer, Janette Beckmann, and Nicholas Knight) and through an imagined group conversation between many of the kindred spirits who have played a role along the way, sourced from a mix of original and archival film footage and interviews spanning five decades. INSIDE/OUT ends with an invitation to add your voice to the story! Follow the link in our bio to access a free digital publication and tell us how you’re seeing the world differently. Interested in a physical copy? When you make a tax-deductible gift of $100 or more to Project EATS, you'll receive a copy of our limited edition "INSIDE/OUT" book in the mail as our thank you for supporting our work at the intersection of art, food justice, and community building. Visit the link in our bio to donate! (This offer is only available while supplies last.) Project EATS gratefully acknowledge the support of VIA Art Fund and the Ford Foundation for this initiative, and thanks our incredible Board, staff, the communities we serve and the artists we love for making this special project a reality.

What a gift to feel seen. Recent portrait shoot with the magical 📷 @olivkh 💝

August, stay a little longer.