Ty Bishop
Ty Bishop is the founder and publisher of Friend of The Artist and is based in Dallas, Texas. Ty runs FOA as an emerging artist platform dedicated to elevating artists through a print medium, an essential vehicle for artists throughout art history.
After graduating with a BA in painting, Ty founded FOA in 2016 to give artists a place after seeing a gap between the academy and the art world. Since FOA’s launch, there have been over 300 artists published in 13 volumes and have partnered with other institutions supporting emerging artists, including AucArt, a London-based online auction house, and Artistellar, an innovative online gallery platform. Ty was also interviewed in Season 1 of the Artroverted podcast.
Could you tell us a little more about your background and where your interest in art originated?
I'm originally from the Texas Panhandle, where you see lots of cowboy and sunset paintings. The most famous piece I saw growing up was Cadillac Ranch, a site where ten old Cadillacs are halfway buried in the ground. When I was pursuing a degree in studio art - much to my surprise - I learned about the rich history of modern art in my small hometown. It's where Georgia O'Keeffe taught, Ed Ruscha did a few of his gasoline stations, and where Robert Smithson did his last work, Amarillo Ramp. By the ramp, there is even an on-site work by John Chamberlin that I think very few people know about where he constructed a sculpture from an old pick-up truck.
How would you describe FOA and how the idea to create it came to your mind?
FOA exists to shine a light on emerging artists through printed books. There's so much great work being made today by undiscovered artists, and our goal is to show their work to the world. I originally got the idea for FOA a year after I graduated from art school. I heard a museum director say that there were no opportunities outside of an academic context, and that statement resonated with me. I graduated as one of the top painters in my program and had nowhere to paint or show my work after graduation. It was a stark reality from art school, and I knew that other artists were experiencing the same thing.
Is it more common for you to search for artists, or do they approach you? What precisely would entice you to show their works?
One of my favorite things about FOA is getting to meet others as equally - if not more - passionate as myself on emerging artists. About two years ago, we started inviting guest jurors to select artists from our open call submissions. It usually gets a great dialogue going, and I love to be challenged and learn from them. The best way I can describe my personal selection process is a sense of freshness. I look hard at the work itself, its relation to art history, and the statement on the work. I greatly admire artists who are having a conversation with art history yet make it new.
Is there any advice you can give to emerging artists who want to showcase their work?
The internet has become the primary way art is viewed. That changes everything because it puts much more pressure on artists to present their work well online and grow a follower base. Artists with more followers might seem better, but that isn't the case. What the internet doesn't change is making great work. Keep that your central focus.
In your opinion, does PR play an important role in an artist's career?
Absolutely. Really good PR can even make bad artists appear good.
Emerging art is a tricky thing. How are you able to identify potential?
I think all artists have potential. There's a reason some artists have destroyed their past work! The most significant distinction for emerging artists is hobby vs. vocation. You can tell the difference by the longevity of their work and their statement.
What is the role of the collector in the world of today's contemporary art?
Collectors serve a lot of important functions and vary from collector to collector. Some more prominent collectors might focus on education, museum loan, and or making a work publically available, while others are more private. Regardless of the collector size, an acquisition by a collector is a big stamp of approval for an artist. When someone puts their money where their mouth is, it shows that this particular artist is valuable, and the artists feel that. It also helps support and grow galleries because the collector to gallerist relationship is essential.
In your opinion, what role does the artist have in society?
I love this question because I don't think it's discussed enough. I have a 1930 edition of Art and Scholistism which was written in 1923 by Jacques Maritan, a French philosopher. His answer to this question is that the artist, "serves the community better than the engineer or the tradesman." He wrote this because artist serves the greater good of society. I believe this to be true as well. I think the world needs more beautiful things.
In what direction would you say the art market is heading right now?
An obvious answer is a diversity of artists, but I think things are more nuanced.
Could you name five emerging artists whose careers you believe are worth following?
Absolutely! Before I give the names, let me say that every artist we've published is worth following. Some memorable artists we've published are Anna Park, Susanne Wurlitzer, Michale Nauert, Irby Pace, and Karen Navarro. Charcoal is a beautiful material, and Anna has truly mastered the medium with her large-scale works on paper. We first published her in 2018 when she was finishing her MFA at the New York Academy of Art, and now she's not so "emerging". Though Susanne is based in Germany and Michael is based in Los Angles, both have a refreshing approach to color. When I see their work, color feels personal, like they invented it. That's hard to do. Irby and Karen are lens-based artists who both have a unique approach to photography. Karen is based in my home state, Texas, and was the cover of our 12th volume.
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