The worlds of art and literature contain much inspiration, and each contributes to the life of the mind. Here I celebrate the role that artists, writers, and other makers have in society and how they contribute to a broader and richer existence for us all.

Current sections/themes include:

The Desk Dispatch - News and short reviews, exhibition and event recommendations, links aplenty.

Retrospection - Recollections of memorable encounters with art, from a few months to many years back.

Studio Journal - Critical recollections of my many visits in artists studios

Letters - on intellectual subjects not limited to an essay on a creative individual or event; not chronologically limited in any way

A Reading Space - Book Reviews. May include new books on art history and theory, fiction, poetry, memoir and biography. The focus is not merely upon subject matter but the texture of the reading experience.

Shelf Life - Essays on books out of the depths of my personal library, ranging in genre and subject manner.

The Independents - Interviews with independent curators, artist run galleries, and nonprofits serving the interests of the contemporary working artist.

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Yours,

David Gibson

DAVID GIBSON is a New York based writer on the arts. He grew up within the art world with family ties and has developed his critical acuity between an understanding of theory and the real lives of professional working artists. He has written for Zingmagazine, Performing Arts Journal, C magazine, Art Notes, Flash Art, and Frieze to name a few. Since 2021 he has published his email newsletter The Other Side of the Desk on Substack. His personal website is www.gibsoncontemporary.com

Thanks to my creative collaborators. I couldn’t do it without them. My main collaborator is MICHELE GIBSON, whose contribution as a photographer and whose considered responses to my ideas make a big difference.

MICHELE BASORA-GIBSON

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On Sources of Inspiration and The Life of the Mind

People

A writer on art and books, publishing here on Substack since January 2021. A native New Yorker living in Manhattan, a lifelong member of the art world, happily married twelve years. I am available for commissions davidgibsonwriting@gmail.com