Not Real Art

Did you know that the US government spends just $5 per person per year on the arts? Or that over 50 countries have a Department or Ministry of Culture, but the US doesn’t? In fact, the US has less government support for the arts per person than any other developed nation. These uncomfortable truths surface in The Art of Making It (2021), a fascinating documentary that follows a diverse group of young artists as they navigate an increasingly fraught art-world ecosystem. Directed by Kelcey Edwards, The Art of Making It includes interviews with six artists—Jenna Gribbon, Gisela McDaniel, Chris Watts, Hilde Lynn Helphenstein, Sebastian Errazuriz, and Felipe Baeza—at pivotal points in their careers. On today’s podcast episode, host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power discusses The Art of Making It, unpacking what the film gets right, where it flounders, and how it could’ve done better. “[The film] did a fabulous job of celebrating the world we love, some of the artists, and the art that we l