Art , knowledge, community.

Many artists in New York arrived through the area’s many BFA or MFA programs. Intensive, communal, and fed by the need to rub shoulders with fellow makers, most programs jam everyone together in a building for 2-4 years, leaving them with a degree and a romantic idea of a future making art. The reality is often one of being tucked away in a studio, monastically focused on chasing an obsession with occasional bouts of socialization. Good for production, but often unsustainable or restrictive for the spirit.

Soft Eyes seeks to soften the boundary between the artist’s studio practice and their social needs. Founded in Brooklyn in 2023, Soft Eyes builds upon foundational premise that Art making is a human activity, and humans are social animals. The thrill of being in a room full of people all making drawings and paintings and sculptures together is such a huge part of what makes the artist’s school experience so vital. To have that practice drop away into memory once they enter the “real” art world can feel like the price of admission for being a professional creative, but we at Soft Eyes want to present a different path. A path where not everything we make has to be transactional, dedicated to a production deadlines, or be an actor in the “art for rent” struggle.

It’s easy to be cynical about the state of the world. It’s easy to make quick judgments, rash decisions and to set up boundaries. Our whole “attention culture” economy is set up to get us to speed up, catch up, and buy in. With no room for slowing down, our rapid-pace society hardens the vision. Hard Eyes are bad for people, and bad for art. Soft Eyes are where it’s at. Come join us and soften those eyes.