A Minute With Jordan Stein
Hi! This is a newsletter about artists I like.
I began acquiring art through some friends that worked in galleries. I started small, working on a limited budget, for stuff I could afford. As time passed, my collection grew, and it was exciting to watch many of the artists I'd collected go on to bigger shows and critical acclaim.
My goal with this newsletter is to make a digestible resource for anyone interested in artists that are making great (and still affordable!) work, whom you haven't heard about... yet.
Jordan Stein created Cushion Works Gallery about 5 years ago and ever since finding him and his gallery online, I was hooked. Every show felt completely different as a lot of the galleries I was following at the time felt a bit redundant. I have yet to meet Jordan in person but it seems like everyone, not just artists, want to be in his orbit. Prior to starting his gallery he was curator and he recently released a great book on Jay DeFeo that we highly recommend which you can buy here.
For me, Cushion Works is the best and after years of searching/finding my favorite galleries and artists, this is it for me. Follow CWG on instagram and find out for yourself.
What made you take the plunge and open your gallery?
Jordan: The uninspiring version of that answer is that it didn’t feel like much of a plunge five years ago; I was working another curatorial job full-time, the space was affordable, and I did not expect to sell artwork. The other, possibly inspiring version is that I was both impatient and excitable, and concluded that I’d have to go my own way.
I think the galleries that I personally am drawn to are the ones that are really just doing their own thing and creating their own world, and for me Cushion Works is that: What’s the secret sauce to what you do? Or is it more of just spending a ton of time to find those unique artists that haven’t been showing all over the place?
Jordan: The idea of world-building resonates, so thanks for that. Most of the exhibitions have grown from existing relationships I’ve built with artists, so the project is personal. I generally just follow my nose; if artists or artworks impact me, I have to believe they’ll impact other folks, too.
You’ve had some amazing shows from Gene Beery, Troy Chew, Brett Goodroad, to name a few, what’s next?
Jordan: I’d wanted to show Gene’s work since long before I had my own space; Troy was a student of mine at California College of the Arts; and Brett is a good friend. This fall I’m taking a bit of a leap and showing an artist I’ve only recently come to know – the talented Grace Rosario Perkins. Grace studied at Mills College in Oakland and now lives in Albuquerque, where, in addition to clothing, zines, and more, she makes (mainly) large-scale, expressionistic, lush, personal, and mythological paintings inspired by her friends, family, and indigenous heritage. I’m very excited and suspect the work will make a splash.
If we are in SF for 48 hours, what are we doing?
Jordan: Here’s what you’re doing: You’re walking the “Philosopher’s Way” through McLaren Park, buying House records at Vinyl Dreams, having a michelada at The Ramp, genuinely appreciating City Lights bookstore, and ordering “Camarones a la Diabla” from Celia’s by the Beach, not a top-tier restaurant overall, but – somehow, impossibly – purveyors of the spiciest, most delicious dish in San Francisco.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/philosophers-way
https://www.celiasbythebeach.com/index.html
What are some art related resources you recommend for our readers that may not live in a big city?
Jordan: I spend a lot of time reading historical interviews with artists via Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art. It’s a priceless resource.
Who are some artists that we should be following or learning more about?
Jordan: From the Cushion Works family, I really believe in San Francisco artist Kennedy Morgan, the former San Francisco artist Leslie Shows, and the nothing-to-do-with-San Francisco artist Katz Tepper. Outside of that, I’m loving love Whitney Hubbs and Dionne Lee right now.
Who should we have on next?
Jordan: My pals at Et al, Pied-a-terre, or Friends Indeed.
Linkage:
Photographer Clara Balzary has a book signing at Arcana this Saturday, 4pm.
Strong newsletter