Nothing Up My Sleeve: An Exhibition Based on the Work of Stuart Sherman, is a curator’s book co-published with the New York not-for-profit space, Participant Inc. The exhibition, curated by Jonathan Berger, took place at Participant Inc. in the winter of 2010.

Berger paired the work of Stuart Sherman, a brilliant performance artist who died in 2001, with other performers and artists whose work, while not directly affected by Sherman, shares a similar spirit and exploration of authenticity. The book is an extension of the exhibition, composed of entries from each performer/artist included in the show: Matthew Brannon, Carol Bove, James Lee Byars, Vaginal Davis, Harry Houdini, Andy Kaufman, and several others. Reprinted in the book, with new commentary, are two early critical texts about Stuart Sherman’s spectacle works, by John Matturri (written in 1978), and Berenice Reynaud (published in issue eight of October art journal, 1979). There are also texts by Lia Gangitano, Jonathan Berger, Molly McGarry, and Mark Bradford.

Paper Monument is a journal of contemporary art published in association with n+1. It is edited by Naomi Fry, Dushko Petrovich, Prem Krishnamurthy, Jessica Slaven, and Roger White, and designed by Project Projects. Issue Three includes new artworks by Matthew Brannon, Leslie Hewitt, Munro Galloway, and Jessie LeBaron; and writing by Sarah Hromack, Lauren O-Neill Butler, James Bae, Christopher Hsu, and many others.

Paper Monument publishes its first pamphlet, I like your work: art and etiquette, with contributions from 38 artists, critics, curators, and dealers on the sometimes serious and sometimes ridiculous topic of manners in the art world.

The art world is now both socially professional and professionally social. Curators visit artists’ studios; collectors, dealers, and journalists assemble for a reception and reconvene later for dinner; everyone goes to parties. We exchange introductions and small talk; art is bought and sold; careers (and friendships) brighten or fade. In each situation, certain behaviors are expected while others are silently discouraged. Sometimes, what’s appropriate in the real world would be catastrophic in the art world, and vice versa.

Making these distinctions on the spot can be nerve-wracking and disastrous. So we asked ourselves: What is the place of etiquette in art? How do social mores establish our communities, mediate our critical discussions, and frame our experience of art? If we were to transcribe these unspoken laws, what would they look like? What happens when the rules are broken? Since we didn’t have all the answers, we politely asked our friends for some help.

Paper Monument publishes its first pamphlet, I like your work: art and etiquette, with contributions from 38 artists, critics, curators, and dealers on the sometimes serious and sometimes ridiculous topic of manners in the art world.

The art world is now both socially professional and professionally social. Curators visit artists’ studios; collectors, dealers, and journalists assemble for a reception and reconvene later for dinner; everyone goes to parties. We exchange introductions and small talk; art is bought and sold; careers (and friendships) brighten or fade. In each situation, certain behaviors are expected while others are silently discouraged. Sometimes, what’s appropriate in the real world would be catastrophic in the art world, and vice versa.

Making these distinctions on the spot can be nerve-wracking and disastrous. So we asked ourselves: What is the place of etiquette in art? How do social mores establish our communities, mediate our critical discussions, and frame our experience of art? If we were to transcribe these unspoken laws, what would they look like? What happens when the rules are broken? Since we didn’t have all the answers, we politely asked our friends for some help.