• by Craig Platt , April 7, 2010

It all began with snow still on the ground, in a small gallery tucked in amongst the behemoths of Chelsea in Manhattan. Artists Jennifer Dalton and William Powhida arrived to conduct a class at Edward Winkleman Gallery. In what is ostensibly a throwback to the Salons of Paris, the gallery has been converted into a think tank, a marketplace, a sideshow and a gathering of artists, critics, collectors and ingénues.  And behind it all are Dalton and Powhida. Both are artists obsessed with the art world's business practices, with the insider dealing, star making, soul sucking uphill battle that the world has become.

Hashtagclass takes place in New York, but even a person interested in the debate who's actually in Paris (or Bora Bora or Peoria) can participate through the live Web stream and Twitter feed (using the hashtag #class and #hashtagclass the comments and questions become part of a larger dialogue -- one that expands beyond Chelsea, SoHo, Williamsburg or even New York).

In recent weeks Powhida has been the subject of several articles due to a drawing he made in collaboration with artist Jade Townshend. The piece, "Miami Beach Art Basel Hooverville" has been as polarizing as it has been intriguing and in its wake Powhida seems a little fried. Artists and writers, it has been said, make art so they do not have to speak.

But, hashtagclass is all about communication. And Powhida agreed to field a few questions about why it matters.

Why did you decide now was the time to conduct #class?
Powhida: In an interview for The New York Times [writer] Damien Cave pressed me for solutions that I felt like I didn't have. When I was asked to do this show with Jen Dalton at Winkleman Gallery, I thought it was an opportunity to explore my frustration with the art market and perhaps start a dialogue that might lead to some solutions. 

The response has seemed overwhelming; has it broadened your view of the art community?
Powhida: It has far surpassed my expectations, and brought together a broad spectrum of the art community, from a street artist who read about it somewhere to Jerry Saltz, the senior critic of New York Magazine, to collector Hubert Nuemann. Accordingly, though, we've brought together far more artists with limited access to the commercial market, which mirrors the structure of the art world. For me, it's been a lot of work, but I think it has created hope for others and is part of a larger conversation around the structure of the market, and whether or not it operates in the best way. 

What do you take away from the experience? 
Powhida: That we have been working in a salt mine. We're only half joking about that. I think it has made me, personally, question my assumptions about the motivations of the participants in the art market. I think it will give me pause and hopefully add more complexity to my depiction of the art worlds - plural.

Has anything surprised you about the way people interact? Is it possible to compare the intended and unintended consequences?
Powhida: Yes, there has been a surprising amount of civility and respect between the participants, but not out of deference. People are interacting as individuals, not stereotypes. I think we have gotten to see the leveling effect of #class in action which was an intended outcome, but the level of civility and engagement is beyond what we hoped for.

How did you get the word out to people that #class was happening; was it conventional marketing? Or did you go outside the box and make it viral?
Powhida: There was a great deal of conventional marketing through the press before the concept for the show was even finalized, but I think Twitter and social media took it from there and brought together very different groups of people. Jen and I have been meeting far more people than we knew through the process of the show. I don't think it has gone viral outside the art world, but it certainly has transcended Winkleman Gallery and our own connections.