A Message From Kenn Sava…
I started NighthawkNYC.com on July 15, 2015 to bring more attention to Artists, Art & books that I feel more people should know about, and to share my passion for it all with people all over the world. I’m gratified that readership has grown continuously these past 7 years. Frankly, I don’t think being on Instagram has had much to do with it. It seems most people discover the site from web searches researching a specific Artist, book or show. At this point, 7 years in, I’ve written about a lot of Artists. If you look at the list of Categories (by clicking the white box in the upper left corner) you’ll now find 518 names!
I’m proud of that, and proud of the diversity of the Artists, Musicians & Photographers I’ve covered- of every style, race, color, sex & creed from all over the world going back to Jan Van Eyck in the 1400s, and up to Caslon Bevington, an Artist who was about 25 when I first wrote about her (I wrote about her, again this year.).
I GREATLY appreciate every single person who has taken the time to read one of my pieces, and particularly those who have been with me for all or most of the journey. Thank You!
As I mentioned at the end of my 7th Anniversary piece, earlier this year I suffered a devastating financial setback that leaves me having to focus on my survival full-time. Having worked on NighthawkNYC virtually full-time for 7 years, for free, while keeping this site free for all means that, since NOTHING is truly “free” on the internet, ALL the costs of creating and maintaining it have fallen on me.
How much is that?
-Research costs are QUITE substantial. NO ONE gives me books, equipment, or free access to museums, shows that charge admission, etc.
-Website hosting, domains, & security are not cheap, times 7 years.
-And then, figure what your labor would be worth to work at something full-time for a year, then multiply that by 7!
Any way you slice it, the cost is well over $100,000.00 on the low end, and probably closer to the $200,000.00 that it feels like it’s cost me.
Ouch!
I don’t have that to spend any more.
After realizing it, I applied for an Art Writer’s grant from a famous Artist’s Foundation and was turned down because they said I “had a blog.” That was news to me. I’ve never thought of this site that way. My piece on the “new” Whitney Museum took a year to write. My recent 3-part series on Richard Estes took 10 months. I don’t think blogs work that way- do they? I wrote back and asked, “What about my writing? Isn’t that what it’s for?”
Most writers see a show once then write a “this is here now, go see it” piece. I try to do something different. I try to cover it in depth. That means I go to a show multiple times. Just one example- I went to the Robert Rauschenberg: Among Friends at MoMA more than 20 times. Why? I can’t see 100 pieces by a great Artist and “get” them in one visit! I need to “live with the Art.” Going multiple times is the only way I can do that. Just about every show I’ve written about (except Goya at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2015, since I was only there on a day trip), I’ve seen more than once. Usually, at least 5 times. That takes time. It’s rare that one of my pieces takes less than a month to finish. Between the going, the research, the processing of Photos, and the writing, they usually take me 2 to 3 months, and I’m usually working on 3 or 4 of them at the same time, while going to see the show again, or other shows.
I ran Amazon links for three pieces then removed them because I felt like I was selling out. I’ve considered using Patreon. I’ve been told to put up a pay-gate, like other similar sites use…
I want to keep this site accessible to all.
So…
If you’ve learned about an Artist, a show that you weren’t able to travel here to see, a work of Art, a book that has impacted your life, if you find NighthawkNYC worthwhile, or if you want to support Independent Art writing…
Please help keep this site online and ad-free. After all this time and work it would be a shame to see it disappear. My goal is to find a way to make it a permanent resource that will continue to help others, like I hope it’s helped you.
Please help buy the time to find a way to do that.
You can make a secure PayPal Donation here-
Or, you can contact me here for other ways to Donate or help.
My sincerest Thanks, and Thank You! to those who have already.
Have a great night!
Kenn.