To Fail and Fail Big: A Study of Mid-Career Artists, Success and Failure

Jennifer Wright Cook. 2013, 28 pages, The Field

In 2012, to understand the essential conditions of artistic success, and to consider how these might be replicable, the Field commenced a study of five New York City–based, mid-career artists who readily lean into failure as part of their practices. The subsequent report features conversational interviews with the artists and study advisors; a snapshot analysis of the artists’ biographical, practical, and financial attributes; and an analysis of one of the study’s findings: privilege affects success.