Carl Baratta is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He also instructs painting at the Oxbow School [...]

James Panero is the managing editor of The New Criterion -- he also serves as an art critic for the publication. The New Criterion is a New York-based literary magazine that focuses on cultural and artistic criticism. Panero also contributes regularly to publications such as The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Art & Antiques Magazines, The Weekly Standard, and Forbes. [...]

CJ Follini is a film producer, real estate investor and digital media entrepreneur . He is also the founder and CEO of COMPANY -- www.welcometocompany.com -- an art website “for collectors by collectors”. [...]

Vandalog has quickly risen to become one of the most visited street art blogs in the world. With a stable of contributing and guest writers Vandalog offers up to date information about street art -- as the blog declares, if something matters in the world of street art, you can read about it on Vandalog. [...]

Kathryn Born is the Editor-in-Chief of Chicago Art Magazine -- a site that offers Chicago art news, reviews and features... and various information about Chicago artists and Chicago art galleries. Born founded Chicago Art Magazine after "pounding around" as a Chicago-based filmmaker, artist and writer for 15 years. The site is part of a network that includes Chicago-based websites such as Chicago Art Map and Chicago Art Collection. Chicago Art Magazine began as part of Art Talk Chicago -- a Chicago Tribune sponsored blog network -- and became an independent venture in the fall of 2009. The collective of art sites are a perfect example of what artists can do to help support art in their community. [...]

The National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM), formerly known as the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, is located in Chicago, Illinois. NVAM is home to over 2,000 works of art. The art in the collection-- representing over 250 artists who are combat veterans -- is dedicated to displaying and studying art produced by veterans from the Vietnam War and other wars and conflicts. The artwork presented at the museum provides a unique viewpoint on the controversial subject of war to all visitors. It is a tenuous and reflective balance of beauty and horror, giving unique insight into the psyche of combat veterans and consequential hindsight war leaves on its survivors. [...]

Blek le Rat (Xavier Prou) has been described in many ways... some call him "the man who gave birth to Banksy.", others -- "the grandfather of street art". Most within the global street art community fondly address Blek as the "original stencil pioneer", "The old man of street art", or the "modern street art messiah". In fact, it often seems that street artists rising in popularity look to Blek for a nod of approval... like a son or daughter who desires his/her father to be proud. [...]

Social entrepreneur Rick DeVos is the founder of ArtPrize -- an international art competition held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ArtPrize involves over $500,000 in prizes-- as a juried competition it is unique due to the prize money involved and the fact that the public takes part in the jury process alongside a category for traditional juried work as well. Artists involved in the competition negotiate a venue (location) with local exhibitors. From there the works are voted on by the public-- which involves modern networking technology. DeVos has stated that the goal of ArtPrize is to "see what happens when a city becomes a gallery, artists engage directly with the public, and the public has an empowered voice in responding to the art.". [...]

Ben Luke is an art writer and contemporary art critic for the London Evening Standard. Luke has written for numerous art publications -- including, The Art Newspaper, Art Quarterly, and Apollo. He is generally interested in conceptual, minimal and video art and their legacies. Ben Luke offered his time to FineArtViews in order to discuss art criticism, art fairs, and a number of other topics. He has also provided some general advice for artists. [...]

Saul Ostrow is an art critic, curator and self-described "opinionated bastard" originally from New York. Ostrow has curated over 80 art exhibitions in the US and abroad since 1987. As a writer Saul Ostrow has been published in numerous art journals and magazines-- including Art in America. Ostrow is the Art Editor for BOMB Magazine -- a quarterly art magazine edited by artists and writers that has existed since 1981. As an art instructor Ostrow has taught at The School of Visual Arts, Syracuse University, and Pratt Institute. In the past Ostrow has served as the Director of the Center of Visual Art and Culture at The University of Connecticut and as acting head of the MFA studio program at New York University. He is currently the chair of Visual Arts and Technologies at The Cleveland Institute of Art. [...]

As a writer Sharon Butler maintains the award-winning art blog Two Coats of Paint, is a contributing writer at The Brooklyn Rail and blogs at The Huffington Post. Through an affiliation with Culture Pundits, Two Coats of Paint has been sponsored by The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The New York Studio School, The Pulitzer Foundation and many other arts organizations. [...]

Edward Winkleman is a gallery owner, curator, author and blogger from New York. Winkleman's blog has long been a point of contact for artists who desire to learn more about how mainstream art galleries function. His blog features discussion about art, culture, and politics. Winkleman is known for being an art dealer who embraces social media and the Internet. He spearheaded Moving Image, an art fair focused on contemporary video art, and participated in VIP Art Fair. [...]

Brian interviews Mat Gleason - art critic and founder of Coagula Art Journal. [...]

SCOPE Art Show is one of the most notable of the mainstream global contemporary art fairs. SCOPE Art Show holds annual fairs in New York, East Hampton, London, Miami, and Basel. Total sales at SCOPE fairs have reached well over $100 million since the fairs creation nearly a decade ago. Mollie White, the current Show Director for SCOPE, offered her time and experience to FineArtviews in order to answer key questions about SCOPE, how the internet is impacting the art world, and advice for artists. [...]

An art dealer once told me, "No art sells itself." And he's right, but that doesn't mean you hawk it like timeshares or used cars. Perhaps the most important key to "selling" art is giving people reasons to care. With all the other stuff out there for people to care about, why should they care about your art? Why do you care about your art? That's a great place to start. [...]