Danny Balgley
September 8, 2026

The charming painter Danny Balgley joins us for an in-depth conversation about process, technique, materials, memory, and New York!

His exhibition “Pentimento” is currently on view at the Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia through October 2, 2026. Directly translated, ‘pentimento’ means “to change one’s mind” or “to repent.” In painting it refers to a mark, shape, or figure that has been painted over but which, over time, becomes visible again. This process of painting, covering, and revealing has become central to Balgley’s work—abstractions which both unearth and fold in on themselves.

Balgley unpacks his complicated process at length, describing the way he prepares his canvases and then slowly applies layer after gestural layer of color to them; wiping some away, building up texture, and then delicately going back into the resulting forms to finesse the composition. We discuss the tools he uses and his interest in special effects in painting—how different techniques and color relationships can evoke space or surfaces, and how abrupt juxtapositions can break them apart.

Maybe it’s because he’s a fourth generation New Yorker on both sides of his family that Balgley is so connected to the way that changes reveal themselves over time, to reclamation and renovation, with history that shows through the current moment. We talk about his own history, what it means to be a queer artist making non-representational work, and what his paintings looked like before he ventured into abstraction.

Listen in to a rich discussion about imperfection, slipperiness, and the transparency of time with a perfectly balanced musical accompaniment!

Complete playlist below; tracks in yellow were cut for time.

1. Lapse    Chris Knox    1991
   
2. Heaps Of Sheeps    Robert Wyatt    1997
   
3. Huffer    The Breeders    2002
   
4. Poor Moon - Bonus Track    Canned Heat    1969
   
5. The Corner    Lewsberg    2021
   
6. Solid Brown    Sebadoh    2007
   
7. Marigold    Nirvana    1993
   
8. Ride Into the Sun - Demo - Take 2    Lou Reed    2022
   
9. In The Garden    Michael Hurley    1976
   
10. Ship    Thee Oh Sees    2008
    
11. Anenome    The Brian Jonestown Massacre    2008
    
12. Trouble in Mind    Janis Joplin, Jorma Kaukonen    2022
    
13. Mr. Soul    Neil Young    1982
    
14. Shadow of a Doubt    Sonic Youth    1986
    
15. Final Day - Taken From The Final Day Single    Young Marble Giants    2007
    
16. Chamber Of Reflection    Mac DeMarco    2014
    
17. Tugboat    Galaxie 500    1988
    
18. Yellow Ledbetter    Pearl Jam    1991
    
19. I Won't Hurt You    Neo Maya    1967
    
20. Ghost Song    Jim Morrison, The Doors    1978
    
21. Peace Blossom Boogy    Babe Rainbow    2017
    
22. Staring at Screens    Smirk    2021
    
23. True Love    Powerplant    2019
    
24. If We Wait    Guided By Voices    1996
    
25. Ain't That Lovin' You Baby    Link Wray & The Wraymen    2002

Danny Balgley (b. New York, NY) lives and works in Queens, NY. He holds an MFA from Columbia University, a BFA from Cooper Union and attended the Yale School of Art Norfolk program on an Ellen Battell Stoeckel Grant. He has won the Mark Rothko Award, received grants from Ellen Gellman Fellowship and Ethel Cram Memorial Prize and has been nominated for the Joan Mitchell Fellowship. His work has been featured in “Architectural Digest”, “New American Paintings,” “Arts in Square”, and most recently, “Friend of the Artist.”

Reuben Paterson
August 25th, 2026

On this episode of the Selection Committee Radio Show I am joined by the fabulous artist Reuben Paterson (Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi, Scottish). Born and raised in New Zealand, he now lives and works in New York City, to the great delight of those who know him here.

For our enjoyment, Paterson brings us an all-Kiwi playlist that begins with the call of the kiwi bird itself. We discuss his Māori heritage in detail—from the story of how people originally arrived in New Zealand to development of his own family tree to the explosion of Māori history and culture back into the mainstream.

Paterson grew up on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, a place of sparkling black sand and shining waters—a lucky boy in a glittering landscape. He traces his lifelong fascination with crystals, sequins, and most especially glitter back to those early days. He is best known for his spectacular use of colored glitter in paintings, sculptures, and videos. Paterson’s work explores the way that light interacts with scintillating surfaces and connects with landscape, memory, and the stars.

With pieces ranging from monumental public sculpture and land art to intimate paintings, Paterson navigates the spaces between the sacred and the profane. Through pattern, personal history, and fantasy, Paterson creates a world of shimmering intensity. Our conversation is a crash course in a unique, queer, Māori point of view—and not to be missed!

Complete playlist below; tracks in yellow were cut for time.

1. North Island Kiwi, Birds of New Zealand, 1980
   
2. Tahi - Dance Mix, Moana And The Moa Hunters, 1993
   
3. Aua Atu Rā, Marlon Williams, 2025
   
4. Waka, Ché-Fu, 1998
   
5. Koauau - Gourd Nose Flute, Richard Nunns, 2002
   
6. Te Hokinga Mai, St. Joseph's Maori Girls College, 1996
   
7. Ikarus, Ladi6, 2013
   
8. Juices, Parallel Dance Ensemble, 2011
   
9. (Glad I'm Not) A Kennedy, Shona Laing, 1985
   
10. I Love My Leather Jacket, The Chills, 1989
    
11. There Is No No, Orchestra Of Spheres, 2011
    
12. Megumi the Milkyway Above, Connan Mockasin, 2011
13. Reckoner, Radiohead, 2007
14. Over the Hills and Far Away, Led Zeppelin, 1973
15. Piano Quintet "Detroit": I. Detroit Grit, Adolphus Hailstork, The Harlem Chamber Players, 2024
16. The Blessing Song, Michael White, 1972
17. HĪRERETIA RĀ - Akcept Remix, MOKOTRON, Akcept, 2024
18. What Do Boys Dream? Joan Armatrading, 1983
19. (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over, David Porter, 1971
20. Bellbird, Birds of New Zealand, 1980

Reuben Paterson (b. 1973, Auckland, New Zealand: Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi, Scottish) is a New York-based artist whose work explores the transformative properties of light to illuminate whakapapa, spirituality, queer identity, and our relationship with the natural world. Inspired by the glistening waters and sparkling black sands of Tāmaki Makaurau's west coast, his paintings, sculptures, installations, and animations harness the optical power of glitter, reflection, and colour to reveal the histories, presences, and connections that lie beneath the surface of all things. A New Zealand Arts Foundation Arts Laureate (2025) and recipient of the University of Auckland Distinguished Alumni Award (2026), Paterson has exhibited nationally and internationally since 2000. Recent exhibitions include Acid Bath House, Nina Johnson Gallery, Miami (2025); Night Market, Christie's, New York (2024); Takiwā Hou: Imagining New Spaces, Malta Biennale (2024); and Art of the Pacific from the NGV Collection, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (2025–26). His works are held in major public and private collections throughout Australasia, Europe, and North America.

250 Years of Disco
June 30, 2026

A disco-inspired mixtape in honor of the semiquincentennial!

1. Nisyan, Ahmed Fakroun, 2010
   
2. Bad Girls - 12" Version, Donna Summer, 1979
   
3. Lost in Music, Sister Sledge, 1979
   
4. La Vie en rose, Grace Jones, 1977
   
5. Is It All Over My Face?, Loose Joints, 1980
   
6. Never Gonna Leave You, Evans Pyramid, 2012
   
7. Could Heaven Ever Be Like This, Idris Muhammad, 1977
   
8. You Could Be More As You Are, Saâda Bonaire, 2013
   
9. Digital Versicolor, Glass Candy, 2007
   
10. Look up in the Sky - Négro Nature, Francis The Great, 2015
    
11. Pas Contente; Vaudou Game, Roger Damawuzan; 2014
    
12. El niño; DjeuhDjoah, Lieutenant Nicholson; 2019
    
13. Daddy Cool, Boney M., 1976
    
14. Don't Leave Me This Way, Thelma Houston, 1976
    
15. Never Can Say Goodbye - Single Version, Gloria Gaynor, 1975
    
16. Soul Makossa, Manu Dibango, 2000
    
17. Love Train, The O'Jays, 1972
    
18. Le Freak, CHIC, 1978
    
19. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real), Sylvester, 1978
20. Plato’s Retreat, Joe Thomas, 1978