Bad at Sports Episode 961: Tanner MacArthur

Tanner MacArthur joins Bad at Sports live from Door County Contemporary for a conversation that begins with secret fry sauce recipes and somehow ends with the shape of Delaware as a sandwich-eating methodology.

MacArthur discusses his dual role as both artist and gallerist through his Milwaukee project space, Addendum, founded alongside James Stepanek as an extension of No Instructions Gallery. The conversation moves through contemporary painting, Midwestern DIY culture, artist-run spaces, collecting habits in the Midwest, labor history, and the strange but fertile ground between formal abstraction and dumpster diving.

Tanner speaks about his own assemblage-based painting practice, his evolution from hard-edge abstraction into sculptural wall works built from salvaged materials, and his desire to reconnect with painting's possibilities through color, surface, and material experimentation.

The discussion also highlights a growing generation of Milwaukee artists creating new spaces and opportunities outside traditional institutions, including apartment galleries, publishing projects, and experimental exhibition venues.

Name Drops and Links: Tanner MacArthur – https://www.tannermacarthur.com/

Addendum Gallery – https://addendum.gallery/

No Instructions Gallery – https://www.noinstructs.com/

Martyna Alexander – https://www.instagram.com/martyna_alexander

Meg White (artist) – https://www.meganwhite.work/

Tony Conrad – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Conrad

Lawrence University – https://www.lawrence.edu/

University of Wisconsin–Madison – https://www.wisc.edu/