Tulsa Kinney is editor and co-founder of the Los Angeles-based contemporary art magazine Artillery. Before moderating the Zócalo/MOCA panel “Is Art Our Last Safe Space?” she talked in the Zócalo green room about her past job driving a forklift, and why the Los Angeles art world isn’t as unique as it could be.
What salad dressing best describes you?
Vinegar and oil. It’s the only thing I eat. I’m half-Italian. Vinegar, full of piss and vinegar. [Laughs.]
How did you get into trouble as a kid?
I guess I got into trouble mainly when I was beginning to be pubescent, so I did things I don’t want to say right now. Probably also making jokes, talking out of turn—that kind of thing.
What’s your hidden talent?
Being able to get people and strangers to talk, getting people to open up.
What’s the biggest change in the Los Angeles art world over the past two decades that no one really talks about?
In the last two decades, the Los Angeles art world has sadly become not as unique as it could be, and it’s fallen into the current trap of being very money-driven and following the trends of the [broader] art world. L.A. could have been actually a little more of a leader in starting the trends.
How would you describe your style?
Understated, in a way. People would probably laugh about that because I’m usually the loudest at a party.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
I worked in an electrical factory for a year and a half. I did the rote—over and over and over. I actually drove a forklift at one time in the factory, too. I got promoted. Working in the tool supply area, driving the forklift, is probably the strangest job I’ve ever had.
What’s your favorite under-the-radar spot in Los Angeles?
The Huntington Library. I love going into the gardens and going to see The Blue Boy [the portrait by Thomas Gainsborough].
Who was the last person to leave you a voicemail?
Anthony Ausgang. He’s an artist.
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
$10,000 from my mother-in-law when my car got totaled.
How do you pass the time when you’re stuck in traffic?
I listen to the radio and daydream.