Charcoal 

Editor: Here we see "Charcoal" by Charles Roberson and Co., in a jar, with a color calibration target alongside it. What strikes me is that this is a manufactured item, not something created by an artist in the traditional sense. What's your take? Curator: Exactly. We must consider Roberson's factory, the labor involved in transforming raw materials into refined charcoal powder, packaged and ready for consumption. It collapses distinctions between art, craft, and industry. Editor: I never thought about it that way. So, it's not just about the art *made* with charcoal, but the charcoal itself? Curator: Precisely. It forces us to confront the capitalist structures underpinning artistic production. What does it mean when the *means* of artmaking become commodities themselves? Editor: That's a really interesting angle. Thanks for sharing your perspective!