“On the Needs of Visual Artists: A Roundtable 2001" is a record of artists’ conversations, thoughts, and suggestions. It reveals not only a lively conversation between engaged and concerned artists but also a portrait of the state of mind of artists across the country.

On March 19, 2001, The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation and The Judith Rothschild Foundation co-sponsored the discussion “On the Needs of Visual Artists: A Roundtable 2001", hosted by Artists Space in New York City. The Marie Walsh Sharpe Art Foundation Artists Advisory Committee consisting of Cynthia Carlson, Chuck Close, Janet Fish, Philip Pearlstein, Irving Sandler, Harriet Shorr, Robert Storr, and Lorna Simpson, planned the discussion, which was facilitated by Irving Sandler and Robert Storr, and involved a diverse group of 33 artists from around the country in a conversation on artists’ needs.