Devel­op­ing out of the highly acclaimed and influ­en­tial Art21 doc­u­men­taries, New York Close Up is a new web-​series offer­ing an inti­mate look at the lives of young artists in the city. But this show is not about find­ing raw kids com­ing up, it focuses on young pro­fes­sion­als at the cusp of their cre­ative lives as they nav­i­gate the mul­ti­lay­ered real­ity of life in the big city. The series brings an aspect that is more reality-​TV influ­enced and a lot more inter­est­ing. Artists are not grouped together by themes or strate­gies, as in an Art21 episode, but instead we get an unusual glimpse at the day-​to-​day of these urban crea­tures. There are home stu­dios to visit, busi­ness calls to make, art being packed and shipped, the 99 cent store, couch con­ver­sa­tions and even James Franco here and there. Between all of this we form a good idea of what each artist is about, hear their voices and ideas as well as wit­ness how they man­age life in the mun­dane and the excit­ing. Def­i­nitely a series worth keep­ing your eye on as it devel­ops and more film/​artist col­lab­o­ra­tions are added; lets start with LaToya Rudy Fra­zier as she asks What is the respon­si­bil­ity of an artist to her com­mu­nity?