Nicholas Weist sees the world as his gallery. Whether he’s curating shows online at Why and Wherefore or turning destitute spaces like abandoned buildings and military bases into exhibitions as marketing director of New York nonprofit Creative Time, Weist is bringing art to the public at a time when not everyone can afford museum general admission prices.

(Click for larger images of the art in Sonata for Executioner, one of the many shows Weist has curated.)

Allison Schulnik uses a process of molding paint to create rich texture on both canvas and film—her claymation videos bring her paintings to life, as in the eerie Hobo Clown, in which a bereft bozo warms himself by the fire. With her slightly askew creations, Schulnik mixes standard artistic mediums as easily as she does her paint.

Joshua Seidner, formerly of arts magazine Useless, decided to cut out the middleman and become the art himself—writing, directing and acting in a series of performance pieces. His latest, Powderburn, infuses the theme of being the “other” in America with dancing, fighting and blood, reflecting the struggle of a new generation of outsiders.

Yael Reinharz heads Artis, a New York/Israel-based nonprofit that works to call attention to the careers of Israeli contemporary artists. By developing programs and grants designed to bring such art to an international audience, Reinharz proves once and for all that Israel has more to offer than political strife.

Ceci Moss, senior editor of the New Museum-affiliated Rhizome, introduces readers to art that is inspired by technology, like classic arcade games reprogrammed to tell new stories or childlike sketches that interpret the Internet. Moss also plugs emerging artists on her own site, A Million Keys, proving that contemporary artists don’t need a traditional gallery to gain recognition.

Barak Marshall, eclectic dancer-cum-choreographer, combines traditional and modern dance to create stories like 2008′s Monger, the surprisingly humorous tale of servants trapped in a basement by a wicked overseer. With a new piece already in the works for the Israeli Opera, it’s clear that Marshall is choreographing quite a career for himself.

Daniel Gordon soars over fields, snowscapes and suburban backyards in a photo series titled Flying Pictures, which recently came out in book form. Gordon, whose work has appeared in galleries from New York to Switzerland, creates these images without the aid of Photoshop wizardry—just inertia, film and a whole lot of crash landings.

Keren Cytter’s experimental films, inspired by subjects like incestuous impulses and the murder of an 11-year-old boy, pair sparse sets with poetic dialogue in order to create a shadowy realism. Cytter’s celluloid nightmares will soon be screening at the Tate Modern in London as well as the performance biennial, Performa, in New York City.

Lisa Anne Auerbach is putting a new spin on political apparel by creating hand-knitted sweaters with facetious slogans like “Save America from Socialism.” Her stylish wares have been displayed in galleries from L.A. to the U.K., and are much easier to peel off than the Gore vs. Bush bumper sticker that’s still stuck to the back of your Nissan.

Click to see more Campaign Sweaters featured at the Aspen Art Museum during the 2008 presidential election.

David Altmejd was one of the youngest artists ever to represent a country (his native Canada) at the Venice Biennial. He incorporates crystals, flowers and taxidermy to form phantasmagoric creatures, all of which can be seen in galleries and museums worldwide, an experience akin to an elegant haunted house—without all the screaming.