What Goes Up, Must Come Down
How do you get seen when you have a limited amount of time? You not only celebrate the opening of a show, but you also have an event at the closing of a show. That's what took place at Spark Gallery this weekend. Judith Cohn and Sue Simon chose to have a meet and greet with the artist on the last day of their show. I think this is a great idea because it's a lot less congested than first Friday so you actually get one-on-one time with the artist.
I had a great conversation with Judith about her installation piece "Dust to Dust". I got to hear a lot about her process while working on the piece and that story to me is worth a million bucks. It shows me that the artist has some thought behind the work, and it wasn't just making something pretty. I asked her about the comments people were leaving in her guest book and they were all over the board. She received feedback that it was reminiscent of an archaeological dig and one person even commented on its resemblance to Auschwitz (intense).
My biggest curiosity was what happens to the piece now that the show is over. Judith told me it would go in a box back in her studio. She is considering making a video as she deconstructs the piece archiving her experience. As a ceramic artist Judith likes creating unconventional pieces. She's not in her studio creating bowls, but more abstract pieces that allows her to express her world view.
A big plus to having a closing reception is the opportunity to meet with people who liked your work during the show. This takes work because it means you have to gather contact information. It means you probably should be in the gallery more than just at the opening and the closing. It means that you need to send out a personal invitation announcing the closing reception. I knew about the meet the artist because I had it circled on her postcard and I put it in my planner. Don't leave things to chance, make your own opportunities.
Celebrating our 15 minutes of fame...
Greg
helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses
I had a great conversation with Judith about her installation piece "Dust to Dust". I got to hear a lot about her process while working on the piece and that story to me is worth a million bucks. It shows me that the artist has some thought behind the work, and it wasn't just making something pretty. I asked her about the comments people were leaving in her guest book and they were all over the board. She received feedback that it was reminiscent of an archaeological dig and one person even commented on its resemblance to Auschwitz (intense).
My biggest curiosity was what happens to the piece now that the show is over. Judith told me it would go in a box back in her studio. She is considering making a video as she deconstructs the piece archiving her experience. As a ceramic artist Judith likes creating unconventional pieces. She's not in her studio creating bowls, but more abstract pieces that allows her to express her world view.
A big plus to having a closing reception is the opportunity to meet with people who liked your work during the show. This takes work because it means you have to gather contact information. It means you probably should be in the gallery more than just at the opening and the closing. It means that you need to send out a personal invitation announcing the closing reception. I knew about the meet the artist because I had it circled on her postcard and I put it in my planner. Don't leave things to chance, make your own opportunities.
Celebrating our 15 minutes of fame...
Greg
helping artists create successful and sustainable art businesses
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