GETTING UNSTUCK

Water overflowed a small strip of eavestrough beside my garage door. Propelled by indignation with this 'improper' drainage, I mustered the energy to haul out the step-ladder. Defiantly, I climbed, my balance uncertain these days. Precariously teetering at the top, my hand blindly felt for the blockage. Seemingly in one swoop my hand closed in on marshy debris, flinging it to the ground, the sound of gushing water, then an emptied silence.

Perhaps a metaphor for how to become 'unstuck', blindly grab hold of what's there and fling it out? But then what of the "emptied silence"? And this is where I hesitated before climbing back down the ladder, dutifully putting it back in storage. The job done.

During the past year, the channel for my creative energy has shifted. And I'm not sure what to do. I'm standing at the top of the ladder, and it is silent. Meanwhile I am happy with my life. I am not the stereotypical frustrated starving artist. Rather, my life is full, overflow taking paths of least resistance. And I am still an artist.

Channeled energy is thought to be essential for efficient production and results in Western societies. What is missing in this paradigm is consideration for the uniqueness of the being of the artist. And this is why artists need to get away. To rejuvenate their authentic source. 

NOTE: In this blog we discuss aspects of the business of art for visual artists from the unique perspective of the independent artist who is creating first, and then after the fact locates the audience that will most appreciate their aesthetic. However, the discussions might be useful or amusing to anyone. 

BUSINESS OF ART TRAINING, B.O.A.T. inc: RESEARCH IN ART

BUSINESS OF ART TRAINING, B.O.A.T. inc: RESEARCH IN ART

RESEARCH IN ART

Colleagues and friends often ask me what I'm doing in regards to my art practice.  Usually, I would answer with a specific exhibition or project. The many back-to-back exhibitions during the last several years has been great exposure, bringing regional and international recognition for my artwork. Artist Resumé.

In 2011, space is needed to review these experiences, to read, to think and experiment. I've joined an independent Research in Art reading group with other artists and curators in Ottawa.  I'm interested in theoretical readings on thingness, phenomenology and environment, relating these to specific art practices and exhibitions.

The location of my own visual/multimedia practice in theoretical discourse concerns how memory works as constantly shifting, a position that challenges traditional notions of a series of fixed points along a linear narrative line. I'm also concerned with the simultaneity of experience with environment, perception and consciousness.

However, my creative process is more intuitive than analytical. My art is inspired by scraps of personal video and photographs captured over a lifetime. These are intuitively altered and combined digitally as memory is reshaped by present experience. When creating I am  in the flow of being.

Note: See blog entry: 11/23/09 Riding the Wave

CURATORS: DIFFERENT STROKES

Visual/Media Arts Curator Versus Project Coordinator are different roles. The Curator comes up with the exhibition concept, theme, and selection of artworks and artists. A project coordinator would ideally assist the curator with logistics of implementation.

Comparing Curatorial Approaches includes many variations according to individual philosophies, educational backgrounds and institutional mandates.  At one end of the continuum the Curator has a theme, and selects artworks that not only they view will contribute, but in which the artist's stated overall creative intent reinforces the theme. This Curator works closely with the artist being careful to not impose meaning on work that is at odds with the artist's intent, while at the same time locating it within a broader discussion. At the other end of the curatorial continuum is the academic who has a theme into which artists' work is selected regardless of any intent of meaning by the artist.  The benefits for the artist to this approach are insights from another perspective, but can also create mixed-feelings of being misinterpreted.

BUSINESS OF ART TRAINING, B.O.A.T. inc: CURATORIAL CLINIC

BUSINESS OF ART TRAINING, B.O.A.T. inc: CURATORIAL CLINIC

CURATORIAL CLINIC

What is a Curatorial Clinic? According to the Power Plant Gallery in Toronto, it is an informal opportunity to discuss one's work with members of the Curatorial Team, and not an evaluation or appraisal service. Members of that gallery can make a fifteen-minute appointment on Fridays. I was inspired to take-up this opportunity when recently Toronto Art Critic, Andrea Carson in her blog, View on Canadian Art - VoCA referred to me as an excellent artist doing lovely, sensitive work about place and memory, but who was "off-the-radar".

Preparing for this type of brief presentation forces the selection of visuals and quick explanations for inevitable questions from the curatorial team. The fifteen-minute time constraint could have been bumped to thirty. However, with everyone around the table being art junkies, a time constraint is necessary. From the perspective of the the artist, its an opportunity to listen to informal response by gallery's curatorial leadership and support. Based on this experience, I would recommend the Ottawa Art Gallery provide curatorial clinics for their artist members.

TORONTO CREATIVE RESEARCH SABBATICAL JOURNALS - #2

• When I first announced to someone I would be in Toronto for a couple of month they suggested I would be "on sabbatical", thereby naming my time away. Wikipedia provides definitions of types of sabbaticals, including some with biblical roots in Genesis 2:2-3 in which God rested after creating the universe. In modern terms, one usually takes a sabbatical to fulfill a goal. For example, in my case it was to gain understanding of how things worked in the Toronto visual art network of players, galleries, publications and media; the ultimate goal being increased visibility for my art. The following are a few things I learned.
• Learn the rules, but intelligently play your own game. During the initial rounds to a few galleries, assistants suggested that the owner, over time, would watch and become aware of an artist's work; and to send exhibition invitations to the gallery's "info@.....com" email addresses. Given the combination of being at a mid-career level and at a mature stage in life, I knew this waiting-game approach wasn't going to be practical for me.
• Working within a two-month time-frame facilitated a certain efficiency in quickly reviewing, selecting and acting on viable options. When one idea didn't work out, I quickly moved-on, picking up on other related opportunities as they were presented. 
• Maintaining communications with new contacts that can't help you in one way can often be helpful in another instance if you have developed a rapport.
• Visibility depends upon taking action.
• If they won't give you an exhibition, stage your own so there 's at least a starting point for discussion and visibility. 
• Study the scene by attending exhibitions, artist lectures, art auctions, curatorial clinics and networking with the players.
• Having a very clear understanding about your art and its aesthetic location imbues confidence, and a thick skin. Know why what you are doing is "important".
• The easiest artists for a dealer to work with are "dead artists", and it would seem the more established older galleries are at this stage and with this kind of reliable clientele.
• There are millions of people claiming to be "art consultants". I've learned most don't know as much as I do about art, nor do they have the clientele they claim. One such consultant emailed interest in specific works requesting prices, not stating his location and listed a website that was "under construction". Beware of these kinds of so called art consultants who become defensive when you ask for their credentials. With our world-wide internet visibility, artists are vulnerable to art scams.
• Its prudent business practice to ask third-party consultants/dealers for their credentials when they are suggesting a possible business relationship. Follow-up on their references.
• The unexpected is inevitable, so be mentally prepared. While the Mount Sinai emergency wrapped my broke and swollen right-hand in a splint, I made the decision to grow from my experience. This meant overriding any fears of rejections and asking for help with staging the upcoming exhibition at Reference Project gallery space. It was also heartening when people came forward without my having to ask.
• Sometimes people can be presumptuous about who I am based on my appearance, and say the rudest things. When in a foreign land, dependent on the good will of people, I've learned to just suck-it-up. Probably should do more of this at home too.