Interview re Adventurous Old White Woman Artist, On-loan Human Library event, Sept. 21, 2013.

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LOST & FOUND INNOCENCE.mov

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PREPARING FOR ART EXHIBITIONS

"Melting", acrylic, 30 x 30 inches, c. 2013, by Sandra Hawkins.
From the Arctic Return  2013 - Ecology of Memory exhibition.

Getting ready for a painting and photography exhibition of one's art is more than creating the work. And if it's painting, it must be completed well in advance of hanging to allow time for drying, especially if its oil. And if its photography, allow time for the printing. The following to-do list gives insights to the wide range of skills required by the independent visual artist above and beyond the skills and knowledge required to create the artwork. 

Historically, many artists do not have the writing and oral skills to promote their art, nor the extravert personality. If they don't have a "champion(s)" (family, friend and/or arts professional) to do this for them, few attend the exhibition. The artist's career is constantly below the radar of public awareness reducing further opportunities. This may have nothing to do with the actual quality of the artwork being shown. Everything in the list below costs the artist money, above and beyond art production, for which they may or may not be compensated depending upon purchases made at the exhibition.

1. Installation of appropriate hardware for hanging as per the unique requirements of the specific exhibition space.
2. If framing, selection of frames and mats that will enhance visual cohesion of the overall exhibition.
3. Write artist/exhibition statement and the artist bio.
4. Prepare a list of art being shown: Title, Medium, Year, Dimensions, Price.
5. From this list, prepare exhibition labels to be place beside each work.
6. Design and produce exhibition invitations in digital format for printing.
7. Design and write exhibition catalogue in digital format for printing.
8. Research professional printers for the best price and quality, provide them with a digital file, review a proof, and pick-up the final work.
9. Prepare invitation list making sure to include individuals and corporations who have shown interest in previous exhibitions. This is the value of have a guest book that has a column for contact information.
10. Write exhibition announcement for media, and distribute according to their deadlines, Eg. Magazines, 1 - 2 months in advance. This requires research.
11. Create a Facebook event, blog or other that has "public" visibility to reach a wider audience.
12. Obtain media interviews regarding the exhibition for yourself, or for someone knowledgable about the art to be shown.
13. Package the artwork and arrange for transporting and unloading at the exhibition site.
14. With an exhibition theme already established, arrange the selected artworks on the floor if the exhibition space where they will be hung.
15. Hang the artwork according to the gallery's rules.
16. Adjust the lighting so that each artwork has a crescent of light just above.
17. Prepare reception food and beverages, or have it catered. Few artists can afford the latter. If serving alcohol in a public space, a license must be obtained at least 2 weeks in advance.
18. Prepare for an artist talk, including a powerpoint slide presentation if possible.
19. Throughout and following the exhibition seek feedback as to visitor comments and interest in purchasing. 
20. While visual artists don't charge an entrance fee the way a musician or actor would, they are dependent on sales of their artwork. Although a visitor may not make a purchase, their knowledge of your work may lead to future sales from them or their contacts.

THE CULLING OF ARTWORKS IN STORAGE

Two paintings were painted over for new works.
I photo documented and digitized the paintings.

Business of Art - Visual Artists in Canada, 4th ed. 2012

Most established artists in any medium have accumulated a backlog of their art stored in nooks and crannies of their life. My motivation to do something about it is both physical and psychological. As in life, letting go of one's backlog of art requires the ability to make a decision. Whether visual or digital media artworks, it's not because its bad art that it remains in storage. It might be that the aesthetic no longer represents what this artist is doing. Before making any decisions, check that photo documentation exists of all the artworks. If not done immediately after creation, this is a good time to do so.

Here are suggested steps to get started.
1. Bring all the artworks together and organize them into categories and subcategories. For example medium, practice exercises, portraiture, landscapes, size, framed and unframed, media works for digitization.
2. Identify which artworks may be appreciated in categories of those for sale and those for donation or gifting. For example, family portraits to family.
3. If donating, identify organizations that have some meaning to you where you would feel good about your art being owned and shown. Knowing which pieces go to whom and why makes this easier.
4. If donating, make a proposal. If accepted, provide a letter of appraisal for fair market value. This can be obtained from galleries where it has shown. Or, show proof of sale amounts for similar size and medium that indicates the fair market value for a tax receipt.
5. Decide which artworks are for recycling. Categories may include those with materials that could be used in creating a new body of work such as good canvases and stretcher frames, or sculptures to be melted down, or art installation electronic or furniture elements for selling.
6. Seriously consider which pieces are to be thrown out as something you would not want anyone to see or have. Then do it.
7. For matted and framed works on paper, deconstruct into categories of frames and glass by size, mats, and the artwork. Create appropriate archival storage for the paperworks being kept. Either give or throw away the rest. Decide which frames and mats to keep, and which to either sell or give away.
8. Works on paper may also be recycled into new artworks, greeting cards, etc. Packaging them in a mat and plastic protector bag makes them more affordable for potential purchasers and easier for storage. Storing framed works on paper does not guarantee protection. Better to store flat with archival tissue separating each piece.
I've found once I was on a roll with letting go it got easier, and in fact was a liberating experience.

For more information on all aspects of the Business of Art - Visual Artists in Canada, the fourth edition is hot off the press and available for purchase at www.businessofart.ca

BENEFITS OF A PROJECT STUDIO

The benefits of a project studio outside the home include fewer distractions that have nothing to do with the project. This is the case for me at the City of Ottawa owned Gardener's House at Britannia Beach, March 1 to August 31, 2013.

A month in, I've reviewed my recent 700 Arctic Return research project photos, experimented with new materials and techniques across medium, and at night had some wild dreams that I think relate to my aesthetic concerns.

During the first week I confidently committed with another resident artist that we'd be at the studio everyday by 9:30 am. Instead, its more realistic for me to be at the studio each day by afternoon. This way I can make my appointments in the mornings and avoid breaking my creative flow, when it happens. No internet at the studio is a great benefit for me.

The City has freshly painted the walls and sprayed for spring carpenter aunts. In between everything, I've set-up the studio with materials and equipment.  I'm lucky I have lots of space and great light, and very compatible fellow artist residents.

There are a few experimental prints and paintings on my walls. However, I still feel like I know nothing, and wonder if and when it will come together. Its good having a specific place to go, like this project studio. 

CREATIVE STUDIO PRODUCTION

Creative Studio Production, as can be seen at my website, is not new to me as a visual/media artist. Given that I work on a cyclical project basis, I am thrilled to recently be awarded a City of Ottawa studio space for the next 6 months.

Anywhere one travels in the world, artists talk about problems of availability and appropriateness of studio space. Artists living in the Kitikmeot Hamlets in Nunavut from where I just returned also struggle with lack of ventilated carving studios. They tell me carving studios are crucial to avoid respiratory illnesses related to ingestion of fine stone dust, sometimes contaminated with asbestos.

Rex Goose, Carver at Ulukhaktok Art Centre, Holman 

Island, Northwest Territories works on an antler 

carving of a muskox using communal tools.

The carving studio shown at left is a positive example of what can be done inexpensively for proper ventilation. This is the Ulukhaktok Art Centre in the Inuvialuit Region of the Northwest Territories, where I also visited in January/February 2013. Even when a carver works at home, they must wear a mask to prevent respiratory problems.

Taluq Design Centre of Taloyoak/Spence Bay, Boothia 

Peninsula Nunavut, Canada

The Taluq Design Centre artists of Taloyoak Nunavut (shown) have successfully combined a place for creative production and sales. Local fibre artists create wool sculptures unique to Taloyoak which are priced at standard corporate rates. On the other hand, most artists in Kitikmeot as everywhere, work out of their homes. The difference in Nunavut is artists sell door-to-door in a climate that dips to -50c wind chill, pulling an antler sculpture or wall hanging from under their parka before a quick sale is made.

An artist studio is anywhere one works and can be in or outside the home.  My new project studio  space is idyllically located outside but near my home, and a short scenic bike ride to my sailing club.

An inspirational setting in which to muse, my recent arctic memories intermingling with Ottawa River spring and summer seasonal fragrances. The abundance of my photography and journal research in the Inuvialuit NWT and Kitikmeot Nunavut during January/February 2013 surrounds me, now in a contrasting southern geography. This alchemy of production includes experimental techniques and medium. My studio practice is research based. As in my writing, my visual/media practice is autobiographically inspired and positioned within larger contemporary aesthetic and socio-enviromental discussion on the dynamic of memory where the present recreates the past, and implications for fluidity in identity.

WHEN DOES MY ART BEGIN AND END?

Kugaaruk Nunavut inukshuk in distance,
New York City children on crosswalk.
Photomontage by Sandra Hawkins, c. 2008.

"When does my art begin and end?" At what point in my process is it called "making art" or is the entire process "making art"?  For over a year, I've been conceptualizing and planning the Arctic Return 1981 - 2013 Visual Research Project.  My project is a rare longitudinal visual research of five Kitikmeot Nunavut communities, Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak and Kugaaruk; and Ulukhaktot, NWT. It spans 33 years of photo technologies, changes in political jurisdictions, and socio-cultural and environmental changes. There's been much time given to conceptualization and logistical administration including e.g. grant and exhibition proposal writing, sponsorships, liaison with officials at several levels re visiting scenarios, publishing of brochures, books, images, and arranging air travel. For me, it's all an important part of the creative process and integral to my art making, every step of the way influencing the other.

Quick Background: I first photographed these communities in February 1981, never expecting that they would become an inspiration for me in a contemporary visual art practice. In 2008, I rediscovered my original prints, so carefully labelled in the family album, and my journals of each day the photograph was taken. Contemporary digital technology made it possible to scan, restore and reposition these in a contemporary aesthetic and socio-environmental discussion on the dynamic of memory and ecology of narrative space. The resulting 2-part series of photomontage prints create a visual tactile opportunity for viewer interpretation and contemporary meaning. Images of different arctic community landscapes and New York City streets, vulnerable to flooding by melting arctic ice, are juxtaposed in a socio-environmental and aesthetic discussion on the ecology of narrative space. I also use my spidery journal hand writing to veil these arctic landscapes, thereby inserting myself across time. The photomontage prints have shown widely in Canada and around the world. According to media coverage, these art images resonate with viewers regardless of their geo-political location or culture. There has been a Part 3 and Part 4 to this body of work. The Arctic Journal Reading Performance (20-minutes) was at the Banff Centre's Other Gallery, 2009; and the photo-based and performance video installation, Ecology of Identities, was shown in Toronto in 2010. Each work explores the idea and my feeling of a displaced personal experience and voice across time. The only way for reclaiming them as mine and part of my identity is through reinvention of these memories within the context of the present.