Meeting with the Curator

I have appreciated that even with the COVID-19 restrictions and concerns, our extremely awesome City Arts Council has successfully nudged a launch of two opportunities for art shows in the areas. 

Each show is polar opposites in design, venue and execution, and will adapt for social distancing and other COVID-19 regulations. 

The first is a 20 day show that is sponsored by the Hemming Family Foundation in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Upper Valley Art Guild. The venue is the posh Hemming Village Atrium and targets the visual artists of the Snake River Valley.  The show exhibits a variety of mediums but pieces are required to be framed with wire hangers.  They accepted two of my prints, which I framed per regulation of the show. Typically there is a formal reception with a guest artist speaker, where recognitions of top submissions are acknowledged.  This year will be different, of course.  No live reception, though there will still be an online YouTube speaker. They do not arrange items by artist but prefer a random showing so your items must be able to stand alone in their work.  Also there are titles but no artist statements.  

http://atrium-weddings.com

The second opportunity is more eclectic and homespun and also more of a pop-up show variety.  Sponsored by the local cultural arts director this show will be only two days, and take place in the downtown historic tabernacle building.  This show will specifically feature art created during the COVID-19 isolation of 2020, and my work has been invited to participate.  Artists will be involved in installation and artist statements are encouraged.

Here is a shot inside the Tabernacle:

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with the curator of the show, Jed Platt, to look at the space and where he would like my section.  He is planning on possible dividers and tables as the show is open to a variety of installations.  But he was hoping to offer me this section of wall for my House for Seven images:

I accepted.  I think it is open to a variety of ways they could be displayed and he has left the design open up to me.  

After looking through my website he was drawn to my other project, The Teddy Bear Project of COVID-19.  He said that he had been hoping for some kind of collection that could be somehow displayed among the pews- but as it is such an awkward space he wasn't sure what would work there. But at the same time he didn't want to leave it dead space either.  He thought the addition of my images with a 'bear hunt' theme would be perfect.  So now I am working on that as well.  Here is the space: 

With all that is going on in the world I am glad there will be this moment of distraction.  The arts must go on!