My Last One, I Swear

Last Friday I had the opportunity to go back to my undergraduate school and speak to the art club about my experience thus far at grad school. This was a really good time to practice what Mary showed us in terms of presenting our work to a group. In this case there was a panel of about 10 of us that talked about our programs, mostly MFA, and two Post-Bacs. We did basic intro then each had the opportunity to take the floor and show our work to the group with time for q&a. I didn't prepare anything in particular, just showed examples of my work as it progressed from first year to now, as well as my portfolio that I had applied to grad school with. It was really a good trial run for presenting my work to others, and what I found is that I can speak fairly well about it without sounding like I'm a complete idiot. Horray.

Another John Gerrard Story

So, last Wednesday, we had the luxury of hanging out with John Gerrard and his peeps at the Hirshhorn and the Ambassador of Ireland's house. Yes, I said it, Ambassador of Ireland's house. I could not help but feel like VIP as the receptions at both places felt a bit surreal. I had to snag a few pics, which I may try and add to this later. I almost wish that we had our critique before the receptions, though, because it would have been nice to be able to talk with him having met him during his big night. Regardless, he gave great feedback when I had my critique and really helped me focus on key parts of my work that hadn't really been addressed. I think that his reception was different than those at galleries, only because the bar and food were outside of the location of his work and you couldn't bring and food/drink inside the space. So, what ended up happening was most people would peek at the work when they get there then mingle outside after. And, because it was at the museum, there were only a few familiar faces around as opposed to the many you see at receptions in local galleries. I think I can say for those of us that had the opportunity to go, we had an truly memorable time.

Chicken Show Review

I really do not know where to begin. Koen is a true wisecracker in terms of his work and his obsession with the chicken and egg theory. The opening was a delight and many people were interested in seeing the chickens and chicken coop, and if they weren't then they came to the wrong show! Patrick actually helped to build the coop, and it is a pretty impressive construct. What I love about openings, besides the booze, is the familiar faces and networking. And, the good thing about it is that if you remember seeing someone somewhere, they usually remember you too and the dialogue can just go from there. And, Leigh is great too because I didn't have to work this show so she dubbed me "honorary guest," whatever that means, but she did say that if they ran out of drinks to let her know and she would grab me some from the back. And, best of all, she told me to come back and pet the chickens. I also ended up getting a USDA chicken coloring book out of the visit so it was truly a great night.
In terms of the work, I really got into the mixed media drawings, and the chickens as they were all cute and such. The video was interesting with the time and temperature logs. I only wished that the space could have been temperature controlled to reflect the temperature on the dial, which I presume was that of the necessary incubation temperature.
An interesting show from an artist truly interested in "foul play."

Show Review

So, I worked at the Lyrical Abstraction show at Conner a bit ago and was told that my job was to make sure no one took any beverage past the bar into the room where Mr. Lewis' painting was hung. It was different than bartending because when I tend at an art event it is usually all about the booze and serving the people. This was different in the sense that I was merely standing and could interact with folks after a certain point during the reception, as most of them had heard my spiel by then about the no booze in the Lewis room. I had conversations about the links between art and science, a favorite topic of mine. I also got to notice how people were reacting to the work, which I can't do while I bartend or even when I am at an opening because I am too busy chatting or looking myself. It was a busy night by the end because of the WPA's Options show, which was happening right upstairs. Most people would come and say I thought my friend's work was going to be here, but I don't see him/her or their work...I would tell them to drink up then go to the door to the left when they went outside and then up the stairs. That, or people would ask me about Morris Lewis' painting and how it was made, or what magma was (the medium used). It was a good time with fun conversation for the most part.
It is also worth noting how fabulous Mr. Leo Villareal's wife's shoes were. They were true platforms. It was a good time as usually at Conner.