Yesterday, I hung the first art show I curated. It was month's in the preparation, and I was scared stiff yesterday as the process began. I started month's ago with the idea of having an art show for our sketching club so we could exhibit our sketches. Once the club decided to go forward, I was excited and ready to run with it. I got lots of interest and moral support, and so I started to try to find venues for the show. There were about four I compiled into a list, and started contacting each to see if any would have our show. Two were enthusiastic, one was in the process of a move, and unsure how ready they would be, and I actually never succeeded in contacting the fourth. I slowed down when suddenly as the show started to become more of a reality than a concept, I was suddenly getting people pulling their support (not wanting to participate) which made me very nervous. After all it was my name in the requests for space for the show.
The sketching club is approaching its first anniversary, and many of the sketchers had never entered art in a show, or had a bad experience with another show prior, and didn't want to get involved again in showing their art.
Once a venue was acquired, I really got worried. The area was 8 feet x 8 feet x 8 feet approximately, and presented us with a lot of space to display art in. Two months before the show, I got support from two other really ardent members, that if we had too, the three of us would each produce twenty sketches for the show, so we could make it happen if everyone backed out on us.
It was the winter months, and the club had moved inside at the local university for life drawing, and we were down to about 4 active members who still continued to come even though we were indoors. The president and I started to email the other members and really talk up the show. Slowly more and more sketchers took an interest, and we were able to belay the fears of the many. We pointed out this was not a juried show, these were sketches and not finished works of art, and it could be great fun if this was a person's first show.
Until I put together the first draft list of paintings, we really had no idea of how many we were going to have. We wound up with over 70 and there was still potential for more. We went from not having enough to having too many! So, some of us who were willing to work extra hard to get extra sketches done, again filled the gap by removing several of the sketches we originally intended to show. That is how we got the number to 68.
My next worry was how was I going to hang so many sketches in three and a half hours (the time frame the municipality requested). I put out a call for help to the sketching club, and again I was amazed at the support. In the end there was five of us there to hang the show, and we got finished with 15 minutes to spare!
I have to say I am really proud of the show. All the club members except for one displayed in the show. A photographic artist in the club (who sketches with us) provide high quality photos of club activities, and the president did up beautiful brochures, flyers, and information sheets which we have at the show as well. What makes me so proud though, is the quality and diversity of the sketches, and the wide range of materials and styles. The show has great interest and is tons of fun for the club.
We are planning a night together to see the show as a club, and then socialize over finger foods and coffee. What a cool way to into our first anniversary together. Bravo to the bit sKetchy sketching club!
I am posting a photo of the exhibit and a sketch I did with the club. The sketch is probably too much of a drawing, and it still needs work, but I will wait until the club returns this coming summer to that location, and finish the sketch/drawing then.
I really enjoyed curating this show, and all my fears and anxiety proved to be unfounded. And it gave me the knowledge to curate my next show, which is going to be my people drawings! I guess the best way to help yourself is to help others.
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