Last night I went to Christopher Fraser’s show at the Artworks gallery in Poole. Apart from a handful of studio-holders at the gallery there were four visitors. Maybe it was because of the sun or that it was a bank holiday but I couldn’t help feeling a bit upset at the lack of support for the visual art in Poole.
At 8pm we went out to drum up some interest and hand out flyers to the people strolling on the quay. The reception we gat was pretty apathetic. Except for one little girl and her grandfather who were two of the four visitors.
What’s the point? Where were all the other artists? students? arts development officers? The only outcome for the show is that Chris will be able to take some good photographs of the work on white walls but that’s about it.
I thought about when I show my work. You have to have a relationship with your audience. You have to have a good idea of why you are showing your work in that place at that time, who you expect to attend the event and what you want them to experience.
Admittedly nobody came to the live art event I put on but for me that wasn’t so important. I had a small audience of other artists who were involved in the project and so had an secondary motive for being there. Because of this very selctive audience we could discuss the work in depth, why we were doing it, where it came from where it could go and why it was important or not.
My other show in sunny Dorset was in November at DIY in an empty guest house in Bournemouth. The brief for the show was to ‘make some money to pay for our course’ so I charged attendees £1 to take a drawing and draw on the walls. I made about 20 quid, not ground breaking but it did mean I could get the bus to uni for free for two weeks and have the odd machine coffee at the canteen.
I don’t understand why with a well respected art college that there is no support for visual artists in the area. It’s not that artist expect to put on a sell out show everytime they exhibit their work, but it would be nice if people came to show that what they are doing is contributing to society in some way. The tourist info office is downstairs, which you’d think would be an advatage but they aren’t interested either. Does Poole just not need or want visual art? And if not why are we bothering to put on shows and events?
A few days ago I was thinking about Utilitairianism versus moral imperative. Are the visual artists in Poole solely motivated by moral imperative? Despite the fact that the residents of the area are not at all interested in their activity, should the artists continue? Or should they just focus on showing work in places where it will be seen or experienced and where the means justify the end?
It really doesn’t encourage emerging artists to make the effort to do anything around here, but despite that we have two young ladies Nicola Morrisson and Sophie Hichtman who are organising The BIG Collab http://bhbeat.com/12137/the-big-collab-bournemouth… Bournemouth. their enthusiam and energy is admirable and their last event, their first came together rather well in the end. The next is on 1st May, they have made a huge effort to engage their audience and have dozens of people helping out to promote it, make videos, write about it, flyer etc. I’m hoping this is the start of a bit of awareness of the arts in this place.
