Its been a crazy 2 weeks- I shouldn’t be surprised really at this stage!
I have a freelance job as a project co-ordinator and workshop practitioner for a half term project with Camden council and London Transport Museum.
Part of the role is liasing with cultural venues in Camden- The British Library, British Museum, Wellcome Trust and Sir John Soanes etc. Writing workshops for off site trips as well as creating workshops to deliver myself to students. Its about the Olympic values- friendship, equality, courage, respect, determination…..etc. etc.
It is my biggest teaching project yet and dizzying to me in its magnitude, but thrilling also. I realise how much I love working with people, interacting and co-ordinating. I feel connected to so many people.
Compared to a about a year ago where I felt rather isolated and invisible, – I really am becoming part of something. The studio is a huge part of it- and now Core Gallery, this beautiful idea emerged as a result of collective thoughts and determination. I am project managing that as well- channeling people’s energies in the right places and then lising back with our studio manager.
So much is going on- we have a wall planner and already it is filling up with exhibitions. We even had our first tour of the gallery space as a potential location for an MFA show from Goldsmiths! We are opening at the end of April with Nick Kaplony’s show and hope our website shall be up and running soon! I just have to keep my head screwed on and on top of everything- deep breath!
Core Gallery is most definitely go!
A surge of momentum from everyone is giddying and delightful!
I have been sending out little jobs for people – to research and sort and they are busily finding the answers. The obstacles that seemed to loom before are melting away.
Cor Blimey Arts are now on the must see spots on Deptford Art map and we shall have Core Gallery on there as well as soon as
http://www.deptfordartmap.co.uk/
I shall be posting my blog about Core Gallery once we are more finalised onto there as well as going to a meeting with Deptford Art Map and Bearspace to meet and talk to other gallerists and studio spaces. Very exciting!
In addition I have had some good meetings with Curators and artists; Nick Kaplony, an artist and advisor from Artquest is going to collaboratively curate something. Our very own A-N editor Andrew Bryant is also on board to curate a show! Both of which sound very interesting. Hopefully Zoe Whitley from the V&A may get involved along the way as well. Chantelle Purcell is going to be liasing with students at Central St Martins and University of Kent, Arnold Borgoreth, a lecturer on the “Image & Communication” MA degree at is also going to see if he can get some more people involved there-perhaps a photography exhibition…. Already an interesting programme is unfolding…..
More plans unfold by the moment!
Core Gallery is go!
Hooray!
The trustees are letting us go ahead with the idea. Bless them!
Hooray again!
I have a new phone that is terribly unreliable which doesn’t help a gal with sleeping problems. Today the alarm did not go off at all and some part of my slumbering self must have realised it was getting lighter in my room. I shot out of bed at 8am ( should have been 7am ) and left the house in 6 minutes flat!
I am at my admin job today- where I am a drone for the day ( financial security is a must for me to be able to paint so this is a necessary evil ) I have not painted for about 2 weeks since I dropped off my last piece to Long and Ryle for the London Art Fair. It feels strange.
I don’t know what’s happened with the time- except I have finally done my tax return and sorted out lots of admin. Plus read the December and January Saturday Guardian Newspapers – hurrah!
I have not been sure what I was going to paint next and I was thinking I was going to have some time to really research my next research trips around and outside London but I am about to send all my work out to 3 different places. I will have no works left for anything if I need it…..so I need to crack on! One idea however has been brewing subtly in the background and it began to form over the weekend. The addictive elixir of paint is drawing me back……..
The other good thing is more teaching is coming my way. I am doing mixed media courses for adults at West Dean College and Brighton Phoenix http://www.phoenixbrighton.org/courses.html and am back at The Stephen Lawrence Centre and Bedford over the coming months. Hopefully one day, not too far away, I may be able to exist on this and painting alone…..
Core Gallery
We had a second and fuller meeting about developing our studios into more of a gallery space/artists initiative…..as one of the newly set up Gallery Committee members there are lots of logistics and politics to get through.
Our first main issue is the name. Cor Blimey Arts Studios is the current name for our space. We cant change it completely as we have charitable status, plus we have a board of trustees some of whom live in Somerset, half are up for it, the others it is unknown.…….the studios and their artists have moved on in their output. there is a desire for those of us in the studios to be taken somewhat seriously now . We pay rent so surely we should have some say so?
Hence kick-starting this gallery idea…..
We have to work within some kind of parameters of that name in terms of branding and also to try and persuade our trustees to allow us to do this, so the suggestion was Core Gallery. Connected but different…..
If we cant change the name of the gallery space we shall have to do something else, somewhere else……possibly we could have a splinter group of artists, collective, utilising empty spaces to put on exhibitions….be part of something….
Other news is that London Art Fair with Long and Ryle Gallery was a success and they have some of my works hanging in their gallery in Pimlico until mid feb which is great. Then 2 more solo shows pending in feb-literally opening on the same day I think. One in Regents Place, London with Trudie Stephenson and an exhibition with Bedford College where I lecture occasionally…..the new year didn’t take long to have many scheduling clashes! It is all invigorating though!
