As if on cue, my washing machine began spewing water from its base at the weekend. I caught it all with towels and newspapers (thankful of my hoard) before any damage was caused. I’m trying to stay positive – it happened while I was there after all, but using every ‘spare’ penny I have to fund my trip, means that any repair will have to wait.
I woke at 5.30 this morning. I was thinking of how much dog food I would need to drop off at the various friends and family who will be minding the dogs while I’m away. What a stupid thing to think about so early.
I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t so I got up. I read my emails. I looked at the stats at my website – which had shot up since Debra had started promoting the exhibition over in Jamestown. I realised that a couple of the posts that had received the most hits, had out of date information on them, so I re-wrote them.
Then I looked at the weather forecast. It was going to be dry. I dug out laundry from the basket from the last couple of days and began hand washing it – to drip dry on the line. I thought of my mother, who thought nothing of doing this. It wasn’t so bad I suppose, but how long can I keep this up? Can I rely on the weather for at least another week?
The journey to work on the bus, was filled with email correspondences with artists about the exhibition. Missed deadlines etc. and when I got near the gates, I caught up with one of my work colleagues. I stopped myself from moaning about being tired when I realised she had just come from her early morning cleaning job, straight to working with me. Working part time ( or full time for that matter) in a public sector job and trying to make a living wage, don’t mix. I had taken the last of the full time jobs after the last cull.
So now I’m tired. I need to make small works that will sell in the exhibition. Well, obviously not now, but when I get home later. I’ve been thinking about this for ages, but it just isn’t coming. The more I think about it, the harder it becomes and I just end up worrying about things like dog food :-(
Feeling a bit low today as I adjust to the reject from Arts Council over the AIDF application. I think it was more of a shock that we were rejected because they ‘On balance preferred other applications’ and not because of anything we wrote or omitted. It made us sound that we were just not interesting enough.
‘If you wish to reapply ‘ is not really an option is it? Firstly, its obviously too late for this trip and secondly, there’s no way the second application would be any different. We will still be a diverse group of artists, enhancing our skills by collaboration and networking . Not any other way of putting it is there?
What do they want – a bit of tap dancing and performance on the way?
Anyway…. bitterness aside, we’ve had to start thinking about how we can support ourselves over there. We are thinking of doing drop in art classes now rather than just full scale workshops. Some of which, we will accept donations for. It reminds me of that series on Sky arts, where artists either busked or drew/painted to pay their way. Not something I’d relish doing, but it might be a case of having to :-(
Ironically, the Swedish members of our group have had no trouble at all in getting funding. Only in Britain eh?
The blog continues over on the group page : http://sciartistprojects.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/getting-ready/
The thing I am looking forward to the most with the US residency is being able to do my own work for 16 consecutive days. I think I’d have to go back to my college days to remember what that was like.
I think the most time I’ve taken off work to actually do my own work, is 5 days. Even then, I have to sidetrack with ‘house things’ washing, hoovering, the garden even. Can’t imagine what it will be like to not have to do those things for a bit.
This was part of a conversation I had the other day with one of the ‘guest postcard artists’ in our exhibition. She introduced me to her partner as ‘the person who had set up the New York exhibition’, making it all sound rather grand. Was I excited about the exhibition? She asked. Hmmm…My feelings about the exhibition are totally different than how I feel about the rest of my time there. I’m concerned about everyone getting their work there in time, how the exhibition will look…about having the right materials for hanging, getting it hung in time etc etc. It’s not excitement I feel at all.
I had a Skype chat with Debra Eck today. We discussed money, workshops, the weather (they are expecting a blizzard of Wednesday) and getting around the town. Would I drive over there? Ooooo not sure :-(
I had to do a mock up of my installation early this morning so that I could send her an image for publicity. We’d already decided which image to use ( which wasn’t mine BTW) but now the two galleries want a totally different image each, which is going to look like they are aren’t connected.
There’s still so much to plan, but we need money to do. Still no news of the ACE funding, but Friday is D day. Fingers crossed ….as we’ve all been saying to each other today.
My work surface now resembles the fly tippers paradise I recently reported to the local council (which they did nothing about BTW) Switching from my Liberator/ Memorial installation that I’m making for the NY exhibition, to paper boots for the Barnaby festival then to updating website and facebook pages for SCI, as artists contact me about their work in the exhibition, has made a very chaotic weekend.
Prioritising, Barnaby needed shots of the boots for their website, so I had to get that out of the way. It wasn’t that I hadn’t already done the work for the festival, it was just that I was unhappy with it so had to start again. I suppose it sounds crazy really that I turned down a gallery space (long story … but mentioned in my blog a few months ago….) for a shop front, but having a really long think about what I want from my work, it was important to me that I was happy with the space and I knew that my work was going to be seen.
Having so much experience with empty shops now, I know there is a HUGE difference in how the public perceive and interact with the work, away from gallery spaces.
So although the Barnaby installation is far from finished, there is enough to satisfy the photo shot and I can move on.
I had so much on my ‘to do’ list this weekend, I really didn’t want to spend time out visiting an artists’ pop up shop in town. It wasn’t just an exhibition, it was showing support for our local gallery – The Williamson, which is facing severe funding cuts. Volunteers have set up a pop up shop, to try to generate interest in the gallery from the public. It’s a great idea, but I just wish the gallery were seen to be doing things too and not relying so heavily on these supporters. But anyway, I showed my support, had a chat with some people, and then went back to my work.
We’ve set a deadline of 7 March from ‘the postcard’ artists involved in our exhibition, so work ( and emails!) are coming in and have to be dealt with. Just a month to our PV now and even less time till the set up begins :/
Back to it then!
SCI: http://sciartistprojects.wordpress.com/
