Working in Isolation: a dialog with history

Art critic pair launches Rebecca – a comprehensive writing service for artists, artist-led groups, galleries, and arts organizations – with a free, Twitter advice session on 9 November at 6pm GMT / 1pm EST.

Art professionals Becky Hunter and Jane Boyer have upped the ante for independence with the creation of Rebecca, an arts writing service designed to support the independent arts practitioner. Based on their complementary skills, experience and expertise, Rebecca offers a wide range of specialist services, from press release writing and PDF layout, to essay writing, assistance with artist and curatorial statements, and consultation on business writing.

Becky explains, “As the commercial gallery world becomes ever more exclusive, proactive artists and artist-led initiatives take increasing responsibility for their own self-promotion, critical reception and career development. It makes sense to work with an experienced writer to bring polish and sparkle to your press releases, to encapsulate the creative force and vision in your business documents, and to highlight the years of hard-earned, in-depth knowledge of your practice in your catalogue essays.”

To this end, the free Twitter Q&A session offers artists, creative entrepreneurs, and arts professionals an opportunity to draw upon the Rebecca team’s know-how. Questions on all aspects of art writing, press releases and marketing strategy, artist statements, blogging, and critical essay writing will be answered. The online launch also provides a chance simply to interact with Becky and Jane, and to find out whether their skills and services are a good fit with your needs. Connect with @RebeccaProjects before and during the event using the hashtag #AskRebecca.

Becky is a regular contributor to Art Papers and Sculpture, and an independent researcher with an AHRC funded Masters in History of Art. Jane is an artist, critic, curator, and committed peripatetic, who frequently reviews exhibitions for whitehotmagazine.com. Both writers have formal Fine Art training and sustain meaningful art practices. “As working arts professionals, Becky and I understand the importance and often the complexity involved in creating texts for a professional art practice. Because we understand, we want to help,” says Jane.

Rebecca’s writers are great listeners who will collaborate with you to produce the text you envision. Elizabeth Murton, an artist and curator at Core Gallery, London, says, “Jane has an ability to help you focus ideas in the text, structuring information in a clear, readable, and engaging way. Her arts and business background gives her a unique perspective to assess the audience and impact of the writing, which compliments her knowledge and love of art.”

Rebecca: Key information

Launch Information: 9 November, 6-8pm GMT | Twittter @RebeccaProjects #AskRebecca
Web: http://rebeccaprojects.net | Email: [email protected]
Phone: Becky +1 215-317-0907 | Jane +33 546704225
Services: Press releases, catalogue essays, artist & curatorial statements, business writing, editing



The move from hell is finished.

It took two months to organize and prepare, 18 full trailer-load trips to the tip, countless carloads back and forth between the two houses moving small stuff, a week of cleaning which in the end wasn’t finished and three panel truck loads to move our furniture.

My back suffered, our car broke down during the last and most crucial push, which meant two, four hour round trips to Angouleme to the car dealership when we could least afford the time. And we thought our eighteen year old cat was going to die during the process. To say we were stressed would be an understatement.

Happily, the cat is happy as Larry, the car is running better than ever and we are sitting atop a pile of stuff thinking we should become brocanteurs; all it would take would be a new sign with open for business hours. Our belongings are stored in ‘Bay 1’ and ‘Bay 2’ of our downstairs and it looks just like a depot vente with all the white appliances on one side, furniture piled high and bric-brac down the back. I think we won’t go there.

I’m very ready to get back to work.

Speaking of work, the trip to London in September was fab! It was a very rushed trip but the Core Gallery Open which I co-curated with Ros Davis was a big success – I think it was the largest PV crowd we’ve had. The Artist Talking blog workshop was a success too with near full capacity. It really was wonderful to meet everyone. It gives me such encouragement and validation to discover people are responding positively to the things I do; it really is such a boost and a reminder that isolation is transient.

Even though as I write this, I’m still without internet, I have been working on several other projects and the clean-up has started in my new studio, hopefully I’ll be painting again soon; it has been a long fallow summer. In this fallowness and on my husband’s suggestion that I draw more, I’m taking part in the Art House Coop Sketchbook Project. It is a really great idea; this is the second year of the project. It is in conjunction with the Brooklyn Art Museum Library and all the sketchbooks returned by the deadline go on a world tour then become part of the permanent collection. It costs $25 to participate and an extra $20 to digitize your sketchbook. Each artist selects a title topic from a list of topics provided by Art House, such as ‘Encyclopedia of’, they send you a sketchbook and you’re off from there. The title of my sketchbook is ‘The Encyclopedia of Wherewithall’. To find out more go to: www.thesketchbookproject.com the deadline for sign up is 31^st October 2011.

Now I just have to find the teapot and remember where I put the tea…..