When I first started to exhibit my photos, I hated it! I was uncomfortable seeing my photos hang in some public space, and (at least in my imagination) being scrutinized by everyone who walked by them. And I just hated the attention that showing work garnered. I’ve never liked being the center of attention, and showing artwork just seemed to be inviting this…and felt that exhibiting was definitely NOT for me.
About ten years have passed, and a lot has changed. I have gotten used to showing my work. I now know that yes, some people will not like your work or even attempt to understand it, and that’s OK. Not everyone loves Picasso either! But there are those folks who will gravitate toward my images, and appreciate what I’m trying to accomplish, even if it is not what they are used to seeing. I call these folks “my tribe” and it is so fun to connect with them. Now I do love to show work and see what people think of it – good or bad – it doesn’t really matter to me. And it’s just fun – in some weird way – seeing my work on a gallery wall.
So this month I have been formulating a plan for exhibiting my work this year. The show I am most preparing for now is in September – The Reno-Tahoe International Art Show. This will be my third year of participating, and this year I am doing something different. My hubby and I are putting together an installation with two other art friends – one a ceramicist and the other an accomplished fine art photographer. We have agreed to purchase a larger space in the gallery section of the show (as opposed to the local artist section) and are hoping to get a grant to cover the costs. And we are also planning an installation, where the work will ideally create a narrative as it interacts with each other. For my hubby and I, this is a little bit of a daunting task, as we are basically “hobbyists” collaborating with established professionals. What can we possibly contribute?
And that is what I am trying to decide now. Since there are four of us, space will be pretty limited, which means I have to be especially strategic about what I am going to show. At this point, I am thinking of creating three larger prints (maybe including the one above), rotating each in and out of the space during the duration of the show, and then one more conceptual piece – maybe photos combined with…something else???
I have some work ahead of me, and I am excited to see where this leads!!! Stay tuned!!
I've got an idea whereby you can efficiently display multiple works at once and rotate the actual pieces around, without losing a customer who's interested in a particular piece.... -Harry