You are not in control of your life or your body. That control belongs to every young man you associate with. If none of them choose to marry you, you will be a disappointment to everyone.
The time spent preparing your hair and covering your face with makeup each morning is not a luxury. You have to make yourself seem appealing. You need to hide anything that makes you less than perfect.
Every month you fail to be in a relationship is a waste. It’s a waste of pain and a waste of potential. After all, that thing you just threw in the garbage could have grown to be a child.
That's my Artist's Statement. The only differences between what's above and what's hanging above the comment book are the font and the punctuation. In the version that's hanging in the gallery, I used a font that capitalized every letter, and I made all the periods red. As far as Artist's Statements go, I think it's just dandy.
And these were the pieces:
"Cooties At a Later Stage of Development"Drypoint print, a la poupee
New version of an old piece on this one.
"My Eyes Are Up Here"
Hand-tinted relief print
There are only 2 of these in existence right now. One is on this wall, the other is in Canada. I'm still trying to decide how big an edition size I want for it.
"The Perfect Woman"
Mixed Media Drawing
I was asked by one gentleman where he could in fact, "buy one now". I told him he could buy the piece, and my asking price was currently in the range of $500. He laughed, then tried to arrange an art trade.
"Padding Up the Wazoo"
Mixed Media Drawing
Say what you will, I think the title on this piece is one of my favorite things in the show. The piece has 2 lights on it because I wanted to bring out the color. Such bright wrapping. They look like candy. Except that's the last thing in the world they look like.
"Mother and Child"
Monotype print on prepared acrylic surface
This one went all wrong. Ink was too thick, and this is actually the ghost print. Tried hand tinting the messy background and hardly fixed anything, just made more of a mess. Finally, with my trusty exacto-knife and some paint, I managed to make something. It's not my favorite piece in the show, but there were a couple of girls who said it was theirs, and I think that matters more.
The handmade comment book.
I left out a red pen for people to comment with. I think at this point I realized I was having too much fun.
The Cookies.
Like I said, I was having far too much fun. These were the thing that got the most comments at the opening, most of them hilariously inappropriate. I made nearly 70 of them. For an opening that lasts only one hour, that's a ridiculous amount of cookies. There were a few people who had to stop and wonder if they could actually eat them. Then, after eating one, they came back for seconds. As you can see. They were delicious.
Here's me eating one. I think it was the first one, but I don't remember. It's been a long day.
And here's a boy named Brandon eating one.
Overall, I'm really pleased. The turnout was really good. I had a constant stream of people coming to see the show for the whole hour of the opening. That was unusual for one of these things. As gallery assistant and a student of three years at this school, I've been to a lot of openings. Generally speaking it's a crowd at the beginning, then it practically stops for the last half. Of course, usually people don't have quite so many refreshments. That may have helped a little.
The feedback I got was all really positive, too. I'm still expecting that the comment book will end up holding the rantings of someone who is incredibly offended, but so far it's been fairly mild. There were a few people who I could tell didn't dig it, but even they had something positive to say, and I didn't feel like they were being judgmental toward me personally, which was nice.
Of course, I think most of the men in there understood that it wasn't really something for them to get. It was something for them to see and experience in a different way. I loved hearing what they liked. They enjoyed the discomfort and the guilt. They could see that this was art worth making, even if it wasn't for them.
I think that's one of the things that makes this show so interesting. Although the girls are the ones that identify with it, the boys are welcome to come see the spectacle as well. Usually when these things are discussed, it's in a group of ladies alone. Here, the men get to see what it is that we chat about when they aren't around. Maybe they wish they hadn't. Maybe they actually were able to find something they could identify with. Maybe it just helps them be a little more understanding. No matter what the reaction is, I love hearing it.
Although I asked a lot of people what their favorite piece was, a lot of the time I didn't even have to ask. Many of the girls just pointed to one and said "I love that piece." I felt like it was genuine and honest when they said it, and there's not a better feeling in the world. Knowing that I just made someone's day a little brighter, that I let them know they weren't alone, that's what makes me want to keep going.
At one point, someone asked me what my favorite piece was. I settled on "My Eyes Are Up Here" but that just may be just because it was done first and I haven't had to look at it in a while. There were a few anomalies, but generally speaking, that one, "Padding Up The Wazoo" and "The Perfect Woman" were the favorites.
The only thing I was hoping for a little more of which I didn't get at the opening was the comradeship that working on these pieces brought. I was told some fantastically embarrassing stories and some very strong opinions as I worked on these pieces in the studios, and that was wonderful. I liked that these girls finally had an opportunity to say things that they couldn't ever say to anyone else in any other context. I gave them a shot to say the things that were taboo, to voice their frustrations with their biology and the pressures surrounding them. It helped me and it helped them, and I hope it continues throughout the week when people who went to see the show catch me alone.
I feel like I was able to go into this subject without being over the top or gross. I was able to push people's buttons a little without doing anything I wasn't proud of. I feel like the show was a success.
Still, I'd like to know, what do you think about it?
(The show is up until November 12th.)
You're rockin' with the talent! Well done!
ReplyDelete