Food for thought: Jillian revisits SNAG Houston experience

[Brigitte Martin]

I've spent the last few days deliberating on what I'd like my final post to address. There are many other bloggers out their who covered exhibitions, lectures, and events very well. From the onset I knew that Anthony Tammaro in particular would be addressing events in a more overarching way, and he's now posted many video interviews and exhibition images for those of you who would like to see more. Flickr and facebook are also now bursting with posted images for those of you who waste as much of your time as I do online.

Because this project was intended to address the conference experience for those of us in our first 5 years post-degree or for those who are simply removed from academia in general, I would like to go into what the conference offers and could offer for us. Anyone who has attended as a student and then continued after will find the differences painfully obviously. I've mentioned this before, but I think it needs restating--there are very limited exhibition opportunities once you cease to be a student. This year I was rejected from the handful of applicable exhibitions I did enter. I don't feel like speculating on why this happened because the variables in acceptance v. rejection are innumerable, but I want everyone to know I didn't just throw in the towel. And I would suggest all other practicing artists do the same--if you weren't in exhibitions this year, so what. Try again next year. You could not have a better captive audience than the SNAG Conference. And if you are summarily rejected, you should be bringing work anyway! I've consistently brought and worn work for the five years I've attended the conference. Every year some opportunity came out of having my work on hand which is why I've been so upset to find MFA students and recent graduates not doing this! I cannot stress enough that being proactive about your work is a necessity.

The conference happens to take place every year in a city that has been thinking about our organization, looking at art jewelry and precious objects, and getting generally riled up in advance of our arrival. This will give you an opening you would never have otherwise. Take advantage of this climate when you go and have a plan.

Thanks to some prodding from Brigitte, I scheduled a meeting with Suzanne Sippel, Asher Gallery Retail Supervisor at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Several exhibitions took place at HCCC this year, and the Asher Gallery located within is a very active retail store for craft in general. They have the guidelines for their review process here. For the sake of brevity I'll just mention that it is a fairly typical review process that requires a packet with quality images, a statement, and what may be a fairly long wait due to the process and mailing delays. I would also like to point out that HCCC is rare in that it is so upfront with this information. Many institutions are less transparent and you may be looking for a backdoor if you want to approach them. I decided to follow Brigitte's advice to contact them, and the result was that the entire process was waived due to circumstance--show up in person, bring the work and information, and let's have a face-to-face talk. I found myself wondering why we weren't all doing this every year at every conference! Why aren't we busting the doors down of every venue (and I mean in the most polite and professional of ways.)

In meeting with Suzanne I learned that she had expected us to be storming the gates when in truth, I was one of two artists who met with her. And Suzanne seemed genuinely saddened by this. They had decided to waive their normal review policy and take advantage of what would surely be available--a constant stream of makers. She also echoed my concern that so many people were not wearing work on the gallery night which made it confusing to her and the rest of the staff at HCCC. They had not been at other conference events throughout the weekend so they couldn't go by who they recognized. They were not even sure if they were seeing SNAG people or others from out on the town given that our even overlapped a nationally renowned photography convention. I don't want to impose a needless guilt trip, but I hope hearing this will cause everyone to rethink how they approach next year's conference. If you have work and you want to exhibit it, why not approach venues when you are already traveling?

The end result is that I will be sending work to the Asher Gallery at HCCC in late August or early September, and we were in agreement that my work differed from much of what was available which can be of benefit for both of us. I was given a rare opportunity to discuss specific work by material, scale, and price point with the manager who knows her customers well. If only others had been able to take advantage of this opportunity. No, they did not broadcast an open call because they aren't crazy and didn't want to bring chaos on themselves. But I think they were reasonable in assuming conversations would come up organically as they should have. There is no hand-holding once you finish your degree, and the paradigm of "managers" who will do this for you doesn't fit our field and is already an anachronism in others. If you're lucky you will find generous people like Brigitte on occasion who give you well timed and gentle prodding, but ultimately you are the best asset your work can have. Take initiative. Wear it at home and when you travel, but especially when you are attending a conference for what you do! Be prepared with images, a statement, and a current resume when you find yourself setting out on this kind of trip.

Or you may find yourself with boxes of work sitting around with no place to go.

Comments on why you did or did not wear your work ?  How will we seize the opportunities given to us ? Click here and let me know:

https://crafthaus.ning.com/profiles/blogs/greetings-fellow-crafthau...

 

[2Roses]

You have discovered a Big Truth, Jillian. That is, you must showcase your work at every opportunity. No one will do it for you. We are shameless in this regard. And consequently sell work right off our backs (literally) on many occasions. Never miss an opportunity to show your work. If need be, create an opportunity. We've done it in grocery store aisles, dentist offices, standing in line at Starbucks and the bank - and sold jewelery in every instance. Understand that the key to making more sales is showing the work to as many people as possible. High end galleries and art exhibitions are nice for the ego but they attract relatively small numbers of people. Of those, a significantly small number are the collectors who have money. We've sold more work out of hair salons (gasp!) than we have out of some of the high end galleries (no we're not kidding, and no, we're not going to name names). The point is don't limit your income and sales potential because of where you think the art buyers are. Test the waters. This is not advocating that everyone rush down to their local hair salon either. It IS advocating thinking outside the pre-conceived notions of how to sell art.

[Jillian Moore]

This is very true--I only nudge the students and recent graduates toward established institutions in this post because we all happened to be surrounded by many. It is surprising when you might run into someone who will become a more casual customer. And the people in your daily life who are totally removed from the little sphere of art jewelry are the most satisfying of converts.

Maybe I need to reconsider doing my own hair by the way. So many missed opportunities!

[Michelle Pajak-Reynolds]

Bravo, bravo Jillian. I'm so proud of you!!!! Congratulations on the HCCC. The Asher Gallery is a great space and I'm sure your work will be well received.

[Maureen Brusa Zappellini]

yes-
it is a different road to travel, not being a student- seemingly less opportunities to show dropped in your lap, less direction from mentors.....
there are actually MORE opportunities- you simply find out about them in different ways -

I believe that the problem is simply that one has to learn a new way of acquiring information. It's just a change of spheres, instead of being in the "school" sphere, a post student (or non- student) finds themselves in the "world" sphere....Larger, with much more options, and a lot of possible confusion/unclear directions... It can be really frustrating, feeling that you don't have a key to a door, not finding out about opportunities until they are past

But I must say that this too is changing- now with the internet acting as a real community, now that we have Social media /Organizations like SNAG or ACC/Gallery lists etc, it is relatively easy to set yourself up to find out about opportunities or keep in touch with your community, no matter how remote your studio is.

but then of course we have the new problem....of how to regulate computer time- but that's a whole other ball of wax indeed.

no, it's not perfect-but certainly easier than it was even 10 years ago.IMHO
Oh, and I absolutely agree that we should be wearing our work as publicly as possible- I've sold work off my person, and I've had many interesting conversations in lines when I wear my real showstoppers. Met some cool people too :-)

thanks for your Reportage Jillian- wish I could have swung a trip to SNAG this year-(it was too close to Gem Show and Yuma) I'm starting to save my pennies for 2011!
ciao- MBZ

[marcus marguillier]

Thank you Jillian for giving me more insight in this matter.
Your words are so true.