Happy Labor Day one and all!
This morning, in an effort to branch out from my normal wi-fi spot, I ventured out to a pasty shop on the other side of Alexandria, only to discover they were closed for the holiday. Same with the barber shop I had planned to go to trim the hedges I currently have on my head. So, I ended up back in my normal haunts, but with a s'mores cupcake. Definitely the best one I've had here - damn tasty I much say.
Blogging tunes today are courtesy of a new band out of Australia called The Temper Trap. I just discovered them a couple of days ago, and I'm really digging them. Best band to come out of the land-down-under in a long time I think.
Not a ton to report at the moment regarding the art scene. The main piece of news is a tad annoying - but it underscores a problem that exists everywhere in the contemporary art world: spacey gallery directors. Now, I'm not saying they are all that way, but many of them are. The reason? Well, I believe it is because many of them are or were artists themselves, and as a result, they are good at the creative side of things, but not so swell at things like running a business, paying their artists or providing appropriate service - either to their artists or their clients. They like selecting work and putting together shows - but don't enjoy or excel at the rest of the equation.
I've seen this problem again and again during my career - and it surfaced again this past week. Several months back, I approached a gallery that reps a photographer I hired once for a commercial project. She's supremely talented and I figured that any gallery smart enough to rep her is someplace I should check into (even though our work is VERY different). The response I got was very positive, and even though the director wasn't currently looking for new artists, she wanted a price sheet and some other stuff for her files. We even chatted about the fact that we graduated from the same art school.
So, I obliged...and heard nothing for months. I followed-up to make sure she received the materials. She said she was too busy to discuss it and asked me to recontact her again in July. So, I waited a couple of extra months for good measure...and then re-contacted her again this past week. Her response? She wasn't expanding her artists at this time...and thanked me for my interest. I even included the entire chain of communication for her reference - and she was STILL too spacey and disorganized to realize that she had actually asked ME for the aforementioned materials and that I was simply following-up with her. At that point, I gave up. I've spent much of my career working with people like that, and honestly, I don't have the patience or time to work with another one.
I'm still waiting to get more info on the SOHO show. My work is still at Foley Cox & Home in Hudson, NY and I think (though I'm not sure because I left town before I could get word) that I'm in what will likely be my final show at Connexions in Easton, PA. Maybe not, but their curating practice involves an open drop-off, which I obviously can't do from DC. We'll see.
Enjoy the rest of your holiday everyone...you deserve the break!
-Marc
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