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October 20, 2006
artist's way open studio (october)
by gl. at 12:02 pm
last night's artist's way open studio was very productive! we produced 16 pieces, which we haven't done since march, which was the event where we were fueled on cupcakes because it was the first open studio-iversary.
i actually made two collages last night! i've never managed to do that before!
["something wicked this way comes"]
this one just fell into my lap, assembled itself almost instantly, and i was delighted to make one with a halloween flavour. the fuzzy picture is a donation from a collage fairy, while the text came from a lunar boy gallery postcard and the background is wrapping paper. i always decorate the envelopes when i make cards; this envelope had a large fuzzy hot pink feather stretch across the envelope flap. i am amused by fluffy hot pink evil.
["starchild"]
i have no idea where this one came from, though it's interesting to note it has the same basic layout as the one above. i was intrigued by the part of the headline that read "former human beings" and when i ran across this fuzzy collage fairy donation photo, i knew they had to go together somehow. the background is from a paper bag i got somewhere, and it wasn't quite big enough to cover that upper left corner so i slipped in a little crackle texture in the gap to imply an alienness. i always have star-punched paper lying about, and these are what fell out of the bins i was sifting through.
we tried a new table configuration this time. usually we have a 5-foot folding table paired up with a large extendable table i got years ago from an xbf's parents (the "jacob table"). that set-up provided seating for nine, though the ninth (me) got tucked in this unfortunate nook that was really awkward. i thought if we got two 6-foot tables, we'd easily have room for 10. unfortunately, that proved not to be the case, and i still can't figure out why, so i bumped the rsvp's down to 8 again until i figure out a better solution...
there was some discussion about why i don't charge for collage night, especially since meetup charges oragnizers to run groups. i wrote about this almost a year ago, but there are several reasons why collage night is free:
i believe in the gifting economy. i want to have a range of offerings, including one for people who can't afford to join a creative cluster.
though i think generally artists are undervalued and i want them to be paid for their time and vision, i don't like the idea that every art experience has to be commodified & paid for. i charge for artist's way creative clusters and guided intents because they are a significant investment of time & attention. but collage is something anyone should be able to do at any time. to charge for it seems incredibly counterintuitive.
i don't provide instruction & don't plan to. i simply provide an opportunity, a catalyst. i believe art can be communal without requiring it to be collaborative.
the artist's way open studio benefits me just as much as it benefits the other participants: it provides me with an obligation to create art, as well as the opportunity to broadcast consistent updates about the studio that are more than simply solictations for money. ideally, people who are exposed to the open studio eventually become members of a creative cluster, though there's absolutely no obligation to do so.
so i consider the meetup money to be a promotional cost because google keeps it high in the results, whereas my actual artist's way page doesn't show up until hit 250 or so. and open studio is partially subsidized by the guided intent events. i panicked initially when meetup began charging, and while i may not be happy about it, i think it's turned out well enough. we now have twice as many events per month, and one of them makes money!
posted by gl. | October 20, 2006 12:02 PM | categories: artist's way