Past: Al and I have taken my art to festivals to display and sell from a pop-up tent. It’s been fun but a lot of work. In a 10x10” tent, my impulse has been to cover every wall and find creative ways to offer as many choices as possible.
Question: Can I find a way to display my art that is more authentic to how it might look in someone’s home or business?
Answer: Yes. And I’m finding the answer in two ways.
First, Tent Life: I stepped back and reduced the number of paintings on display. A key point that I had to accept: I will miss sales of a “Specific Random Piece” to the “Perfect Buyer” because it’s at home and not in my tent. So that’s the loss. But the gain is that I’ll feel excited about how my work looks in the tent and I’ll feel more at ease talking about my art. It’s a bit counter-intuitive– show LESS if you want to sell MORE– but I’ve decided to do it. We’ll see how it goes.
But I have gotten one positive result from showing less in my tent: at my first show of 2024, Albia’s Restoration Days, I won “Best in Show” and a prize of $1000! What a surprise and big thanks to the Annette Jennings Scieszinski Award and the Monroe County Art Council.
Second, larger public display spaces: I installed an exhibit of 25 pieces at the Urbandale Public Library’s Art Gallery. Seeing these spaces come together and different series all hanging up and telling my story? When I walk through and see my work with nice lighting and with plenty of “Breathing Space” (also the name of the exhibit), it’s incredibly validating. Knowing that people may wander through and look at my art, read a bit about my story and the work is on its own, representing itself? This feels so right too.
Future:
In my tent, I’ll bring one of two collections in order to keep the display tight. Either florals or abstracts.
In public spaces, I’d love to find more places to exhibit multiple pieces at once.
But first, on Sunday, June 23rd, I’ll be having an artist reception for “Breathing Space” at the Urbandale Public Library from 1-2 pm. It’ll be nice to talk with people about work that I’m proud of and a display that gives me, as creator, quite the thrill!
Jumping ahead to a next gallery exhibit: I’m excited to announce that I will have a solo show at Simpson College in the Gallery of Art & Design, Jan/Feb 2025. EEK & Hooray!
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