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All posts by Kristi
A Solo Show: Electrolyte!
I had my reception for Electrolyte! yesterday at Groundings! It was a great success and the right amount of time too. I think 2 hours for a reception is good. For Studio19, my reception/party I think was 3 hours, but I guess it depends on the event. It was just enough for me to meet some of the locals and talk about my artwork.
It was fun meeting a woman who happened to work at the photography studio right next to Minuteman Press. She was their photo retoucher and just happened to be there for a massage but enjoyed the artwork as well once she learned more about it.
I want to say there was a small crowd of people at the reception. Which was nice because I did a lot of internet marketing, but I couldn’t get my press release onto any of the media websites because it was membership only. Meh. For refreshments there was snapple, water and soda and we had cookies and a fruit bowl.
Then my parents took me out to tapas food in Northampton, MA. We ate at Ibiza on Strong Ave in Noho. My parents told me that they got married in a park in Noho and wanted to check out the park as well as Main st. At the tapas restaurant we had a lot of delicious food! I even liked some dishes that I normally would turn my nose up at… and that was really refreshing. We had their mussels, crab croquettes, vegetable crepes, meatballs, pork raviolis, short ribs and raw tuna.
Internships are more than Experience
I may be really late into the game with this idea, but it dawned on me after obtaining my social media/PR Intern at JetSetter Gypsy this month that doing internships after college isn’t that bad of an idea. I did the We Party Boston one before I was hired at Minuteman Press, and I forced myself to do that one because I realized that by moving out of the Bethlehem, PA area, I literally had no contacts and no experience in the Boston area.
Internships are more than gaining valuable experience in your field, and unfortunately the word “intern” gets thrown around haphazardly in the business world as a way to gain cheap labor by camouflaging the labor as an “intern” but even the Federal Government states that interns must be paid or compensated in some way for their labor and cannot be ‘free’! But there are some decent internships out there you just have to go hunting for them.
Internships are great if you are looking to branch out in your field into a similar but different area. I applied for the one at JetSetter Gypsy because I am trying to expand my blog more and the owner and I share similar writing styles and I am hoping that by promoting my blog in response to the work I do for her I’ll gain more of an audience. I am also hoping the experience MIGHT bring me into a better position in terms of being a better print designer.
I also get to use my psychic senses by writing her travel horoscopes!
Anyway, I highly recommend taking a second look at internships because they are more than just an experience. By working with someone whose established themselves in the business world you gain a connection. But you also gain insight on the way of life within the business. That’s what I appreciated the most while working at Minuteman Press. I never really got to see what a graphic designer ‘acted’ like in the ‘real world’. All I was told that an in-house graphic design position was ideal. But experiencing something is completely different than idolizing or even reading something on paper.
I can definitely see myself doing internships even when I may be doing freelance full-time or working in-house part-time. I have been searching for a textile/pattern internship. When I interviewed for a stationery house out in Santa Barbara, CA it made me realize what direction I want to go in more than ever.
Studio Wrap Up 02: A New Beginning!
This week I definitely felt like a new beginning took off. I had so many good things come to me career-wise it was really refreshing especially after the funk I have been in since Minuteman.
Earlier this week I was hired as an on-call/freelance graphic designer for a small design studio based in LA, CA and Honolulu, HI. They specialize in motion design, but the owner is transitioning from graphic design to motion design and wants to give his graphic design projects to me.
I started a freelance relationship with a soccer lifestyle store doing small t-shirt designs called Anthem and they are also based in California. I’ve already done some designs for them.
My artwork was accepted into a small exhibition called ADA 24 Celebration at the Institute for Human Centered Design that is celebrating the 24th anniversary of the ADA act – that protects people with disabilities.
I started an internship with a travel website called Jetsetter Gypsy and she wants me to contribute editorially and do travel horoscopes each month.
Today, I submitted a design proposal to a potential client up in North Conway, NH for another t-shirt design project.
I also went to Hyannis to get my print mounted for the IHCD exhibit and had a really good experience at Michaels with their custom framing department. Definitely made the $40 I spent getting it mounted and framed worth it. My mom and I also checked out the artist shanty’s that I learned about this week as well. Orleans, MA has a few but the information person there said that I should start with the Hyannis location first as it is more established. OMG I can’t believe I’m planning for next year already.
I’m really excited for the next several weeks. I have competition results, exhibition results, and more results. Lol I feel really good about them. This hope this summer closes out in the way I foresee it to.
£2.2 million Dollar Bed Sold
Tracey Emin is Britain’s most famous living artist. She recently sold her self-portrait for £2.2 million at an art auction in London. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this work… “It’s not art!”, “I can make something like that every morning!”, “That’s disgusting!”, are some of the commentaries of this piece. However, I have a different take on her piece, and I can definitely see it as art – she exposes a hidden side of some people.
Art is supposed to evoke emotion, and this is what makes it different from design – design is specifically arranged elements into a pleasing way. Sometimes painters – depending on the genre – can be seen as designers. The first take I have is that studio artists (“traditional artwork”) inadvertently make art as home decor. That is their goal… for someone to buy it and place it in their home. However, anyone who is truly immersed in the world of art understands a secret of the art world. Emin believes that her work is meant to change people’s perceptions of art. This is exactly what the art world is becoming and it always has been.
As an artist myself, I have seen this with the success of my artwork. Emin’s piece is traditional, but stretches the perceptions of that tradition. I remember taking painting classes in college, arranging objects on a table and painting a still life as a self-portrait for a final project. Emin does the same thing…. except, she doesn’t paint it or arrange it and leaves the objects as they are… it’s an In situ – an artwork that was created on site – a term I learned while studying African art. While, the self-portrait isn’t all that interesting or unique and different, considering that it is from Britain’s famous living artist speaks for itself.
Think about the celebrities in the USA (and all over the world for that matter) – we worship the things that they eat, wear, and own – this self-portrait is not much different – except the purchaser gets to OWN the original items belonging to the celebrity – artist. It’s no different from an estate sale auctioning off items belonging to a famous person that has died.
So, before you start criticizing someone’s work because it doesn’t fit your ‘world view’ try and think differently about it. Think of things that you may have experienced that it could relate to and see how it is different from what you are used to… chances are that the things that are different from what you are used to is exactly what the artwork is supposed to accomplish.
More Press and Scams
My typical ‘work day’ consists of internet crawls to find artist and exposure opportunities. I spend a couple of days a month doing this because you never know what you might miss!
Recently my artwork was accepted into two publications: Brown Rice Magazine and ICA Publishing both of which are based out of New York. They are both print publications.
Brown Rice Magazine is a self-published and ad-free healthy food zine featuring recipes, food lit, personal essays, tutorials, art, and more. The zine will be distributed locally in NYC and sold online for a small fee. http://brownricemagazine.com/
SCAMS:
ICA Publishing also accepted my artwork, but upon further investigation on the company it turns out to be a scam. To be a TRUE opportunity you shouldn’t have to pay-to-play… (In/Finite Earth wasn’t a pay-to-play) unless they state that the fees are for administration purposes, or goes to the prizes of the competition, etc. I shouldn’t have to buy two books of a publication that I was asked to be in! So disappoint. And the pay-to-play isn’t the normal affordable $10-$50 participation fee of most art competitions/exhibitions I submit work to… they were asking $232 upfront.
ICA Publishing kind of reminds me of the exhibition I participated in Marfa, TX. It was with The Biennial Project, which I appreciate what they do as their mission, but at the same time digital exhibitions are a bit of a scam as well. It was $35 for like three images I think. Which wasn’t bad, during the after math of the event, they never posted photos of the big screen which the artwork displayed and only team photos of their trip to Marfa, TX. Hmm… seems like someone is just trying to make money to go traveling while ‘supporting artists’..
For more information on ‘art scams’ the ARTBUISNESS website has some great information.
Life Updates and such
Yesterday, I installed my solo show at Groundings, LLC in Florence, MA. The installation ran smoothly and everything looks great. It will be up for the month of July.
This past week, I had a doctor’s appointment to figure out the next step for my hearing issues. After not being able to hear the other designer through a cubical at Minuteman that was the last straw for me… I may be in a cubical again in the future and I need to hear… so I had a hearing test and discussed some options and what not. They want to do a scan and figure out the best hearing aid solution for me.
I picked up my artwork from Hilary who juried the Younger than Amy show in Provincetown, MA and asked if I’d like to show some of my work at a chocolate cafe in Orleans, MA called the Chocolate Sparrow. I told her August would probably be good for me, before my schedule changes again.
Wednesday evening, before I left the Cape I was called into Boston for an interview at the Massachusetts Continuing Law Education facility for the art/publication department as a Print Marketing Production Assistant. It had great benefits and was in an area I was familiar with and my resume fit the description to a T. The events that happened following the scheduling happened so fast I was beside myself. I had miscalculated the amount of time I needed to come from Western MA to downtown Boston and was going to be a little late. I emailed them to let them know I was going to be running late – but I will be there. I thought that was OK but as I started my trip, I ran into accidents, and unexpected construction… (I travel the Mass Pike quite frequently and there were new construction areas that popped up that I hadn’t seen before). So I arrived in Downtown crossing around quarter to 2 and didn’t get to the building until 2 pm – my original appointment was at 1:30 pm… I apologized profusely to my interviewer for being late and explained the construction and accidents. He then sat me down in the auditorium and basically told me that I wasn’t worth his time because I was late to the interview and that the bosses in the building are obsessed with deadlines. Fine. Then he continues to tell me that I’m actually overqualified for the position. Great. That’s GREAT feedback – because now I won’t apply to the same position again! No more Production Assistant positions for me! I left right away because I had noticed that Mass Pike East was slow going into Boston and it took me THREE HOURS to get home. I was literally on the road for 5 hours on Friday – UGH.
Excellent Career Advice From LinkedIn’s Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman
Excellent Career Advice From LinkedIn’s Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman
Gallery Ehva – Younger than Amy
Here’s the photo round-up of the Younger than Amy exhibition.
NYFA: Current – Press
This past week my artwork was featured as the cover photo for the VSA program interview for NYFA for this year’s call.
Spotlight: VSA Emerging Young Artists Program
Announcing the 2014 Call for Entries
The Kennedy Center’s VSA, the leading international organization focused on arts and disability, is accepting applications for their annual juried competition and national touring exhibition. Open to artists with disabilities between 16–25 years old, the program awards placement in all-expenses-paid professional-development workshops and up to $20,000 in prizes. The theme of this year’s competition is The Journey, and the application deadline is June 30.
NYFA speaks to Rachael E. Nease, Coordinator of Visual Arts at VSA, about the application process, how artists are selected, and the benefits of the program.
NYFA: The Kennedy Center’s VSA has been a longtime supporter of artists living with disabilities through various programs and awards. What are the goals of this particular award for young artists?
RN: The VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program, provides opportunities for young artists with disabilities aged 16 to 25 to participate in the arts and explore the possibilities of pursuing arts-based careers. The goal of the competition piece of the program is tri-fold: 1) to give young artists with disabilities a place in which their unique mode of expression and view of the world is highlighted and valued, 2) to provide the winners of the competition with opportunities to explore the skills needed for professional life, preparing them to be competitive in pursuit of arts-based vocations, whether as full-time visual artists or in a range of other professional capacities employing their creative talents, and 3) to position and give visibility to the work of artists with disabilities through exhibitions traveling throughout the United States and around the world, cementing their work in the broader context of the history, art, and culture of the American — as well as global — experience.
NYFA: Are artists who entered this competition in previous years encouraged to enter again?
RN: Yes, of course! Applicants who did not receive an award in the past are definitely welcome and encouraged to submit to the competition this year. We have so many talented artists who apply for this competition, which makes narrowing the field down to only fifteen winners each year a huge challenge, but we don’t think this should deter anyone from submitting their work. Artists should not be shy about re-entering the competition.
NYFA: Roughly how many applicants are judged each year?
RN: It varies each year, depending on the scope of the exhibition. Since 2002, when the Emerging Young Artists Program began, the number of entries has varied from just below 100 to nearly 400.
NYFA: The theme this year is The Journey. Do you have any additional advice as to how artists should interpret this theme?
RN: We try to leave the theme as wide open as possible in order to pull from a range of artistic perspectives and disability experiences. With this year’s theme, The Journey, submitted artwork could reflect an artist’s personal journey, metaphorical or literal, or a journey undertaken in some way by humankind, perhaps social or technological. Artists should consider the purpose and goals of this competition and traveling exhibition, as stated above. They should also consider VSA’s and Volkswagen’s commitment to examining work at the intersection of creativity, disability, and a sustainable future.
NYFA: Along with monetary prizes and exhibition opportunities, winners receive two days of all-expenses-paid workshops in Washington D.C. What types of guidance and opportunities will be provided at these professional development workshops?
RN: A weekend of professional development workshops is a new and exciting element of our Emerging Young Artists Program. In speaking with both former winners and specialists in the arts, we realized that while our program facilitated professional connections and exposed artists’ work to new audiences around the country, it was missing a primer on how to represent oneself as a professional artist in the highly competitive field of visual arts. This year, mentors with varied backgrounds will advise artists in a variety of lessons, including improving written artist statements, gaining gallery representation, crafting a verbal “pitch,” and simply, choosing the preferred method for sending your portfolio, among other practical exercises. We understand that artists have different strengths and competitions have differing requirements, so the need to be trained in a variety of methods of representing oneself, particularly at these pivotal moments, is an important one. Additionally, select winners will be provided with opportunities to speak on behalf of artists with disabilities and their work, as well as mentor and provide workshops for students in schools and communities along the exhibition tour path.
NYFA: Can you elaborate on the criteria on which applicants’ work will be judged?
RN: Applicants’ work will be judged not only on the quality and technical proficiency of the art, but also by demonstration of the theme The Journey, occurring at the intersection of artistic creation, sustainability, and the disability experience.
NYFA: Who makes up the judging panel?
RN: Pursuing a diversified set of voices in the field of visual arts, from art business to academics, this year’s panel includes practicing artists, gallerists, museum administrators, and university educators.
NYFA: The adjudication process is described as rigorous. Can you describe this process? How will the judges view the art?
RN: We work as a group to review the submissions, with each adjudicator completing an evaluation rubric for every artist’s set of images. We ask artists to submit four different works; we want to have a well-rounded sense of the artist’s portfolio.
NYFA: What are some common mistakes applicants should avoid when preparing and sending work to D.C.?
RN: The most common question that I receive is regarding image submission. Please upload four images of four different pieces of artwork from your portfolio. We want to have a sense of your work as a whole, and we may select more than one piece for display. Additionally, we ask applicants to please read the instructions carefully and send supplemental materials to the PO box address listed in our application guidelines, not to the Kennedy Center memorial [building]. We wouldn’t want your images or videos to be lost or arrive too late to be considered!
NYFA: Any final words of encouragement to young artists intimidated by this prestigious competition?
RN: First, keep in mind that we are not only seeking artists whose work is of high caliber, we are also interested in representing the disability experience from a broad range of viewpoints. Whether you feel that your disability impacts your art or not, we are genuinely interested in including your voice in the conversation about what it means to be a young artist living with a disability. Second, the prizes awarded through the Emerging Young Artists Program by the Volkswagen Group of America are incredibly generous — a $20,000 grand prize, $10,000 for first place, $6,000 for second place, and twelve awards of excellence at $2,000 each. If that doesn’t interest you as an emerging young artist, you’ve probably already made it big!
For more information about the VSA Emerging Young Artists Program and the other programming that the Kennedy Center’s VSA offers to artists with disabilities, please visit the VSA website.
To find additional awards for individual artists, visit NYFA Classifieds’ Opportunities & Services for ArtistsandNYFA Source.
— Interview conducted by Jill Detrick-Yee
Images, from top: installation view of VSA’s 2013 In/Finite Earth exhibition at the Volkswagen Group of America headquarters, photograph by Margot Ingoldsby Schulman; Dylan Guest,Holding His Own, fiberglass resin sculpture from VSA’s 2012 exhibition Sustaining/Creating, photography by Gregory R. Staley; Clinton Bowman, Heaven: Beginnings and Endings, photograph, 2008, from VSA’s 2009 exhibition Accelerate, photography by Gregory R. Staley; P.J. Smalley, American Dad, oil on canvas, 2008, from VSA’s 2008 exhibition Green Light; photography by Gregory R. Staley.
Design: Printed Materials for A Solo Show: Electrolyte!
Last night I printed out the designed materials for A Solo Show: Electrolyte! I’m trying to think of EVERYTHING lol. The gift bags aren’t included here as they haven’t been completely made yet and I don’t have good photos of them. I will take more photos on setup day.
