......GGGGGHHHHH! I can't take anymore! I'm going to start SCREAMING. No, I'm not. YES I AM!!!!!I'm okay.
No. I'm not.
Five days of non-creative, pre-art show tedium. Paperwork, arrangements, errands, packing, framing and not making art make Lisa a LITTLE on edge. She's muttering to herself. Outloud. In public places.
I need to work. NOW!! But, I can't. One of those weeks... We need to work. We needs it, Preciousssssss.
Yes, this is shameless whining. Somebody kick me, please.
Just got an email from little Jordan., Ahhhh. Momentary balm. Aubrey has sequestered Orion. Mom is okay.....mostly, but likely to be grumpy. On the other hand, we get Pizza in the den!
I'm doing paperwork for two art shows at once. Leprecon, which I will be attending, and Balticon, to which I will be sending work, via Ravyn and Worlds of Wonder, the moment I get back.
Okay, now kick me.
When Lois McMaster Bujold presented me with a Chesley award a few years ago, she credited me with singlehandedly moving three -dimensional art from the back of the art show to the center. Maybe I deserve that honor---I'm not sure. But it was a really cool thing for her to say. I did fight for it, hard, for a number of years, before art show directors finally realized I could outlast them every time and would be no end of trouble. Finally they just worked harder not to place all the three-dimensional displays by the exits, restrooms and trash bins. Sheesh guys. Sculptors appreciate it.
The battle continues. I'm looking at the stack of blank bid sheets I must fill out. I must choose between these classifications for my work:
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Horror
Humor
3D
WHAT??? This denial of genre catagories to three-dimensional art has never worked and never will. I understand that they are mostly for the purposes of ribbons. Fine. BUT If categories must exist, let there be consistancy.
Either categorize by subject matter or by medium/material, e.g. Paintings, sculpture, jewelry, costumes. I'm sick to death of sculpture being excluded from genre. My work generally falls into the Fantasy or Horror categories, and occasionally into Science Fiction or Humor. And, for award purposes, it's unreasonable for jewelry to be lumped into the same category as huge kinetic pieces. I've seen some exquisite small pieces lost in this 3D black hole. Sometimes size matters.
It's way past time for convention art shows to rethink this thing.
Grumpiness from studio withdrawal aside, this is a valid issue. I'd love to hear from you and will happily forward your comments to my list of art show directors, who are generally reasonable people and will listen if artists bitch loudly and long enough. It only took me five years to get a few tables moved away from the loading docks.
Ok Lois, my dear. Here we go again....
But first, Lisa goes for a walk in the cool desert air. A very brisk walk...
Oh and by the way, Blogger ate my post and I have just re-composed and re-typed the entire thing.
Kick, kick, kickityy-kick.
G'night!
1 comment:
Maybe I'm naive, but it seems to me that a Chelsey award winning artist should have an entourage to go before to take care of any paperwork issues and set up issues! :)
I'm truly sorry to hear that your art, and 3 dimensional art in general, appears to be slowly going through the same growing pains that other media/genres have gone through in the past in regards to gaining the proper respectability and attention that they deserve. Maybe when that day comes you can proudly proclaim that you were on the forefront in pushing for change.
Although I obviously don't have a "voice" in these matters it only makes sense that art categories would be more defined in terms of groupings in shows as well as in regards to awards. I hate to think of artists in any genre not being recognized for their talent due to the ignorance of those who categorize and judge their work.
On a 'glass is half full' note I really hope that you have a positive, successful, and satisfying outing at both shows and return to work recharged instead of run down. My thoughts are with you.
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