Noncommittal: A Prospective Glance 5
As one show comes down and the work for the next is coming into the gallery, I thought - hey - I should post about this!
This year I'm curating and managing the Visual Studies Gallery in its new location in the second floor space of the UB Art Gallery. And holy smokes is it a lot of work.
These are screenshots-of-a-proof-of-the-catalog, since it's an easy way to show pics from the exhibition. I selected the artists from among the graduating Visual Studies BFA students at the end of May. They diligently worked all summer to produce new work to show in the fall - and it looked great. (And I'm proud of myself for getting three pieces to feel comfortable in such a large volume of space!) Besides meeting with the artists periodically, working with our graphic designer to get the invitation cards made, getting the press release written, approved, and distributed, working with the preparator and artists to get the pieces installed and lit, and getting tasty tasty donuts and Italian soda for the reception (oh and I wish I had a picture of that table; it looked great!), and doing image selection and layout for the catalog, I also wrote a killer catalog essay. Phew. Project management skills for the win!
When I'm writing, I tend to consider the experience of viewing and interacting with works, and then make connections with theoretical and philosophical territory. No difference here. As I keep writing about others' work, it's interesting to see what themes and approaches continue to arise in my thinking. How we describe things reflects how we make sense of things.
So, yes, the show is down. The next one will be Tumescence: Rumsey Competition Exhibition. Six undergraduate students are competing for a travel scholarship, and last year's recipient is the headline artist, and selected the show title. Keeping things organized and everyone on the same page is no small feat. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes in... getting it arranged in the gallery next week will be a fun puzzle.