Moment & Memory Reception
These words couldn’t be more true, as was the case at my most recent reception. I was a little unsure as to whether anyone would actually show up, given the odd day and time (which by the way was so due to summer hours of operations at the U of A). It was a genuine concern so I put my faith in the lucky number thirteen, which was not only the date of the reception but the number of pieces I had in the exhibit as well. Now mind you this number 13 business was all purely coincidence, but I am of the belief that occasionally things might just happen for a reason.
So the morning of the 13th came and I knew it was off to a good start when I awoke to overcast skies and cool air. Now for those of you who have not experienced the hellish heat of an Arizona summer you might have considered that to be less than pleasurable weather, but for us was indeed a glorious sight. It meant that for at least that day we could be outside without fear of roasting from the inside out, we could drive with our windows down, and we could enjoy a day outside of our little boxes. The amazing thing was that it stayed this way all day, not just the morning, but all day long.
But that was just the start. Then there was the winning of $7 in the lottery, and then another $2. Things just kept happening.
By 2:30 I was at the school setting up the refreshment table and was still a little skeptical about attendance (hence why I only purchased fourty plates, cups, etc.) but kept my hopes up that at least a few people would come. Around 3:00 a couple of people trickled in and slowly but surely more people arrived. It appeared as if lucky 13 hadn’t let me down. Now I’m not going to say the place filled up to maximum capacity and was overflowing out the doors, actually it didn’t even come close to that. But you know what, there seemed to be a perfect amount of people. Not to many, not to few. Now some might have been a bit disappointed, but what I realized as the reception progressed is that everyone who wanted to spend time with my work was able to. There were moments when I saw two or more people at each pedestal, each person taking the time to read and enjoy the book that was in front of them. It was really wonderful to watch, and it felt like such an accomplishment simply to break that “hands off” barrier with the viewer. It’s always been important to me that the viewer be able to handle the work, after all they are books and what good is a book if you can’t experience the joy of turning the page and seeing what awaits you? That’s just my two cents anyway.
By the time it was all over I had been able to chat with virtually everyone who had come to see my work, some of which even pointed out things about the work that I had never noticed myself. It really seemed like everyone really enjoyed the show.
In the end the reception went really well, lucky 13 or not. More importantly however, is that I discovered that it isn’t the quantity of people that matters most, rather the quality of each of those individuals experience that really defines a successful show.
Thanks to all of you who have stopped by, or plan to stop by before the shows end.
The Killing Jar - books/installation piece.
Since my recent workshop at the U of A went so well, I decided to offer the following:
