(my) art world
I've been dragging my feet on letting out these various points of news, and for that I apologize. I know you guys want to share in my joy and pain and all of it, but some of this stuff is very precious to me--as if by saying it out loud it'll go away. Am I superstitious? Maybe a little. Maybe this town has kicked me in the gut just a few too many times. But I'm ready to talk about it--it's my turn, damn it. So here we go...
Dance, Belly
The belly dancing classes have been modestly populated at best. No surprise, really. Getting people to learn dancing in an art gallery in Bushwick on a Sunday (prime hang-over and post-brunch nappy time, no less) is pretty ambitious goal. Due to the heat and Burning Man, the Ad Hoc owners have suspended my classes until mid-Sept. Not a problem--I can still teach private lessons and I have at least one bite already. I've been collaborating with their web guy on how to update the new site with news, helpful tips, photos and videos. Their HR/legal guy is also a marketing wiz, so we'll hit this hard and have a cult of rabid dancers before I know it. I've also been networking with local belly dancers via MySpace with the intention of learning more tribal fusion style as well as pulling together a killer weekend of workshops, performances, and mad love. Maybe we can pull this off in early November, weather pending.
Dance, Modern
Next Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8 PM I will be dancing in this: http://americandanceguild.org/home/?q=node/256
Who's that on the right? Why, that's Celeste, my bestest friend and partner in crime. The piece she, I, and several other dancers will be performing is a Butoh work. Butoh is a post-atomic, modern dance from Japan--very deep, cathartic and deliberate. I mentioned this gig to one of my friends and he said, "You do that too?" Yup. The belly dancing was a spin-off from my modern dance background, way back. My old teacher, who is the chorographer of this current piece, noticed my exotic/erotic dance temperament and suggested we go to a belly dance workshop. The rest is history. Anyway, if you're in NYC, please come out and see us.
Art, Mine
This is good and bad news. The bad news, first, is that I showed my photos to a gallery owner I have become acquainted with through the course of attending a friend's show and buying said friend's art from the show. I was somewhat aware that Gallery Owner was keen on me, but I kept our one evening out for drinks friendly and professional. (My latest POV regarding people in general is that I don't know where they belong in my life until I get to know them. Unfortunately, some guys think they belong in my pants, never mind my philosophy.) So...
One afternoon, at his behest, I stopped by the gallery to show him my photos. He looked. He liked. He offered to "make me a deal." (Uh-oh is right.) In exchange for taking his headshots, he offered to cook me dinner at his place. I argued that I do not take portraits, as my work clearly suggests--he said I have a "good eye" and he thought I'd do a "good job." I argued that I do not have studio lighting--he said we could take them outdoors. I meekly and abstractly agreed, thinking that I could still manipulate the situation to my advantage. After counsel with several artists, women, and women artists, I have decided to ignore his offer completely because: 1) Headshots in this town go for $300 per studio session--not dinner at someone's house. He'd continually use those pictures to gain acting work; I'd poop out my "payment" in a matter of hours. 2) Dinner at someone's house is never just dinner. 2.5) My art is better than a fuck. And even if it isn't, the fuck should not be the deciding factor. No one would ever have to know what I did for a solo show, but I would, and my standards actually *are* that high.
He's contacted me twice since the proposition. Stonewall still in place. You know... even if I was attracted to him, his abuse of power would be a disgusting turn-off. What is WRONG with him/his penis that he has to go to such elaborate lengths to get laid? Furthermore, he just shit where he eats, to put it colloquially. I was an art-buying patron of his gallery. Now I'll most likely smear his sexist ass a new one in a NYC art periodical.
Good news: There IS the very promising potential of my acceptance into a group art show at Ad Hoc in the spring. The subject is urban decay. Yeah, I think I can swing that. Just need to pick a new lab and get some enlarging going on. W00t! I've also been actively pursuing calls for artwork. AND Jen and I are really, srrsly starting work on my website soon.
Art, Working in the Field
I've saved the best news for last... After months and months of building a solid friendship with Alicia, long lost friend from high school, and developing a working relationship with the folks at Ad Hoc, I'm... I'm...
I'M GOING TO BE FILLING IN ON THE WEEKENDS AS A GALLERY ASSISTANT/COORDINATOR. This doesn't just have potential for networking, client building, and selling, it also has very real curatorial possibilities. I am over the moon. Over the next few months Alicia will be training me. Perhaps after Dec. or January she will shift all of her responsibilities over to me and live happily ever after in Philly, from where she commutes every weekend in order to work at Ad Hoc (it's that cool). It cannot be a full-time job for me, however, because the pay would not cover even half of my rent. However, it's the labor of love I've been hoping for, a resume' builder, and a stepping-stone. Thank you, Brooklyn! (Fuck you, Chelsea!)
And that, dear friends, is really all the news that fits. I love you all.
Dance, Belly
The belly dancing classes have been modestly populated at best. No surprise, really. Getting people to learn dancing in an art gallery in Bushwick on a Sunday (prime hang-over and post-brunch nappy time, no less) is pretty ambitious goal. Due to the heat and Burning Man, the Ad Hoc owners have suspended my classes until mid-Sept. Not a problem--I can still teach private lessons and I have at least one bite already. I've been collaborating with their web guy on how to update the new site with news, helpful tips, photos and videos. Their HR/legal guy is also a marketing wiz, so we'll hit this hard and have a cult of rabid dancers before I know it. I've also been networking with local belly dancers via MySpace with the intention of learning more tribal fusion style as well as pulling together a killer weekend of workshops, performances, and mad love. Maybe we can pull this off in early November, weather pending.
Dance, Modern
Next Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8 PM I will be dancing in this: http://americandanceguild.org/home/?q=node/256
Who's that on the right? Why, that's Celeste, my bestest friend and partner in crime. The piece she, I, and several other dancers will be performing is a Butoh work. Butoh is a post-atomic, modern dance from Japan--very deep, cathartic and deliberate. I mentioned this gig to one of my friends and he said, "You do that too?" Yup. The belly dancing was a spin-off from my modern dance background, way back. My old teacher, who is the chorographer of this current piece, noticed my exotic/erotic dance temperament and suggested we go to a belly dance workshop. The rest is history. Anyway, if you're in NYC, please come out and see us.
Art, Mine
This is good and bad news. The bad news, first, is that I showed my photos to a gallery owner I have become acquainted with through the course of attending a friend's show and buying said friend's art from the show. I was somewhat aware that Gallery Owner was keen on me, but I kept our one evening out for drinks friendly and professional. (My latest POV regarding people in general is that I don't know where they belong in my life until I get to know them. Unfortunately, some guys think they belong in my pants, never mind my philosophy.) So...
One afternoon, at his behest, I stopped by the gallery to show him my photos. He looked. He liked. He offered to "make me a deal." (Uh-oh is right.) In exchange for taking his headshots, he offered to cook me dinner at his place. I argued that I do not take portraits, as my work clearly suggests--he said I have a "good eye" and he thought I'd do a "good job." I argued that I do not have studio lighting--he said we could take them outdoors. I meekly and abstractly agreed, thinking that I could still manipulate the situation to my advantage. After counsel with several artists, women, and women artists, I have decided to ignore his offer completely because: 1) Headshots in this town go for $300 per studio session--not dinner at someone's house. He'd continually use those pictures to gain acting work; I'd poop out my "payment" in a matter of hours. 2) Dinner at someone's house is never just dinner. 2.5) My art is better than a fuck. And even if it isn't, the fuck should not be the deciding factor. No one would ever have to know what I did for a solo show, but I would, and my standards actually *are* that high.
He's contacted me twice since the proposition. Stonewall still in place. You know... even if I was attracted to him, his abuse of power would be a disgusting turn-off. What is WRONG with him/his penis that he has to go to such elaborate lengths to get laid? Furthermore, he just shit where he eats, to put it colloquially. I was an art-buying patron of his gallery. Now I'll most likely smear his sexist ass a new one in a NYC art periodical.
Good news: There IS the very promising potential of my acceptance into a group art show at Ad Hoc in the spring. The subject is urban decay. Yeah, I think I can swing that. Just need to pick a new lab and get some enlarging going on. W00t! I've also been actively pursuing calls for artwork. AND Jen and I are really, srrsly starting work on my website soon.
Art, Working in the Field
I've saved the best news for last... After months and months of building a solid friendship with Alicia, long lost friend from high school, and developing a working relationship with the folks at Ad Hoc, I'm... I'm...
I'M GOING TO BE FILLING IN ON THE WEEKENDS AS A GALLERY ASSISTANT/COORDINATOR. This doesn't just have potential for networking, client building, and selling, it also has very real curatorial possibilities. I am over the moon. Over the next few months Alicia will be training me. Perhaps after Dec. or January she will shift all of her responsibilities over to me and live happily ever after in Philly, from where she commutes every weekend in order to work at Ad Hoc (it's that cool). It cannot be a full-time job for me, however, because the pay would not cover even half of my rent. However, it's the labor of love I've been hoping for, a resume' builder, and a stepping-stone. Thank you, Brooklyn! (Fuck you, Chelsea!)
And that, dear friends, is really all the news that fits. I love you all.