I am going through yet another "what's the point of making art" periods. I struggle with a process which includes wanting to show work and have people take an interest. Even friends don't show a lot of interest, which is hard when art is so central to how I see myself. I have very few showing opportunities, no spaces to hire even in a wide area. Open calls are a bit of a nightmare, just galleries wanting to make money. It will be hard to excise the wanting to show part out of my process but feel this can be the only way forward. An alternative practice focused on self expression and fulfillment alone, and I would be tempted to throw away or recycle anything I make.
Hi Sharon, My first question is, have you participated in the international mail art community? Question two: do you participate in any local, regular creative art making get togethers like a local collage collective? I am into collage especially so that is why I ask. I have one I attend locally once a month. What media do you work in?
Yes, I did join the IUOMA community and did exchange work with some members, although that was a while back. Mail art is certainly a very good alternative to the traditional art scene. I've also done some add-and-pass through Facebook connections and contributed to KART, Circulaire and Attic Zine. There are no local art gatherings here. The local art scene in this very small town is pretty closed and also rather traditional. I may be the only collagist for many miles, so no mileage in setting up a group either. I think the nearest group is about 90 minutes away and members produce interesting work but it's not open membership. I'm usually quite motivated but can lose my way through this isolation and lack of opportunity.
I am just now coming back around to the conversation. Yes, that is a problem. That was why I got started with the things I do communally. I had to think on a more global scale. The same with Les Jones of Contemporary Collage Magazine. When he got started with collage back around the time of the pandemic, he was amazed how under represented the collage community is so he decided to start his magazine to add another voice to it. I think for many years we have all felt very isolated. Just in the last three years I have decided to get out more and travel around and see people that I had only communicated with by internet and email. In fact, back in 2009 Matthew Rose put a project together and many of us gathered in New York for that project (A Book About Death - https://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/ ) It was the first time most of us met each other though we had been communicating together online for years at that point.
The good thing is that it is possible to develop a community with people online, to talk directly to each other and even go around and hang out together.
how has it been going since the last time we talked? Two years ago already!
I am going through yet another "what's the point of making art" periods. I struggle with a process which includes wanting to show work and have people take an interest. Even friends don't show a lot of interest, which is hard when art is so central to how I see myself. I have very few showing opportunities, no spaces to hire even in a wide area. Open calls are a bit of a nightmare, just galleries wanting to make money. It will be hard to excise the wanting to show part out of my process but feel this can be the only way forward. An alternative practice focused on self expression and fulfillment alone, and I would be tempted to throw away or recycle anything I make.
Hi Sharon, My first question is, have you participated in the international mail art community? Question two: do you participate in any local, regular creative art making get togethers like a local collage collective? I am into collage especially so that is why I ask. I have one I attend locally once a month. What media do you work in?
Yes, I did join the IUOMA community and did exchange work with some members, although that was a while back. Mail art is certainly a very good alternative to the traditional art scene. I've also done some add-and-pass through Facebook connections and contributed to KART, Circulaire and Attic Zine. There are no local art gatherings here. The local art scene in this very small town is pretty closed and also rather traditional. I may be the only collagist for many miles, so no mileage in setting up a group either. I think the nearest group is about 90 minutes away and members produce interesting work but it's not open membership. I'm usually quite motivated but can lose my way through this isolation and lack of opportunity.
I am just now coming back around to the conversation. Yes, that is a problem. That was why I got started with the things I do communally. I had to think on a more global scale. The same with Les Jones of Contemporary Collage Magazine. When he got started with collage back around the time of the pandemic, he was amazed how under represented the collage community is so he decided to start his magazine to add another voice to it. I think for many years we have all felt very isolated. Just in the last three years I have decided to get out more and travel around and see people that I had only communicated with by internet and email. In fact, back in 2009 Matthew Rose put a project together and many of us gathered in New York for that project (A Book About Death - https://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com/ ) It was the first time most of us met each other though we had been communicating together online for years at that point.
The good thing is that it is possible to develop a community with people online, to talk directly to each other and even go around and hang out together.
how has it been going since the last time we talked? Two years ago already!
More about this. I like the topic and your approach.
OK, I'll see what I can come up with. Any particular question or specific topic? Give me a problem I have to solve.