Applicant Beware

So, how do you know if when you apply to a show that it's going to be legit or not?  You don't.  You basically have to try to read the warning signs- if there are any- in the prospectus when you apply.
Case in point:
I applied to a show in Oct. at Energy Gallery in Toronto.  Paid the entry fee: $35 for 4 pieces.  Heard back yesterday & they told me:
We are glad to inform you that you have been selected for the Freestyles 2-3-d-15 online exhibition as well as the upcoming physical exhibit entitled: "Energeia 14-15".
Of course, they didn't mention which pieces.  Then I get a nice little email:

Maximum number of artwork by each artist: 2

Exhibition & shipping fees:

US and Canadian artists - US$120/one piece of artwork (includes gallery exhibition, online exhibition and return shipping fees by standard courier).

Give me an effing break!  If you are not a vanity gallery, how do you have the right to ask for that kind of nonsense? Are we paying your salaries or what?  

They tried to cover their ass when I wrote back to complain.  Apparently, I overlooked/forgot the clause:

(Please note charges for physical exhibition applies, however qualifying fees paid by accepted artists will be credited toward physical exhibition fees payment.)

What do you think that would turn out to be?  $20 $30 $40 extra?  I obviously would never have applied if I thought I was going to get scammed out of an additional $240!  

Call me bitter, but I hope that gallery get struck by lightning. 

Serendipity

I've noticed lately, that all my highs have been coupled with lows, even if neither case is that extreme.  Example:  Free shipping to a gallery yields some broken glass, a department store clearance purchase equals a negative bank account balance and moments after being notified of winning a prize, I slip on a wet floor and re-sprain my big toe.  

Eh, what are you going to do?

But check it out- I received the First Place Photograph award in Baker Arts Center's 12th National Juried Art Exhibition http://www.bakerartscenter.org/Exhibits.html

Yay!  And ow.  But mostly yay. 

Carrie M. Becker

Ooh, done for the semester!

After last week's shenanigans, I decided to forego anymore ORV-ing with the Volvo and Photoshop my way out of a predicament.  I merged two semi-OK existing images and made one nice, portfolio-worthy image that in reality, save me a trip to the boonies, a hike to a location, a shlepping of many heavy boxes of material up and down a rickity staircase, bruised knees from crawling around on an unfinished floor and frostbite.

I'm much happier this way.

Carrie M. Becker

I'm Exhausted.

You know, I was really looking forward to winter break.  Time away from school, catching up with family and friends...  It's Dec. 21st.  Know what I'm doing today?  I'm driving 120 miles out to my favorite abandoned house to install and shoot more of my, you know, "sculpture".
Between that and those goddern faculty applications, I have not had a single day off since Thanksgiving.
A person cannot keep this schedule up!  She is destined for a case of the crazies!
On a more practical note, I enjoy being productive. I find that I can no longer watch and DVD longer than a 1/2 hour or I get to twitching.  If only I could parlay that energy into cleaning my apartment...

UPDATE: Armed with my Xmas card money, a full tank of gas, 50 degree weather and eight sculptures in my car, I trekked all the way to Ellsworth and pulled up 1000 ft. from my destination- and slid down an embankment and got stuck in a ditch.  Walked the mile to the gas station, called a tow truck and and attempted to have him pull me out. The flatbed truck couldn't pull up close enough to my car due to all the mud, so he had to call in the wrecker.   I finally got pulled out of the ditch and while this is going on, the flatbed truck pulled off to the side of the road- and promptly got stuck  and also had to be pulled out by the wrecker. See?  Coulda happened to anyone...especially people like me who are dumb enough to drive down a soggy dirt road in the first place.  Yep.  Sadly, this isn't the first time my judgement has been clouded by art-fueled psychosis, but what are you gonna do?
With an hour and a half of daylight left, I pulled this big, pink turd outta my butt just for you!
That there was one expensive photograph.
Carrie M. Becker

Blog for a Blog

Carrie M. Becker Featured interviewee at:

http://artczar.wordpress.com/

Whoa My Golly!

Dood.  You wouldn't believe who called me tonight- the  founder/owner of myartspace.com, Catherine McCormack-Skiba. Apparently, she's been looking at the galleries I've been posting on her site.  She started talking about my installation work and said to me the nicest thing that I've heard about this series so far, "I just love your work!  I can't even describe it- I can't even put it in a category!"  Coming from someone who was RIGHT THEN, AT THAT POINT attending an opening of some very high caliber artists...well, you could've knocked me over with a feather. So then she started asking me what work, if any, I have to send her for an opening on Dec.10th for the physical space in Palo Alto, Ca. I'm like, "Hey Catherine, you wouldn't believe what I'm standing here looking at right now.  It's a long story that involves a package of art that USPS nearly lost, then found and I had to have some things re-made... anyway, I have for you three framed, matted photo triptychs that are boxed up and sitting in my kitchen, just waiting to be shipped out Monday morning."  

So she said that she'll promote me at the show and on the site and I feel like it's a very promising situation overall.
Carrie M. Becker

Rhetoric and Uncertainty

Though it shouldn't,  it bothers me greatly that someone I deal with frequently has little faith in my abilities as an artist.

I am trying REALLY HARD to figure out a thesis installation solution, but I feel like I've been working in a fricking vacuum! That's fine, I'm not complaining- I LOVE working without interruption/feedback/within a 25 mile radius of people, but there is only so much I can figure out and accomplish on a certain timeline.  My day will come, but it will probably not be as early as March 2010 and if that makes me a talentless hack, so be it.

In other news, I took some nice photos of my work in a homesteader's cabin from 1863 today.  Go me.
Carrie M. Becker