A can of wiggling worms

As I neared the sure completion of The Art of Giving,  the big give away of the artists books, I found myself anxiously asking, "Now What?" 

Enter, stage left, a can of wiggling worms: What to do with all the newer, bulkier work!!!

That big "Now What?" is why I enrolled in the Creative Capital course and the Praxis course...trying to figure out the next steps for the works on susanhenselprojects!

Sales, of course, would be lovely.  But a lot of my work seems to stubbornly resist commodification. How do you place an installation?  Certainly, after its initial showing or set of showings, the parts can be dispersed. Ophelia and (Her)Suit can be broken apart.  In fact, they were designed to be dispersed piecemeal. But they need to tell their stories a bit more before that happens.

Much dithering still ensues.  However, I have concluded that a new approach to exhibition and a new approach to financing the artwork must be developed.

While considering my response to the results of The Art of Giving and the results of my course work, I am reading a fairly amazing book:  The Art of Asking: How I stopped Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer. I had watched her TED talk a week or so ago and was captivated.

I am contemplating several techniques of fundraising: general ( a support tab on the website), project specific to complete (Her)Suit and a larger scale studio equipment upgrade campaign.

There!  I've said it!

It is so hard to contemplate, much less ask for help!

The message  of the Art of Asking is timely. I am hesitant to ask for donations/help.  The TED talk and the book address this fear.  It is intriguing. It bears thinking about. I am pondering this.

Just a note about Weebly

I have been happily using Weebly for Susanhenselprojects.com for a long time.  It is mostly intuitive and easy to use. However, it came to my attention ( thanks Sharon Louden) that changes
I made to my website in the last month have not been displaying as designed. I worked long and hard on it yesterday afternoon and evening, saving and publishing over and over before things displayed correctly as designed. It's not like I haven't been doing this since the dawn of website design.Yikes!

So this is to say: double and triple check your web publications on a separate tab EVERYTIME.  Empty your cache and check again.The website preview tab may not be telling the truth.

Meanwhile there is still a lot left to do. Many captions were missing from photos...not all, but many. My forgetfulness to get back to them as well as the Weebly hiccup. So, if you notice something really WEIRDLY ASKEW, please feel free to let me know.

The Art of Giving

Generosity and hospitality are core values for me.  Those values animated my gallery work: creating welcoming spaces for viewers; offering generous no fee help for emerging and established artists.

 

Last year I began to think about generosity in regard to my own art.  Like all artists I not only have a stash of materials, but I also have a stash of older work that needs to find a home. It is a real problem for all artists...famous ones and not so famous ones.

So, I wondered, "What would it look like if I gifted my remaining artists books to public collections?" "How would it feel to give the work away?"  "What are the risks and benefits?"

I started informally, by contacting Minnesota Center for Book Arts, with whom I have had a long relationship. One afternoon, Jeff Rathermel and I went through everything I could find.  (I was not yet organized for the project.)  I kept unearthing things I had completely forgotten about!  It was a surprise and a delight.  When Jeff left with all the boxes, I gulped a bit...but then I felt so much lighter!

It was exciting and fun to give the work away!  It helped to make sure than when I am gone, my hard work will live on.

After that initial afternoon I got a little more organized.  I sent an email to a couple of  of my existing collections about gifting books to their collections. And I waited...

I think I waited only a day for the first excited response from a librarian at University of Colorado at Boulder.  She was in Paris at a book show when she received the email and responded right away!  They wanted one of everything, if that wasn't too much!  Oh my!  I was so pleased to complete their holdings of my work so it could be shared with students.

Then I got even more organized. I named the project The Art of Giving. I did a rigorous inventory and condition check of the remaining books.  I got together the addresses of more public collections who already held my books ( 8-10 places.) With the help of Danielle Moler, my current intern/assistant, I crafted a letter, made a "for collections eyes only" website, burned CDs, printed documentation and sent offers to my existing collections. And I waited...

It felt a little risky and vulnerable to send these packets.

More collections responded...most positively. Of course there were silences and demurs as well.  But, I sent out more books.

Now Danielle and I are sending to collections that have never held my work. The silences are more pronounced, but the occasional "yes" is so rewarding.  As a result, I now have work in  the Getty and the Cleveland Institute of Art.

I have more than doubled the number of collections and the number of books represented in collections.  I went from 10 or 11 public  collections to 23 public collections, so far. I don't remember how many pieces were placed before I began this project, but something like 110 artworks are now in public collections.

So, how do I feel about all of this?  proud, of course.  But it did open up a new wiggling can of worms...

The Career Re-Boot Continues

I NOW HAVE SOME GOALS

It has been an overwhelming month!  The Creative Capital class with Sharon Louden was primo.  I am continuing the class with Brainard Carey.  Sharon's class really helped me hone in on my goals. Brainard's class hones in on alternative fundraising.

Doing this intensive study has taken me away from making art (sigh).  I get obsessed and find it hard to turn-off the research and frantic thinking (sigh). But I have come up with a list of goals, general and specific,  short and long term.

Long term Goal

• find collections to house the newer work

Short term goals

• financial support to upgrade equipment
• opportunities to show Ophelia, (Her)Suit and Eros and Thanatos

General Goals

• Build local visibility as an artist
• find solo show opportunities
• develop alternative income streams

Specific goals/possibilities for the next year

1. attend openings
2. offer salons/potlucks in the studio
3. consider doing a 1-4 times per year show in the gallery/studio space
4. serve on the board of a non-profit art organization
5. send proposals to 5 university galleries
6. find temporary space to mount (Her)Suit, to exhibit & Document
7. create/update mailing lists of : curators, galleries, foundations
8. visit lots of local galleries, both for openings and other times
9. send postcards again!
10. design a smallish print-on-demand portfolio book to send to galleries.
11. do targeted fundraising to complete (Her)Suit
12. do a crowdsourced fundraiser to upgrade equipment
13. continue to apply for grants

I color coded the goals for you and me, to show how the specific goals relate to  the general goals.  There is overlap, of course. Visibility is increased by shows/shows are increased by visibility. Income streams are built from fundraising, but also from exhibits in paying venues. etc.

Fund Raising, sort of: June 18 Paper Sale!

IT'S A PAPER SALE!
and the suits are dancing in anticipation.

Huh?

Saturday, June 18, 10-4
Susan Hensel Gallery
3441 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis

I am lightening the load in the studio.  Unbeknownst to many, I used to be a paper dealer...and a paper hoarder.  I need to make room to store finished work and create $$$ toward the completion of (Her)Suit.  It is going to take $5000 to complete, document and take this installation to its first venue.  So, let the fundraising, however modest, begin!

The papers for sale are mostly from the Black Ink line of papers.  I have a sizeable stack of Canson/Strathmore/unknown.  These papers will all run $1, $2, and $3.

I will have boxes of collage materials. These are organized , marked, cardboard boxes of collage and assemblage materials.  Sold by the box, prices yet to be determined.

I am selling my board shear.

 

It is in perfect condition.  It is modest size, weighs a ton, will handle 1/2 sheet of Davey board.  $1000.

There will be some display equipment for sale: gridwall, backdrop frames.  You may have to wander out to the garage to see them...we'll see how my energy goes.  Make an offer.

Weird other stuff may join the fray.  So do come by.

Precious tools

We all have tools that we love: paint brushes, hammers, drills, words, computers, needles, thread, cameras...

This is my most precious tool.  My father gave it to me when I was about 15 years old. Everytime I use it, I think of him and imagine him watching me from the "Great Somewhere" of memory, and nodding his head. Perhaps he had hoped it would lead me to an engineering career, like his. But 50 years later, it draws mysterious aquatic creatures on lovely paper.

What is your favorite tool?