Canadian Artist Julia Trops in Kelowna BC Canada

on days I seem2need a little+ motivation going2the gym,I really appreciate the parking spot near/door.It is a gentle caress from/universe.

I have very few friends.

I like it that way.

My friendships are based on quality, not quantity. My friends are ones who I know that if I ever needed anything, I could ask, and it would be there. My friends, at this time of my life, here in Kelowna and I am happy to say, worldwide, are the most supportive I have ever known in my 47 years.

My friends help in show setups, they help in providing lights and supports such as easels, and they help in terms of emotional support when all I want to do is be irrational. My friends listen, and nod their head and wait for the storm to pass, and then, my friends talk, and I listen.

My friends give me reassurances. If necessary, my friends tell me to shut up, and/or my friends tell me to sit on my hands. My friends ask me “are you crazy? what the hell are/were you thinking?” all the time. (Hmmm, maybe I should listen more.) My friends are great sounding boards, and my friends know where I am coming from. And if my friends don’t know where I am coming from, they ask.

I have good friends.

Today’s blog post has to do with a few comments via email regarding Art Shows & Curators – Calls to Artists Part 2:

From WP:

I am not a TWEETER but had to say that as well as being informative, I found this article and it’s preceding half; intelligent, provocative and brutally honest … even harsh girl! As a newbie in the fine art world I shall remember your criticisms and instructions regarding exhibition preparation and Curator respect.

Thanks WP!! I appreciate your comments and in my email back to you I said:

Re the blog, yes, I am fairly straight and to the point, and extremely direct most especially when writing. I’ve been involved in the arts community here for about eight years now – very heavily involved. I know about 95% of the professional artists, and with the number of shows I have done (coordinated/curated), trust me when I say these things needed to be said. The same old missing information each time ie “oh I don’t use a calendar, I find it too confining” bull shit. Very frustrating. Harsh it can be for some, but I have always hated beating around the bush when a direct arrow is quicker and more efficient. I can be diplomatic when the occasion requires it, but in giving information I seldom find that effective, and the military was a terrific teacher in honing both those skills. I’d rather be direct and say exactly what I mean than be wishy washy and have miscommunications because of potential word connotation or definition conflicts.

Especially with artists – we tend to be very frou frou, (but) if a concept is said bluntly, we get it. Usually. lol! Most people appreciate it though the majority prefer to have their egos or emotions stroked. And to be fair, me too – but only when “deserved”. Today’s society is so politically correct that we have to constantly say nice things to each other – ugh, pain in the ass.

btw, I don’t use an eraser in my drawings, and my charcoal strokes are strong and bold. That should tell you multitudes. lol!

An addendum to all this with further thought this morning at the gym: to me there is a difference, a huge difference in being harsh and being mean. When I say the things I do, it is to give effective communication, to give information, not to be mean or derisive. I do tend to use humour, although some may consider it a little too dry, to illustrate a situation, but in all fairness, I am usually quite accurate.

When I say what I am saying to my fellow artists, who are also friends and acquaintances, the ones who know me know where I am coming from, and they know that I am saying this to help, not to hinder. They know what I have gone through in the past in trying to organize shows for myself and for them*, and if I had the presence of mind to say all of this at the requisite time, then most assuredly, I would say it. Some have heard me rant, it doesn’t mean that I hate them or other artists, it means that I am frustrated at the situation where they don’t know or haven’t been exposed, or haven’t thought.

What is my goal in posting this information on the blog? To get these artists to have the PRESENCE of mind to use their initiative to think about what the coordinator/curator goes through… what can make their job easier. Don’t you think I absolutely love the artists who cross their t’s and dot their i’s? I do. I think they are glorious for their professionalism, they walk on water, and I respect them highly. LB you are one of them.

It is a raising of the bar, and I know the artists in this community are up to it. They just need to know what to do.If they think I am being harsh, then I would tell them “Shelve the ego, and listen to the message. You might learn something.” But, I’d say it with a smile, of course.

*upcoming blog post

If you are in #BC, #kelowna #vancouver #kamloops #vernon or #canada and support the #arts, please use this link. #art http://ow.ly/FWq9

Sometimes the sad truth is that you may not like how a curator displays your work.

In a nutshell, too bad for you.

You have the option to either see it as the curator sees it, or the message that the curator is trying to get across or understand how the curator had to work within the space confines, or you can take your work out.

If you take your work out, you run the risk of looking like a high maintenance prima donna, or in my eyes, at the least, very unprofessional. But that is your choice.

When you submit work for an art show, whether in a gallery, an informal community centre such as the RCA Galleria, or in your own space, you need to remember to think about a few things, and to do a few things, BEFORE you submit, and then remember these AFTER you submit. A Call to Artists is a Call to Artists, regardless if the art will be presented in a gallery for a fundraiser, or if in a public gallery for a show, or a commercial gallery for sale.

First, is the Call to Artists. Your job, and the scope of your responsibility is the artwork. I’ve addressed the majority of the issues already in this blog post here. In the Call, there may be specific requests or requirements, such as having the works ready and wired to hang, or framing issues etc. If you have any questions at all, the time to ask them will be at the Call to Artists. Even if the Call does not state, use your initiative to ASK about space issues – should you submit a large work or a small one? ASK about potential client attendees – should you submit to a price point, or a specific subject, or a specific size or should they be framed?

There are normally two main goals when you submit work to a Call: exposure and sales (or cv if work is not for sale). Why wouldn’t you do the absolute best you can to satisfy and succeed in those two goals?

rant/ RESPECT the deadlines! Can I say that any louder? RESPECT THE DEADLINES! That means you need to mark your own calendar, and be responsible for work drop off, and for work pick up…. ON TIME! When I coordinate a show, I don’t want you calling me every week and asking me when to drop off work, or when to pick up work, when I have already provided you with that information! (I am thinking of one particular artist who did that. I no longer take their calls.) I am not your mother, or your caretaker, or your angel on your shoulder! I gave you a timeline, use it! Am I frustrated? Can you tell? lol! Okay, that felt better. If you don’t have a calendar, get one. Then, after you get the calendar, use it. The excuse “I am an artist, I am above/I don’t know how/can’t/don’t want to” is bullshit. I don’t care if it is a hard copy book, or one online, just get one, then use it! Yes, that is a direct command from General Trops! I use google calendars, I can access them from anywhere on the web, my whole family is on there, so if I need to figure out if an appointment is doable, I log in and check. So simple! /rant

When a curator is installing a work they have to work, at the very minimum, within constraints such as space, and what other works are submitted. The best overall look for a show is the number one priority for the curator. Simply put, artist egos have no place in determining where an artwork goes. Larger works are usually placed first, or depending on the message that needs to be conveyed, the artworks that are placed first are usually the strongest in that message. Something I should say again, is that artist egos have no place in deciding where an artwork goes, most especially in a group show.

Make sure your artworks are labeled! Recently I had the opportunity to coordinate and curate the Evergreen Art Gallery of about 40 or 50 works – I would say at least 75% of the works were not marked on the back. Nothing. No title, no medium, no artist name, nothing. When the same artist submits five pieces, and none of them are marked, what do you think is the likelihood of the correct tag being put on the work? Or if an artist submits an unmarked diptych or a triptych, what is the likelihood that they will be arranged properly? Obviously if the artist does not care to mark the piece, then should I care to make sure the right tag is on it, or it is in the right order? oops… that is sounding dangerously like another rant. Well, I think you get the idea.

When you submit work for a show, it is the curator’s job to ensure it all works within the space and the artworks as a whole.  The artist is responsible for their work arriving and departing, and the curator is responsible for the gestalt presentation.

Present your best artwork in a professional manner at all times, and the curator will do their best too.