Joyce Owens: Artist On Art

"Postcards" to "Friendships" at SSCAC

I like to think about what I am doing for a while.

I am not prone to spontaneity.

I like to revise and edit.

 

This piece below is one of 4 that I created for the "Friendships" exhibition... in a very short period of time. I desperately searched for materials in my stash as I wondered how I would come up  with my own interpretation of the theme. I had done art about relationships between women friends. My work mostly centers on race and gender, not who my friends are.

"My Friend Gets Me" is part of the series I call "Friends I know and Friends I Dream Of".

 

So having two back-to-back exhibitions at the historic South Side Community Art Center between Sept. 8 and October 24, 2010 was too much, or so I thought!

The "More than Skin Deep" series (below) was produced for the Sept. exhibition called "Postcard show".

The "Postcard" exhibition stayed up for about 3 weeks, the "Friendships" show closes Oct. 24 after 2 weeks and 2 days!

 

"More Than Skin Deep" series

 Not only was new work required, I also had to submit a self portrait for the traditional opening reception auction that we skipped for the "Postcards" (5" x 7" dimensions, not actual postcards, were required).

 I heard there was to be an October show in May, at a meeting as the advisory committee worked on Chicago Artists Month. A three-month window was tight by my  standards to make new work addressing a new theme. The rules and regs, and that there were TWO shows (not one) was somewhat clarified in July, or so...In the meanwhile I had two shows to organize for my university that I had been working on for over a year and several other invitationals to produce work for, including Not Just Another Pretty Face, a commission-based exhibition going up at the Hyde Park Art Center in November. To shoot the catalog the work was due early.

This is a portrait of the collector Lisa Gaines McDonald's grandfather.

 

I am also in several other exhibitions that I had to complete new work for or submit existing work. I did new work for La Loteria at Columbia Colleges Center for Book and Paper, another new piece for Tool Box Flower Box at Jackson Junge and some existing work for Salvage One through Woman Made Gallery and a show at Connie Gillock's Vinic Wine exhibition. I showed two new works at Gallery Guichard in a competition I had not entered!

"Start Here" is canvas, Arches paper, linen fabric, acrylic paint, copper wire and coconut shell for Tool Box Flower Box at Jackson Junge Gallery curated by Kim Laurel and Fletcher Hayes.

I discovered that the pressure pushed to me think faster!

Another work in the "Friendships" show is "My Friend Has Soul" and is Billie Holiday, a singer whose singing I have always loved.  She is a friend of dream of and would not have wanted a friend who was a drug addict. If I had had more time I could have thought of a better title for the piece, but, despite strict time limits I think I managed to make an art work I am proud to have pushed myself to create!

Juried exhibitions: Pay to Play

So, you find out about a great juried exhibition. Your work is clearly meant for it.

I won Best of Show at this Chicago gallery and a solo exhibition.

My work is on the back wall. I entered because of the juror.

The juror (who will judge YOUR art) is a nationally recognized curator at a major museum. You can just see this accomplishment on your resume/bio/cv!

So you enter work that was produced within the timeframe designated, only work produced during the last 2 years or maybe 3 years is eligible. You are the age required and NOT currently enrolled in a college or university as a student and you reside whereever the exhibition requires. Could be local, regional, national or international...could be women only, could be victims of something or people with certain ideas that they are examining through their work, could be photography only or sculpture...

"My Own Eve" by Joyce Owens won a First Prize from Faith Ringgold

You learn to read the small print.

Your work can be rejected if you do not follow the guidelines. Now jpeg size is also an issue, 72 dpi, 300 dpi, size in inches and pixels needs to be adhered to and labelling is a big deal. Last name with initial, title of art, numbered, thumbnail list and on and on...I don't think there are consistent guidelines and requirements. Each time you have to resize, reformat and retitle your images for internet submission or by mail on a CD. 

If you are not technologically contemporary you may not even be abe to apply without some help.

One more thing:

After all the work and prep and following of guidelines you have to cough up some cash!

You might pay one fee for several submissions. You might pay one fee for the first entry and another fee for each additional entry.

Should you enter juried shows, and if you do, what is the money used for? These are tricky questions with a range of answers.  Especially when the galleries also take a commission on sold works. Some answers: Jurors usually get honoraria. That may come out of the fees. Cash prizes may. Not always. Receptions, print material and maybe a gift to the institution that holds the event may come out of the fees...The staff preparators and those processing paperwork and moving the art work gets paid.

But artists often ask for money when they curate exhibitions, galleries sometimes ask for hanging fees...There are all kinds of ways that monies are accrued by galleries and artists. How much do people now pay to be in the Chicago Artists Coaltion's Art Open? I know they have made it more desirable, but it is a sizable fee for a large group show (yes there are other useful benefits through membership). Co-op and artist run galleries charge fees for exhibitiors. I once won a first prize at a gallery that insisted I pay a fee to insure I would prepare the walls after the exhibition. The walls were not prepared BEFORE my show! I did them!

Recently I was included in a competition that I had not entered. The "rules" were vague and not applied to all the artists. The judges were not curators or art historians or art critics or artists.

"Life Support" by Joyce Owens, 2010 did not win at Gallery Guichard last week

Most of us will take a chance on our art and sometimes the outcome is worth the risk! I think that is what drove artists to compete on the BravoTV art show.  Just in case!

But remember, artists, you always have the option of saying 'No thanks'.