Showing Art.

Tonight I'm going to the reception for my friend's photography show. He's had work in the Westmoreland Museum of Art and in the Carnegie for the AAP annual, but he's never had a solo exhibition before. The art has been up on the walls for weeks, but he seemed like he had to work up to the prospect of an actual "opening". The printing, framing and hanging came quite easy for him- but nonetheless he's nervous about talking to others about his own work. There's a bit of irony to his anxiety because he's been running a successful framing and gallery business for years. He's put together many shows, and presided over many openings for other artists... yet the idea of doing this for himself is stressful.

Is it easier to talk about someone else's work than your own? I guess it would all depend on the individual personality. Some creators are so vested with confidence and ego that I can't imagine they would think twice. But this isn't the first occasion I have experienced the other extreme. The first show I was ever substantially involved in was made easier for me by sharing the space with a friend. I put up a mixed bag of photos that I collected during my first year with a camera, and he hung fantastic wire sculptures from the ceiling. Somehow this odd mix worked. Certainly our opening reception was made more successful by the appearances of many of our friends... both mutual, and from our respective social circles. It took the edge off the experience for me, because I didn't have to carry the whole load. Yet it might have been an entirely different story if my partner had followed through on his own threats to skip the opening. I think I improvised some dire consequences as a threat against that action. Whatever I said, it was successful. He showed up, and so did many others. We had a good time, wine and Pabst. I even sold some stuff.

When it comes down to it, I guess I was a bit spoiled by my first show. I expected that I would sell more and more with each subsequent exhibition. Of course that wasn't the case. What I had not counted on was that many of my friends would not be able to support every single showing of my work. I had my second (and first solo) show at the same place we had shown earlier- a coffeehouse in the South Side of Pittsburgh. I felt that the work was much stronger that time around, and adjusted my prices accordingly. I had a thematic series of images, and I was sure that people would respond well. In fact they did, but they weren't buying. Maybe it was partly my fault, because I integrated a "guess the title game" and awarded a free piece to the participant that got the most correct. It took some of the heat off of me... people were engaging with the work. But ultimately it was probably a bit of a distraction. And then most of the people who really connected to the material, who would hang it on their walls, were too young and too poor. The content was dark. The venue itself did have the benefit of constant traffic, unlike a gallery, but wouldn't naturally attract a base of art collectors.

Since then I've had some experiences with group shows, and I even had a chance to curate a carnival-themed exhibition. Those were fun times... again I wasn't the sole focus. Now in two weeks I'll have another solo show, and won't have the crutches of others' involvement to see me through the event. This is a "proper" gallery, with limited weekly hours. My stuff will be up for two months, but a lot is riding on the opening. It is a radically different body of work (as I've mentioned here before) and particularly difficult to talk about. I'm looking forward to it, but the pressure is definitely on.