botanizing & drawing
read, write, draw, paint, photograph like pages of a very long novel that is never done… please check back, under development
this is blog-like section that I will be featuring some written thoughts on what is behind my studio work, my interest in nature and climate issues, walking, curating and other rich context for the world I engage with…I will be working on this from mid-March on… stay tuned.
to curate:
installation shot of the SANCTUARY exhibition at Zero Station
cu·ra·tion/kyo͝oˈrāSHən/ (noun)
the action or process of selecting, organizing, and looking after the items in a collection or exhibition.
I recently learned in an interview between Newfoundland artist Robyn Love and curator, , that the word “curate” comes from the Latin “curatus,” the past participle of “curare,” which means “to take care of.”
This was an important moment for me. Part of my life these past few years has been “curating” or putting together exhibitions for the gallery space my husband and I have had these past 20 plus years at Zero Station. Shortly before the pandemic I had moved part of my studio into this space, because it had not been used as an exhibition spot for a while, and the space felt empty and available to me. Surprisingly I could “afford it” (wink) as we were already paying the rent on it. I had curated shows back in the early 2000sin Zero Station’s original space in SoPo, but had a career tangent for a while that left no time or desire to keep going. Fast forward in 2021 after the ZeroStation’s 21st anniversary and as art sales escalated in 2021, we both decided that maybe I should officially take over the gallery space. We reopened as ZS2.0 (well not officially)after rebuilding new weight bearing pure white walls and opened with “Efflorescence”. Since that time I have put together about eight exhibitions. I find that as a long-standing art enthusiast and collector, curating is a language I feel perfectly comfortable speaking.
That said, I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.
But “to take care of” is specifically what I take pride in. An artist and friend recently said to me that I build community. I have to admit, it is true Keith and I have been in this small city for a long time, and we both have “taken care of” the artists (Keith especially) and the art buyers alike. I try not to just throw work up on the walls, we clean, repaint and hang everything “with care,” in fact what is most important to me and I have said this to many in the recently months, my favorite part of curating is when the work carries on a conversation after every human has left the room. The work has a relationship with what it is hung next to and across from and this does not mean work that is cookie cutter. What we appreciate most is not when the artist has a notable “style” but that you can witness the moment of discovery, the “Aha!” or breakthrough that happens visibly in the work, the striving is palpable and it shows what is human not what is a product.
So when you come to Zero Station to view art, and I hope to on occasion, to buy (I think everyone should have even a small art budget) take pride in the fact that you are doing your part to both support the artist but also acknowledging the space we often offer up to the community. Galleries are not in the business of going out of business to provide free entertainment, we are here to educate and provide a space to participate in our culture, but who pays for that culture if even the most savvy of buyers prefer to go direct through the artist.
This is not to get anyone to spend money they don’t have, or to even coerce or guilt you into buying art, but it is simply to let you in on the secret, we care. Should care be compensated? Who is to say, but not all galleries or artists have the bandwidth or skills to become a non-profit, so it is important for all of us to remember who are we supporting and who we are caring to support when we do spend our hard earned money. This also goes out to our artists, don’t sell yourself short, get your full retail price unless selling multiple pieces, you are worth the full price! Selling directly may at times have some advantages no doubt, but it is also likely that if you are in a gallery that cares that care should be reflected back and don’t undersell yourself when a buyer comes knocking. By now we all know, or need to learn, the hard fact that while being an artist can look glamorous on social media, it is FAR from the easiest way to earn a living wage and having a buffer than can be life saving in a hard time.
Thank you for reading.
