Clic The Technology

Posts Tagged ‘Peers’

A comment in one may determine your series of questions in another. You discover whom to rely on for certain kinds of feedback and advice and when to call someone back for another visit.
Regularly swapping studio visits with your peers will help you prepare for more formal meetings with an art professional. Consider the circumstances: if this is a curator, art dealer, or friend’s first visit, you may want to present a chronological overview of your work. If it is a repeat visit or the person is already familiar with your work, you might show only recent developments. If your practice is installation-based, you may want to build a model of the project and show your visitor sketches, video clips, and sample materials. You should also have documentation of other projects handy, either as prints or as video clips or jpegs on your laptop. Visit the studios of other artists working in your media, and notice how they present their work. You will pick up do’s and don’ts to apply to your presentations. Because I have several series of works going on at once, I will often ask an art professional what he or she wants to see when we are setting up the appointment. Usually the person has already looked at my website and has a good idea of where he or she wants to begin. I put away unfinished work I’m not ready to discuss and hang a few of the pieces the visitor has requested. I have others nearby, ready to pull out.

Once you are at the place where you are ready to discuss your work with others, start with your peers and colleagues. They may be art school buddies, former teachers, studio mates, an interested work colleague, or someone you met at an opening. Calling upon trusted friends and artists to exchange studio visits allows you to engage in regular discussions about the work as well as a range of topics. Studio visits are primarily opportunities to foster a dialogue about your practice. They are helpful when you have come to an interesting juncture, are stuck in a rut needing a push, or seeking responses to new work. They range from the laid-back drop-ins with friends to more formally scheduled meetings. Studio visits introduce your work to professionals
in the art community. It is a chance to present your work on your own turf, get feedback, and lay the foundation for a future working partnership. Your studio is a personal place where you have spent many hours wrestling with your ideas and materials. No matter how eager you are to share your work, for many reasons allowing someone else in can be dicey. You feel vulnerable in the studio; therefore it can be hard to hear suggestions or even well-meaning criticism. The memory of those comments lingers and may haunt you for weeks afterwards, as you struggle with feeling unsure of yourself and become reclusive. Whereas, if someone is effusive and excited by your work, you feel high for days. You’ll want to throw open the doors and invite everyone in. You never know which way it’s going to go. That’s why your readiness and preparation are important. It takes practice to learn how to elicit productive information and steer a conversation for your own benefit without controlling it. With experience you will learn when to talk, when to be quiet, and how to listen without becoming defensive. Studio visits build on each other.