Call me the eldest daughter, but I have always been a do everything yourself kind of girl. New desk needs some assembly? I can read instructions, no problem. Car needs a new lightbulb? There's probably a Youtube video I can watch.
So, when it comes to putting a show together, I am very hands on from start to finish. Some of that probably has to do with my anxiety and perfectionism, or my Leo drive to be the best. Whatever the case, it works.
I spent a full day hanging my show. Mostly by myself, though Jeremy did pop in after work for the tail end of it. When they tell you that the Creel-Harison Gallery at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art is on the top floor, believe them. Those stairs are no joke. 2008 me would have loaded up my arms with stuff and huffed it up. 2024 me knows better. I've learned to work smarter (for the most part) and came prepared with laundry baskets to load in with. Super professional, I know.
I probably got everything in by 10:00 a.m. and stayed until about 9:00 p.m. It was a very long and sweaty day. Thank goodness I invested in a portable mini misting fan. That was such relief.
Also, side note, I love the "Gertie Girls" at the Gertrude Herbert. What a wonderful team of art lovin' ladies. They helped me lug some things up and supplied me with some nice cold water.
Hanging a show is easy for me now, but I am definitely not used to the nail method anymore. My work with the Greater Augusta Arts Council has me using the Walker Display, which is a rod-rail method. I LOVE me a nail-wall method though. It just takes more measuring than I am used to now. Once I got into the swing of it, I remembered what needed to be done.
Laying it all out was trickier than I had anticipated. I think no amount of sketching of the space can really prepare you for what it will actually look like when it's all in the room. I was worried I wouldn't have enough work, but as it turned out I had almost too much. I thankfully was able spill into the hallway.
The hardest part was probably figuring out how to install my Fix Yourself A Plate installation. I had first planned to use tack or command strips. The heat and humidity, however, had different plans. I tried hard to avoid putting a bunch of nails in the wall, but I really had no other choice. Lucky for the Gertie Girls I love to spackle.
Once the show was up and ready for viewing I was able to sit and start working on my artist's talk. Until this show, I hadn't given a talk about my work since 2012 when I was presenting for my senior exhibition show.
I found myself kind of blabbering at first, then I remembered how to outline (duh), and that made it a bit easier. I find it difficult to have a train of thought that isn't ADHD-ified, and since my work has so many facets it was really a struggle to find the right way to navigate. I got there eventually. But, with all the work stuff I have with my full time job, it was hard to find the time to sit down and learn it by heart. So, I wound up winging it - in a true Leo fashion.
The day of my reception came. I spent most of that morning preparing the food. The menu I chose was a selection of traditional southern foods the women in my family enjoyed. Including White Coconut Cake, Cucumber Sandwiches, Banana Pudding, Macaroni & Cheese Cups, Fried Chicken, Pimento Cheese & Crackers, and the more traditional reception foods along with wine and of course, sweet tea brewed the way my Grandma taught us.
As soon as the food was done being put out, folks starting filing in. I was kind of unsure how many people I would have attend. I invited all of my art friends, family, fans, personal friends, etc. but it's hard to gauge who all will come, you know? I was surprised by just how many did show up. I think we had more than 60 stuffed into the Gertrude Herbert snackin' on cucumber sandwiches and talking art. I was even more surprised to see people I didn't know.
A good bit of folks stayed for my talk. Which, aside from me spilling water on my favorite college professor, I thought went well. I mostly remembered my outline while Jeremy played Vanna White and brought my art from the gallery since the room was too small to accommodate everyone.
Honestly, that whole night is just a sweaty blur. I saw and talked to so many people and I was so overwhelmed by the love in the room. Maybe it's the imposter syndrome talking, but I always feel like I'm not quite there, artistically speaking. So, it was a great reminder that maybe I'm not as sucky as I sometimes think.
Afterwards, a big group of us went and ate ice cream cake and burritos at Nacho Mamas for my birthday. Oh, did I forget to mention I had this reception on my birthday?
Up next for this show is the live "chaos quilting" I will be doing at the second reception on the 6th of September. I think that will be really fun.
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