SO IN HONOR OF MY COLUMN HERE, AND MY DESIRE TO BRING THE ART SIDE OF MY CHARACTER BACK INTO MY LIFE, I'VE BEEN PRODUCING A SERIES OF ART SHOWS AT FUNKYS OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS NAMED SUBCULTURE...
I GATHER A COUPLE OF DOZEN ARTISTS EACH TIME TO DISPLAY THEIR HANGING WORK AND ALSO INVITE OTHER DISCIPLINES TO DISPLAY ON THE TABLES...
WE'VE HAD QUITE THE DIVERSE SELECTION OF CREATIONS AND COMBINED WITH 3-4 MUSICAL ACTS ON THE BILL FOR THE OPENINGS, HAVE RESULTED IN THE RESPONSE BEING AMAZING...
I RUN THE ART SHOWS ON THE PRINCIPLES OF HAVING AN ALL ACCESS SPACE FOR ANY KIND OF ARTIST TO PARTICIPATE.... THERE ARE NO STRINGENT SCREENINGS OR PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS... BASICALLY, JUST SHOW UP AND PARTAKE IN THE SHOW.... WE'VE HAD PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, PRINTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, SOAP, DOLLS, POTTERY, PINS, MAGNETS, BOOKS, ETC AND HAVE GONE AS FAR AS TO INVITE STREET ARTISTS...FIRST NATIONS CARVERS AND EVEN A SINGER-SONGWRITER FROM AUSTRALIA PLAYED ON THE FLOOR PROMOTING HER CD...
NOW AS DYNAMIC AND WONDERFUL AS THIS HAS ALL BECOME, IT HAS NOW BEEN BROUGHT UNDER A DARK PISSED-OFF CLOUD FOR ME.... I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT AN ARTIST HAD HIS PIECE STOLEN... WHO DOES SOMETHING LIKE THAT? UNFORTUNATELY, HE HAD MISSED THE HANGING SESSION FOR THE SHOW AND HAD JUST PROPPED IT UP AGAINST THE WALL... WHEN I SURVEYED THE WALLS AT THE END OF THE NIGHT THERE WERE A LOT OF GAPS BECAUSE I ENCOURAGE THE ARTISTS TO SELL WHAT THEY BRING.... THEY RECEIVE 100% OF THE PROCEEDS... I HAD ASSUMED HE HAD SOLD IT.... I FEEL HORRIBLE THAT THIS HAPPENED.... I ALWAYS WORRIED ABOUT SMALLER PIECES THAT WERE HUNG LOW, SO IT WAS OBVIOUSLY SOMEONE WITH A BRAZEN THIEVERY PREDILECTION...
THAT VIOLATION REMINDED ME OF A TIME AT THE COBES WHEN ROTNHELL HAD GIVEN ME AN AMAZING MOHAWKED PUNK GIRL PAINTING THAT SOME LOWLIFE STOLE OFF THE WALL AND SLIPPED OFF INTO THE BOOZY SHADOWS WITH.... I HEARD AN INTERESTING STORY YEARS LATER THAT IT GRACED THE WALLS AT THE CULPRITS EVICTED HOUSE AND HE JUST ABANDONED IT THERE.... GONZO FOR A SECOND TIME...
NOW I'VE BEEN WRESTLING WITH HOW TO SOLVE THIS DILEMMA BETWEEN THE WARMTH THE ART BRINGS TO THE SPACE AND THE CHAOS THAT THE MUSIC GIG ENVIRONMENT CREATES FOR THEFT-MINDED HOOLIGANS.... DO I NEED TO START AN ART-WATCH GROUP TO PROTECT THE SANCTITY OF THE ART WALLS? ... DO I GIVE UP ALL THE POSITIVITY AND PRIDE THE ARTISTS FEEL DISPLAYING THEIR CREATIONS TO A SPACE FULL OF THEIR PEERS BY GIVING UP DOING THE SHOWS? ...
MY SOLUTION IS GOING TO BE THIS.... WARN THE ARTISTS OF THE SHITTY POTENTIAL ACTIONS OF THIS TYPE OF LOSER THAT EXISTS IN SOCIETY WITH THE OPTION TO TAKE HOME THEIR PIECE IF THEY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE LEAVING IT... AND I'M GOING TO POTENTIALLY OUT THE UNNAMED PERPETRATOR OF THIS UNFORTUNATE DEED HERE THIS MONTH....
SO I ASK YOU... READING FANS OF ART, TO HELP TJ GIBSON OF THE BAND THE RECEPTIONISTS FIND HIS STOLEN ART PIECE.... IT'S ABOUT 14” X 18” AND HAS A BLACK FRAME.... OR SOMEONE CAN LEAVE IT WITH ANY STAFFER AT FUNKYS 'NO QUESTIONS ASKED....
I DON'T KNOW WHAT DRIVES PEOPLE TO STEAL FROM A 'STARVING' ARTIST BUT F.U. IF YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING TO STOP WHAT WE'VE STARTED WITH ‘SUBCULTURE’...
-wendythirteen
UP NEXT... SUBCULTURE III IS AN UNDER $50 BUX ART SALE ON FRI DEC 7TH AT FUNKYS WITH MUSICAL GUESTS THE ANGRY SNOWMANS - WASTED STRAYS - AND GUTS & GLORY... AND A WHACK OF AWESOME ARTISTS...
P.S. DEATH TO MUSICAL GEAR THIEVES TOO... BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER COLUMN!
