I Got To Peek Behind the Curtains of an Art Show…And Be In IT!
Outside the gallery
That was quite the week from the 9th to the 15th of this month when me and my fellow artists from the West Toronto Artists collective put together and participated in an art show we chose to call “North by West” at our neighbourhood gallery Northern Contemporary in the Roncesvalles area of Toronto.
Since we rented this space from the owners for the week, the curation of the art pieces, designing the walls, putting up the art, as well as tending to the gallery for the week of the show fell entirely on us, the artists. It is amazing how much work goes into putting up a show of this sort. Being on the planning committee, I am glad I got an inside view on how such an event gets organized and completed successfully.
This being my first year with the collective, I have never had the inside view of an art show. I have to say, it was a great learning experience. Also, I realized, a part and parcel of a working artist in current times.
I was not part of the hanging crew, but I heard about their adventures from 10 pm to 1 am drilling holes, nailing and hanging all the 70 pieces of artwork the night before the show started. And they were back at 8:30 am the next morning to finish up the remaining bits of cleaning etc.
Yes, it was a long night.
But even before that…it was hard work…
All the planning- of the budget, of the submission guidelines, of the designing of the walls, the details of marketing and promotion, of the tending of the gallery, of the opening reception etc…
Everything was noted, everything was thought of, and I believe it all worked out beautifully in the end.
Some of the art at the North by West show
The gallery was sparkling with amazing art on the opening reception night. There was no theme to our exhibition, and no parameters around the style or size of art. Only the maximum size was designated for each of us 28 artists based on the space limitations.
Knowing this, I was actually shocked at how well all our collection of art looked together. All kinds of styles from still life, to landscape, to portraits, to abstract along with all variety of sizes. Not to mention the styles of all the artists.
I truly believe it was an excellent show. The opening reception was a jam-packed affair. People who were friends of the artists, along with walk-ins from the street also seemed blown by our efforts.
The steady stream of visitors all the rest of the week, and over the Thanksgiving weekend and their positive reviews was very encouraging and satisfying. And a testament to how well the art show turned out.
Busy opening reception night at the North by West show
All in all, I am thankful to have been on the inside of planning this event. I now know to some degree the kind of work it takes. And I am definitely proud to have been a participant in this beautiful exhibition.
To see my art alongside the work of other artists whose work I admire and who I look up to, was a great motivation to keep on following this path I have chosen to be on. The rewards of growing and feeling the satisfaction of a life lived creatively and being a part of a like-minded community are immense.
And sometimes, there is a lovely show to participate in that is the physical and visual proof to that learning and motivation.
