that schmoozing thing

So I didn't really have any opportunities to get out and visit any shows around Dallas or Fort Worth because of... well, many reasons that I'd rather not bring up. However, I had a couple other neat encounters this semester that led to the spread of my art or just art in general, so I'll share those.

I met an artist at a Taco Bell. She never gave me her name, and I never gave her mine, which makes it seem like a weird dream or something. She had all her paints and canvas panels strewn about a couple of tables, which I thought was kind of weird, but when I approached her to talk about it she was very excited to find that I was also an artist and she showed me a binder full of pictures of her paintings and drawings over the years. It was really cool, she'd been working for decades and created these beautiful representational works that reminded me of concept art for disney- only far more developed- or like paintings one would use for a bestiary of creatures, anywhere from small paper-size to full-scale murals. I showed her a bunch of my paintings as well, and we bonded over our interests in certain animals and oil paint. I left after talking with her for a good half an hour, only realizing once I got home that I didn't exchange any semblance of contact info with her, which I regret. I'd love to see her work again.

I also did a couple of commissions for my aunt (they were like. oil paintings of her dogs), who posted it to her themed instagram and which led to about 7 different people emailing me about more commission work, which I'm always down to clown with. Since commission-based work tends to be one of my primary interests, this worked out really well for me.

Lastly, I had one of my favorite works up in the Lightwell Gallery for the senior Drawing and Painting Invitational, and I was excited to see quite a few people taking pictures of it and talking about it, but about a week ago one of my friends got in contact with me and let me know that her friend was actually writing a paper about it? When I asked for the details, I was told that she liked the piece so much that she picked it to be the subject of a paper she had to write, in which she had to basically guess why I created the works and what they were about. She wasn't able to talk to me directly while writing it, but she's planning on it once it's finished, and she's also going to let me read it and see how on point her guesses were. It may not be getting out and about to network, but just knowing that my paintings had that strong of an effect on someone, even just one person, is one of the best feelings in the world.

Schmoozing

This semester during the Metals Club “Late Night”, Cathy Hartman came to visit us to “show and tell” her personal jewelry collection. Cathy is the associate dean of the UNT Libraries and it was so nice of her to share her collection with us. She had some pieces that were from the 1970s, some of the newer ones were from around 2010 and so on. It was very interesting to see all of the same techniques we all use in our metals projects and how they were used 40+ years ago to today. She had about 25+ pieces to show us with some more left at home. Some pieces were not stamped with a maker’s mark, this helped us all realize how important stamping our pieces truly is. Cathy had many questions about understanding the techniques that were used in the pieces she has collected which allowed us students to explain the process/technique to her, with the metals program professors there to approve of our explanations. She had some pieces that used techniques like reticulation, champlevé enamel, cloisonné enamel, many textured pieces, some with different stone settings, and some with very interesting mechanisms (necklace latches and hinges). Some pieces were very simple in design while others were more complex.

Meeting and talking with Cathy Hartman helped me realize that there are people who simply just want to collect unique jewelry pieces and that the pieces do not have to be “practical” to wear. It truly opened my eyes to more possibilities with my jewelry designs. Though, I do not know if she wears the pieces she has collected, I would imagine some that she has she might wear, but probably not all of them. Seeing her collection made me realize that I do not have to worry so much about a piece of jewelry to be wearable, for there ARE people who will simply buy it to collect it. Yes, I want to make wearable/practical pieces but it doesn’t have to always be so uptight. I should allow myself to let loose and do something fun for the collectors out there. Getting to talk with Cathy in our environment made it a very relaxed meeting.

Schmoozin'

Due to issues with work and that I don't have a car, I kept most of my schmoozing focused on a production company that I've had my eye on interning with since August. It's been pretty slow going, but I have a few good friends within the ranks who have introduced me to some other associates. While I know this has nothing to do with curating or gallery networking, this is more relevant to what I would like to do as a career. While it doesn't seem like a potential job in the immediate future, it's still good to see how things work from the people I've become connected with.

shmooze

On Halloween I went to a show at Pariah arts with some friends. Pear Earl was playing so we went to see them. After the show I met a woman named Brandy Adams who I talked to for a while with Lindsay. She was very nice and it was definitely a more unprofessional setting as we were all wearing ridiculous costumes, but she told me about the gallery she own and curates, WAAS Gallery. We exchanged info and we are now friends on the popular social media site facebook.

Schmooze

During the whole process of setting up our group show, 'Dissonance', at the black lodge, I had the privilege of meeting Evita Cortez and Darius Goodson. They are two artist who you can tell sincerely love what they do because of how committed they are to nurturing new art.
During our first meeting I got to explain my medium and my work and they shared a lot about the history of the venue and their work in the art world.
During installation I got to talk to Evita about one of my pieces she had liked, it made me feel a lot more at ease knowing she enjoyed my work. My main fear when it comes to my work is it being too kitschy but often times me trying to be not kitschy is just as destructive. My experience with The Black Lodge has helped me relax when composing my drawings and taught me to think more about space when speaking.

Schmooze

Earlier this semester Susan Goethel Campbell came to my Alternative Processes in Fibers class to give us a presentation about her work. Since I was also in the Weaving class right after alt processes, I was able to stick around after class and join in on a discussion she had with several other students about what to do after your undergrad.  This was extremely informative, and definitely worth being almost an hour "late" to weaving. During this discussion she mentioned that she had once needed several girl scout cookie plastic containers for a piece, and how difficult it was to find them when they weren't actually on sale. I told her that I work for the Girl Scouts and that if she ever needed any more containers to just let me know, I could definitely get them. The next day I stopped by to help with the instillation of her piece in the UNT Dye Garden. Overall it was just really great to get to meet her, and talk with her. I really think that these schmoozing kind of things have to happen naturally, and this felt so natural I almost forgot about it in the context of this class.

if ya don't schmooze ya looze

             During my group's reception for our 'Dissonance' show, I had the pleasure of meeting an interesting character named Rick Vesny. Rick approached me, and seemed to be very taken with the pieces I had displayed in our show. Although he is not necessarily a "professional" in the art world, he mentioned some great resources and gallery names in the DFW area. He also  mentioned that he was available to photograph work in the future, which is a great option to consider if I am ever in need of a photographer. I also got to chat with someone named Darrel, (which I believe was a friend of Gideon Swift, and art dealer mentioned by a couple people in my group) and I, unfortunately, did not catch his last name. We discussed my process, and the meaning behind my work. He seemed to have a great reaction to my pieces, and I also got to discuss the endless possibility of meanings behind my pieces, and how/why each viewer reacts differently. Overall, our group show was such a rewarding experience. Darius and Evita were so helpful throughout this whole process, aand were an absolute joy to work with.

shmooozin -Mick Burson

For my shmoozing assignment I visited a friend and peers solo exhibition in Waco at MCC. The artists name is Mick Burson and the show was titled, Should've Been a Cowboy. We drove down on the very last day the show was open and when we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find Mick there as well. He was in town to break down the show the next day. He joined us in  the gallery and stood in silence as we examined the pieces. Initially it felt awkward but through conversation tensions loosened. His work consists of non-objective and abstract painting with found objects intermingled on the surface. I inquired about his titles, which seemed specific,  and he informed me that they were all lyrics from country songs. Growing up in Waco, he was surrounded by country western culture. I also asked about his process of making and wether or not he has a final product in mind from the beginning. He told me he works on multiple pieces at one time in a gestural and in-the-moment kind of way. When we left the gallery he gave us all a T shirt with the show card printed on it and we decided to meet up for drinks later. Beers were had and we talked about the attainability of a life as an artist. He also gave me a few addresses of his murals around Waco, which we visited on our way out of town. And every single time I put on that T shirt the he gave me, I get that Toby Keith song stuck in my head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIq1LvzSLsk

Schmoozing-Susan Goethel-Campbell

Back in October I had the opportunity to work with Susan Goethel-Campbell.  She had a show up in the UNT Art Gallery (Permanence/Impermanence).  After her show closed, I was able to assist her with installing the piece in the UNT natural dye garden.  It was a very enriching experience to say the least.  I sat in on one of Susan's lectures and was very intrigued in the work she does in Detroit, and how she works with and not against the urban environment of the city.  Susan was so open to discuss her journey as an artist, where she began, where she's going etc.  In the couple days I was privileged to work with her she gave me great advice on what to do between graduation and grad school.  She encouraged me to look at residencies and research artists I admire and approach them about apprenticeships.  Aside from art, Susan is just a delightful person to be around, I really enjoyed the time I got to spend working along side her.  It was actually really cool and it was my first time to work with an actual artist (who wasn't my professor). She even critiqued some of my pieces and had very helpful things to say about it.

schmoozing via skype

The most recent and invigorating exchange I have had in the art world was with Johnny Hogglund, a Scandinavian artist who is based in London. Johnny and I were both selected to be a part of a group show/magazine for the organization A-No. Although the two of us work in very different ways, we have similar concerns in our work. A part of the publication is an interview with the artists, and as the two of us have conceptual similarities, the A-No team asked if we would like to do an interview together through Skype. I gladly accepted and had a pleasant exchange with an artist whom I feel is much more seasoned than I am--in the way he approaches a canvas, speaks about his work, and absorbs information from the world. We talked about the history of art, politics, and society. From Jacques Louis David and Basquiat, to Jean Baudrillard and Gurminder Bhambra. The bulk of our conversation dealt with western hegemony and what this has meant for art, representation, empathy, war, and thought. It was only within the last twenty minutes that we began rounding our conversation out with a discussion of how our paintings work individually, and, in the context of a group show, together. We discussed content, context, taboos, reality, and the distortions in form that occur as a result of each of these unique interactions. We ended our conversation with a laugh, a smile, and a virtual handshake.

Schmoozing Exercise

     On Friday, November 13th, I attended the opening reception of the shows "FROM THE AREA" by Francisco Moreno and "the wants and needs of a fearful life" by Arthur Pena. Both of these exhibitions took place at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, TX.
     I enjoyed the reception quite a bit, and it was one of the first opening receptions that I had ever gone to in Dallas. I also enjoyed the exposure I was receiving to a new venue for art in Dallas. My focus while being there was on establishing at least one new contact. I started with who I already knew, namely Arthur Pena, and had him point out a few of the people in the room that I should get to know. From there, I tried my best to mingle. I met a few old friends that have already graduated from UNT there, and I also noticed that I recognized a few members of the Dallas press mingling about as well. I ran into on of my professors from UNT at the reception and spoke with him for a bit. By the end of the evening I had accomplished my goal by having a lengthy conversation with Francisco Moreno about his work. I left him with my name and congratulations and left the event satisfied.

Schmoozapalooza

Over the weekend I attended the Dissonance show with Alex and Anna. I got to see the Black Lodge for the first time and meet the owners of the space in Deep Ellum. It was a really neat experience and I enjoyed going to support the crew, but the highlight of the evening was probably meeting both Gideon Swift and Rick Vesny. I didn't talk with Gideon too much, but I did end up adding him on facebook and watching a trailer for an Indie film he's in with a few of the other people that were in the space. He stressed that we should all "be smart" and hit him up, seeing as he's an art dealer. It was cool watching him interact with the artists and the work and to hear what certain dealers find interesting about certain pieces.

Rick and I had a longer conversation, however. I instigated it, as I had noticed he had a camera on him and was curious why he'd brought it along, especially because someone had mentioned a reporter possibly attending. He asked me a bunch of questions about my practice and told me some useful information about the design district as well as a few spaces and galleries that might interest me. I talked to him about illustration and he talked a bit about his photography. Mr. Vesny likes to go to galleries and take photographs of work as a hobby, and he seemed like a very knowledgeable man. He was very nice, too. We exchanged business cards and he went on to explore the Black Lodge and mingling a little more.

Schmoozing

During my group's reception for our 'Dissonance' show, I had the pleasure of meeting an art dealer named Gideon Swift. He is an assistant director for Martin Lawrence Galleries, who I assume he deals for, as well as the gallery director at Kevin Page 3D Gallery. He showed an interest in my work and I got to tell him a little bit about my process. He was really into the "80's vibe" that my work gave off, to which he said was spot on. He later asked if I had sold anything yet, at which point I had hoped he would purchase one of my pieces. I told him I hadn't but I have even more work that I could show him that was for sale, and so I got some of his contact info.

Other than that, working with Evita and Darius has been great. They were telling me about what they plan to do with their space, as well as other spaces nearby in which opportunities are present to show work. Evita told me about the Art Beef group and the Beefhaus space in Dallas, which were great to learn about.

Anna Alexanian - Show Documentation Part II (also some shmoozing)

Our reception was great. It was raining, the highway flooded, and everyone was nursing their injuries after Black Friday, but the Dissonance show went on - and we had a pretty decent turnout. 

Not a lot of people showed up, given the reasons mentioned above, but enough did that it felt like a packed house. I spoke briefly to a gentleman that came in and photographed our work, one Rick Vesny, who enjoyed the show a lot and mentioned that he would be posting the photographs he took on his own website. 

Also, I spoke to a Gideon Swift - an art dealer in the Dallas area who was pretty taken with a few of the pieces in the show. Arthur Pena showed up briefly, as well, and though I didn't get a chance to speak with him, I did notice him lingering over my pieces for a long time, which was pretty cool. I've attached a few of the documentation photos from the show (also Kate Denton showed up and helped us set out all the refreshments and things, so a massive, massive shoutout/thank you to her for coming out to support us!), as well as a brief video I made for a friend who unfortunately could not make it. 

Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I absolutely loved the opportunity, and both Evita and Darius were wonderful to work with throughout this entire semester!

Video Link to my Google Drive

  

Show Documentation~

I didn't happen to get any pictures during our reception but here are the pictures that I do have, of us installing our show. To my knowledge, my group members might have photos from our reception.

Schmoozing

For my schmoozing exercise I went to Zeke Williams reception at Mountain View Collage. The show was also put on in part by Erin Cluley Gallery and Cliff Gallery. The show was a series of the artists newest works with a continuing interest in the "intersections of contemporary fashion, the female form and technology." At the reception I met both the artist and Erin Cluley, of her self-named gallery in Dallas. I spoke with the two about the works in the show, how they were made and how they were received. We also talked about Marfa, TX; about how it was an important thing that people should go out there and how cool the lights were and about how if you are going to go down you should try and go to Chinati Weekend. It was a good experience.

Schmoozing

I met Josh Maupin, aka Lil Kool, at Atama Gallery in Dallas. Josh is a Brooklyn based artist that grew up in Dallas. His work mostly contains figures which "reference a tradition of 1960's era animation, but with modern day lurkers and shady situations." He was in town visiting family. He told me about his experience with a solo show he had in Hong Kong. He explained his work did very well in China and wished he could have stayed there longer. He explained the importance of a web presence now a days. He said he was working on updating his website and felt he currently relied too much on Instagram. We exchanged numbers and he even offered to show me around when I visit Brooklyn. Kool dude.

Envisioning exercise

Given unlimited resources the single art project I would embark on is I would create a mural. This mural would be located in downtown Dallas and would be for the most part a replica of a painting I have already done. This painting is titled Jackie and is an abstraction of the iconic image of Jacqueline Kennedy crawling on the 1961 Lincoln.

The figure in the mural will be life size. The mural will not just be painted but will have a 3-D aspect to it. The 3-D elements will be made out of wood. The wood will be distressed so the fading and natural weathering of the piece over time will only ad to it.

This piece will not only ad to the remembrance of the historical event of the John F. Kennedy assassination but will also take part in the conversation of current gun affairs in Texas. The image is abstracted to represent the disorientation of what it was like during the actual event.  The 3-D aspect of the piece will suggest to the viewer the image is breaking into their world and is a reminder of current events.

Anna Alexanian - Shmoozing

Way back when in September, I had the honor of meeting with Aleksi and his father Grigori Sabka, as part of a show in the gallery owned by Aleksi. It was a really great time, and speaking to the both of them I learned a lot about working both as an artist (they were both muralists back in Greece and Albania, where they immigrated to the United States from) and as a gallery-owner, which is something I myself am pretty interested in. I can't say that they are, like, 'rockstars' of the art world, but they are relatively well-known in the Fort Worth area, and even more popular abroad, which I thought was something very interesting to consider, as well. A lot of times we feel like you can only get anything done if you're in America, when in fact there's a whole huge world and a ton of artists out there who are famous, or at least better well-known, in the countries that they work in.

The reception itself was a great success. I had a piece up in the show, and I got to spend time speaking to both artists about their work, which has spanned over three generations starting with Aleksi's grandfather, for whom his father was an apprentice and so on. I exchanged information with them before the end of our conversation, and have since spoken to Aleksi on several occasions, just to keep in contact.

More recently, I have also been, I supposed you could say 'shmoozing' with the owners of the Black Lodge, where the group show I'm in will be happening later this week. They're absolutely lovely people, and I've had a really great time working and talking to them, as well.

Shmoozing- Kehinde Wiley

            In September Kehinde Wiley gave a lecture at the Modern in Fort Worth. Wiley’s work blends together the styles of the old masters and the black masculine figure. His paintings blur the lines between traditional painting styles and men of color. Wiley talked about his early work at Yale and his shift into the work he is known for today. As well as how he is able to balance the figures with such ornate backgrounds. The lecture was fascinating.

            I was also able to see Wiley’s exhibition, Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, at The Modern. Wiley’s work is incredible and I was able to talk to an artist and two fellow exhibition visitors about some of the paintings.  I talked to the artist, Emily, for awhile about Wiley’s work and she was able to tell me more about his work and his techniques. She said that she is a great admirer of Wiley and his work. She remarked on the detail of Wiley’s backgrounds and the detail in the fabrics work by the figures. Emily showed me some of her own paintings and they are full of small details like Wiley’s.  I spend the entire visit to the exhibit in awe of Wiley’s works, his mastery of his craft is amazing. I am so happy I was able to listen to him speak and view his work. I'm also happy that I got the chance to talk to another talented artist who helped me understand more just how amazing Wiley's paintings are. All in all, it was a great experience and one that I hope will happen again!

Sticks & Stones & Other Things Documentation