Our time in history

I recently read a post that The Boise Art Museum, Art in the Park show was canceled.  So many people work all year to have inventory for that show, and it is quite the feather in the cap of the artist who is invited.  I was invited last year but failed to get in this year.  I was still happy for my friends who were invited.  David Bartholet goes every year and saves his very best for it as he works through the year.  Karen Snyder actually had a wire wrapped sculpture for that show, it was incrediblly ornate.  A beautiful costal design log boat in gold, black and red; it glowed and I was hoping she would take an award for it in Boise.  I thought about the dissapointment for the craftsmen and artisans who went every year, but what about the people who worked all year to put it on?

To everyone who goes, we love you.  With out you, there would be no show.  To those who put this on?  We honor you.  I know that the night you close, you start going over your notes that were taken during the show.  You write new ones, and clarify the thoughts on the others that were hastily scribbled during a moment of peace/crisis in the middle of the first, secend and last day.  You all come into the office on Monday (the day after the show closes) and start the closing paperwork for taxes, filing and records.  These things need to be done while they are fresh in all of your minds.  Then you start working towards the next event while looking at your calendar for next year.  About 2 months later, you have the first of many meetings about the big event next year.  All of this goes on while the organization goes through the holiday season, tax season, fund raising and membership drives.  You meet to discuss the problems so you can solve them. You meet to discuss the way you want to send out the art call, new ways, old ways, re-vamped ways and who you want to draw into the displays.  You meet to discuss food vendors, rental companies, advertising, and city council members talk to you all constantly.  Parking, safety, social distancing, menus, entertainment, traffic flow..... it seems endless and yet every year, you pull it off.

Here you are, the month before; and it has all evaporated.  The money was spent, and it is gone.  The coffers for next years event need to be refilled and how do you do that?  Staffing needs to be reduced to cover costs of the museum but once they are gone, can you ever get them back?  Valuable experience walking out the door and they can't sit and wait for you to bring them back on, they have bills to pay.

While we all stare at our growing inventory and wait for things to start moving, lets remember all of those who put on our shows.  Where are they now? Drowning their sorrows in cheap box wine and light beer?  Working minimum wage jobs trying to make ends meet?  They miss us and what we do as much as we miss the shows they put on.  They do these events not becuase they make a ton of money but becuase they love art almost as much as we love to do it.

Here, I am going to raise this plastic goblet of cheap box wine to all of those who worked on my artistic behalf.  I am an artist, I'm lucky to be able to buy the box of wine.  I thank you for everything you have done and I will pray to see you again when the shows return.  If I can get the time off from my minimum wage job to be there.

Thank you to all of the show promoters and volunteers out there who have put on amazing events all over the country.  I am ever so humbled to have been invited and grateful for all of the work and endless hours you put in.  You, are my heros.