Art as Business: Progress Report IV

First progress report 2010 – here we go!

It has been almost two months since I gave my last report. Not much happened during December - as anticipated. January has mostly been spent planning my schedule for spring (iCal is great!) and the last week has been studio time. But some things have happened.

GALLERY REPORT

• Today it was confirmed that I will exhibit at Mimers Konsthall in Kungälv in November. It is an Art Gallery run by the municipal of Kungälv (outside Gothenburg) - and spacious. As it is non-commercial I’ve already started planning some fun and huge things.
• Not a gallery, but anyway: I’ll exhibit at the City Council’s Art Club here in Gothenburg in April. They contacted me.

[= 2010 I will have 3 separate exhibitions at galleries and one exhibition at an Art Club]

PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

• I presented my suggestion to the Tenant Owner’s Association and they will be back to me within a month. I got the impression that they will give me the commission.
• I will start the Public Art Project at Sandeklevskolan =school (wrote about it in my last report) in March. I will give several workshops to generate ideas - and then we will paint murals.
• I have gotten a Public Art Project at another school. Two full days under “Creative School” (Skapande Skola) – we will probably make a mural here too. This will also happen in March.
• I went to a portfolio presentation at VSBK (an organization mediating public commissions – I’m a member) and got great feedback. I changed some photos and wrote additional text after the meeting. The consultants got very interested when I told them about the Public Art Projects I’m doing – as many schools want art pieces that the schoolchildren made themselves together with an artists. Evidently not many of the artists at VSBK have the experience of making art together with children. Or they just don’t want to do that! I promised to document my projects by taking fantastic photos.

one of my students making a watercolour

TIME MANAGEMENT
I'm trying to learn how to say NO!

• I said NO to participate in a printmaking group exhibition at a museum in the end of January. It was with very short notice, the exhibition deal wasn't great (unless you're in the beginning of your career and desperate to exhibit), it won't add anything extra to my CV, I don't think I would make much profit (epecially considering the time invested) - and I really didn't have the time!
• I said NO to two other group exhibitions (gallery/museum) because of lack of time - and because I don't think they will lead anywhere.
  
• I said NO to teach any more watercolour classes, but one weekend class, at Medborgarskolan. The students are lovely, but the pay isn't good and the schedule makes it impossible to do much else those days.
• I said NO to be on the board of KKV (they keep asking me every year) and head of the screen printing workshops. But I will of course continue writing the Annual Reports for KKV and the applications for funding. I love KKV. (KKV is 12 artist run workshops)
  
• I said NO (or actually resigned from) to be in the Exhibition group at Grafik i Väst (a printmaking organization with a gallery and large collection of contemporary prints). I said also NO to particiapate in two other projects at Grafik i Väst. But I will still use the cutting plotter at KKV to make texts for the exhibition group.

a black and white still life from the watercolour class I taught last weekend

BUT ...

• I said YES to be the administrator and editor of a blog for Equality within Art. (from KRO Väst - the National Swedish Artist Organisation, Western Sweden). I will also be part of some other related projects - but tried to make it clear that I have very little time to spare and that I would rather concentrate on one thing and do it properly. (but I'm already lagging behind because of a week of illness)
  
• I said YES to participate in two "blog projects" as I call them. I'll let you in on them later on. Very exciting!
  

I think that even though I said YES to some things ... the saying NO should anyway outbalance the new commitments. But I have a tendency to not totally stop doing things. And not being part of the board or any project groups at KKV or Grafik i Väst and still doing things - does mean that I don't get any "official credits"... or that I can write it in my CV.

NEW TASKS (to report back about on February 28)

• visit art galleries 2-3 times per month
• make bookkeeping every month (I bought a new software!)
• make new art (I have now my concentrated studio time until March) and update my website with it.
  
• prepare for screen printing in March
  
• write a list of possible places to apply for exhibitions for 2012 (with deadlines)
• Contact Galleri Jeanette Ölund (follow-up)
  

Next week's Art as Business will be Time Management (part 2). I don't think I'm the only one with problems there....or am I?

Next progress Report will be February 28.