Oh The Excitement

Things are hotting up, as we get closer to actually doing instead of just talking about it...

I've realised I need more curatorial experience and knowledge (luckily Andrew has plenty that I can learn from with all his international exhibitions experience!) But I have also booked to go to a symposium run by re:place, curating the rural. Should be interesting, with several artists speaking and an opportunity to connect with the people who run it. I will take the opportunity to gather as much information as possible.

It seems that everyone we talk to loves our idea and has lots of advice on ways to proceed, which could become overwhelming if we're not careful, especially as Andrew and I both have our own arts practices, and our doing this aswell. Ideally, next year< I would like more people to be involved in the organising and have more say in what happens, then it becomes more of a collaboration and artists community event. As we are using this as an opportunity to connect with other artists and build our own community

another added feature.

with a week to go to the artist submission deadline i find myself being very excited by another feature added to the organisation of the art trail.

from a meeting on monday, i left thinking about a guestbook feature. a way of collecting feedback and doing this in a manner that is paper less. i'm happy to say i've found a way of doing this and have set it up this afternoon. this is so exciting for me as it's another feature of the art trail that we're able to roll out in our pilot year.

details of how to use the paperless guestbook will be revealed nearer to the event.

conversations

the belper art trail is becoming a starter of conversations. yes indeed, this week i have been part of several conversations with the art trail at the core.

i've noticed today that chris' a-n- blog has featured in the artists talking monthly update email from the magazine editor.

at the weekend we sent out the invitations to artists to take part and there has been a good initial response. in a conversation with one today, we explored the possibility of simply having an a4 piece of paper with marks made on it, for this year the exercise is to test and prove that a trail of work in belper is possible. in terms of curatorial weight and excellence, let us have a few years to set up the process of placing works of art in property.

the art trail for me remains about possibility, collaboration and community.

More meetings, emails and conversations.

Another food festival meeting tomorrow, I still get nervous before these, despite any work I may have done. This morning will be a sit down and email all the artists, a job we should've done a week ago. But life, as usual, has been running away with me.

After talking to one of the artists who has agreed to take part, she was stated she was pleased to be having an opportunity to make some work for herself, not just her community work. Although our art is the core of us, we are all too quick to neglect the actual making in favour of the things that demand our time. It so important to not loose sight of why we became artists. For me that is the need to express myself through the physical act of making something.

risks

as we enter may, i am all too aware of the risks associated with attempting this project.

a large one is that of time being spent on the project being in line with those working on it during the day light hours. potentially the risk is that i cannot spend as much time on the planning as those who daily jobs allow for time to be spent on it.

i hope that all parties are able to accomodate my risk and be patient and supportive as this project develops.

we are at the point of approaching artists that we would like to be part of this pilot year. as discussed before, there is a risk that we do not reach our target figure. time will tell of course.