Second Saturday Artwalk is upon us again! If you are in the downtown Lafayette area, be sure to stop by this Saturday, July 10th. Galleries and many downtown businesses are open from 6-8pm. The schedule for this month is as follows:
Acadiana Center for the Arts– 101 W. Vermilion St. / 337-233-7060
Main Gallery: Through July 24, 2010- Southern Open 2010
Side Gallery: July 10 – July 24, 2010- Maria Lovullo (1961 – 2009)
Vault Series: Through July 24, 2010- Pat Juneau
Cajun Spice– 535 Jefferson St / 337-232-3061 Anne Bulliard Crownover Glasswork & Mosaics
Galerie Eclaireuse– 535 ½ Jefferson St. / 337-234-5492
Works by Dennis Sipiorski and Steve Schneider
Also in the gallery: Tom Secrest, Paul Schexnaider, Billie Bourgeois, Jon Schooler, Sue Boagni, George Loli, Colleen McDaniel, James Hunter and other regional artists
Gallery R (at The Russo Group)- 116 E. Congress St. / 337-769-1530
Painter Colleen McDaniel
Pottery Alley– 205 ½ W. Vermilion St. / 337-267-4453 The Spirit of Haiti– steel drum art
Sans Souci Gallery– 219 E. Vermilion St. / 337-266-7999 July Jewels– jewelry makers of the Louisiana Crafts Guild
Exhibit curator Colin Miller’s speech for the Forum for Equality
Amy Guidry with co-exhibiting artist Stephanie Patton
Installation shot of my work
I wanted to share some photos from my night at the Forum for Equality exhibit. The Lafayette chapter of the Forum for Equality held a group exhibition- “Fight for Your Rights” at The Alamo. I was honored to be invited to participate for such a great cause. The exhibit coincided with the Forum’s event to get the public involved in the fight for equal rights and support the LGBT community. For more information on the Forum for Equality, visit their website at www.ForumforEquality.com. There was a great turnout for the show, lots of support, and a lot of fun. I have a few photos posted here but more can be found under the events section of my website at www.AmyGuidry.com.
I received news the other day that my work was selected for this year’s Art Melt in Baton Rouge. So looks like my new work is going to get some more exposure! The 2010 Art Melt will be held at a new venue this year- the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge, LA. The jurors for this year’s exhibit were Andrea Pollan, the Executive Director of the Curator’s Office in Washington D.C; Denny Mecham, the Executive Director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi; and Paul Dean, Associate Professor at the LSU School of Art in Baton Rouge, LA. The exhibit will open July 16th and remain up through August 28th. There will be a preview party on July 15th from 6:30-10pm.
For more information, check out their website at www.ArtMelt.org. And for more information on my work and to view my portfolio, visit www.AmyGuidry.com.
May issue of Art Calendar Magazine- my profile is featured on pg. 44
One question that I seem to get repeatedly as an artist, and not from viewers but from other artists, is “how do you get your work published?” On my website, you will find a Press section in which I post articles in newspapers, magazines, and sometimes online articles about my work. (Take a look at www.amyguidry.com/press.html) If I had to estimate, I would say that 70% of those originated because I notified writers and editors about my exhibits or announcements. (For the record, Art Calendar’s Louise Buyo contacted me- I just got lucky on that one!) Of course these days, press is viral, so if one blog or paper publishes you, another will then post something. I’ve had that happen a lot as well, which I did not directly influence. Anyway, I want to give you some helpful information to boost your own publicity.
First, assuming you already know what you want to promote, make a list of your local media. If it’s an out-of-state show, you should also do some research and find their media contacts as well. Get some double-duty out of your efforts. Once you have your media contacts- names of actual people, not just the name of the newspaper, etc., you can start writing your press release. I’m no writer, (yes, ironic since I have a blog…), but I always write a press release when I have a show or a big award or something I think the general public may find interesting. In your press release, which I like to limit to a one-page letter for expediency, you should give the usual- who, where, when, how, and why. You don’t want to write a bland description covering all these bases. I know- but isn’t that the writer’s job- to spruce things up? Yes, but there is a lot of news out there in the world, and especially for newspapers, it has to be covered quickly on a daily basis and they don’t have enough writers to possibly cover everything. This means you need to get their attention with something that sounds too great to not write about and make it easy for the writer to get all their information in the least amount of time possible.
So, here’s how to do it: You need a pitch. You can’t just write, “I am having an exhibition this Saturday at the Big Time Art Museum.” Start brainstorming. What reasons do you have for the public to find this interesting? Think in terms of impressing not just your writer or editor, but the public as well since that’s who you’re ultimately trying to impress. Think of what would matter most to the public. What is the most significant factor behind your news? How will it affect the public? Think of this as telling a story, not just stating facts.
Once you have your letter written, you can then add to your press release by including images. Either photographs, or a CD, or a brochure- just something with images pertaining to your news. A CD may be best since the writer can automatically use images from it, but if you can also offer to email high-resolution images. Oh, and be sure to send all of this to your media prospects well in advance of your event. I have found that it can take up to 3 months to get coverage, so the sooner the better. Depending on the publication, they may be booked for awhile and not able to fit your story in on short notice. Regardless, give at least a month’s notice to ensure at least some coverage.
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back right away… or at all even. Sometimes it takes a few tries, especially if you are unfamiliar to the media. Be persistent (and patient!). Questions? Feel free to ask. Comments? Let me know. www.AmyGuidry.com
If you’ve been following my blog, you may recall awhile back that I was to have a show at the Schepis Museum in Columbia, LA. Well, since that show had been planned a year in advance, and a lot can happen in the meantime, there were renovations being made that turned into a bigger project than expected. So my show had to be postponed. Well, I am happy to say that the time has come and my exhibit will open next month at the Schepis. This will be a solo exhibition of my New Realm series. This series has been in several locations in Louisiana, as well as Austin and Las Vegas. No two shows have ever been the same since works are sold and replaced or new work has been added by the time another show opens. So on and so forth.
The exhibit will open next month- May- and be open through the end of June. With a two-month display time, this should give many of you a chance to see the work in person. I can’t stress enough that I have to use low-res, small images on the web (thanks to copyright infringement), so seeing my paintings in person is a whole other experience. The opening reception will be held on Sunday, May 30th from 2-4 pm.
Many works from the New Realm series can be seen online at www.AmyGuidry.com. While you are there, be sure to check out my Press section for an article in the current issue of Art Calendar Magazine about New Realm.
Amy Guidry's work in the No Dead Artists exhibit at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
I came across an article the other day in the October 2009 issue of Allure magazine that I wanted to share. Their “Insider’s Guide” series usually takes on interesting topics with a sort of “how-to” approach. I found this one particularly interesting since it deals with art. Rory Evans wrote the piece “How to Visit an Art Gallery” which can be found online at http://www.allure.com/howtos/2010/01/visit_art_gallery. Silly as it may seem, there are many people that have never even set foot in a gallery before and honestly are intimidated. You don’t need to wax poetic about art or philosophy in order to attend an opening or visit a gallery on your own time. Just as anyone can appreciate music or film, the same goes for the visual arts. I can’t play an instrument, but I like Mozart. There’s no harm in that.
So here are some basics. First, galleries are free to visit. You are under no obligation to buy anything and you don’t have to pay to enter. (Museums usually have an admission cost or a suggested admission cost, but it won’t break the bank.) Galleries are generally open Tuesday through Saturday. Openings are generally held on weekends, usually the first or second weekend (be it a Friday or Saturday) of the month. Openings are held in the evenings in most cases, and are late hours with a high attendance. During the week it will be quieter, so you will have more opportunities to focus on the art and even stand back and view the work as a whole.
Galleries and museums both offer work for sale, but not all work is for sale in a museum. So if you are looking to buy, you have more options with galleries. They also change their shows on a monthly basis (for the most part), so there is always something new to see. Galleries will also introduce you to more “new” artists that may not have had as much exposure yet, whereas museums usually grant shows to more established artists.
Understanding the art does not require the Rosetta Stone. For starters, there’s usually an artist statement posted in the gallery whenever there is a show. The artist statement is written by the artist and is their personal account for their work. This will give you a good general idea about the roomful of work you see. It goes without saying, but also take into consideration the name of the show and the titles for the individual artworks. Many artists will admit that there are multiple interpretations of their work and that’s perfectly normal. You may see something different than the artist, or maybe you can add to what the artist feels. There’s no right or wrong answer. No one can tell you how to feel or what to feel, that’s your interpretation to make. All the artist can do is provide you with the information. And even if you do not have the opportunity to meet with the artist personally, you can always ask someone that works for the gallery. As for this artist, I am always open to questions, so feel free to contact me at www.AmyGuidry.com.
I thought I would share some photos from the opening I had the other night for the 6@549 show. The opening was a big hit at Gallery 549 during the Second Saturday Artwalk for March. The gallery was literally packed with people the entire time. Which is great, of course, but sometimes you can’t get a good view of the art when there’s such a large crowd. So, hopefully this will remind everyone to go by and see the show while it’s still up for the next couple of weeks.
Amy Guidry with her painting, “The Wild West”
Artist Deborah Norsworthy and a guest at the 6@549 show
Montage of image details from the 6@549 show
More photos will be posted on my website soon, so check out www.AmyGuidry.com. And if you are in the area, be sure to check out the show. This is a great opportunity to see the work in person. Artists featured are myself (Amy Guidry), Deborah Norsworthy, Diane Pecnik, Lisa Ayres, Marie DesJardins, and Mary Attwood.
Awhile back I wrote about a potential scam, which then got me into some hot water. I do feel, however, that it is important to discuss this issue since scams seem to run rampant among the art community. (Do emails from Nigeria ring a bell?) To be clear, I am not talking about art competitions that don’t lead to overnight success. I’m talking about competitions that are dead-ends with someone looking to run off with your money. These are the real scams. Often these are run by people with shady financial backgrounds (bankrupt, etc.), but this is not always easy to find on the internet. So here are some common traits I’ve come across:
First, the organization that’s running the competition is probably one you’ve never heard of before. If you do a search for their name on the internet, you may come up with nothing. If other artists have had success with said competition, they post it on the internet via blogs, press articles, resumes, etc. There will be a trail.
If the organization contacts you directly via email, and again, you’ve never heard of them, then where did they get your contact information? This is not to say that every email you get from a stranger is a scam, but usually the email should at least be directly written to you. If it is a mass emailing, then clearly they are just shooting arrows in hopes of hitting a target.
Who are the jurors? Often scams do not give names of jurors. They can certainly make up jurors as well, so that is why I highly recommend you do your research.
One of the more flagrant traits of an art competition scam is the deadline extension. I’ve seen many legit competitions extend a deadline (for example, the original deadline falls on a holiday) but usually the reason for the extension is stated in such a case. And, not to mention, this is usually done by a competition that is well-recognized in the first place. The ones to worry about are the ones that nobody’s ever heard of and they extend their deadline…again…and again…and again. Keep tabs on their websites and you’ll find this to be true.
Lastly, if the prize money is outlandishly big, but their company looks cheap, then it’s probably a scam. Successful arts organizations that have money to dole out, also have money to hire a great marketing team. Their websites will be top-notch, their logo is well-designed, and there are no grammatical errors on their marketing materials. One of the best examples I discovered was a website with overlapping text and photos. You have 10 grand to give me but you don’t have the money to hire a decent web designer? Oh, and their photos should be of actual events and of their actual gallery, etc. If all they have is stock photography (or NO photography), then something is fishy.
"Girl on Campus" by Amy Guidry; (c) Amy Guidry 2010
I received some exciting news in the mail the other day. My work has been selected for inclusion in the LaGrange National XXVI Biennial Exhibition at the LaGrange Art Museum. The juror for the exhibit happens to be New Orleans’ own J. Richard Gruber, Director of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. The exhibit will be held at the LaGrange Art Museum in LaGrange, GA. I’ve shown in Atlanta before, but this will be a first for me in LaGrange. So more good news- there will be a color catalog of the exhibition and there will be Purchase Awards granted. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Okay, details- the exhibit will be on display from February 26th through April 17th, 2010. Hopefully with such a long exhibition period, more of you will have the opportunity to see the work in person. The opening reception, as well as the awards announcements, will be February 26th from 6-8pm. More info to be posted at www.AmyGuidry.com.
Well, it seems to me that many artists out there are questioning the upcoming deadline for entries to Studio Visit Magazine. I’ve had quite a few hits to my blog searching for Studio Visit or Studio Visit scam. So, here’s something that I can discuss without getting into trouble for a change. Yes, you should enter! Studio Visit is the sister publication to New American Paintings. Both of which are published by The Open Studios Press. I’m sure many of you are unsure of Studio Visit because you’ve never heard of it. True, it’s new and fairly unknown, but I’ve noticed a remarkable increase in popularity over the past few years, so they are building a following. Studio Visit just started a matter of years ago- 3 or 4, if memory serves. They are lacking the legions of fans of New American Paintings, but that’s not to say they won’t build their own impressive fan base. Good things come to those who wait… or those who with good PR efforts. Regardless, the magazine is a good-looking publication. I’ve been in it before, so I can vouch for their slick presentation. The jurors aren’t too shabby, either. As with New American Paintings (or NAP, for short), they’ve managed to get prestigious museum directors and curators to jury their exhibitions-in-print.
I won’t say that getting into Studio Visit will be the overnight success you are looking for… then again, I wouldn’t say that about anything. However, it will get your work in front of galleries. The magazine is shipped out to galleries and museums all over the place, as is NAP. I can say that I’ve had a gallery contact me as a result and it helped grease the wheels to get me representation with another gallery. It jogs people’s memories and gets them thinking about your work. And when your work is in front of a gallery over and over again, your name starts to stick. So I leave you with this: if you’d like to have your work noticed by important people, in a high-quality publication, then the upcoming deadline is February 5th.
