Just a quick post this evening… sorry about that. Lots going on, which means I will have more to share soon. My work is currently on exhibit in the 2010 Art Melt at the Louisiana State Museum. As mentioned previously, the jurors for this year’s exhibit were Andrea Pollan, Executive Director of The Curator’s Office in Washington, D.C.; Denny Mecham, Executive Director of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum in Biloxi, MS; and Paul Dean, Associate Professor at the LSU School of Art. The exhibit is up through August 28th. So here are a few photos from the preview party…
Artist Amy Guidry with juror Andrea Pollan, Director of The Curator’s Office
Viewers at the 2010 Art Melt, Louisiana State Museum
Amy Guidry with co-exhibiting artist Ralph Bourque
Another bit of news to mention- Avi Abrams of Dark Roasted Blend recently featured my work as part of their Surreal Art Update. It can be found under the page “Schizophrenic Episode Simulation.” View it at Dark Roasted Blend. And to view more of my work, be sure to visit www.AmyGuidry.com.
"The Black Plague" exhibit at The Congregation Gallery
I have two shows coming up, well, one is this weekend (!!) and the other will be next month. I was delighted to know that my work was selected for The Black Plague exhibit at The Congregation Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. There is a rather impressive line-up of artists including Chris Peters, Buddy Nestor, and Karl Persson. The show opens this Saturday, July 24th at The Congregation Gallery from 9-12pm.
Next month’s show will be at the Alexandria Museum of Art. I submitted for their 23rd September Competition and just received the good news yesterday. The juror for this year’s event is Kelli Scott Kelley. Ms. Kelley is an accomplished artist (I’m a fan of hers, so I really wanted to enter this show!) and a professor at LSU, Louisiana State University. There will be an opening reception and juror’s talk on August 27th from 6:30-8:30pm. The exhibit will be up through October 2nd.
If you would like a full list of my current and upcoming events as well as new work, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. The newsletter is sent monthly and I can promise that your email will not be shared with anyone (so you won’t receive any spam!). You can sign up on the contact page of my website- www.amyguidry.com/contact.html or send me an email.
Artist Amy Guidry with Schepis Museum Curator Jane Meredith
Installation view
Here’s a taste of my event photos from my show at the Schepis Museum in Columbia, LA. More on my events section of my website www.AmyGuidry.com. The show is a solo exhibit of my “New Realm” series and is up now through the end of June, so be sure to stop by if you are in the area. The News Star, the Monroe local newspaper, also ran a short article about the show. Read the article online at http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20100528/LIFESTYLE/5280303.
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.
"The Wild West" by Amy Guidry. (c) Amy Guidry 2010
I’ve had a lot of interest in Studio Visit Magazine as of late. Hopefully most of you have found your answers in some of my recent posts. So low and behold, I received an acceptance letter (and email!) from Studio Visit Magazine. My work was selected for inclusion in the Summer 2010 edition. So this will be Volume…10? Not sure, but I think there’s a Winter edition about to come out…then the Summer edition. The juror for this volume was Dina Deitsch, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, deCordova Sculpture Park + Museum in Lincoln, MA. For those who don’t know, Studio Visit is published by The Open Studios Press and is the sister publication to New American Paintings. It is a nationally conducted juried competition featuring 2D and 3D work. Oh, and in case you haven’t seen it- the painting that will be in the magazine is “The Wild West” which I’ve included a small image of here. There’s a closeup of it on my website www.AmyGuidry.com
"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.
“Complacent” by Amy Guidry; SOLD; Copyright Amy Guidry 2009
Wow, seems I’m going to be on the eastern side of Louisiana yet again. I currently have a solo exhibit up at the Oak Street Gallery in Hammond, LA (which opens this Friday!) and now I will have a show in New Orleans coming up next month. Lots of driving is on my future agenda… I found out today that my work was selected for inclusion in “No Dead Artists,” which is a juried exhibition held annually at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans. Jurors for this year’s show were Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art; Charles Whited, New Orleans, LA; and John Kemp, writer, ARTNews, Art & Antiquities, American Artist, Louisiana Life, and editor of LA Cultural Vistas.
“And Justice For All. Void Where Prohibited” by Amy Guidry; SOLD; Copyright Amy Guidry 2009
Selected artists are: May Babcock, Mary Beyt, Gabrielle A. Chapin, Yvette Creel, Amy Guidry, Erin Haldrup, Stephen Hoskins, Eleanor Owen Kerr, Katie Knoeringer, Adam Mysock, Jonathan Pellitteri, Dan Rule, Paige Valente, Ryan Watkins-Hughes, and Sara White.
The exhibit will be on display from September 2nd- September 26th. The opening will be September 5th from 6-9pm. And for those of you in the Hammond area, don’t forget the opening reception for my New Realm exhibit will be from 6-10pm this Friday (August 21st) at the Oak Street Gallery. It will be held in conjunction with “Hot August Night” so parking will be limited. If you can’t make either show or if you just can’t wait, you can also view my work online at www.AmyGuidry.com
"Transcendence" by Amy Guidry; From the New Realm series. Copyright Amy Guidry 2009
I will be participating in the LPB Art and Travel Auction, which supports Louisiana Public Broadcasting. I was asked to participate as a representing artist for the Oak Street Gallery in Hammond, LA. So I did a small piece, 6″ x 6″, wood-cradled panel, titled “Transcendence.” This piece is an extension of my New Realm series and features the red and black butterflies seen throughout the series. I also added some of the flowers and blue swirls seen in a few of the other paintings in New Realm.
Aside from being part of the live auction on LPB during primetime, my painting is included in an exhibition of all the art up for auction at the Louisiana State Museum in Baton Rouge. The exhibit will be on display through May 18th. On-air coverage will be during primetime on June 7th at 6pm. You can also bid online at http://auction.lpb.org/. Just look under Gallery 17 Oak Street and you’ll find my work listed there!
If you’d like to see more of my work, or my entire New Realm series, go to my website at www.AmyGuidry.com. And if you’re a regular, check out my new home page design!
Yes, rejection from a gallery stinks. So I thought I’d post some ideas on what to do about it that don’t involve burning down the gallery or hate mail. I should preface this by saying I got the idea for this post from Art Calendar magazine. Jack White wrote an article called “Rejection Hurts” for the May issue. While I sometimes disagree with Mr. White’s ideas, I did find this article to be “spot on.” I would like to give my own two cents, though, so that’s the great thing about having one’s own blog.
Okay, so you get a rejection from a gallery or a museum. Now what? Well, as Mr. White stated, it’s best to build a thick skin. True, but also look at this as an opportunity to get a referral. If a gallery rejects you, fine. Ask them if they can recommend a gallery that would suit your work. They may know of a new space opening up that is looking for artists. Or they may just give your name to another gallery themselves. (Yes, hard to believe, but that has happened for me.) It’s no skin off their nose to give you another name. In addition, you can then contact said gallery and use the name game to your advantage by saying ‘so and so from Gallery XYZ recommended your space to me and thought my work would fit your gallery.’
As far as reasons behind the rejection go, one of the more common reasons that Mr. White does not mention is that gallery’s have, in general, 12 exhibits a year. So that usually boils down to only 12 of their artists being shown in one year (except in a group show, of course). So it is not surprising that galleries, museums, and art centers usually have a full calendar for two years in advance. Sometimes 3 years. Just because a gallery isn’t interested at the time, doesn’t mean they won’t in the future. Perhaps they will keep your information on file. Perhaps they would like to stay in touch with you. It would be wise to maintain some type of relationship with these people. If you truly love the space, then it’s worth the time and effort. Not that you should do this anyway, but if you are randomly sending your work to any and every gallery, then it’s impossible to maintain relationships with all of these people. But if there are a few spaces you would give your left arm to be in, it would be in your best interest to stay in touch. And I don’t mean in a looking-to-get-a-restraining-order sort of way, either. Just get to know everyone on a personal basis. Learn their names. Go to their exhibits. Show a true interest in their artists’ work. THEN you can fill them in on what you’ve been doing.
I liked that Mr. White ended with saying to use rejection as a motivation to move forward. Aside from moving on, though, look for ways to turn rejection around into something positive. There may be another opportunity there, you just have to dig a little.
