Good News / Bad News

Keep in mind as you read this that I have no experience working with museums and their collections.   Yes, a lowly newbie in need of training and possible spoon feeding.   The museum director wished me the best, then passed me on to the collection specialist to start my new adventure in museum research…

"This is Red Five; I'm going in! (His X-wing's lasers firing wildly)"
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope 

Good News:                                                               

I finally scored an appointment with the museum collection specialist after 3 weeks of waiting.   I need to work on my timing as the specialist had been on 2 weeks of vacation, only worked 2 days a week and needed time to catch up.   I was nominally trained on their specialized museum software.   I learned that the museum collection was divided into artifacts, photos and documents.   In addition, I learned that the artifacts were stored by the month and date they were acquired by the museum mostly in stacks of archival quality banker boxes.   The procedure for requesting items was spelled out.   It was a pleasure to sit in the museum library wrapped in shelves full of books and interesting artifacts with a large table at my command feeling all of the possibilities.  

Bad News:

I had only 3 weeks left to develop a theme to finish writing the grant.  The museum’s computers were archaic and the collection specialist was going to take 2 more weeks off.   My request for an export of the collections database file was met with a blank stare.   I’m a software engineer by trade with lots of database experience.   Being told that the best method of searching the museum’s software was to start with record #1 and work my way down was alarming.   A second visit netted me only 1 artifact out of 5 requested.   Now I’m panicking that even if I pick a theme there’s no way to verify that enough of the items I needed would actually be in storage.   Should I pick the collection of bottles?   Perhaps all the glass objects?   How about those Indian artifacts?  Would farming equipment make a statement?   My corporate Spidey sense was tingling telling me the collection specialist had one foot out the door.

Good News:  

The collection specialist quit.

Bad News:   

Now I had *no* access to the collections.   Be careful what you wish for…   

Good News:

I told a friend about my dilemma - there was no way to develop a theme at this point.   She suggested making the choice of a theme part of the grant.   Brilliant!   So, I pushed this decision down the queue and finished writing the grant.   Problem solved…   I won the grant.  The museum promptly hired an experienced archivist.

Bad News:  

I couldn’t pounce on the newly hired archivist with a huge list of items to treasure hunt up and down the stacks.   I needed a new approach for theme development that was sparing of her time.   The new archivist also only worked part time limiting my access.   The new archivist has new rules. 

  

Good News:

The new archivist is technically savvy and has already extracted an MS Excel file of the collections database for her laptop.   She shared it readily.   I can now slice and dice the data on my laptop seven days a week extending my researching time.   Awesome!   In addition, she’s willing to bring me several groupings of Indian artifacts to help jump start my first surface designed fabric piece.   After that, she’s agreed to bring me one box at a time to review starting with the earliest acquisitions.   This will reduce my requests on her time.  The approach also allows me to work exclusively with available items.   Besides theme development, I’m looking for shapes and textures for my personal mark making lexicon.   Any artifact could have relevance.   I'm taking notes as I review the artifacts to help develop themes for the 38 surface designed pieces I intend to create.  When I have enough ideas, then I stop methodically sorting through the 190 artifact boxes and shift to filling in the gaps by researching the collections database file.   By that time, the archivist will be established in her job and be ready to retrieve targeted items.   That’s the current plan anyway!

Bad News:  

There is none!   My access woes have been ironed out.   I have direction.   I’m on my way with very capable assistance from the archivist.  The message here is to be persistent and don't be afraid to take a leap of faith!

Fiberdreams -> Fiberbuff -> FiberArtist

I used to wistfully use "Fiberdreams" as a username.   I eventually upgraded myself to "Fiberbuff" after gaining some confidence and new skills.   I am finally ready to embrace being "FiberArtist"...hear me roar!

...but, wait!  An artist needs tools.   I'm not ready for prime time.   Here are the tools I'm building:

• I had the horrifying experience of standing in the deli line next to a friendly woman in a fabulous coat.  She turned out to be a local designer who was always on the lookout for new talent.  Did I have business cards, a website or a portfolio?...well...ummm...no...   I realized how truly unprepared I was to represent myself to the world.   I decided to go straight home and commit to a business card design.   I started paying attention to artist's cards and noticed that they tend to make business cards based on their current work.   Instead of waffling over my "forever" business card,  I simply picked a favorite piece of surface designed fabric and made a card.   Very satisfying!   A friend collects artist cards for inspiration.   I'm starting my own collection too.
  
   

• Part of the grant writing process was to select samples of my work.  I set up a photo shoot in my hall based on a photographer's talk at a local quilting guild.   Was the lighting great? ...well... ummm... no... I dug up the photographer's notes and purchased a lighting system having proved it's necessity.   (I will say that it was a hoot giving my work titles and measuring them as part of the description.)   I am fortunate to belong to a quilting guild where many members are working artists who successfully exhibit their work.  Most of those people have their work professionally photographed.  It's clear that excellent photographs of your work are key to success.  The top photograph below was overexposed.   I tried again putting the piece on the floor and it came out too dark, but with a bit more detail.   I'll have these photos for comparison as I continue to improve my photography skills. 
  
  
  
  

• Did I have the foresight to document all those great classes I'd taken for my eventual artist resume? No such luck.   Thank goodness some teacher drilled it into me to date all of my notes and save them. Digging up information on classes I'd taken for the grant application was really a first step to creating my artist resume.  Winning the grant was a big boost for my resume as it allows me to list a grant win and an exhibit.  Now that I've got an artist resume it will be easy to update as I go.

• A new habit is blocking out regular research days at the museum and in-home studio days on the family calendar to commit the time.  

• I have an artist bio and statement in progress.  Deciding who you are as an artist and writing it up in an interesting fashion is tricky business.   I mentioned to a friend that I was stuck on this.   She gave me prompts, asked questions and had me babbling about myself in no time.  Did I mention that this was a very good friend?!   Another example of using your resources.   

• I started this art blog for documentation, visibility and accountability.  I'm a software engineer by trade. The temptation to geek out on the blog loomed large.  I researched blogging.  The top two choices seemed to be Blogger and Wordpress.  I quizzed the guild membership.   They split evenly on their recommendations.  One clever guild member suggested starting with the simpler blog to set up and see if  it did the job.   It was a very sensible solution.  I determined that this blog is only a tool.  My creative energy is better focused on the surface design pieces.   

These are all incremental steps towards becoming a working artist.   If you're upgrading from casual artist to working artist, feel free to learn from my mistakes!   If you're a working artist and I've left any important tools out please leave a comment.   

Join a Guild - Get a Grant!

Thank you for joining me on the art blog journey here as I prepare to execute my first grant and build a museum exhibit!   I am truly awed to have this opportunity...  What went right?   How did this happen?

“90% of life is showing up” – Woody Allen
 I volunteered at the Sandy Spring Museum for 6 years as the resident spinner demonstrating for field trips and doing occasional crafts for family days.   Doing this established a relationship with the museum which paved the way for a collaboration.   Friends had suggested joining the Potomac Fiber Arts Guild as I'm interested in so many fiber arts.  So, when the idea of creating the exhibit finally germinated I met the grant criteria of having been a member for a year.   Another contributing factor was a bum shoulder that was keeping me from knitting, spinning, dyeing, felting, etc...   I had an opportunity to think, set goals and write.   Finally, the time was just *right* to step up to the working artist challenge.   My kids have all mutated into teenagers and are in danger of becoming very capable adults!

I also attribute the grant win to taking advantage of offered assistance.   Two guild members and another fiber friend reviewed my application.  It's a good thing that they did...   My previous grant writing experience was for the local elementary school.  The grant writing workshop the county arts program provided stressed simple, concise language directed to reviewers inundated with thousands of applications.  I won several grants with this advice in mind.   Accordingly, my first Conant draft was bare bones.  One reviewer (a previous Conant grant winner herself) explained that the guild would likely have only 3 to 5 applications to send to the judge.  She suggested showing my passion for the project and building a detailed vision of the work and it's benefits..  I was to woo the judge.   The moral of the story here is to know your audience when you write...and use your resources.