Revolution
Gallegos is the self-described curator for Luscious Nectar. He calls his collective action a "revolution". I call it a sensible re-packaging of the status quo. The said venues will host First Friday openings- which most of them were doing already. Only, now they will broadcast their openings with e-invites and fliers, positioning themselves as the hip alternative to the official First Friday Walk, a self-selecting group of dues-paying commercial galleries and art organizations. The collective branding that results from organizing alternative venues will be beneficial to the young, novice, and amateur artists who exhibit in these venues. Traffic to openings will increase if gallery goers have the expectation of consistently finding openings at these venues on First Fridays. I have to remind myself that when I was younger, an announcement like Gallegos would have excited me. However, I'm writing from the perspective of a career artist navigating the limitations of FoCo's art community. I assume a readership that shares my perspective. For us, Gallegos's announcement is, of course, not revolutionary. We're not looking for another opportunity to show in a coffee shop. We want to exhibit on white walls, not decorate purple ones.
Appropriation, Confusion
Contemporary Fluid contributor (and Valhall Arts Director) Laura Brent points to Gallegos's appropriation of the First Friday Gallery Walk's map, which may confuse art walkers. Valid point. Now that I've had a look at it. Gallegos uses the same street map, listing members of a "Locals Walk" and pinpointing their locations. He makes no mention of the walk's status as an alternative to the established First Friday Walk. So, plausibly, an art patron could pick up a flier and erroneously believe it was a comprehensive (not a partial) list of art offerings. On the other hand, this is Gallegos's objection to the established First Friday Walk- that these establishments present themselves as only game in town. So, fair is fair. As to the appropriation of an image (the map) by a group of artists- I can't manage to get worked up over that. Sorry, Laura, I'm deep into Danto this week- Brillo boxes and all that.
Exploitation
A second objection raised by Laura is one I'd like to counter at length. Not least because it's one I've heard many times before, and I think I've been waiting for an opportunity to take it on. Laura objects that these venues exploit artists- who "decorate" the walls of these establishments "for free." So common is this complaint, that I've heard it from two other artists in unrelated contexts within the last week. The argument from this camp is that artists are providing a service free to the coffee shop (or bar or dispensary) that this business would otherwise have to pay for, by buying or renting art to decorate their establishment. Arguably, by lending one's art to a business, an artist is undermining her own and others' potential to make money by leasing or selling work to that business.
Let me explain why this argument doesn't hold water. First, coffee shops aren't the kind of establishment that buys art for the walls (think doctor, think lawyer). Second, the artists who show in coffee shops aren't the kind of artists who sell at that level. No monetary opportunity has been lost, because there was no monetary opportunity to begin with.
Coffee shops benefit artists in a different way. They are suitable venues for young or novice artists who can't attract galleries (yet). These fledgling artists benefit by having a show- putting down the first line in an exhibition history. By having shows, they demonstrate to prospective galleries that they are productive and motivated about showing. The venues may benefit too, from the artsy vibe, in which case it's a win-win. Or they may be taking a risk, giving wall space to local artists, whose work may be unconventional or unaesthetic or frankly bad- whereas they could use the wall space to promote their own products, or exhibit a set of tasteful posters.
Do I exhibit in coffee shops? Not anymore. An earlier version of my CV listed several coffee shop shows, useful at the time. Now that I'm a little further along in my career, I've dropped those shows from my CV, in what is now a selective exhibition history. And that's as it should be. I don't need coffee shops now because I'm not aiming for my first gallery, I'm aiming for a better gallery.
Should you exhibit in coffee shops? Depends on where you are in your career. The main advantage is that line on your CV- do you need it? There's also the experience you gain in putting together a show- seeing the body of work up on a wall, assessing how successfully it came together. Do you need the practice? Otherwise.... Sales are negligible. The exposure is dubious: you may become more recognizable locally, but you won't make a good impression on the collecting class (to the degree that we have one in FoCo). They don't look for acquisitions in coffee shops.
Laura points out some other factors to consider:
- How is the space representing you? Will an employee at the coffee shop be able to answer any ?'s, or give insight to interested parties like a gallery director could? What sort of environment do you want to be in?
- What happens if a piece is damaged or stolen?
- Who handles the transaction/sales? If you are paying a commission the store should handle this, IMO. Will they contact you upon any sales?
I have my own objections to Gallegos's announcement- not to his collective action, which I think is good for young artists. My complaint is with the assumptions about artistic hierarchy that underlie his action. Gallegos complains about the $70 dues collected by the Gallery Walkers, seeing it as an exclusionary device. But, the Gallery Walkers are in the business of art. They have chosen to differentiate themselves as art professionals, and they collect dues to buy ads and print glossy brochures. It's their prerogative to advertise themselves strategically, in the best interest of sustaining their businesses. Each art professional reinforces his own professional identity by association with the others. They reinforce each other's legitimacy, and this benefits both themselves and the artists they represent.
Gallegos complains that this exclusivity is "highbrow" and "stuffy." He doesn't consider that established artists want to be connected with an exclusionary system (of galleries, dealers and exhibit spaces), differentiated from the un-curated miasma of hipster galleries, coffee shops and other DIY ventures. Exclusivity: that's how value is created in an artist's work. The "highbrow" establishment confers value upon the art it embraces. The anointed artist can ask a higher price for her work. To a very limited degree, on a very small scale, this system functions in FoCo. Gallegos isn't doing artists any favors by offering them liberation from the establishment.
To the degree that we even have an establishment in FoCo. Gallegos frames his "revolution" as a rise of the hipsters against the galleries. It's an imaginary conflict. The so-called establishment is just a loosely affiliated assortment of art professionals each trying to carve out a modest niche in a community where there's little demand for art. They're not the enemy. Taylor Gallegos blames the professional art community for downgrading the status of artwork in non-galleries, presumably by refusing association with them. No. The work is downgraded because it's in non-galleries. Being listed in the same gallery guide wouldn't change that; it would just make the professional galleries look less serious by association.
"Who is to say, Gallegos asks, 'what is "better" art?' Who is to say which art will make a bigger impact over time?" Um... I'm to say. The question of which art is good (establishment or hipster) is a false question. Some of the established art is good; much of it is godawful. Some of the hipster art is good; much of it is godawful. The offerings of our commercial galleries are largely mediocre species of provincialism. The genres are traditional and so don't give me much to chew on critically; but my real indictment of them is that most of the art is poor of its kind. Bottom line: local commercial galleries are hardly a worthy adversary. Gallegos's hipsters should get out of town once in a while and find out what they're really up against. Then they should work like hell to get better and move up.
I don't spend a lot of time contemplating the art in coffee shops, bars, or our sole hipster co-op. Once in a while I'll see an artist in these venues who's exceptional: who makes purposeful visual choices, employs intelligent concepts, exhibits an awareness of her own moment in relationship to art history. I say once in a while. When artists reach that level in their work, they generally move on from coffee shops.
It's weird that Gallegos conflates commercial galleries with nonprofit art organizations. The two are very different categories, and I find more to like in the latter, which make some room for progressive practices (not as much as I'd like). I can't talk about them as a single entity, because they each operate differently, but I have no problem with the fact that some are exclusive. I'm for meritocracy. I believe in judging art. I believe in submitting my own art to judgment. It may hurt, but I want to know where I stand- so I can get smarter and make my work better.
The Real Enemy?
My feeling is that Gallegos has created a phantom adversary, which distracts from the real problem with FoCo's art scene. Which is? Basically, it's just a very small scene. When artists are ready to move up from coffee shops, they need somewhere to go; and locally, they have few choices. If they work in traditional and conservative genres, there are a small number of commercial galleries. If they're working in contemporary practices, no dice. The museum formerly known as FCMOCA (now naming itself for an extinct flightless bird) used to create space for emerging contemporary artists. Apparently that opportunity has dried up. The remaining contemporary artspaces are stretched to accommodate more established artists, and there's little to bridge the awkward transition period we call "emerging."
I don't anticipate this situation changing soon. FoCo doesn't have the critical mass to support an endogenous art market. Nor does it have the cultural background out of which to build a tourist-based market (like Santa Fe).
I'm the last person to be calling for remedy. I'm working on my exit strategy. In my defense though, I have made the best of things here for ten years. I could not- and did not- rely solely upon local art venues. In engineering my own emergence (a continuing process), I've shown in Denver galleries, juried shows out of state, and online exhibits. I would advise Gallegos's hipsters to be realistic about the benefit to be had from alternative venues, and to upgrade their art the same way I'm doing: get schooled, get better, and branch out.
The Manifesto
Artistic Colleagues!
This First Friday went off! Huge volume of people, lots of compliments, tons of people looking up at those well decorated purple walls of ours. Thank you to all who have art in the show.. Things are only getting better and better.
BIG NEWS!!! There is a movement being spearheaded here in Old Town Fort Collins. I want to tell you all about it..
Currently there is an art walk in existence called the "First Friday Gallery Walk." The first Friday of every month the galleries downtown open their doors from 6 - 9 pm and shmooze the public. Very nice. BUT, they won't allow any business to be on the walk if it can't show that AT LEAST 50% of sales come directly from artwork.. No bar or restaurant will ever be able to claim this. Also, there is a committee that decides who gets on the walk. Then, on top of that there is a $70 monthly fee to be involved.
Very exclusive. Sort of "High Brow," sort of "Stuffy."
Here's the revolution... Starting the First Friday of August, we are launching the "Locals Walk." "Art for Locals, By Locals." An artwalk involving local businesses, showing local art, at local prices, with no governing committee and no monthly fee. Simple as that. There are businesses in Old Town Fort Collins that continue to display quality local artwork, done by quality local artists, that get no recognition. It's a denunciation of the work that these artists are doing, and it keeps the gallery art (often regional, often more traditional) on a pedestal. Who is to say what is "better" art? Who is to say which art will make a bigger impact over time? Our simple goal is to try to turn the established art hierarchy here in Fort Collins on its head.
We have a great list of participating businesses.. The Gallery Underground, On Display, CoCo Art Studio, The Luscious Nectar, The Vault, The Surfside, Hodi's Halfnote, Mugs Coffee Lounge, Everyday Joe's, The Bean Cycle, Lloyd's Art and Framing, Harper Point Photography, The Red Table, Cafe Ardour, The Lyric Cinema Cafe, etc....
If you have art that you want to hang in town, please look into these venues first.
Press releases to the local media have been sent, flyers are being printed, emails are being circulated, underground chatter has started. The movement is beginning... just Please feel free to send this on to anyone that you would like. And be ready for August 6th, 2010...
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