Artists of that ilk

As we banged the last nails into the wall and composed the last grouping of art, we stood back, patted ourselves on the back, and collapsed in a heap on the gallery benches. Well, I did, anyway. We packed the giant blob of bubblewrap into the van and headed home, and on the road my phone bleeped with the new announcement - the University (and gallery) will be closed for an extra week. It then extended to another week, then another, then the entire semester. The opening was cancelled. The show stayed up.

Instead of a tragedy, as creative people around the world reacted by pivoting international exhibitions and Art Fairs, art teachers figured out how t teach via Zoom, and artists cooped up in quarantine buckled down and boosted their productivity, we decided to focus on the opportunity. The 10 artists in the show were from across the US and probably could not have come to the show in person, but they all could participate in a webinar-style gallery talk. Instead of a live opening, filming the show while it was hanging showcased how great the work looked individually and in groups. Curating everything virtually let man more people see it than might have wandered into the gallery.

Read about the show and see the work here.