Although there are various requirements and activities for the Creative Pinellas emerging artist grant, the exhibition is the primary and culminating experience. It’s hard to believe the show is up and the grant period is about to end.
It was not easy to decide what and how I wanted to exhibit in this show. I work in a lot of different formats and materials, and this past year I’ve moved into large-scale pieces and installation. In addition to thinking about how to represent myself, I also had to consider practical concerns of space, gallery limitations, and the physical time I had to produce new work while also working two part-time jobs and juggling other shows and creative projects.
The last six months of 2022 and through January 2023 I was consumed with my big immersive exhibition, Beginner’s Mind, at Safety Harbor Art and Music Center. That project grew in a way I couldn’t predict and ended up being being exhibited later than the original plan for late Fall. It bled into the first three months of the Creative Pinellas grant period where I would have otherwise been focused on new work for that show much earlier.
I considered trying to recreate a version of Beginner’s Mind in the Creative Pinellas gallery, but it really wasn’t feasible for this exhibit. I was also ready to make new things and interested in showcasing a bigger range of my work and the materials I use. It was equally important to me that, as much as possible, my making-process remained organic, improvisational and unforced, which is hard with a tight deadline.
I ended up with three pieces I feel good about, from which I learned a lot through the process of making and installing. They are: 1) Daughter of Swords (suspended), 2) Memory Maker (crystal foot), 3) Initiation (Laugh/Cry) (wall installation with sound). The perfectionist in me would have liked more time to resolve aspects of the work, particularly with Daughter of Swords, but I did accomplish what I set out to do: produce pieces which represent the diverse way in which I work while pushing myself to keep taking risks and exploring new ideas. And get it done by an impending deadline! Mission accomplished.
PRESS: Fox 13 News “Creative Pinellas hosts Emerging Artist Exhibit”
