This has been on my mind for some time, so I thought I'd write about it. My friend Laraine Armenti, who is working on her MFA in Painting at Boston University, mentioned something very important in her post "BU First Month" on October 10th, and it's something I wanted to share.
In showing and discussing a torn paper collage that "was made from drawings everyone in class made and then were instructed to tear up," she continued by saying that it was "One of many exercises that teach us to feel less precious or protective about our work and more generous."
The reason I'm sharing this is because as I was making and installing Fence/Curtain 1.0, my temporary outdoor art piece in Cambridge, MA, a lot of people asked me how I feel about it being outside in the elements through March 2012. My answer was (and still is) GREAT!
It's very exciting for many reasons. It's my first public outdoor art installation, it's being seen by people who would not ordinarily see my work, and there's also the fact that I made a piece that's 35 feet long, which is more than triple the size of anything I've ever made before.
I feel that if an artist makes work that they feel is precious, they will have a very hard time letting it go. That could be via a sale or an exhibit, especially one that has some risks.
When creating and installing Fence/Curtain 1.0, I knew that something can happen to it while outside, and I truly hope nothing will, but I made the decision that isn't precious.
