tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:13:40 +0000artologicanoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)Blogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-6407318303088099783Sat, 28 Jul 2018 17:28:00 +00002018-07-30T17:28:41.416-07:00Let's Call it An Adventure <br />
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After five years of successfully showing my work at science
meetings in various cities in the US, I decided to try showing at one in
Europe. For the sake of vaguely plausible deniability, let’s call it the LENS
conference, in Vienna. (To be perfectly clear, I have nothing bad to say about
the “LENS” organization. They were friendly and professional and did just what they
promised they would.) It was … an experience. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Before the conference, I spent months making new paintings
and designing new scarves. I figured out what frame sizes were standard in
Europe and found a source in let’s-call-it-Vienna that could cut mats and
backing boards for me in those sizes, to be picked up the day I arrived. I
spent weeks trying to figure out how to accept credit card payments in Europe
without a Euro bank account. (Create an online shop account and then download
an app that allows you to take cards at point-of-sale, as it turns out) <o:p></o:p></div>
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My old suitcase was too crushable for transporting art so I
bought a new one. My scarf rack was too big to transport, so I got a European Amazon
account and arranged to buy one that would be shipped to my hotel just in time.
I was told my booth was “space only” so I figured out how to display my work
without any walls. I rented an extra table for 3 days for 100 Euros. In short,
I prepared, and prepared, and prepared. And although I was as careful as
possible, I spent lots of money, which I figured was OK, because I expected to
make lots of sales, as I had at similar conferences in the US. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And then I arrived, and things went downhill from there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was feeling pretty good on day one: I found my hotel right
away, and though I was not able to check in, I was able to dump my bags and go
off exploring. The art store people came through, and I picked up 400 Euros
worth of mats and backing boards with no problem. I created a little mounting
shop in my room and got all my paintings ready for sale. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I discovered that my scarf rack hadn’t
arrived. No biggie, I still had a day before the conference started, and the
concierge at the hotel helped me to contact the shipper to arrange re-delivery.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning, I set off for the conference center to set
up. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exhibitor set-up started at 8 am.
When I arrived around 10, I found that the furniture for the booths had not
been delivered. Oh. Check back later this afternoon, they said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I headed back to the hotel. Still no scarf rack. Shit. Amazon’s
shipper claims that “the business was closed when they tried to deliver,” which
is absurd because it is A HOTEL. I set off to the local shops to see what I
could find as a substitute, and came up with something not too expensive. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then I went back to the conference center, where I found
hundreds of people milling around outside. The building had been evacuated
because of a fire alarm. Oh. After 45 minutes or so, they reopened the
building, and I went in and found my art exhibitor neighbors busy setting up. “Weren’t
you evacuated?” “Evacuated? Huh?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The exhibitor to my right, let’s call her Sophia, had a much
more elaborate booth than the rest of the artists, with three complete walls. “Had
I not received an email promising me a booth with three walls?” she asked. I
had not. As noted, I was promised space only, so I was pretty delighted to get
a back wall, the same as all the other art exhibitors. Oh well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As we set up, I was amazed to discover that (let’s call her)
Sophia had come from (let’s call it) New Zealand. She told me that her local
arts council had paid for her booth. I thought “lucky her,” but figured that the
cost of her plane ticket and expenses for coming from NZ would still have been
enormous. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The next morning, I discovered otherwise. The art exhibitors
had signed a contract to be in the exhibits hall from 9:30 to 5:30 for three
days. I guess I was the only one who actually read that, because around 10:30,
I was pretty much alone when an irate woman with a “New Zealand” accent came up
to my booth and asked me if I had seen Sophia. Not today, I said. “Well,” she
said, “she’s my employee and I’m a bit salty because she’s supposed to be at
her poster session right now. I paid for her plane ticket to come here and she
never said a word to me about having an art booth.” 😮<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Sophia eventually turned up, I told her that the boss
had come looking for her. She explained that she was staying with a friend in
the suburbs and that the train service was interrupted. I mean, OK, things happen.
But by now it looked like she had 1) extracted an extra-special booth from the conference
organizers and 2) got someone else to pay for it, then 3) got someone else to
pay for her expensive plane ticket without informing them that she would be
spending most of the conference doing something else and then 4) blew ALL of it
off, showing up hours late for both the art and the science. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At this point, I am just<br />
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but I decide
to ignore the whole Sophia situation. What could I do, anyway? <o:p></o:p><br />
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I should probably mention here that I had personally urged the conference
organizers to have art exhibitors, so I feel somewhat responsible for the whole
thing being a success. I tweet photos of all the artists’ work. I show up at 9
and stay until 6. I don’t take lunch breaks because the lines for the food are
enormous. But I cannot will success into being.<br />
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The exhibit hall booths are very far
apart, with a carpeted “highway” leading from one poster area to the next,
encouraging conference-goers to march right past the exhibits without looking.
There’s a trickle of customers. People keep asking me if my stuff is available
online (yes but it’s RIGHT HERE NOW and if you buy it online you have to pay to
have it shipped from the US). It turns out that nobody cares that my paintings
are matted for standard frame sizes (it’s a big selling point in the US).
Nobody even looks at my large paintings. I had painted 24 A4 size paintings. I sold 3. <o:p></o:p><br />
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By day 5, I am despondent. Amazon continues to claim that
they have tried to deliver my package over and over. I send them an all-caps email
explaining that I managed to find the hotel in 5 minutes on the subway despite
having never been to Let’s-call-it-Vienna before, and that there is always
someone at the front desk. They refund my money.<o:p></o:p><br />
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I have not eaten in a restaurant the whole time I was in LCI
Vienna, instead getting food from supermarkets. I was planning to treat myself
to a nice restaurant meal once I got into the black after expenses. When it becomes
clear that it will never happen, I decide to splash out anyway, and make
plans to meet two internet friends who live in town for dinner. The day of the
dinner, they both blow me off, one because the World Cup was on, one because
she “needed a nap”. I leave town without ever having been in a restaurant, not having
shared a meal with another person all week.<o:p></o:p><br />
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The day I fly out, it pours. The elevator in the subway stop
is out of order, so I have to drag my bag (filled with all the unsold work)
down the stairs in the rain. When I get to the station where the airport bus
comes, there is no elevator at all, so I drag it back up the stairs, as four
people having a cigarette break stare curiously. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am very happy to leave. <o:p></o:p><br />
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The next day, I go on Twitter and Instagram and post
pictures about my European adventure, which went great.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />2018/07/lets-call-it-adventure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-8361893026556803548Sun, 27 May 2018 15:11:00 +00002018-05-27T08:34:27.486-07:00Variations Opens June 1 at Artists & Makers <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1600" height="249" src="; width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong style="font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">June 1-27 at Artists & Makers 1 in Rockville, MD</span></strong></h1>
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Opening Reception: Friday, June 1, 6-9 pm </span></strong><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 15px;">In science, a variation is any difference between cells, individual organisms, or groups of organisms caused either by genetic differences or by the effect of environmental factors on the expression of genes. In music, a variation is the repetition of a theme or musical idea with changes or embellishments in harmony, rhythm, or key. In my art, these two definitions merge. Inspired by my stay in a science lab in Paris that studies evolution in fruit flies, this exhibit of watercolors and ink paintings brings together work that explores the idea of variation in all its senses.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" />
<strong style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">Artists & Makers Studios 1</strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 15px;">11810 Parklawn Dr., Suite 210</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 15px;">Rockville, MD 20852</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 15px;">More information </span><a href="; style="background-color: white; color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">here</a>2018/05/variations-opens-june-1-at-artists.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-1235818633925232191Thu, 08 Jun 2017 01:30:00 +00002017-11-17T08:09:26.666-08:00Updated! Upcoming Art Events for Summer-Fall 2017 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="; imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1600" height="216" src="; width="320" /></a></div>
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Looking to start or add to your collection of unique, science-inspired art? Here's where you'll find me over the next few months: </div>
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<strike>July 12-16<o:p></o:p></strike></div>
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<strike><a href=" Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts</a><o:p></o:p></strike></div>
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<strike>State College, PA</strike><o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<strike>August 26</strike></div>
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<strike><o:p></o:p></strike></div>
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<strike><a href=" Street Festival</a><o:p></o:p></strike></div>
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<strike>Washington, DC</strike><o:p></o:p><br />
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September 1 - November 1<br />
<a href=" Hopkins University, Montgomery County Campus</a><br />
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Rockville, MD </div>
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</div>
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September 23 <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href=" Arts & Ales Festival </a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Hyattsville, MD<o:p></o:p></div>
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October 7<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href=" on the Avenue</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Alexandria, VA <o:p></o:p></div>
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October 16-18<br />
<a href=" Conference on Pharmaceutical Microbiology</a><br />
Bethesda, MD<br />
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November 11-15</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href=" for Neuroscience</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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Washington, DC<br />
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November 24-25<br />
<a href=" at AVAM</a><br />
Baltimore, MD </div>
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December 3-5<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href=" 2017</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Philadelphia, PA<br />
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December 9<br />
<a href=" />
Crystal City, VA<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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And of course you can always find my work on <a href=";
2017/06/upcoming-art-events-for-summer-fall-2017.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-1638397929532856847Mon, 22 May 2017 17:42:00 +00002017-06-09T11:07:12.188-07:00Zone of Resistance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Apart from a few anti-Bush efforts way back at the beginning of my career, I've pretty much avoided making political art. But it was impossible for me, as an artist, an American, and a proud resident of Washington, DC, not to be affected
by the political turmoil of the past year. I've been protesting my heart out, and eventually I channeled my anger, despair and
hope into <i>Zone of Resistance</i>, a mixed-media piece (watercolor, plastic and
resin), inspired by the pattern that forms when antibiotics meet pathogens in a
petri dish. (i don't want to over-explain it, but that's pink power overcoming the harmful bacteria) I hope to show it at an exhibition in DC next month.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Update: <i>Zone of Resistance</i> will be on display at the DCCAH Eye Street Gallery <span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">from June 16-August 11, in the lobby at 200 I Street, SE in Washington, DC. </span></span></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
2017/05/zone-of-resistance.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-2220697445903246445Sun, 23 Apr 2017 21:59:00 +00002017-04-23T15:09:38.491-07:00Thank Me for Coming <div class="MsoNormal">
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Let me say this right up front: none of this is a big deal. I know
that. And I also know that what I’m about to tell you has happened to many
people before me and will happen to many after. But it’s been a few months and
I still can’t shake the hurt, so I decided to write about it anyway. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On December 10, 2016, midway between the national body blows
of Hillary Clinton’s electoral loss and Donald Trump’s inauguration, I had a
small, personal one of my own. That evening, a reception was held for my first
solo gallery show in more than 10 years, and nobody came. Not one single
person. <o:p></o:p></div>
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None of my hundreds of facebook friends. None of my
thousands of twitter followers. Most painfully, though, not a single one of the
hundreds of people whose openings I have attended in my 15 plus years of making
art in DC. Not one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I know there were some good reasons. It was a busy weekend.
Several other art spaces were having events. Holiday festivities were no doubt underway. But all the same, not one single
person decided that mine was the event that they would put first. And that
hurts like kneeling on gravel. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I immediately decided never to go to anyone’s opening again.
And then I decided to go to everyone’s, so it would never happen to any of my
friends. But even with all of the time and the alcohol and the yoga that have
passed since that night, I still feel a little bitter every time I show up to a
bustling opening and am greeted by all the usual people. The people who didn’t show
up for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Now I find myself seriously considering whether I should
ever try again. I had already applied for a show out in the suburbs in
Virginia, but hey! I got rejected, so I no longer had to worry whether anyone
would come or not. A show at AU? Chances are a little better that some people
might come to a show in DC, but hey! I got rejected, so I’ll never have to find
out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For every exhibition opportunity I have considered since
that day, I’m adding an extra layer of dread on top of the usual likelihood of
getting rejected. What if I am selected, and I work on a show for months, and once
again nobody comes? There is so much effort and expense involved in putting
together a solo exhibition, I just don’t know whether I can, or should, even
bother. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For now, I’m sticking to festivals, where it’s someone else’s
job to draw the crowd, and to the internet, where people seem to like the
cartoon version of me. Who knows, maybe in three weeks, or three months, or
another ten years, an amazing opportunity for a show will come up, and I’ll do
it and it will be great. Or maybe it won’t. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the meantime, if you should see me at your opening, thank
me for coming. <o:p></o:p></div>
2017/04/thank-me-for-coming.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-1766293126202948182Tue, 28 Mar 2017 13:32:00 +00002017-03-28T06:34:05.879-07:00The Arctic Bride <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michele Banks, <i>The Arctic Bride</i>, Mixed Media, 2017 </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With Arctic sea ice at its lowest-ever recorded levels, and the administration poised to roll back environmental protections, spring of 2017 seemed like a good time for a wedding. For my seventh appearance at Artomatic, I decided to show this piece, <i>The Arctic Bride</i>, instead of my usual paintings. This mixed-media piece (yes, that's a real wedding dress that I bought on eBay) considers the marriage of Ice and Carbon. I first had the idea for this piece when I was working with Jessica Beels and Ellyn Weiss on <i><a href=" of Discovery</a></i>, our climate-inspired show at the AAAS in 2014. Looking at pictures ice and snow in the Arctic, I was reminded of the thick, glossy, pristine white draping of a wedding dress, and all the concepts of purity tied up in that image. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For that show, we ended up making a larger, much more abstract piece called <i>Waning Albedo</i>.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Waning Albedo</i>, Jessica Beels, Michele Banks and Ellyn Weiss, Mixed Media, 2014</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I decided to revisit the idea in this piece. I'll leave it for others to tease out the layers of meaning here, but I think we can all agree that this marriage will be dangerous and damaging for the beautiful bride. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href=";, which features the work of 600+ artists, runs through May 6 at 1800 South Bell Street in Arlington. </span></div>
2017/03/the-arctic-bride.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-4235835702409764993Fri, 17 Mar 2017 17:41:00 +00002017-03-17T11:41:15.191-07:00Pay, Pay, Pay to Play<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don’t like to fight on twitter, but when somebody told me
that, unlike scientists, artists and writers never publish their work for free,
I had no choice. Ahem. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>YES THEY DO, YOU
IDIOT. ALL THE TIME.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve been a professional artist for over 15 years. Here’s
how I make money: I put my work in gallery shows and art festivals and I sell
it online. The first two, and to some extent all three, are emphatically
pay-to-play. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With very rare exceptions, an artist who shows in any type
of gallery gets no pay for actually making the work. She buys all the supplies,
paints or sculpts, frames and mounts, and delivers ready-to-display work to the
gallery. In many cases, the artist also pays for photography of her work,
postcards to advertise the show, and even the food and wine for the opening. In return, the gallery provides display space,
hanging, publicity, back-office functions and, ideally, buyers, in exchange for
a commission (usually 50%) on sold works. But of course, there is no guarantee
that any work will sell, so many artists end up thousands of dollars in the
hole for gallery shows. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Artists who show at festivals also pay upfront in hopes of
making money. Most shows charge application fees ranging from $25-50, and booth
fees ranging from $100-1,000, depending on the size and prestige of the show.
Artists generally have to provide a display system, a payment system, and a
bunch of finished work (not to mention tools, bags, business cards and usually
a tent). If you don’t earn back your booth fee, do you get your money back?
Hahahahahahahaha.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Even Etsy, where I make most of my money, requires upfront
investment by the artist in terms of making, photographing and listing work for
sale. Their fees are pretty low, but again, if your stuff doesn’t sell, you’ll
be out some time, money and listing fees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now let’s do writers. Hey, maybe you wrote a great short
story and you want to publish it. Say you’re already well-known and <i>The New Yorker</i> wants to publish your
story. Sure, they’ll pay. But if you’re not an established writer, chances are
you’ll be publishing that story in a literary journal for nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just a note on the science side. Most scientists in academia
who are publishing in journals are getting paid to do science. They get a
salary or at least a grad-school stipend. Most science research is funded by
grants. Part of the grant money is usually set aside for the publishing fees.
Are the economics of scientific journal publishing profoundly tilted to the
benefit of the publishers vis-à-vis the scientists? Probably! Does this mean that
scientists who publish are working for free? Not really. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
2017/03/pay-pay-pay-to-play.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-570356648620713401Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:13:00 +00002016-11-21T05:15:38.268-08:00Holiday Sciart Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's beginning to look a lot like....SCIENCE! Geek it up this holiday season with sciency gifts and art that will make you look super smart. You can find me at the following events over the next few weeks:<br />
<br />
<b>November 19 - January 8 </b><br />
<b>Glen Echo Park, Maryland</b><br />
<br />
I have a solo show, <a href=" Worlds</a>, in the Park View Gallery, featuring larger watercolors based on brains, microbes and cells. I also have smaller works in the Popcorn Gallery as part of Glen Echo's annual <a href=" Art Show</a>. If you come on December 10 for <a href=" Eve</a>, there's a reception from 6-8pm for my show as well as many other festivities and open studios. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>December 3 - 6 </b><br />
<b>Artists' Row at ASCB, San Francisco</b><br />
<br />
I'm showing for the first time at the annual meeting of the <a href=" Society for Cell Biology</a>. I'll be bringing lots of new cell-inspired art and scarves.<br />
<br />
<b>December 17 </b><br />
<b>Grump, Crystal City, Virginia</b><br />
<br />
<a href="; is an awesome local holiday show featuring 50 top-quality art and craft vendors.<br />
And a Yeti.<br />
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2016/11/its-beginning-to-look-lot-like.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-5974622376135710459Sun, 03 Jul 2016 15:03:00 +00002016-07-03T08:03:01.430-07:00Where You'll Find Me <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
I have lots of art events coming up, including some old favorites: the always-amazing Artscape, Alexandria's big, fun, friendly Art on the Avenue, and the gorgeous MPA Artfest. This year I'm adding some new shows to the mix, including the Mt. Gretna Outdoor Art Fair in Pennsylvania and the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in December in San Francisco. As always, I'm painting up a storm so I have new work for every show.<br />
<br />
<br />
July 15-17<br />
<a href=" />
Baltimore, MD<br />
<br />
August 20-21<br />
<a href=". Gretna Outdoor Art Festival</a><br />
Mt. Gretna, PA<br />
<br />
October 1<br />
<a href=" on the Avenue</a><br />
Alexandria, VA<br />
<br />
October 2<br />
McLean Project for the Arts Artfest<br />
McLean, VA<br />
<br />
December 3-7<br />
<a href=" Biology 2016</a><br />
San Francisco, CA<br />
<br />
<br />2016/07/where-youll-find-me_3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-1596700385143041939Mon, 21 Mar 2016 19:11:00 +00002016-03-21T12:14:41.547-07:00Upcoming Events: Spring-Summer 2016<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
I'm delighted to announce that I'll be taking part in three new events this spring: two completely new and one "new to me."<br />
<br />
First, I'll be showing at the first-ever <a href=" Mart at the National Museum of Women in the Arts</a> from April 10-12. This unique event showcases the work of many women artists and crafters from around the DC area, and allows visitors to check out the great collections of the NMWA at the same time as shopping for unique pieces. Lots more information <a href=" />
<br />
On May 7 and 8, I'll be at <a href="; (Arts Rockville Town Square) for the first time. The outdoor festival gathers 175 selected artists to the streets around Rockville's town square. <br />
<br />
Next up, in June, I'll be taking my art on the road to show at the first ever Art Walk at <a href=" Microbe</a> 2016! From June 16-20, thousands of microbiologists gather for the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, and for the first time, they will be able to see and shop for microbe-inspired art from me, the Vexed Muddler, and other artists.<br />
<br />
I'm designing some new microbe and virus-themed scarves just for this event! More details to come.2016/03/upcoming-events-spring-summer-2016.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-1233846821494298529Sun, 14 Feb 2016 20:25:00 +00002016-02-17T06:49:29.163-08:00Some Thoughts on Sciart and Blogging <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’ve been making science-inspired art as my primary job
since 2010, and been writing about science-inspired art (sciart, as we call it on twitter) as an unpaid side gig
all along, first for Guru Magazine and then for the Finch & Pea. I’m going
to keep making my art, but I’m giving up the writing, maybe temporarily, maybe
permanently. We’ll see. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Why? Because nobody cares. I’ve been trying for more than
five years to build an audience for sciart, and, frankly, failing. If I don’t
flog my posts endlessly on social media, nobody reads them. I’ve written about
hundreds of artists, and probably 5 or 6 of them have even noticed. So I guess
it’s time to admit defeat. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Somebody on twitter the other day said he couldn’t quite see
the point of “sciart” – why is it not just considered as art? That’s a very
good question. I would love for it to just be art. For me, sciart is a hook, a
way to get people who don’t like art, or think they don’t understand art, to look at
some art and think about it. I think that’s worthwhile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, it’s a marketing hook to help me sell my work. I would
dearly love to make art that is much more abstract, but unless I include recognizable cells or microbes, it doesn’t
sell. I would love to be covered in the media as an artist and not as a scicomm
sideshow, but that has never happened, and given my lack of art-world cred (no
MFA, no gallery), it probably never will.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I complained about people not reading what I wrote,
several people told me that I should just blog for my own enjoyment, not for
clicks. So I’m not going to link this on twitter or Facebook or anywhere. It’s
just for me, and maybe for a few people who happen to stumble across it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m really sad about this, and I’ve shed a lot of tears, but
I guess I’m done. <o:p></o:p></div>
2016/02/some-thoughts-on-sciart-and-blogging.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-1388262275180222783Fri, 12 Feb 2016 17:18:00 +00002016-02-12T09:18:17.062-08:00Panda Tweetup! Panda Tweetup! Panda Tweetup! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey DC twitter friends! Two of the best things about our
city have converged recently – the arrival of a panda cub and the arrival of
no-tourists season. So I propose a panda tweetup to be held on Thursday,
February 25, at the National Zoo.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s the plan: we meet between 10 and 10:30 am at the
tables across from the entrance to the panda habitat (“Panda Plaza” on the zoo
map, not to be confused with the Panda Overlook Café). I’ll make a bunch of delicious
cookies and get one of those boxes of coffee. We will eat cookies and drink
coffee and look at pandas and talk and tweet. If there's a line for the pandas we can take turns. Or something. We'll figure it out. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I fully realize that 10 on a Thursday is tough for some
people, but I tried to choose a time that would maximize our chances of seeing
Bei Bei and minimize our chances of being overwhelmed by tourists. According to
the zoo, this is the time of day he is most likely to be up and active.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, please come. Invite your friends. This is not any kind
of official or zoo-sanctioned activity, just a chance to hang out. If about 20
people come, we all get cookies and coffee on me. If hundreds come, we may have
to go to Starbucks (not on me). <o:p></o:p></div>
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To summarize: Thursday, February 25, starting at 10am,
National Zoo, Panda Plaza. Bei there! <o:p></o:p></div>
2016/02/panda-tweetup-panda-tweetup-panda.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Artmonger)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9103796763270708119.post-9170280889298345162Mon, 04 Jan 2016 17:19:00 +00002017-06-19T05:53:22.941-07:00Let's Do Some (Art Show) Things Better This Year <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Heyyy, just kicked off 2016 with a rejection on New Year's Eve and an invitation to pay $40 to apply for a (small, local) show that last year didn't bother to ever let me know my work wasn't selected. I'm not really terribly bummed about either of these, but it seemed like a good excuse to suggest some best practices (or at least better practices) for people organizing art shows this year.<br />
<br />
1. Let everyone know the status of their application. AT THE SAME TIME. Really, all this requires is two mass emails (or three if you have a wait list). If you don't know how to BCC, please ask a friend, or do not run an art show.<br />
<br />
2. Let people know if the work in the show is for sale and if so, how they can buy it. I can't count how many shows I've been to where there was virtually no information on how to purchase the art. Make a brief announcement at the reception. Explain it across the top of the art info sheet. Make it as easy as possible. Think prices on the wall (small, not on red stickers) and a person at a desk with a Square terminal.<br />
<br />
3. Please don't invite people individually to apply for a show and then reject them. I know that an invitation to apply is not a guarantee of acceptance, but why do this? It makes everybody feel bad.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are others. Comment away! <br />
<br />
<br />2016/01/lets-do-some-art-show-things-