WELCOME TO THE UNAverSsE: Creating one planet at a time An artist puts on her own show By Una Bachinski This is a story about an Emerging Artist, who, through the trials and tribulations of setting out on the yellow brick road that leads to the Emerald Art World, not only gathered Helpful Friends along the way but also an Inner Strength. 1998 was the Year of the Rejection Letter for me. Some were polite, some were condescending. Some came from commercial galleries, some came from public galleries. | got rejected for grants, group shows, exhibition line-ups, juried shows. You name it, | had it flung back in my face. And so | retreated to my studio to lick my wounds and to try to come up with planB... Why not bring the moun- tain to Mohammed? Why not create a show and invite the galleries to attend? photographs by Carolyn Affleck Spur, 31.5x47.25" ,conté and oil bar, 1998 18 ° It wasn't until the summer of 1999 that things began to fall into place. During a 24-hour period | received not-so-gentle prodding from four good friends: "when are you going to have a show, Una?" Okay, okay, | get it. It's time to get off my duffer and make something happen. But the thought of schlepping my portfolio around to galleries once again brought up feel- ings of nausea and a general sense of dread. Does this have to be the only way to make my debut in the art- world, | asked myself. Then it dawned on me: why not bring the mountain to Mohammed? Why not create a show and invite the galleries to attend? That way they could view the work in a comfortable manner, without the pressure of having to make a decision right there and then. Generally speaking, a gallery works for its artists, just as an agent works for its actors or musicians. Performers pick and choose their agents based on a variety of criteria and expectations, and | believe it's wise for artists to operate in a similar fashion. By invit- ing galleries to attend, | may receive offers to join or show. | will assess my decision not based on the typical insecurity many artists have, but based on a grounded sense of self-esteem and that dealers are human and my equal, not some judgmental god out to deflate my artistic sense of self-worth. As in any business relation- ship, | want to establish a connection that is founded upon mutual benefit and trust. Of course, the whole idea of having a show was not just to procure a gallery to eventually represent me. It is also a debut of sorts, my coming out into artis- tic society. An announcement of "Here | am, here's what I'm doing, and isn't this a great reason to cele- brate?!" Just as in the upper echelons of society, young women, also known as debutantes, would have their coming-out ball where they would be formally intro- duced into high society. Of the1000 invitations | have sent out, | have also forwarded press release packages to most of the media: newspapers, radio, and television. Many artists are media-shy and in some cases this elu- siveness can work for their career. But at this stage in the game, as a ‘baby artist’, it pays to befriend those who may be inclined to launch your career. But hey, before | get too carried away, let me tell you how | actually came to find a space suitable for such a huge show! So there | was, in the summer of ‘99, with friends breathing down my neck to get an exhibition happening. How was | ever to find a space large enough to accommodate 40-50 works of art? Now, I'm an Aquarius and we know about the power of networking through word-of-mouth. Thus began my campaign: | told everyone | knew about my desire to create a show and what | needed. And lo and behold, within three weeks of spreading the word, | landed the most awesome exhibition site, 6000 square feet located collage, 1999. in Vancouver's historic Chinatown. It's a studio space that a friend of a friend of a friend (and he's now my friend!) is renting. He's an artist as well and has been incredibly supportive of my initiative. At first glance | figured | could produce a show in 2-3 months but soon realized that this was just not realistic. This show is the most ambitious endeavor | have ever taken on - oh, and did | forget to mention that | am also going to combine the show with a web- site launch?! So yes, | have my work cut out for me. February 2000 seemed like a good time to have a show (besides the fact that it will be my 36th birthday), with five months and a bit to work it all out. At the time of writing this article, with four weeks to go, am | ever glad | decided to give myself enough time. There was no way | wanted to end_up hellishly bitchy and crabby like people get when they're planning their wedding; you know, like when they say how glad they are the whole damn thing is over! | want to enjoy the process as well as the event. And as my therapist says, any- thing you can do tense, you can do relaxed. Yah, uh-huh... Guiding me along the way has been the most excellent book | have ever read (| can't get superlative enough) - it should be mandatory reading for all artists, students and professionals alike: How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul by Carol Michels. This book has helped me a lot, from instructing me on how to craft press releases to creating a memorable exhibition to the dreaded task of pricing my work. | cannot emphasize enough the importance of friends, family, fellow artists, and other sorts of advisors. People have been incredibly generous with their resources: time, feedback and suggestions, money, talents and expertise, and most important of all, excite- ment for and encouragement of my dream. It contin- ues to blow me away. | have friends helping me lay out WELCOME TO THE UNAVERSE: Creating one planet at a time An artist puts on her own show By Una Bachinski This is a story about an Emerging Artist, who, through the trials and tribulations of setting out on the yellow brick road that leads to the Emerald Art World, not only gathered Helpful Friends along the way but also an Inner Strength. 1998 was the Year of the Rejection Letter for me. Some were polite, some were condescending. ‘Some came from commercial galleries, some came from public galleries. | got rejected for grants, group shows, exhibition line-ups, juried shows. You name it, | had it flung back in my face. And so | retreated to my studio to lick my wounds and to try to come up with plan B Why not bring the moun- tain to Mohammed? Why not create a show and invite the galleries to attend? ‘Spur, 31.5x47.25" ,conté and @# il bar, 1998 It wasn't until the summer of 1999 that things began to fall into place. During a 24-hour period | received not-so-gentle prodding from four good friends: “when are you going to have a show, Una?" Okay, okay, | get it. It's time to get off my duffer and make something happen. But the thought of schlepping my portfolio around to galleries once again brought up feel- ings of nausea and a general sense of dread. Does this have to be the only way to make my debut in the art- world, | asked myself. Then it dawned on me: why not bring the mountain to Mohammed? Why not create a show and invite the galleries to attend? That way they could view the work in a comfortable manner, without the pressure of having to make a decision right there and then. Generally speaking, a gallery works for its artists, just as an agent works for its actors or musicians. Performers pick and choose their agents based on a variety of criteria and expectations, and | believe it's wise for artists to operate in a similar fashion. By invit- ing galleries to attend, | may receive offers to join or show. | will assess my decision not based on the typical insecurity many artists have, but based on a grounded sense of self-esteem and that dealers are human and my equal, not some judgmental god out to deflate my artistic sense of self-worth. As in any business relation- ship, 1 want to establish a connection that is founded upon mutual benefit and trust. ‘Of course, the whole idea of having a show was not just to procure a gallery to eventually represent me. Its also a debut of sorts, my coming out into artis- tic society. An announcement of "Here | am, here's what I'm doing, and isn't this a great reason to cele- brate?!" Just as in the upper echelons of society, young women, also known as debutantes, would have their ‘coming-out ball where they would be formally intro- duced into high society. Of the1000 invitations | have sent out, | have also forwarded press release packages to most of the media: newspapers, radio, and television. ‘Many artists are media-shy and in some cases this elu- siveness can work for their career. But at this stage in the game, as a ‘baby artist’, it pays to befriend those who may be inclined to launch your career. But hey, before | get too carried away, let me tell you how | actually came to find a space suitable for such a huge show! So there | was, in the summer of "99, with friends breathing down my neck to get an exhibition happening. How was | ever to find a space large enough to accommodate 40-50 works of art? Now, I'm an Aquarius and we know about the power of networking through word-of-mouth. Thus began my ‘campaign: | told everyone | knew about my desire to create a show and what | needed. And lo and behold, within three weeks of spreading the word, | landed the most awesome exhibition site, 6000 square feet located : a LN { Why | Came collage, 1999. in Vancouver's historic Chinatown. It's a studio space that a friend of a friend of a friend (and he's now my friend!) is renting. He's an artist as well and has been incredibly supportive of my initiative. ‘At first glance | figured | could produce a show in 2-3 months but soon realized that this was just not realistic. This show is the most ambitious endeavor | have ever taken on - oh, and did | forget to mention that | am also going to combine the show with a web- site launch?! So yes, | have my work cut out for me. February 2000 seemed like a good time to have a show (besides the fact that it will be my 36th birthday), with five months and a bit to work it all out. At the time of writing this article, with four weeks to go, am | ever glad | decided to give myself enough time. There was no way | wanted to end up hellishly bitchy and crabby like people get when they're planning their wedding; you know, like when they say how glad they are the Whole damn thing is over! I want to enjoy the process as well as the event. And as my therapist says, any- thing you can do tense, you can do relaxed. Yah, uh-huh Guiding me along the way has been the most excellent book I have ever read (| can't get superlative enough) - it should be mandatory reading for all artists, students and professionals alike: How to Survive and Prosper as an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul by Carol Michels. This book has helped me a lot, from instructing me on how to craft press releases to creating a memorable exhibition to the dreaded task of pricing my work | cannot emphasize enough the importance of friends, family, fellow artists, and other sorts of advisors. People have been incredibly generous with their resources: time, feedback and suggestions, money, talents and expertise, and most important of all, excite- ment for and encouragement of my dream. It contin- tues to blow me away. | have friends helping me lay out