My Head's Exploding! (counting noses)

I just got asked why we count Art Walk exhibitions instead of artists.  Actually, we count both but, yes, we put greater emphasis on the number of exhibitions achieved each year.

Why?

Well, simply put, each time an exhibition takes place, that means, yes, that an artist has been juried in to display her works.  That also means that a downtown Edmonds merchant has willingly agreed to provide the exhibition space for free and to pay for the advertising.  (Usually they cough up the dough for appetizers and drinks, too.)  All this, at no cost to the artist.

That's why so many art walks ultimately fail.  The merchants just get worn out.  They get tired of providing all that for free, month after month.

Not our Art Walk, though!  Last year 497 exhibitions took place.  That means, 497 times, a merchant put up the cash to make that exhibition possible.  Why would they do that?  Well - and I think that this is the true secret of our Art Walk's success - the merchants put up the cash because they believe that investing in the Art Walk will increase traffic to their store.

To some that might sound mercenary.  Not to me.  Manya and I've always demanded that when it came to our Art Walk, we're only interested in win-win scenarios.  We chuck anything else.  If it's not simultaneously a win for the artist and a win for the merchant, we won't do it.  And, since the Edmonds Art Walk is in its ninth year, I suppose that's been the right decision to make.

Final thought:  This was pointed by a friend yesterday.  We did almost 500 exhibitions last year.  We did almost 250 exhibitions in 2007.  You know what that means, right?

Yep!  The Edmonds Third Thursday Art Walk doubled in size these last two years.

(Yikes!)

--Jeff

My Head's Exploding! (Art Walk exhibitions)

Anybody remember the first Art Walk?  Nine years ago?

Legend has it that we began, after much hand-wringing and nervous sweating (but not by me, of course), that first fateful evening almost a decade ago with five exhibitions.  (Or was it eight?  Nobody can remember.)  And we felt downright lucky to get 'em, too!

Clearly the Art Walk has grown a bit.  I've been going over the stats for the Edmonds Art Walk and, while I suspected the figures impressive, I never thought I'd see something like this!

Last year, 2009, alone, saw 497 art exhibitions and live music performances during the Art Walk!  (Well over 600 artists, musicians and authors were featured!)  What were the favorites?  Well, as you might expect, among the top five media are mixed media paintings and acrylic paintings and color photography.  Then, too, you also find oil paintings and watercolors, as well.

What else shows up at the top?  Mixed media (including group exhibitions).  Also jewelry and, surprisingly, fabric/textiles.  How about that, eh?

How does 2009 compare with previous years?  You guessed it!  The Art Walk is growing bigger every year!
Here's the breakdown, below. 
2010:  112 exhibitions (so far)
2009:  497 exhibitions
2008:  316 exhibitions
2007:  242 exhibitions
2006:  12 exhibitions (the first year we began recording stats)

I know what you're thinking.  (In fact, I can hear Bonnie H right now:  "Jeff, you fathead!  You only began recording stats in 2006!?  What were you thinking?!")  Well, the truth is that we honestly didn't expect the Art Walk to grow so large when we first began it.  In fact, we figured it would sputter on for a couple of years and, then, like most art walks, run out of gas.

Clearly, Edmonds' Art Walk has not!

--Jeff

What's Next?

Yes, let the work begin!  (Or is that: Let the work continue?)

From a wee gallery featuring Manya's jewelry designs, to an Art Walk that grew to be one of the largest in the state, to the newly celebrated Mural Society, to my latest, most artistically ambitious play: Teacup Tipsy (my fourteenth produced!).  That's an awful lot in just ten years.

What's next?  If anyone had told me a decade ago that our lives would be so full, I would have dismissed him as a crank.  For, I know that when you look at Manya today, you see the sober, responsible, arts leader.  Nevertheless, I can safely assure you that the Manya we all know today bears little resemblance to the girl I met in Asia twenty years ago.  Indeed, that winsome lass was equal parts reckless hellion and effervescent party girl.  Hardly the type we would expect to sprightly jump through all those logistical hoops, smilingly endure the seemingly endless committee meetings, patiently harmonize all those clashing tempers, or tirelessly rally the troops to the cause again and again and again; in short, all the ingredients needed to found, say, an Art Walk of acclaim.

Still, we did that.  We do that.  How?  Why?  I know that part of the answer is the public service bone that I inherited from my mother.  Yet, sometimes I have to scratch my head and wonder.  There's no luster in it.  And there certainly isn't any lucre.  And, yes, there are those moments in the hard times, during the darkest hours of the night when I wake thinking, "I can't go on."  

More fundamentally, though, I know why we do it: You.  That's why we do it.  That's why we keep working hard to help build this art scene in Edmonds.  Some things we do for you, that's true.  But I always love it most when we get to do them with you.  Nothing gives me greater pleasure than a delightful conversation at the gallery about some aspect of the growing, fertile arts scene with someone who truly cares.

Let this blog serve as a new clearinghouse for shared ideas.  Let it become a beacon of inspiration on those dark nights.  Let it become a central focusing point as we all move forward mounting those five murals next summer, celebrating the Art Walk's ninth year, and watching the summer exhibitions top fifty artists on that evening each month.

And whatever comes next, we'll do it together.

--Jeff

And So It Begins!

The one, the only, Manya Vee Selects blog!  We invite you to post comments and thoughts on our posts as often as possible!  We'd love to have a conversation with you in this way.  We can talk about art, creativity, beauty, and how those things affect our daily lives.

I'm sure you all know by now that for me, incorporating art into every aspect of your life is a very powerful thing.  Eating your breakfast out of a hand-painted Fiala bowl instead of Corelle gets you ready for the day like nothing else.  Especially if you use a beaded spoon as a vehicle!

Wear it. Dine on it. Burn it. Burn things in it.  Put flowers in it.  Look at it.  Look at yourself in it. Eat it. Smell it.  And that's just the beginning.  For some reason, so many of us struggle with feeling like we somehow don't deserve to use special things.  Maybe that Puritan streak hasn't gone out of our systems yet.  But just let your mind wander a bit to consider how much more alive you'd feel if you actually allowed those things.  Surrounding yourself with joyfully created art that you can use makes that joy come alive in you as well, and may even ignite your own fires of creativity if you're not careful!

Let's hear how you incorporate art into your everyday life!

--Manya