Reap What You Sow

This week has been a new surge of energy and inspiration. Planning the 2011 exhibition and education programme are reminders of how thrilling running the gallery is and the possibilities that can occur.

Jane Boyer commented on wondering how I keep all the threads of the many different demands on my time, I am not entirely sure myself at times. However I realise how extremely lucky and privileged I am to be an artist. To be doing that which I love even if it can be sometimes a painful and frustrating path exemplifies in all of us artists; we are extraordinary in our own ways.

I also realise that sometimes these skills are innate in us and we just need a chance to make more of them. It is something many of us as the teachers and mentors that we are, try to bring out in others, teasing out the skills, harnessing them.

Running the gallery has been a steep learning curve for us all here at Core Gallery and of course at times, extremely stressful but endlessly rewarding . we have done our very best for the artists and curators that exhibit with us. I see artists such as Andrew Bryant and Nick Kaplony who have curated in the gallery, their confidence in their own skills and vision building. It has been an honour to sit by them and learn. To occasionally be able to contribute because they are kind enough to value me as well, asking my opinion and calling upon my judgement. I see they have quite brilliant careers ahead of them.

A result of all of these lessons is my role as a curator for a show in April co-curating with Jane Boyer for our DX 2010 Open Submission winners and then a show in November 2011 with Annabel Tilley which is growing and strengthening. The lessons I have learnt these last few months are deep and wide. I am very excited to be thinking about applying these new skills to a personally curated exhibition.

I see also how important our space has become to others who seek us out.

An example of one of the kindest things that has happened to me in the last year through all our engagement with others was a present from Kate Murdoch.

Kate is a local artist and her work I find very beautiful, intelligent and powerful Following on from one of Elizabeth’s engine chat chat where we discussed the importance of an artists statement I spoke to Kate about hers and helped her edit and strengthen her statement. I came into the gallery one day and Kate had left me a bag of goodies: a bottle of wine, a chocolate bar, Vogue and lavender bubble bath: an indulgence kit. Thinking of that kindness from her even now brings tears to my eyes, after months of working so terribly hard it was very much needed as a symbol that somehow we were doing well in our mission.

see her statement here

www.katemurdochartist.com/artist's_statement.html

I see how important the advice was to Kate and I know it has brought her confidence. That we can help other artist’s career, is why we began, why we continue and why we are launching DIY educate.

If someone had told me that 18 months ago I would be running a gallery and would have worked with over 100 artists and curators, that I would be elected to the AIR council as a recognition somehow of a journey so far, of harnessing a collective's beliefs and desire to help artists , I would have been shocked. I had not realised that writing a blog about ‘becoming part of something’ and my desire for that would grow so much.

You reap what you sow and although it is winter, the harvest is golden and bountiful.