My First Personal Exhibition

Well, it’s up!

A call was sent out for artist to show their work at a local bagel & coffee shop, Frankie’s NY Bagels.

I applied and was accepted out of multiple bird artists.

And today, my husband and I hung the exhibition.

This is a huge deal for me. Well, for any artist here, really. Frankie’s sold 471 pieces of art last year alone, and their commission is only 12%. So it’s a golden opportunity to get my stuff seen.

There are lots of spaces here in Humboldt County like Frankie’s, where the restaurant showcases the work of a local artist. Almost all the coffee shops here embrace that aesthetic opportunity to spatially support their community members, and many of the restaurants, reality offices, and stores of various types also surround their goods with walls of local art.

I’m stunned and stupefied that I can do this at all. This wouldn’t have been the case in San Diego, where I lived for years prior to moving up here to Humboldt County in northern California. For as strong as the art community was there, and for as many opportunities as there were, someone doing my kind of art wouldn’t have been as embraced as I have been here. I tried. I applied to several events, and was turned down.

But here… It’s a very different world. And the clearly evident “local first” values run deep in many ways.

Frankie’s NY Bagels is just one facet of that very shiny gem.

So my husband Jonathan once again proved he is butcher than I am and did the majority of the math and logistical layout for my pieces after we learned my space wasn’t 12’x12’ and was instead more like 8’x12’. We had to rearrange practically everything, and his capacity to measure, level each piece, and determine precisely where my nails needed to go was a simply invaluable contribution. I had to see him do it in order to then someday do it myself. 

I wish I’d taken more stagecraft classes in college. Sigh. I could really use a handy miter and table saw. Well, someday. Right?

We put putty on the back of all the frames to make them more secure, put up my bio, and tried to make it as clean as possible. We were warned that kids would be lining up so we needed to make the art high enough that it wouldn't potentially get groped off the wall by younger folks waiting in line with their parents. 

It’s up. I have a hand business card holder, a bio, and 14 pieces on the walls. All of them are limited edition, signed and numbered prints with frames and hanging wires installed in the back. If they sell (They're $150 each) I can easily replace them. Every three weeks I'll get an email of what sold, and I can come in and check regularly to restock my business cards and replace anything if something gets sold and I don't want to wait to get notified.

And I am completely ecstatic!