How to Write a Proposal for Exhibition

So I haven’t written much of late because I’ve been out in my garage matting art. That is, when I’m not outside enjoying the summer. And now it’s serious. I’ve had to craft a “proposal”, whatever that is, in order to submit to galleries. They will in turn review the proposal and decide if they want to feature me. Some of it is merely a bullshit formality, some of it is more along the lines that (shhh_) these galleries take themselves too seriously. But I have to play along if I want to be included, I guess. I think it’s all a bunch of pretentious bullshit. My original artist statement is kind of an “eff you” to that idea:

My artist statement
Paint collage photography
order in chaos

But I don’t think that would fly. Plus, most folks who don’t know me would think I was being a pretentious asshole anyway, not understanding the inherent sarcasm of the haiku.

Anyway, here’s the proposal.

I possess a body of work consisting of over five hundred pieces spanning a variety of media including photography, both film and digital, painting in a variety of medium, collage, homemade paper, and a combination of all of these. All of the pieces have not been documented. Taken together, they explore a variety of themes including depression, the joy of living, relationships and political ideas.

An artist statement is, as is the body of work, a living, breathing thing. Writing about art, for me, even though I am a writer as well as an artist, is next to impossible, for art must be an experience, must make the viewer feel something, must touch the individual. Generally, my art exposes truth around me as I see it. I explore decay and rebirth, considering the subjects I choose to explore, as well as the mediums I use. The medium of collage exemplifies this, but even the photographs I take tend towards urban decay and the beauty inherent in that. A solid artist statement makes more sense for me after a show has been solidified, even if the show hasn’t yet been hung.

Creatively, I am constantly electrified by the opportunities for creation that surround me. I like to create at night, and tend towards short bursts of creativity lasting several days, and then collecting materials again in order to create anew.

My biggest weakness as an artist is my interest in so many different mediums that I am unable to develop one fully. Areas of interest include…

1. The potential of the digital darkroom
2. Sculpture – traditional and “found object’ sculpture
3. Polaroid
4. Medium format photography
5. Homemade cameras
6. Becoming better trained in the exploitation of color on the canvas, or paper as it may be
7. The potential to exploit the Internet in creating new art via HTML and Flash technologies
8. Sound collage
9. Multi-media experiences
10. Graphic Design

Taking that as an outline for my goals as an artist….

Short term goals:

1. Learn how to frame my own work
2. Learn how to market my work effectively
3. Expose my work in local galleries
4. Work more consistently
5. Continue challenging myself to learn more about the areas of interest outlined above

Long term goals:

1. Sell my work consistently
2. Produce enough work consistently to maintain the demand for my work
3. Donate work to charitable causes
4. Move beyond themes that I currently explore and branch out into more socio-political topics
5. Always remain fresh

Past Exhibitions

•1998 – Angel Falls Coffee Company, Akron, OH
•2003 – Art Missoula, Missoula, MT