Saturday, November 26
Noon – 6:00 pm

A great chance to learn about Object Poems directly from the curator. David Abel will be in the gallery all day to share the stories behind the art. David says that “there have been a number of exhibitions and publications devoted to the work of authors as artists: paintings, drawings, sculptures, created independently of the writings for which they are primarily known.

David and several artists featured in the show will be in attendance on Saturday: Mark Owens & Maria José Gonzalez Arredondo, Jim Clinefelter, Drew Kunz, Anna & Leo Daedalus, Kaia Sand, James Yeary

Object Poems brings together striking and varied works
by more than thirty contemporary artist-poets and poet-artists:

Drew Kunz Alison Knowles Joseph Keppler Nico Vassilakis Harriet Bart, Michael Basinski Bill Berkson Jen Bervin Kristin Prevallet Clemente Padin James Yeary Alec Finlay Steve McCaffery Eric Magrane Jim Clinefelter Norma Cole J. A. Lee Anna & Leo Daedalus Marilyn R. Rosenberg Geof Huth MaryAnn Hayden Alan Halsey Buzz Spector Kyle Schlesinger Kaia Sand Curtis Steiner Mark Owens & Maria José Gonzalez Arredondo David Abel Andrew Topel K. S. Ernst

Give and Take A new book in inventory by Lynne Olson. A great reminder of the never-ending cycles of our lives.

Ever go through one of those crazy busy periods in your life when you feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? When you feel like you just can’t catch your breath or get on top of the avalanche that is facing you daily? Well, I’ve just finished up one of those periods and while the to-do list is still eight miles wide, at least the fires are all out…for now anyway. 

The coming holiday made me realize how lucky I am to have a great support system here at the gallery and that is time to say thank you.

My most sincere debt of gratitude goes to my husband, Steve Russell, for his continued help every single day. He is always willing to help with the gallery, whether it moving walls and installing shelves or critiquing and proofreading marketing materials. And, when the going gets crazy and I get crabby he always handles my madness remarkably well. Just yesterday, he offered to sit the gallery for the rest of the afternoon so that I could go upstairs and catch up. It’s amazing he puts up with me and I’m so thankful he does.

Erin Derge also deserves a hearty thank you. Erin is here in the gallery every Thursday, sitting the front desk, helping to hang shows and whatever else needs to be done. She has taken on a huge WordPress project and is doing some remarkable things. You would never know this but she found a way to make the Uncommon Threads online catalog, done in WordPress, look virtually identical to my full web site. The things she has taught me are invaluable and I’m so happy to have her cheerful, smart self here every single week.

Erin’s husband Marshall is also on my gratitude list. Marshall has become our de facto tech guru who always manages to pull off a miracle when disaster strikes. Like last Thursday: I somehow managed to delete the entire Uncommon Threads catalog and thought I would have to spend the whole weekend recreating it from scratch. Amazingly, Marshall fixed a config file in just no time at all and had us up and running in minutes.

Mary Bennett is soon to be accruing many points as well. Mary, who has become a good friend since her solo show last May, will be sitting the gallery on Fridays for the near future. Happily, I get to work off some of those points by helping her with her new MacBook and iPhone. As Marshall can attest I know just enough about computers to be dangerous, but I’m so happy to be passing on the tiny bit of Macintosh knowledge that I’ve acquired since my first Apple SE30 in 1989.

Alicia Bailey is also much appreciated. You might not know this, but Alicia co-taught the very first artist books workshop that I took in 1997. Then she opened Abecedarian Gallery a year after I opened 23 Sandy. Amazingly, her first gallery location was in my old studio space in Denver. Alicia and I chat frequently to trade business ideas, advice and emotional support. Whenever a sticky situation comes up with business side of things I’m so happy to have her willing ear to sort things through. It’s amazing how much her experience helps.

And, I cannot forget past volunteers Deborah Watkins and Linda Kiley. Just yesterday someone asked for Deborah in the gallery and remarked how much they missed her graceful presence. Happily, I still get to see Linda now and then as she is volunteering now with the Art Source Portland publication that I work on. Her laughter and terrific writing skills are much missed. (And, if you are an artist or arts organization needing help with marketing or PR, give me a jingle and I’ll connect you with Linda.)

Last, but not least, I am thankful for all of the very talented artists who trust me enough to let me show their amazing, thoughtful, gorgeous, important artwork. It is a true honor to be working with you all.

So, there you go. Wow. I feel blessed to have such a terrific network. Thank you all for your friendship and help.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Laura

 
The Business of Art

The Assignment December 2009

Here at 23 Sandy Gallery we host two national juried book artsshow each year. These shows charge an entry fee or submission fee thathelps administer and promote the call for entries, intake of submissions,curation of show, and general administration, marketing and management of theshow. These fees are used for many purposes, including the following:

Object Poems brings together striking and varied works by contemporary artist-poets and poet-artists: poems in three dimensions; interactive poems; found poems; sculptural and utilitarian poems; conceptual poems; poems that depart in myriad ways from the familiar form of the printed page. The exhibition features more than thirty artists from across the United States, as well as Canada, England, Scotland, and Uruguay, including seven artists from Oregon.

Friday, November 4, 5-8:00 p.m.

Please join us for a First Friday reception for Object Poems. Stop by for a glass of wine, a bit of nosh and some great art!

 

Object Poems Poetry Reading & Performance
Saturday, November 5, 2011
4:00 – 6:00 p.m. 

Participants in the Object Poems exhibition will read and perform their work, both on and off the page. Readers will include Geof Huth, Joseph Keppler, Nico Vassilakis, Mark Owens, David Abel, Leo Daedalus, and James Yeary. This event is free, open to the public, and RSVPs are not necessary.

See you soon!