The Marketing Co-op had its Annual General Meeting last Sunday. This was followed by an "art Show and Sale". There had been a lot of publicity, and many people came out to the sale. Unfortunately there were only 8 artists who displayed their work. People would walk in the door and say" Is this all there is?" and walk out again. As well, several of the artists had more crafty than arty items for sale. So we end up in the never-ending discussion of what is art and what is craft. I feel very much caught in the middle. Some of what I do is art and some is craft. I go to great lengths to make sure that what I take to shows is appropriate to the venue. To art shows I take one-of-a-kind, original designs, and decorative pieces i.e. no functional purpose. Beside me at this recent sale was lady who had hand-painted switch plates and hand-painted pin-on buttons. Next to her was a lady who takes forks and spoons and bends and twists them into "bugs" that can be used as fridge magnets.
It has been noticed that the more traditional artists are no longer participating in our sales. Could it be that they don't want to associate with what are definitely "crafters"? The other problem could be that our co-op is so small that we have lost critical mass and can no longer put on a large enough show to remain credible.
The Co-op is mounting a gallery show next week and, as of last Sunday, had very few entries. I have been working this week to make more, but will still only have 5 items to take--two of which might be considered more craft than art. ( I'll make the final decision about including them when I see what else is there, as I've volunteered to help hang the show)
The bottom line is that I've made the decision to only participate in the more "art-y" gallery shows with my art, and only enter craft sales with the rest of my stuff. No more "Art Show and Sale". This also means that I will have to give careful consideration to my continuing membership in the co-op.
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