A friend told me that I should blog about an art show coming up. This was funny seeing as at the time I hadn't so much as looked at this space since last summer, but he's a good friend, and he's organizing the event, so here goes: Single Fare.
I’ll sum up: JP…err..Jean-Pierre Roy and Michael Kagan, studio mates and, like me, NYAA alums are organizing a very special exhibition in their space, and they've asked artists far and wide to participate. The only requirement for participation is that all works must have been produced on a MetroCard, the 2.125” x 3.25” plastic key to the NYC public transportation system. All works are being accepted. All works will be shown. And all works will be up for sale at what is truly a bargain price: $50 each.
I don’t know what to say. I am generally skeptical of gimmicks, but I’ve lived with the idea of the show for a few weeks and can say that I’ve genuinely been won over. I actually think it’s a really good idea—borderline great—and, failed terrorist bombings aside, it’s the first thing in months to make me feel a little down about not living in the city any longer. I guess I should thank Kagan and JP for this dull ache in the pit of my stomach the next time I see them.
At any rate, I found myself so taken by the spirit of the show, that I pushed up the conversion of my new garage into a workshop/studio space by a couple weeks, and made a couple tiny paintings for the show myself. Yesterday I entrusted the United States Postal Service with the care and transport of my two pictures from Roswell, GA to Brooklyn, NY, and they happily accepted for the reasonable fee of $0.44. If they do not arrive on time, or at all, I want JP and Michael to print out the below pics at 300 dpi and glue them to the back of a MetroCard. I still want my shot at a $100 payday, minus the 10 percent surcharge (Fucking blood-sucking independent dealers. I guess I should consider myself lucky they’re not asking for 10 percent each.).
The deadline for entry is tomorrow, so it suffices to say that if you're only hearing of the show now, then it's very nearly too late for yo
u to participate. Then again, if you’re reading this, it’s very unlikely that this will be the first you’ve heard of it. You’re probably one of the organizers. Regardless. At the last I heard, over 200 pieces had been dropped off as of yesterday morning. I’m expecting that number to as much as double before the Saturday reception. There’s going to be a ton of art. Knowing many of the people who are likely to participate, I assure you that a lot of it will be quite nice. It will be eclectic, but I would not be at all surprised if the quality of the work (as a whole) compared favorably to any other group show that will be up in the city this year. I do not exaggerate. At least, I don’t think I do. If you’re going to be in the city on Saturday night, I implore you to consider making the trek out to Brooklyn to have a look. It will not be a waste of time. And if you’ve got it, consider bringing a fifty in tow. You will see something you want. Come early. Stay late. It should be a blast.
