Slowly but Surely

© Allison V. Smith

Some shows simply hang themselves. The placement of works can be so clear that any variation would seem less like an alternate option and more just plain wrong. This show, however, has been a trickster. We must have traded the works around 5 or 6 times and switched out entire pieces at least 3 times before we settled on this layout. Getting the works straight is even more tricky since the photos are on untrimmed paper. There's not a straight edge to be found, so we just have to eyeball the things. It seems as though everyday we spot a new piece that needs to come up just a hair on the left side. I think we're ready to put away the tools today, though.

Helpers

We are beginning to install the next exhibition of Ann Stautberg's hand-colored large-scale photographs. I'm not sure if we could do it without the help of Barry's hard-working dogs, Bucks and Daisy. The process of taking down a retired show can be an organizational feat. I have to enter all of the works into inventory with all information, corresponding images, and any additional identifying characteristics that could help id the work in the future. Then I make labels for the back of every piece and stamp the backs of the frames to mark who owns them (gallery, artist, or both). I often wrap the sold works so the clients can come pick them up and update the website's past, current, upcoming, and slideshow sections. And that's just day one.

Art Basel - Miami

Best of luck to my friend and gallery neighbor Brian Gibb, founder of Art Prostitute magazine and owner/director of The Public Trust, who is participating in the Miami art fairs beginning today. For the last few years, this fair in particular has been an incredible success for the gallerists who participate. It has also been a wild party. Brian built this too scale model of his hotel room at Aqua and came by to show it to me last week. The CADD art fair is the only fair I've ever been a part of, so I would really love an opportunity to participate in a big guns affair like this.