Art All State: An Artists Perspective

(Image pilfered from Krista’s blog)

To quote Christopher Walken “Wowie wow zow!”

As I fill out my Artists Evaluation it allows me a few minutes to give thought to the entire event.  Having done this multiple times you’d think I’d have nothing new to learn, but that’s not the case— each year is something different.

ART ALL STATE is not doing an installation with a fellow artist and 18 interns— not at all. This is about getting these incredibly talented and driven young artists to learn how to work cohesively, to stay engaged and to learn how to both compromise and to make sure your voice and passion is heard.

It’s not easy.

Part of the challenge rests with the interviewers who weed through these kids back in March, talking to the candidates about art and seeing who they think will both fit and benefit from the program.  A few years ago I was on one of these panels and I stopped a student from being picked who I knew personally— a young artist who, although very talented, was someone who didn’t play well with others.  

I thought it was clear in the interview but my fellow interviewers thought maybe she was just nervous.  I finally came clean and said I knew her and she was not a good pick, they went with my word and she didn’t make the program.

Bad?

Nope.  

Just because you’re a high school junior doesn’t mean you’re ready for this.  It also does a great disservice if they don’t know what AAS is all about.  Some kids come to this thinking they are just going to work on paintings, or study master artists— to many of them working on a collaborative effort is brand new territory and not everybody is ready for that.

I bring this up because a couple of the studios had these types of kids in their groups, and they presented big challenges and sometimes big problems.

Luckily Susan and I didn’t have any of these.

I think the biggest component to getting the kids to work together is a successful ice breaker.  In our case I outlined what we did in a previous post— so I won’t go into it, but we spent a good 90 minutes on it and it’s well WELL worth it.  It saves so much in the end.

For the past six or seven years (I honestly can’t remember— but I think it’s six), I get to the weekend of the event and think to myself that this is my last year doing this, that I won’t apply for next year because although it’s so worthwhile I am just crazy busy with deadlines and I just don’t have time for it.

Then it comes and I’m in it and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  I already sent in my intent papers for AAS 2011.

That’s it for me, folks.  To those of you reading— thanks for coming by.  Keep making art and keep following your dreams.