Art of Ken Blog | Ken Collins Marketing

November is here and my "No Gray Matter" show is still on display until the end of the month.  When pondering the life of a show after the reception, I came upon an idea . . . three-way promotion.  While promoting my art, I can promote some local musicians and a great venue.  While the musicians promote themselves, they promote my art and the venue.  While the venue promotes themselves, they promote the musicians and my art.  After all of this, the community is presented with great art and great music in a great venue - it's a win, win, win, win!  No Gray Matter in November was born.

Over the next two weekends (Friday and Saturday), I'll be at Andrea Kristina's to promote my show and four different musical acts.  I invite everyone in the area to join me there beginning this Friday.  While there, I will provide a live video feed of the events for anybody that can't make it.  During the video feed, you can chat with me - so it will almost be like you are there!

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In my last post, I expressed a concern that I had been "too busy" to devote much time to my art.  Well friends - I've certainly been busy, but not too busy for art!

I'm happy to announce my promised fall show, No Gray Matter, is complete and ready to be installed at Andrea Kristina's in Farmington, NM.  The show will open during the Fall Art Walk on Friday, October 8, 2010 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and will remain on display at Andrea Kristina's until November 30, 2010.

I will be there during the reception to meet everybody.  If you can't make it to the reception, but don't want to miss out - fret not!  I will broadcast the reception live over the Internet from Andrea Kristina's and you can tune it right here on my website and watch!

It has been great working on this show and I'm proud of it.  This show will represent the beginning of my black and white style to the latest piece just completed last week.  You won't want to miss it - paintings nobody has yet to see will be unveiled during this show - so come meet me, enjoy Wines of the San Juan, and be a part of our growing art community.  See you there!

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I haven't posted anything new to this blog for two weeks.  As I contemplate the reason for this, it causes me to think about the implications.

The reason it's taken me two weeks to get back to this blog is because I've been busy.  Busy, busy, busy - and not with art.  But what does that mean to my art?  Art has a life and, like any life, that life needs to be nurtured.  I've not made the time to nurture the life of my art as of late because of other commitments.  Without proper nuturing, life will begin to fade.

What this all means is now is the time to devote to art!  To not give proper time to my art could result in it's death.  Do I want to be responsible for the death of art?  No way!  Art has a right to live and I'll respect that right.  Besides - I have a piece to complete for an upcoming fundraiser and I still need to complete enough pieces for a solo show in the fall.  Busy, busy, busy.

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This year marks the second year I've entered work into the Gateway to Imagination National Juried Art Competition at the Farmington Museum.  Last year, I submitted two paintings and one was juried in - Bird in Branches.

The submission deadline has passed for this year and my two submissions - Baby Sip and Feet of Inspiration - are being sent to the juror for consideration.  My fingers are crossed!

Now I have to get to work on a new painting to be entered into the show, Coasters, to be held at Andrea Kristina's Bookstore and Kafe.  The reception will take place during the Summer Art Walk in Historic Downtown Farmington and will be a fundraiser for future Art Walks.

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The need to justify the arts never seems to end, and in poor economic times such as these, that justification becomes a tough battle.

We hear the same argument over and over FOR arts in the school as they are being cut because of budget restraints - learning through the arts results in greater academic achievement and higher test scores.  That argument doesn't seem to work because the art programs in schools continue to take a hit.

But what about outside of the schools?  Consider this (as municipally-funded arts programs are being cut) . . . what is the consequence of these cuts?  What does a community need to survive?  A community needs property taxes, gross receipts, and lodgers taxes to grow.  In other words . . . people need to live in the community and pay their property taxes.  Businesses need to sell goods and services to contribute to gross receipts.  People need to visit the community and stay in hotels to generate lodgers tax revenue.

What are the two municipal entities that continue to remain at the top of the list for funding while all others must cut funding until they bleed?  Police and Fire.  But we need police and fire departments, you say.  Of course we do . . . and I have many friends who work for police and fire.  But, do police and fire cause revenue from property taxes, gross receipts, and lodgers tax?  Before you answer, think about the community in which you live.  Have you ever heard anybody say they moved to your community because of the police and/or fire departments?  Most of you would say no.

Above all other things, what attracts new residents, new businesses, and visitors to your community?  The answer is quality of life.  Recreation and cultural facilities and programs are the cause of most of the attraction.  If your community is not attracting residents, business, or vistors it is because the recreation and cultural facilities and programs are not sufficient enough to do so.  Without attracting new residents, new business, and visitors to your community, your community can not generate the funds necessary for growth . . . and may even begin to not have the ability to generate the funds necessary to sustain itself.

The point I'm trying to make here is this.  Just as in the schools, when you cut funding for the "non-necessities," such as art programs, you jeopardize your own future.  It is time to redefine what is necessary.  I contend that arts programs are every bit as necessary as police and fire - maybe more so.  Without the ability to generate property taxes, gross receipts, and lodgers tax revenues, your community will eventually lose the ability to fund the "necessities" and the game is over - you no longer need police and fire.

Support the arts - they fund your future!

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I attended the reception for the High Desert Fine Art Festival last night at San Juan College and was impressed.  I was impressed by the quality of artists and their works, impressed by the diversity of artists, impressed by the number of exhibiting artists that traveled to Farmington from outside of the area, and impressed by the number of visitors who attended the reception.

The individual efforts of local artists and the organizations to which they belong are now beginning to blur into collaborative efforts.  It will be the collaborative efforts that finally establish Farmington as the art center it is waiting to be.

And as a side note - I sold a painting at the reception last night even though I wasn't exhibiting in the show!

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I've been Facebooking but not blogging, so I figured it was time to enter the blogosphere.  I plan to update this blog at least once a week with my random thoughts, artistic revelations, challenges to overcome, show preparation, etc.  Who knows . . . I may end up making this a daily thing!

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