*Warning: few pictures ahead...
(In no particular order)
1. More web savvy organizations- posting about upcoming openings/events MORE than one week before they are set to occur would be nice.
2. More cheerleaders- is something coming up that you're excited about? A show, a film event, an artist talk? Spread the word! Fb, twitter- whatever- let people know! And if it was awesome, let people know about that afterwards, too.
3. More haters- haters serve an important purpose in every scene: they often get the action-oriented people fired up and working together. Think something's not so great in our little art world? Speak up! Your opinions might urge the powers-that-be towards change. (Note: We do not advocate for hostility or hateful behavior- voice your opinions with civility and respect, please. If you can do this, you will be more likely to be heard.)
4. More collaboration- the Carlyon retrospective forged connections between arts institutions in Richmond. So did Quirk's "Take A Chance On Me," benefiting the Visual Art Center. It would be nice to see our institutions, galleries, and spaces take more strides to support one another.
5. More upstart galleries- even temporary ones like Thanky Space. And by "gallery," we mean any space designated for the purpose of exhibiting art- these could be apartments, Stuffy's, or elsewhere...
6. More visual arts coverage- in general. Could be blogs, could be coverage in local publications- online links to said coverage are always nice, but twitter, fb- more Richmonders should be regularly talking and writing about what's going on here.
7. More art criticism- this may be a sub-category of #6, but in any vibrant art scene, there are people with some arts background critically discussing what's going on and how it compares with what's gone on in the past locally and in the context of art history as a whole. Where is this happening in Richmond?
8. More recognition of local artists. RVA Magazine does a great job of this, interviewing local artists both in print and via The Process/RVATV, but there are other publications/venues that could be doing more of this (ourselves included).
9. and 10. More divas and more gossip: The controversy stirred up by Crumb's UR visit back in October was not such a bad thing for Richmond. For one, it got people talking, which is something that needs to happen a lot more often around here.
What do you think RVA's visual art community needs? Feel free to share in the comments.
3 comments:
I really agree with your idea that we need art critics in Richmond. What an awesome idea! There are so many publications around town - what if each one would review a different show each month/week, much like they do for the theater. That would go a very long way towards making the arts more visible and more valuable in town.
Yeah, that is one that really puzzles me. With the universities and colleges we have nearby, there are many, many art history students who could be writing about what's happening here (for blogs, or even for local publications). This would be mutually beneficial as it would encourage dialogue within the community and it would get the students' names out there.
In D.C., there are quite a few professors who also write critical blogs about D.C. art and contemporary art in general.
Yes! By becoming more web savvy, the cheerleaders and the haters can use social media wisely. I would love to see people who work within arts organizations use social media to share their passion with their friends, even if they aren't "in" the art world ~ tell them what you do, why it's important to you, and how much work you put into it.
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