Talking to artists

I contacted some of the artists whose work I thought would be good for the first Pace exhibition. Some I had known for a while, but others were new to me. There were a few limits because of the nature of the project:

• the artists had to be local to the south-eastern corner of Queensland, because I wanted them to be able to make contact with their audience a number of times, talking face to face, and for the audience to follow up and visit any other shows or talks they may give.
• and of course the artists had to agree to be part of the project, and for the timing to work for them.  Sharon Jewell's drawings & objects would have been good for the Drawling exhibition, and we had discussed it, but then she heard - wonderfully- that she had been successful in getting the Australia Council studio in Helsinki, and would be away for the beginning of the year. I couldn't have been happier for her - what an experience - and now we can look forward to Sharon returning and taking part in the second and/or third exhibition in some way. I had also spoken to ceramicist Mel Robson, but then a great opportunity came up for her to move elsewhere for quite some time ... 
• there are, of course, artists who teach at BIA whose work would have been great in the exhibitions, except that for this project the aim is to introduce the BIA audience to new artists that they may not otherwise have the opportunity of encountering. 

And you will have guessed that though the title of Drawling came from the idea of what 'slow drawing' might be called, the work in the show is not - nor was it ever planned to be - all drawing. In the end there may be drawings from only two of the six artists.  

By the way, have you noticed the new grass bumps at BIA?