Free Art Friday
A few weeks ago I was forwarded this article from Dublin, Ireland by Fil Alcon, the owner of the Guam Gallery of Art at the Chamorro Village:
FREE ART FRIDAY…….
Out of cash? Pick up free art on streets of Dublin
Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:33am EST
DUBLIN (Reuters Life!) - The financial crisis has hit Ireland especially hard, so Dubliners will appreciate getting a little surprise for nothing. The “Free Art Friday” movement has reached the Irish capital.
The group, with “no known creators or hierarchy,” asks established artists and amateurs to leave pieces of art at random places — on benches, cash machines or telephone booths — for the next passer-by to pick up and take home if they wish.
It is absolutely free but there is a note with an e-mail address at the back if they want to thank their donor.
“Free Art Friday is a terrific idea,” said artist Sean Hillen, whose photo montage prints were among the hundreds of items scattered around the city throughout Friday.
“I’m a strong believer that art is really for everybody,” Hillen told state television. “Ireland has only really come in in the last generation to the idea that people could have and should have original art in their homes.”
(Reporting by Andras Gergely, editing by Paul Casciato)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
From this inital article, and after a couple of discussions it was decided that the gallery and the Chamorro Artists Association would have a free art night of their own, a Free Art Friday to take place this Friday the 13th at the Guam Gallery of Art, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm. At least 13 artists, myself included will take part in the event, and in some way create free, public art, whether by making something which will be placed in the world for all to see free of charge, or by creating a lot of something and then allowing people to take it free of charge.
The Marianas Variety published an article this morning on the event, noting that one local artist said that this sort of event devalues artists and that he would not participate. I can understand this point, but on the other hand, artists and art are at their best community servants. Underpaid and often times under appreciated ones, who are regularly accused by their family members of not having a “real job.” But they perform important services for a community that should not be devalued.
The artists are here to stoke the fire’s a community imagination. To keep them mentally on their toes, to help them appreciate the world, make sense of it, to literally and metaphorically give their history, their culture life and color. To give them something they wouldn’t expect, something new, something different, even if it offends or ends up hacking to bits with a gof kalaktos na machete, a couple of sacred cows.
For me personally, giving away free artwork is easy, I don’t make massive bronze sculptures or hulking oil paintings, that would be too expensive to part with for nothing but a smile and a “thank you.” Most of the artwork that I sell are small simple abstract paintings. Quick paintings that only take a couple of minutes, but which might make someone’s day, might unlock a corner of someone’s mind, might become a gift to someone they love (or hate depending on what painting they take).
My relationship to art and art buyers on Guam has been a tenuous one, and I’m sure most artists on island can attest to similar feelings of love, ambivalence and dread. Ten years ago, while attending UOG as an undergrad I tried to also be a full time free lance artist. I sold my work at the Chamorro Village, usually on a table in front of my grandfather’s shop, I attended whatever fairs or festivals I could, although often times the price of the table was more than I would make selling there.
I had two solo exhibitions, both at CAHA’s Two Lover’s Point Gallery. Right now, there are literally hundreds of my pieces floating around Guam right now and everyone once in a while I come across some in people’s homes.
But my prices were always so low, and my subject matter so “foreign,” that it really did become about love and providing for the community. I could have set higher prices, but then frankly no one would have ever bought anything, and I would much rather have my work out there appreciated, even if by someone who only paid a couple of dollars for it, then sitting in my closet or the trunk of my car.
My work at that time was very abstract and so most people on Guam were looking for trongkon niyok or latte when they went art shopping. I always did have some pieces which were more evocative of appropriate island images or icons, so I had some pieces which reminded people of latte or trongkon niyok, but they usually had titles like “coconut tree being swallowed up by the hole in the universe” or “an island’s trauma as if it were a cracked latte stone.”
For the Free Art Friday, I’ve made a lino cut block, which I’ll then make prints from. In the past few years, my art has circled around three subject matter, women’s faces, sunsets and abstract images. But for Free Art Friday I decided to take a break from these types of images and chose instead to do a quaint scene of a karabao relaxing in the ocean at night. I hagga-hu Sumahi desperately loves karabaos and yells “bao bao” everytime she sees one, and so like most everything nowadays, I did it with her in mind.
So if you’d like a copy of this print and some other beautiful free art, just come down to the Gallery on Friday.
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Comment by Sarah on 11 February 2009:
What a great idea!!!!
Comment by Don Muna on 11 February 2009:
Free Art Friday… this is genius! Even an established artist that would normally make thousands of dollars could benefit from a movement like this.
Think of an established band that maybe has had some success, but not quite in the Elvis or Beatles level of super stardom. Now let’s say they would release a copyright free album for anyone to take, use, re-mix, club-mix or whatever.
Can you imagine how many times their music will be featured in movies, commercials on other peoples albums forever? Not to mention the publicity… movements like Free Art Friday totally shake up game… and the worst it could do is like Mike said perform important services for communities. It’s a win, win!
Comment by Jayton Okada on 11 February 2009:
WOW
Sk8 Guam gots some art shows coming out
and I really want to get the Summer Art Festival underway!
Man, busy at the sk8 show Friday, but this is awesome.
Oh and to Don/Kel, (whomever commented the sk8 vid)
Thanks for commenting, it was just test footage.
No it wasn’t at Sk8 Night, it was a random Friday night at the park.
For some reason, the beats in the songs matched the times the skaters would hit the rail.
Haha!
The songs are - Dos by Nzeexruos, their album is on its way…$10
Suzy Tried to Kill me by Shinjo… Matala plays it now. Shinjo was one of the BEST punk bands a few years ago with Jordan Hardy of Matala and Andrew Ferris of Hymn for the Tortured.
The last 2 songs are Matala’s…
Saturn and Let it Bleed.
I can burn you a copy of the Shinjo CD from a few years back.
Ferris left for good to Singapore so I got some of the old CDs from a few of his bands… they’re out of print and rare to find nowadays.. a lot of people have been asking me for a copy
Comment by mama stones on 12 February 2009:
Hey guy!
De-lurking to say that I posted an excerpt of and link to this article on my website. Hope you don’t mind.
Great job with the site, btw.
Comment by Kel Muna on 12 February 2009:
Good lookin’ out, Mama!
Comment by Sarah on 12 February 2009:
Michael-is this a closed group of artists? Can anyone drop off something?
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 12 February 2009:
So Sarah: Its open to anyone who has some artwork they’d like to share. I’ll just be setting up a table and putting my stuff on it. So if you or anyone you know would like they can come down and join in. I’m not sure how many people will show up, but I’m hoping that since stuff is free there’ll be a good crowd.
Comment by Kel Muna on 12 February 2009:
Regarding the value of art and creativity, everyone should watch this TED speech given by Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D, the internationally recognized leader in development of creativity, innovation and he’s the author of “The Element”.
“I sold my work at the Chamorro Village, usually on a table in front of my grandfather’s shop, I attended whatever fairs or festivals I could, although often times the price of the table was more than I would make selling there.” I feel ya, Mike.
Comment by Sarah on 13 February 2009:
That was hilarious.
Can’t wait to hear more about how tonight went. Yesterday tried to put something together but it’s not working. Good luck!
Comment by Kel Muna on 14 February 2009:
This is the art that the wife and I picked up at the Free Art Friday gathering at the Guam Gallery of Art! The grouped images are post-card sized and make for really great table art or can even be framed. They had tons of wonderful art for the taking with even better stories that went with each and every one of them.
Credits are: “Talafofo Bay Before Contact 1 & 2″ by Filamore Alcon, the Bananas by Rolando “Aga” Zepeda, “Deconstruction II” by Mar-Vic Cagurangan, The Whale by Monica D. Baza of Baza Designs, The Trees by Stella M. Baza of Baza Designs and of course the print from the lino cut block is from none other than Michael Lujan Bevacqua himself.
A very big THANK YOU to all of the artists that shared themselves through their art and to Filamore for taking the time to talk with me and the wife while sharing 30+ years of his artwork! Sarah, I was hoping you’d bring some of your art with you, because I love what you do, but that’s okay - I understand about not rushing inspiration. Don and I run into that roadblock all the time. Maybe another day, yeah?
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 15 February 2009:
Si Yu’us Ma’ase Kel for coming down, and for sharing the pieces that you picked up. I still have a few free prints left for those who are interested. I’ll have them down at my grandfather’s blacksmith shop at the Chamorro Village.
Comment by Sarah on 17 February 2009:
Those are beautiful! Wow! Seriously, wow.
Thanks, Kel. I thought, well, in a day I could print out some of my photos, but even those just didn’t blow me away like I had hoped. Family is staying with us, too, and it is awesome, but it also means no art/craft room for two months. Will it happen again?
Who did the bananas? The lighting is beautiful!
Comment by Sarah on 17 February 2009:
Sorry, too busy looking at the pictures to remember you had posted the names already. Got it.
Comment by Kel Muna on 18 February 2009:
Sarah, according to their release I believe that it’ll go on for the rest of the Fridays this month, but beyond that, I haven’t heard anything about an encore exhibition. Yeah…I hope it’s not the last one.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 21 February 2009:
Sigh - this whole thing makes me wish there was more gallery space on Guam. We have so many artists here, but its so hard to find places to show your work.
I miss the CAHA gallery of old, before they put in the Yokoi exhibit. It was such a nice big space.
Comment by Michael Lujan Bevacqua on 26 February 2009:
For those interested, this event is coming up next week:
**********************
The 2nd Isla Art Festival
CONTACT: 735-2965/6
Velma Yamashita,Director
688-4099
Jose Babauta, Chair
EVENT: The 2nd ISLA Art Festival:
A one day event at the Isla Center for the Arts in Dean’s Circle were you can purchase art work created by local artists and enjoy the music of several local bands.
LOCATION: Isla Center for the Arts
Dean’s Circle on the University of Guam campus in Mangilao
DATE: Friday March 6, 2009
The public is invited.
HOURS: 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
ADMISSION: Admission is free.
Event Summary
The Isla Center for the Arts proudly presents their Second Art Festival. The event will take place in the central field of Dean’s Circle on the University of Guam campus in Mangilao.
The Second ISLA Art Festival will feature several local artists as well as performances by Fanai Tafari, Iyan I, Matala, Table for Five, and the Sinangån-ta Collective. Chris Barnett will emcee the event.
The event is sponsored by the Bank of Guam, Payless Supermarkets, Bank Pacific, Jamaican Grill, and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Guam.
Comment by Joseph Certeza on 11 May 2009:
is there any art shows in June?