I'll Know It When I See It

I've been frantically getting my art ready for my art show at the Willimantic Food Co-Op which spans the month of April. I signed up last year and I haven't shown any work since like 1982 or so.

I can't say that I'm nervous but there is an excitement about putting your stuff out into the public domain. I delivered a dozen pieces Monday and they were up today and look great. They just fill up the Cafe space beautifully and I checked it all out because I happen to really believe that two or three of the pieces are significant.

Monday I spontaneously put together an poster spontaneously to advertise with and today I put together an information sheet.

Now, Monday night I took a couple of copies of the poster to the Mansfield Community Center to stick up somewhere. So I gave it to the people at the desk and they said that they have a magazine turnstile that they'd stick it into if approved!

I kind of rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Okay." What can you do. And you already know what's coming so before we get there let me back up a bit.

Months ago I also submitted a request to the Mansfield Community Center to arrange a show there as well and thereafter I got back a strange little email saying they wanted to see some samples to be sure I wasn't going to display "macaroni" art.

I submitted a few jpegs of stuff I had laying around to prove my art wasn't made of macaroni. All the while, in the back of my mind, I was thinking about creating the best damned macaroni sculpture the world has ever seen (my wife is Italian, I'm sure we can do this).

Nothing happened for a long time and then last month the Community Center suddenly wanted a portfolio probably because of this.

I hope this doesn't sound judgmental but by now I'm thinking to myself, "Geee-zeus Ker-rye-st, how many freakin' artists can there be in the area - they must be trying to drive us out!" I'm fifty-odd years old, serve on the school board, exercise every day, and they think I'm making this stuff up. My brain was speechless.

But I had bigger fish to fry because the Co-Op show was closing in fast.

So Monday night, after handing them my poster I took some consolation in the fact that I could PROVE I was an artist. "See this poster - well take that - that ain't macaroni!"

So tonight the phone rings and I'm hoping it's a new contract but instead it's the Community Center desk-person.

We can't put your poster in the community room.

Um, why?

You're out of the area.

What area?

Oh, your show is in Willimantic and the Community Center services Storrs and Mansfield.

But I'm a member, I'm from Ashford...

Yes, but the show is in Willimantic...

Could you please give the poster to the Art evaluation committee? They asked to see my work and this is a great opportunity for them to see it.

Um, okay, but they are used to getting the art delivered to them.

You can't make it up.