The forty-page Artist Guidebook (Download Here) produced by the Recreation and Culture
Division of the City is suitable for study in high school and university. Art
students can learn how to avoid some of the pitfalls of nasty experience in a
real world where we all have to pay rent.
Many artists have been made dumb and blind by ideology and stereotypes
handed down from the 1700s when it became cache for artists to be
intellectuals, gurus, and rebels, rather than community-minded craftspeople who
were in tune with their culture and not searching for the TRUTH or expressing
their emotions. They worked hard, learned hard, and often passed down secret
skills from one generation of artists to the next.
Not that you can’t or shouldn’t be a guru if you think you’re
spiritually gifted, or that you shouldn’t express your emotions. Sharing our
suffering and joy of life can benefit others, but even these emotional artists
need to make money, and if they mistake art as currency in of itself, feeding
their soul, they won’t make the effort to feed their bank account. And one day,
if they don’t kill themselves (25% of poets commit suicide) they go back to
school and learn something more practical.
So hurray for this guidebook.
The document is design friendly, which stretches it to forty pages, but
it’s an easy and informative read. The artists whose knowledge is scattered
throughout the guidebook are credited in the opening pages, with sample images
of the public art they produced for the city in accordance with Thunder Bay’s
public art program. The program is very progressive with the aim of beautifying
the city and giving meaning to our community to make for a better city in which
to live, attract tourists and attract new businesses.
The guidebook gives a bit of history about the public art program, its
aims, how it works, and offers artists the opportunity to stay informed
whenever new competitions are announced.
There is also great detail about how a competition works, portfolios,
submissions, materials, how to budget, artist fees, the jury, the contract,
insurance, how to work with subcontractors, maintenance, and more.
On a personal note, from an artist who has a better than 50% success rate
with grant applications, applying for your first juried competition or grant is
the most time consuming and frustrating. However, it’s important to note, that
if you keep EVERYTHING, including research, contact addresses, source
materials, bios, letters of intent, references, curriculum vitae, etc. on your
computer, the next time you apply the process will be much easier. My first application
for a competition took me two solid weeks. When I didn’t get the commission I
was upset. I thought I’d wasted my time. However, when I applied for a grant,
rather than a competition, it took me only two days to get everything in order,
because I had EVERYTHING on my computer.
Competitions for some projects require lots of thought, models and
research, so the time involved will always vary. But now when I apply for a
grant, there is no frustration. This is also because I know what I like to do
as an artist. I have my métier.
In fact, applying for competitions and grants is a great way to get to
know yourself, to know what you like and need to do as an artist. Competitions
test your ability and focus your mind. It’s a great start for your journey as
an artist, so it would do you a great benefit to read the guidebook and
organize the material you need long before a competition is even announced. Note
to teachers! This would be a great assignment. This process can also reveal the
social relevance and traditional functions of art.
To get a hard copy you can contact the Public Art Coordinator, Reana Mussato at rmussato@thunderbay.ca.
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