Hello!

 So, last week I was a part of the art is generosity exhibition/event held at Prince Sultan University. My role was a participating artist, amazing right? I know I was over the moon when I received that letter; to have my art gain that kind of recognition and acceptance is truly rewarding for me.

 

 

Awful. 

Awful beyond words. 

Aesthetically and from the surface, everything looked ok. In fact, I heard murmurs from visitors and all were really positive. Plus everything being arranged so nicely just screamed the word ideal.

However, everything wasn’t ok. 

None of my art pieces that were accepted were hung, I spent the whole day doubting myself or looking for them. Honestly, the first time I noticed them not being anywhere in the artist's alley I second guessed my sense of sight (there is a reason why I wear glasses, lol). It took me a couple of walks down the alley and back in addition to a few breaths of fresh air to acknowledge their absence. In addition to this, none of my friends showed up, and those two things really stabbed my morale (which now that I think about it was for the better, I couldn’t handle anybody being around while trying to solve this problem). I did have the support of a few collegemates who were attending or volunteering in regards to this predicament, and I couldn’t be more thankful for that support.

 

Better.

I was texted that afternoon by one of the organisers apologising for yesterday’s mishap (which has proven to be an issue for numerous artists and volunteers, not just me). She was such a sweetheart and did her absolute best to fix everything, and I couldn’t ask more from her.

This day, I was accompanied by my cousin. She did really make the whole day better.

In addition to that, I met several collegemates. I talked to some, made friends with some, and overall I just enjoyed getting to know the familiar faces. This day was noticebly more lively and organised, though I wished I could’ve picked my display spot as I wasn’t crazy about mine. Nevertheless, I am thankful to be a part of it all. And immensely thankful for the how much day 2 was an improvement from day 1. Everybody’s moods were better, and even though this day looked similar to day 1 in aesthetics; it had order and cohesion which only makes it better. Moreover, the presence of that order showcased the idea in the light it deserves.

Day 3 

 

Real good.

Don’t overthink my selection of keywords I just didn’t know what to say, lol.

The aesthetics of day 1 was present, and the order of day 2 didn’t escape the gallery. However, this day was quieter. Even though this day hosted a screening of a football game, it was real calm.

Most of my friends showed up this day, and we really had a blast together. There isn’t much I can say about this day because it was, as I mentioned, quiet despite the small crowd it garnered. 

 

So, to conclude the experience I would say it was a really good gallery that I was honored to be a part of. It did clearly aim to support artists as it didn’t take a penny from them for their submission and participatio, even though I wished we had a hand in choosing the placement of our artworks. Nevertheless, it did showcase really talented artists and I commend them for organising such an event that supported a good cause; through both participation and entry (the ticket proceeds went to a children’s cancer charity). The venue was a nice one in structure, and was even nicer with the decor. 

In addition to that, I loved how they didn’t overshadow the artists with so many selling booths. They just had a little gathering of 4 delightfully decorated booths that fit the whole artistic vibe of the gallery. They inside part of the gallery housed a couple workshops throughout the day too, but I didn’t attend any; though I am sure they were top notch because the people that hosted them were really talented individuals.

 

We come to the outside area, I loved the food and coffee selection they offered. Similar to the booths, they didn’t crowd the place with food trucks and just picked a few that were good. I did notice that the food selection changed throughout the three days while the coffee did stay the same. Speaking of which, I do think even the artworks changed, introducing and removing paintings until the final day. The former I’m ok with, the latter just seems a bit unorganised. I did also love the seating selections for each area and the painting areas, as they did host artists who drew live and had an area where they allowed kids to draw. There were live shows in kind of like an auditorium area but I didn’t sit there much when there were shows so I can’t say much about them. However, the selection of artists chosen were really talented, so I’m assuming even those who participated in things other than the showcase fell under that label. 

All in all, there isn’t much to say about the outside area except that it was lovely and well organised. 

(Since I didn’t take any pictures of the outside area, here’s the most beautiful painting I’ve seen in the gallery and I would love to know who the artist is and thank them for their contribution in addition to having them teach me their ways) 

 

On my end, I learned to go larger with my artwork and give myself more time; the latter is semi-crucial as sometimes really good work is produced if a deadline is attached to it. The former being the moral of the story here as I felt really overshadowed having all my artwork being small. Honestly, sometimes visitors of the area usually forget my artwork is there. Plus several friends, if not all of them, asked me why I wasn’t doing any large artwork. I need to get outside my box and just go big or go home despite my art block. 

 

In conclusion, it was an honoring experience that I would be immensely blessed to repeat again. Even though I would encourage organisers to get their stories straight next time as their mishaps did cause inconvenience, I felt really amazing and accomplished being a part of such a marvelous art gallery. I always pinch myself when I get acceptance letters for my submissions, and this was no exception. It was a lovely atmosphere to be a part of, and I would repeat it in a heartbeat.