Tag: The Yeiser Center

Fantastic Fibers Again

Sigh. So Fantastic Fibers was always a great exhibit, or it was in the past. I entered it almost every year, and then last year, the juror was the crazy lady who banned me from a series of shows because someone said there was a penis in one of my quilts, and there wasn’t. So I emailed the Yeiser Art Center about that, understanding that the juror was set, and explained why I wasn’t entering, stating that the woman was not a good fit for art quilts. She was incredibly biased. Which I get that everyone has biases and I might enter a show and not know the juror’s hatred of the nude female body and I might not get in because of that. I’m never guaranteed an acceptance; trust me, I’m fully aware of that (been exhibiting my art, quilt and otherwise, since I was 16 years old). That said, don’t state you’re a “nationally acclaimed celebration of fiber art in its many forms. Established as an annual event, it has a rich history of highlighting innovative and traditional approaches to textile and fiber-based art” if you pick a juror like that.

Just to be clear, they never answered. They could have…we understand your concerns, we hear you, and this was our decision this year. We hope you enter again with future jurors. And maybe taken that to heart with the next juror.

Well, the next deadline for Fantastic Fibers is February 2, and everything I’ve seen shows TBD for the juror. I’m not entering until I know who the juror is. And when I say “I know who…”, I don’t really care who it is. I don’t know all the people chosen for these, and I don’t enter shows because I can guarantee I’ll get in…there are no guarantees. I do read their background though (and sometimes wonder about it). I just don’t trust the Yeiser any more. I would trust them if they had answered last year.

So y’all, I emailed again, asked if they had picked a juror yet. Guess what?! (my students would say, “Chicken butt” and they’d be right). No one answered.

So I don’t know what to do about that. I keep checking the website and the Cafe entry form, hoping it will change, but it hasn’t. I’m disappointed…maybe it’s just a matter of no one updating the Cafe form…but also, I appreciate art centers who support the artists, and sometimes that support includes answering emails. Torture, I know (I have to answer MY work emails within 24 hours of receiving them; I know some places are short-staffed, but this seems like an easy one). I did email a week ago…maybe the answer is still forthcoming.

I’ve Got Nostalgic Pavements*

Sometimes there’s a moment and it reminds you of a space in the past that was so incredibly different, a moment that should have been the same or similar, and you have a choice: be thankful that the current moment is not like that at all, or worry that all moments will be like that eventually. My brain is a worrier. I spend a lot of time telling that core part of it that those moments aren’t inevitable, that they are the choices of others, sure, and you have no control over those, but that there is a different person in each of those moments, and it’s better to believe (hope?) that this person is better at moments than the last one…or the one before. I think humans are great at hope…it’s what keeps most of us going.

Including that student from yesterday at tutoring who was telling me his plans to play American football and I’m thinking about his grades and, straight up, his size (sure, he’s gonna grow, but maybe not enough), but I’m not going to tell him nope, that’s not your future. I pull out my phone and show him a picture of a former student with not-great grades but an amazing drive and attitude and I tell him about his full college scholarship and his current amazing GPA and maybe just maybe plant some drive or motivation in there, because he has the hope, the hope of a 12-year-old, and I’m not getting in the way of that, and he asks, then can I come back and show you what I did? And I’m like, well hell yeah, I hope you do. I hope you all do.

My car is back. It wasn’t as bad as I feared. It’s funny though…because they want me to bring her in for an oil change every 3000 miles, and I barely remember to check the little sticky thing in the car. I don’t even know when 3000 miles might be. I mean I did 2500 miles last week (whoops, with not enough oil, although THAT light never came on)…but during the school year, I have no idea when that is. And when you’re talking to someone who lives, breathes, drinks cars on a daily basis, it’s hard to explain to them how low the car’s fluids are on your priority list. I mean, I can’t even get the floors and the bathrooms clean at the moment. I swept around the pool last night, but didn’t have time (I was grading) to scoop it all up into the composting trashcan. There’s Too Much to Do. In fact, I stopped typing this for 5 minutes to send a school-related email that I should have sent two days ago. I’m sometimes surprised that my brain can hold onto some of the threads tangled up in there.

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Calli agrees.

Anyway, one more assignment is graded. One more thing to check off the list. That’s a plus. Gotta keep doing those.

I finally got done with that assignment around 9 or 9:30 last night…then spent some time trying to center myself. But almost falling asleep at the same time. Fighting that sleep instinct is the crazy part of my existence. This week I am so tired. And I’m hot-flashing constantly…although that might have been my air conditioning not working at school. OK, no, it’s hot flashes…thought they were mostly done, but apparently not.

And then it was 11 PM and normal people go to bed if they have to get up at 6-something the next morning. But I hate going to bed without some art being made, so I managed to wake up enough…because that drawing had been muttering inside my head all day. So it’s rude not to listen. Get up and grab a pen and do something.

I stared at the paper for a while. I’m not ready to draw the thighs, even though it’s weird to start at the bottom and then jump to the top. It’s weird, but I did it anyway. I’m trying to think about who I was as an artist when I was a kid, when I was in high school and college. It was harder then. I didn’t do it every day. There were many other things to do and I wasn’t always inspired. I love that the inspiration is such a deep well now.

So the head…and the cat…

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And I put roots in…

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Hopefully more tonight, although this evening is a clusterfuck.

I sat on the couch for a moment to finish my thoughts…Simba was happy to be with a human…

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There’s some art stuff coming up in the next few days…the opening of Art That Cuts at Mesa College is Thursday night from 5-7 PM. I’m planning on being there. I have one piece in the show…

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Then Saturday, I have two events…I unfortunately will only be at one. The one I won’t be at is the closing reception of Mind the Gap at Southwestern College on Saturday from 1-3 PM…I’ll finally see the show next week after school one day.

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I’ll be at the artist talk for California Fibers’ Surface and Structure, at the Branch Gallery, Saturday at 2 PM. The show is coming down after the talk, so it’s your last chance to see it. I hope you come by.

See? Busy week in art. Oh yeah, and Fantastic Fibers opened last week I think? Or is it this week. It’s the 14th…right. So that’s in Paducah, KY, at the Yeiser Center, and you should go see that from 5-7 PM. It’s not just quilts, so that is also cool.

Meanwhile, all I know about the girlchild is that she had to walk to the next village (12-15 miles?) and I haven’t heard from her since…it’s possible that I won’t hear from her until she gets back next week. Hopefully all is well and she’s doing interesting things. Crap. Gotta go to work! I love when time just flips by like that.

*Kate Nash, Mouthwash