Let’s Start an Emerging Artists Community!

Colleagues and Friends of George Washington MFA, American MFA, and Corcoran BFA,

Let’s start a community of Washington’s finest emerging artists! We will work together to promote ourselves and push each other artistically further. …How?

1) Blog:
We will all have access to a blog (I will buy the website) and we can blog about any shows we see (kinda like artifice), talk about visiting artists, and post images of our work and works in progress. Hopefully others will leave comments, thoughts, concerns, compliments, and criticisms. With contacts from LA, NYC, and Chicago joining, it will help us be informed with what is going on in other art communities. Yes, alumni can participate too! It’ll keep you on your feet to continue making art post school. And alumni can help future generations of artists that join with their own knowledge and experience. Kinda’ the way sororities and fraternities use their alumni to help the youngsters get jobs, internships, and networking connections.

2) Beginning this spring semester, once a month we will have open critiques.
Say its the last Sunday of every month.
-There is a host school and 2.5 hours of the evening.
-The host school decides how the critique will run and which artists from the school will be displaying work.
-The works can be finished or unfinished. We’ll bring beer, wine, maybe some homemade cookies. And we know a little booze can bring out the best “critiquer” in all of us.
-The atmosphere will be very laid back and inviting.
-We will also send invitations to any art socialites and gallery owners we want to come. Maybe each session we will have a different set of guest artists/galleriests come to join us. It will be a nice informal way to get to know these people on a more personal level.
-But really, anyone can participate/come! Your teachers, friends, the general public, your mom, your cat, etc. etc. etc.
Why do we want to do these open critiques? Because in school we are constantly be critiqued by the same students and teachers. We need more exposure, sources, and it allows us to network with each other.

3) DIY “One Night Stand” Shows
Anyone that has an idea for a themed show can propose it to the group on the blog. If it sounds good, we will set a date and work to put it together. Washington does not have enough cool curatorial group shows except for Project 4. Let’s think up some cool ideas and work together to throw a bad ass show that everyone’s gonna want to see. This will also build our resume and professional skills: putting a show together, curating, having to work with other artists (sometimes thats the most difficult, ha)

SO! What do you think? Are you down? We can all be friends (how niiiiice). Maybe pull MICA and VCU in one day if this works out. It is a pretty simple idea, but I am sure it will be beneficial for all of us. If you like the project and want to take part, spread the words tell your friends and colleagues: forward this email. People are already doing this kind of thing here in NYC, it’s about time Washington got in on the program.

Best,
Rachel