thenublack art show: The learning process

Have you ever wanted something to go ahead to badly that you just take the first thing and go with it? I’ve been told that I sometimes take too long to make decisions but this time around I’m actually benefitting from being patient and exercising what seems to be mustard seed faith.Since May I’ve had this idea in my head, and me being the dreamer and somewhat hard-headed person that I am, I was determined to make this happen. Since that time and Friday just gone A LOT has taken place in terms of the direction of the show.

As usual thenublack’s biggest fan (my mother) put me onto a friend of hers who works for Haringey Council, and via e-mails and phonecalls I managed to land myself an opportunity to have them fund the show, as long as I found a suitable venue in the area of Haringey. At this current point I’m still waiting to hear back from the few places that are in Haringey but the council’s deadline is nearing it’s end so I don’t know how that’ll turn out.

At the start I was freaking out about writing a proposal to prospective sponsors….this was all alien to me – can’t I just send them a link to the website and they’ll fall in love with the concept and give me money to fund my show? It’s during Black History Month and who doesn’t like to fund “urban activities?” *blank stare*. I’m not even going to lie and say I didn’t try and put this on a backburner because I really had no idea of what to include. Budgets, expected numbers, Key Timings???!!!

I was in Grenada the week I sent the call to artists out and ran up a stupidly high data charge trying to view all the submissions – it was so worth the £*** bill I’m about to pay for this month – I was almost screaming with excitement when I saw not only the quality of the work but the countries that they were coming from! Waking up a couple of hours earlier to trek to various galleries was an interesting job too. Certain situations at galleries that I won’t mention just made more determined to make this the best event possible. I don’t tweet that I wish I had a melanin-altering super power for no reason *smh* I realised that throughout my search I’d been limiting myself to picking venues that I could personally afford, not considering that I may get help to fund it. In a way it was as if I didn’t really see the show’s potential and I was a little disappointed that I’d been limiting myself so early on in the planning process.

That pretty much all changed during Thursday and Friday just gone…

I managed to schedule in a last minute viewing of a gallery just off Old Street on Thursday before work and was blown off my feet – SO MUCH POTENTIAL!! I’m surprised I didn’t wee on myself with how excited I was. The people I spoke to on the phone and that took me around the venue genuinely seemed like they were interested in the show’s subject and gave me all the options that the venue could take on….even the price (cue the start of my change in mindset, lol).

Friday just gone I had a meeting with a friend of my boss’s (who also a big fan on the blog) which went really well. It made me think that through all this rushing, and trying to put the art show amongst the hundreds of events going on in October that maybe I should hold back, build up more interest and put on an event that really showcases what thenublack is all about. I did my best to play it cool but I felt like those vindicated crip-walking guys on the ‘DNA specials’ of Maury show….

So for now, the show is still a work in progress – something that I’m not dissapointed to say. I’ve overcome major obstacles to get to this current point, I’ve had to actually speak to people when I’d really just prefer to e-mail them, lol. All in all I have a feeling that the show is going to be a milestone and just the beginning of good things to come.

Until the next update…

Gabi x

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