Looking at the Eastside Culture Crawl with new eyes!
My name is Valerie Arntzen and I have been the Executive Director for The Eastside Culture Crawl for eight years now. 2006 was the year I finally displayed my work. I am a mixed media artist and photographer and I had so much fun preparing for the Eastside Culture Crawl — who knew that participating for three days would change my outlook on this event in the most profound and positive way!
I met the most interesting people, friends old and new came by and I cherished the reactions of people who saw my work.
I heard all sorts of comments — "You take everyday things and make them precious". The quirkiest comment was "I find your art scary!" (Ok — that was the creepy doll series — so I understand). I also enjoyed explaining the process of my work or the thought process behind certain pieces. At one point I was explaining the message in my piece "Bullets to Buddhas" to one couple and when I looked up I had an audience of about ten people listening to me. Where else but the Crawl would you get that opportunity? Learning how to put on a show as an artist is very important. Hanging your show, labelling your work, having business cards, guest book and a portfolio is key to making the experience for your client informative and fun. Your space has to also be clean, well lit and safe. And last but not least talk to everyone, even just to welcome them into your space kicks off their visit to your studio on the right foot.
I am so proud of all the artists who opened their studios and helped celebrate our 10th anniversary. Despite the snow, we had a terrific turnout and the artists and patrons are happy. Talking to the artists after the Crawl, the most common comment was, "I think the numbers were down but it made it easier to engage people in conversation." This might be due to the snow or to us working hard to distribute the crowds by giving them hints on how to see the Crawl. Going at less peak times and also planning your visit so you are not just going from studio to studio but actually seeking out the kind of art you like or the artist you admire. Our new website www.eastsideculturecrawl.com has definitely made that easier. We also want to let the public know that you can use our website all year round to contact our artists to make an appointment for a studio visit.
Once again our Information Booth was at the Strathcona Community Centre. We have an amazing staff, Doug Hunter and Lee Slaney, who have been with us for five years. They work with our volunteers to see that everyone who walks through the door gets the information they need to make the most of their weekend at the Crawl. The added bonus this year was our kids project headed by Nancy Chong which included mask making, painting and collage. The information booth never looked better.
I now know the high of being an artist during the Eastside Culture Crawl — I cannot wait for next year!
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