I just got back from a road trip. Ohio University Zanesville offered to exhibit my "Faces of Afghanistan" drawings. So I drove 'em up, installed them, gave an artist talk, and got back yesterday.
Except it wasn't quite that simple.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to show the drawings up in Ohio and jumped at the chance. Zanesville, though, is 435 miles from here. So rather than get up at 0-dark-thirty and have all the pressure of a deadline to meet, I split the trip into two days. That allowed me to take highways instead of the interstate, something I much prefer doing whenever possible. Weather kinda/sorta cooperated and it was a beautiful trip through the mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. I stayed overnight in Marietta, Ohio, and finished the drive Monday morning, again on the highways.
OU Zanesville is a nice campus with great people. We had some issues with the hanging system, in that it wasn't geared for as many artworks as I brought, but everybody had a "we'll make this work" attitude and we got it done. I had barely enough time to do a quick change of clothes before we started the artist talk. It went really well, too - lots of interaction with the audience and lots of good questions. I really enjoy those events. Afterward, there was a reception and more talk for an hour and a half. Had a really good discussion with a Desert Storm vet who is still carrying some pretty deep physical and mental scars over 23 years later.
I planned to come home the next morning, Tuesday, but a monster storm was set to pound the whole route, so I decided to stay put in Zanesville. The weather there wasn't bad at all, just a bit cloudy, and Ohio was in the peak of leaf season, so I grabbed my camera and went exploring. Had a great time and got some beautiful photos.
Wednesday was travel day. I hit the road about 9 am and did the interstates all the way back. And it turned into a beautiful drive. The clouds gradually cleared, there was some blue sky, and it was peak leaf season almost all the way down. Phenomenal! I got home just before 5 pm, right when Janis was taking the dogs out for their evening walk. Trips are great, but it's always good to get home.
The good folks at Ohio University are going to take this show down in three weeks and move it over to Ohio University Eastern. It'll be on exhibit there for another three weeks. Then I'll go up, do an artist talk in the evening, and then take down the show and drive home the next day. Neither drive will be as nice as this one was. It'll be later in November and all the color in the trees will be gone. Oh, well, the things you gotta do to get your art exhibited!
I really want to give high marks to the professors and staff at Ohio University Zanesville. They really went above and beyond to get this show up. It's always a pleasure to work with people like that.
Except it wasn't quite that simple.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to show the drawings up in Ohio and jumped at the chance. Zanesville, though, is 435 miles from here. So rather than get up at 0-dark-thirty and have all the pressure of a deadline to meet, I split the trip into two days. That allowed me to take highways instead of the interstate, something I much prefer doing whenever possible. Weather kinda/sorta cooperated and it was a beautiful trip through the mountains of Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. I stayed overnight in Marietta, Ohio, and finished the drive Monday morning, again on the highways.
OU Zanesville is a nice campus with great people. We had some issues with the hanging system, in that it wasn't geared for as many artworks as I brought, but everybody had a "we'll make this work" attitude and we got it done. I had barely enough time to do a quick change of clothes before we started the artist talk. It went really well, too - lots of interaction with the audience and lots of good questions. I really enjoy those events. Afterward, there was a reception and more talk for an hour and a half. Had a really good discussion with a Desert Storm vet who is still carrying some pretty deep physical and mental scars over 23 years later.
I planned to come home the next morning, Tuesday, but a monster storm was set to pound the whole route, so I decided to stay put in Zanesville. The weather there wasn't bad at all, just a bit cloudy, and Ohio was in the peak of leaf season, so I grabbed my camera and went exploring. Had a great time and got some beautiful photos.
Wednesday was travel day. I hit the road about 9 am and did the interstates all the way back. And it turned into a beautiful drive. The clouds gradually cleared, there was some blue sky, and it was peak leaf season almost all the way down. Phenomenal! I got home just before 5 pm, right when Janis was taking the dogs out for their evening walk. Trips are great, but it's always good to get home.
The good folks at Ohio University are going to take this show down in three weeks and move it over to Ohio University Eastern. It'll be on exhibit there for another three weeks. Then I'll go up, do an artist talk in the evening, and then take down the show and drive home the next day. Neither drive will be as nice as this one was. It'll be later in November and all the color in the trees will be gone. Oh, well, the things you gotta do to get your art exhibited!
I really want to give high marks to the professors and staff at Ohio University Zanesville. They really went above and beyond to get this show up. It's always a pleasure to work with people like that.
No comments:
Post a Comment