Common Structures Show

Hello interested reader.

The opening of my latest exhibit, which is a collaborative effort with photographer and friend Tim Reilly, is up and running at the Lyndon House Art Center in Athens Georgia. We had been preparing for this for almost 10 months, creating posters, preparing frames with the help of some pro framer friends, creating email notices and sending them out, creating and printing invitations, designing signage and installing this at the Gallery, purchasing food items for the reception, plants for the floral arrangements, and, to top off all this, we were finalizing our art pieces right up to the week preceding the show.

It's been a hectic few months and it was well worth it to see the interested viewers that came to the opening, asking questions about our techniques, our vision, making comments on what specific pieces meant to them. Most show openings that I have attended had lots of folks talking with each other, enjoying the company and the refreshments, but rarely actually taking real notice or interest in the art itself. It was very refreshing to see people at an opening who took real notice of the art and the purpose behind the exhibit. A lot of that can be attributed to my collaborator, Tim Reilly.

Aside from beautiful photography, Tim is very knowledgeable with historic preservation and has a deep feeling about the nature of fine old structures and what they are to our cultural landscape. I can probably say that Tim's interest in the subject is greater than my own and this shows in the structure of the exhibit itself. Every step of the way he reviewed what we were doing and made recommendations for improving everything from the wording to the design of the pieces. All of this helped make our presentation as professional as our limited resources allowed. Thanks Tim.

Another great help was having the enthusiasm of the gallery's curator, Nancy Lukasciewicz. Nancy was there for us whenever we had any questions concerning the gallery's logistics, the Center's support facilities, mailing out invitations, distributing information to the community, etc. And, at the reception, she and her assistants Shannon and Patricia stayed almost 2 hours past the closing time to allow additional visitors to come and to stay and look around. On a normal "Gallery closed" day, this went far beyond the pale. We weren't surprised at this level of assistance and dedication from these fine people who have demonstrated such devotion and professionalism throughout. What a fine group and a wonderful venue.

And then there are our wives, Jan Reilly and Jewel Muzyka without whom none of this could have been possible. They put up with us through our anxieties about the show and the financial excesses with the cost of set-up. They helped with arrangements of food, drapery and prudent advice every step of the way. And not the least was there gracious co-hosting throughout the reception. We are so lucky to have them as our life partners.

If you get the opportunity, please stop by the Lyndon House Art Center and see this great place. Our exhibit is but a small part of what one can experience in this fine facility.

Thank you for visiting my blog. Talk to you soon.