Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Martin Made Me Do It

It started with a short email to The Leader, a weekly, free, local newspaper. Martin last year said it would be nice to get something written up about the Exhibit(ion) and the blog; he had to dictate nearly the entire the email I should send, to persuade me to do it. Late Sunday night, I checked my too-hard box, and decided to work on this, and so I did.

Like the diligent secretary that I used to be, I rang this chap yesterday, and he said he'd come over today. I felt like a kid before her first day at Kindy: I rang Martin and Julia and, umm, asked how to be interviewed. I then rang back the chap and asked for a list of questions, and promptly prepared a 2-page multi-level bullet list of answers. Then I frantically cleaned my desk (I put everything on the floor) and the looms' surrounds downstairs.
Matt Lawrey came right on time. He was a tea man, not a coffee man. I hope I answered the questions accurately; I can go off in all directions when I'm talking, and I don't even remember half of what I said, and looking at the notes I forgot to tell him at least one crucial point. I was trying to be cautious by sticking to my notes, but guarded is not my forte. Note to self: if I take the time to make a list, use it; otherwise, don't bother.

But not so fast, Matt. I got him to tell me what he looks for in an interview with artists. And here are some points he made:

He respects artists for putting their souls on the wall/screen or in the gallery because it's a brave act. And artists celebrate values that are not easily converted to dollars and cents.

Good art speaks about people, the world and the environment. When writing, he looks for a new angle to present the works, via. the artist's background, motivation, and factors outside the physical work. The article needs be interesting to the readers, and he has had great interviews where he wasn't expecting them.

By the way, if you go to my web site, and to the Unravelling section, did you know that you can read "How I Make a Shawl" and "Exhibit 2007" series in a more logical progression? It makes the reading a tad more logical, if you are so-inclined.

12 days to go, Team.

(Here's another post relating to this interview.)

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