I nearly cried. My work had been split up, and one of them was no where to be seen.
The exhibits were all higgledy piggledy, and only 2 of the artists had all their work together in one place. One artist has his work simply leaning up against a wall, and another has his on top of various radiators. One set of paintings has the labels masking taped to the actual pictures.
I don't expect everyone to like my work, or to want to see it, but I do expect an Arts Co-ordinator to know how to put an exhibition together so that it all hangs together well and that there is enough room for every one's work that has been accepted.
Now don't get me wrong, I know this isn't the RA Summer Exhibition. But it is an important one for artists in Sheffield, especially ones who are just starting out, dipping their toes in the exhibition waters, and are trying to build their confidence as artists. To treat their work in such a disorganised and amateurish way is abominable.
I do not think that I would be able to trust the Arts Co-ordinator at that gallery again. Not when I worked so hard to prepare my pieces for this exhibition. Not when the work was submitted well in advance of the closing date and no mention was made that only 2 of them would be displayed.
These are the works I submitted. Guess which one didn't make the cut?
