[pure-silver] Re: What is a "project"?

You're probably not in the minority.  "Project" in this 
sense means more than one photo.  Galleries etc. prefer 
a theme of some sort so they have something they can 
advertise.  I shoot what I'm moved to shoot.  I like 
old barns, landscapes, creeks, trees, etc. and was 
planning to shoot in my rural home County for practical 
reasons. I was asking directions to examples of such 
and found local folks using the darndest landmarks to 
give directions (You go past the tree in the middle of 
the road...)  It soon occurred even to this converting 
non-artist that there was more sense of place in the 
landmarks than in the places.  So I started a series, a 
project with a unified theme but with a variety of 
subjects, and wound up hanging a one-man show, "The 
Lesser Landmarks of Mayes County", at an art museum.

I don't see any calls for exhibitions of beautiful 
pictures, just themes, but Becky even managed to pull 
that one off.  I still shoot what moves me, but have 
also started another project.  There are lots of old 
things around the state in the same category as one of 
my landmarks, and interesting to research and locate, 
and challenging to interpret on film.  They fit my 
style and also a theme.  So some day I'll probably 
mount another show somewhere.  If exhibition is your 
aim, concentrate on a project involving some coherent 
theme, perhaps emotional, not necessarily physical. 
Becky pushing the boundaries of what constitutes 
"Boundaries" sounds to me like the sort of creative 
thing galleries would like to see.

There is a practical side to having a project.  I sell 
my varied work at art shows, and I have difficulties 
keeping a straight face when the discussion gets too 
artsy.  But the wannabe's and hangers-on have all read 
about projects, and it seems to be all they know to ask 
about, so a handy positive answer can save you from a 
lot of inane drivel.

Regards...   Dick Gifford

jeffrey wrote:

> Something I've noticed a lot in the art world is the word "project". 
> (as a noun)
> 
> Curators, contest jurors, fellow 'artists' seem to want to view your 
> work thru the filter of it being part of some current project. The 
> implication seems to be that we organize our artistic expression 
> along some defined theme.
> 
> Do most of you create work within 'projects'?
> 
> To me, it's a more understandable expression in a medium like 
> painting, where you are starting from scratch and creating a finished 
> product. I would guess that most painters have at least a clue where 
> they're going when they start a canvas.
> 
> And certainly, there are a lot of photogs who have an idea for a 
> picture and go out and 'build' it.
> 
> Speaking only for myself, I shoot pictures pretty much as I find 
> them. Sure, a beautiful day, or some thick fog, or some special 
> event, may inspire me to shoot several rolls along a 'theme'. But I 
> rarely know what I am going to end up shooting when I first leave the 
> house.
> 
> Am I in the minority by virtue of not planning out my photo outings?



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