I am writing this in the middle of August 2024. In a few weeks, I will fly out to Michigan with the tapestry that took me 2 years to make. It is yarn cross stitched on debris netting, and it is 72 feet high by 15 feet wide. That’s like 3 two story houses! I wanted to see if I could make it. I did. I made it with the vision of hanging in a huge local mall. The mall a was cool with hanging it as we were coming out of COVID. which is when I started it. I thought it would take me 4 months to make. Two years later, the piece was done, the mall’s business was fine, and they didn’t want to hang it anymore. It was February 2024.
I took a pause on it. Good friends sent over connections to their local malls, or told me they saw a space perfect for it. I prayed. I hoped. And I decided to listen to advise I was given years ago: the universe has 3 answers to requests: yes, not now, or I have something better. I put my bets on something better.
I applied to ArtPrize in Michigan. I’ve been following Kate Gilmore for years. She won the prize a few years ago with a fantastic piece. ArtPrize is a huge art festival in Grand Rapids with some great cash prizes. There are awards for viewers most liked as well as curators picks best in show. It gets a ton of visitors. Turns out over a miliion. Yes, a million! Grand prize is $125,000! That is a LOT and says a lot about the scale of this festival.
In April artists apply. In May, venues apply. In June the great pairing begins.
To travel and take on the task of installing in a place I have never been, to pay for the travel, for the hotel, the instal costs.. .that was a new level for me. I decided I would only go if I got in the Convention Center which is the center of the festival.
I got in.
Then I decided I would only go if I got the center of the Convention Center. It wasn’t worth it to do all that and be put in a corner.
I got the center of the Convention Center.
I bought my tickets. I booked the hotel. Each time I ask about guidelines for installing, Ed emails back, this is what we do, we can hang this. I have to let go. Show up and let go.
So now, in early September, I will fly out with the art stuffed into a bag. I will go to the center and deliver the bag. When it comes out of the bag, it will be the first time it has been viewed in real life by more than my husband and I. Holy tamole. I will bring extra underwear.
And then I will fly out the end of September and with a million viewers, see the piece.
Please join me on this adventure.
