URBANITES @ THE STACKHOUSE GALLERY 4-25-03
Went to the opening for the traveling exhibition "Urbanites" at Stackhouse Gallery last week (276 Lafayette St.~~April 11-till May 8th). If all goes well, when this show travels next to Japan, I will have a painting in it. I was glad to finally meet at Bobbito Garcia AKA DJ Cucumberslice, who had some photos on display from his forthcoming book "where'd you get those? New York's Sneaker Culture 1960-1987 (testifybooks/power house) .
I'd like to give a shout to Mark & Tara at Stackhouse and curator and great artist in his own right Mark Wigan for a terrific show. I'd like to send one out to some of the artists I met/saw at URBANITES who exhibited with me on the LIFEbeat "The Sound of Art" project: Boudicon, and Soner On. Also to the guys from Gawsie Athletech who hooked me up with some gear, which I wore to the opening and I won't lie, their clothes are dope.
Leo Vasquez was also on hand, as well as many industry regulars.
(((NOTE TO ARTISTS ATTENDING THIS TYPE OF EVENT- Bring your Graf book/ tag book and a sharpie. I brought a graffiti book, there are a million kids there who love to tag just sitting around talking, not knowing what to do with their hands. I was the only guy with a book, the only book. Needless to say, it got passed around like a joint in a Rastafarian limo. Crazy, my book is tagged with some beautiful work. Thanks to all the kats that tagged it up. Thanks to my good friend and fellow artist David Flores for teaching me this tradition many moons ago-see ya'll, and more of you next show.
While at the exhibit I was multitasking. I was enjoying the show, and just beginning to get my drink on, when I got a cell call, but couldn't get reception in the gallery space (concrete walled basement) so I had to hang upstairs in the shop (which is a really cool store, with a great mural over most of the walls by Soner On, you should peep it when you are in the SOHO area) most of the night I spent waiting and playing phone tag about an assignment. It was one of those kickass phone calls an artist gets. One of those once in a lifetime gigs that are too important to miss a call on. As a freelance artist, you learn to deal with rejection, you also learn to deal with the "big jobs," as well as the "big jobs" falling through. I'd say 1 in 4 really big/cool jobs fall through, so I'm always wary when one gets pitched to me, and try not to get my hopes up too much.
Just thinking about them makes me laugh. Jobs that sounded so promising to me in the past, which have fallen through (some even after they were completed) or jobs I had to decline on. Someone quits, the job looses funding, or for what ever reason you just get dropped. It's part of the game. If you can keep the average of hits to outweigh the average of misses, then you are successful. Well, this night was one of those nights.
The guys at Ecko wanted to see if I was available to design a Macy's Day float for them in a 2 day turn around so they could present it on Monday to Macy's. I was so psyched I shot home and started tracking down reference for the float. Well, over night, they got their meeting's deadline extended and I got dropped so the in house/ on salary team could have the whole following week to do it. And so it goes. . . . . . Add another to the list of cool jobs that fall through.
My apologies to Candice Jackson of CJR Entertainment, I was on the guest list for a party at Chetty Red, hosted by Level 26 Entertainment, and Candice Jackson of CJR Entertainment. This is one of those "shit happens" type occurrences where your set in stone plans change.
On a random note, I would like to give a shout to Sly, a Pratt Senior who came out to my studio this week to interview me for his final paper. I've done many interviews for students, but this is the first time someone actually hauled their ass out to Long Island for one.
Thanks to all the MIAD Ilustration students who wrote to me this month with kind words. I truly had a fun time up in Milwaukee and wish you all the best of luck.
Just another day in the life of an Art Juggernaut.
-Cojo
