Grant, exhibit write up

Today turned out to be a busy business end kind of a day -- did a little writing for Portland Open Studios and started to prepare for the grant writing workshop. The registration form and questionnaire were due yesterday, but of course I only got a chance to look at the stuff today. For the first time, I had to put into words some basic thoughts about the project. This is what I wrote (very quickly, this is intended for the workshop instructor, not as a final write up for the grant application) --

"I would like to edition an artist book in collaboration with an Alzheimer’s patient. The project is intended to serve two purposes – to stimulate the patient’s memory and mind, and to produce a book of her life stories that she can pass on to her family. I would also like to take this project to a broader level and work with other Alzheimer patients who are at the early to medium stages of the disease.

We will use the Print Gocco, a very simple to use silkscreen machine that requires little space and is non-toxic both in set up and clean up, as well as the material itself. I hope to encourage the patient to create most of the text and select most of the imagery under my guidance. I also hope that the patient will engage in the printing process itself, and I will assist as necessary. All of the above will be completed on site at the patient’s home over a number of months. The final binding will be completed in my studio."

I'd like to get a grant to cover the purchase of materials for 12 artist's books (with 12 different Alzheimer's patients, each in an edition of 25-30 copies), the purchase of a desktop laser copier (necessary to create the screens), and the cost of gas for travel to and from the patient's home/work site. I'm pretty sure I'd be able to get an exhibition space lined up for this, so that requirement can be easily satisfied.

Earlier in the day, went and saw the book exhibit at The New American Art Union. Some of the pieces I've seen in informal settings already and it's nice to be able to finally see them on a wall. Also stopped by at Launch Pad to see Jennifer Mercede's exhibit. Wrote up a brief piece about her work for the Portland Open Studios blog. And even though it's such a short little piece, it still took me a couple of hours!

And that, was the whole day (outside of my regular Sunday chores). Didn't get any studio time. But tomorrow! After my morning appt with the trainer, the day is clear.

Oh yeah, I got the go ahead to write up a proposal for another exhibit at the G & V Walters Cultural Arts Center -- of technologists turned artists!