Title: DirectorReport2008-10-05.doc

 

 

Programming:

 

Activity	Date	Title	#s
Exhibition	Sept 2- Sept 27	Mask Noredin Morgan, Debra Bretton Robinson, Vining School Students	100
Workshop	Sept 7	Tim Mungenast and the loopers	8
Electronica	Sept 11	Press Start produced by Josh Taylor	20
Exhibition	Sept 13	Reception for Mask	(35)
Meeting	Sept 17	Technology Consortium, LTC	8
Brom Yoga	Sept 20	Fall session starts, Tue & Sat	10/class
Local Bands	Sept 20	Produced by Chris Aguiar	40
Multimedia	Sept 26	Debate Rewired with Dr T	4
Exhibition	Sept 27- Sept 28	Lowell Open Studios	30
Jazz	Sept 27	Kevin Frenette, recorded for future release	8
Workshop	Sept 28	Artist’s Talk by Noredin Morgan	2
Exhibition	Sept 30- Oct 11	Friends of Photography
Multimedia	Oct 1	Trail Mix produced by Random Access Theater [RAT] Y’s birthday	8
Exhibition	Oct 3	Reception for FoP	20
Jazz	Oct 4	Lola Danza	8

           

 

Mask went well. The Vining Elementary School artists visited the gallery in a big yellow bus. Attendance at the reception was fewer than expected. However, overall attendance this September was fewer than expected. Lowell Open Studios drew half as many people as last year, perhaps due to the weather. According to Steve Syverson Western Avenue Studios had 2000 people last year and 800 this year; we had 60 last year and 24 this year. At 4pm on Sunday WAS was crowded but at 4:30pm the downtown was dead. There was no one at all at ALL or the Revolving Museum.

 

Josh Taylor and Chris Aguiar both produced events in September. They are working together on new shows in October & November. Josh is working with Mira on a Salvation Army Benefit show. Setheyny is taking over for Dan, trying to make sense of the bookings. 

 

We have a new email for bookings, bookings@119gallery.org. Anyone wanting to book the gallery for an event should send their request to that address. Their email is forwarded to Setheyny and me, and to Jeffrey and Mira. Setheyny and I book events – Setheyny books local bands and I book new music and weird stuff. Once bookings are confirmed and posted to the 119 Gallery Google Calendar, Jeff and Mira post the events to Myspace, Facebook, the Newsletter, and events lists. After an initial week of confusion this process glimmers of hope of success.

 

 Friends of Photography, the current guerilla show was a pain-in-the-ass, mainly due to FoP’s own state of disfunction. Only three members submitted work on time, the remaining work arrived Monday. Of the approximately 25 works submitted only 5 were properly framed and wired. The rest were in cheap, $6.25, Michael’s frames. It took 2 days to get the show hung and lighted. The result is not up to my standards. However the opening seemed to go well. Hopefully some members of the group, those who finally showed up to help me hang the work, learned something.

 

I ran into Anna Isaak-Ross Saturday morning at Brew’d. She asked how the Fop exhibit was working out. Seems she had an even harder time hanging their show at UML. Parents called to complain that their children were being treated unfairly. So far, no parents have called me.

 

Noticeably missing from the FoP exhibit are Bridget Clarke, Jess Hosman, Shanti Jain, Monica Ohri, and Mellisa Santarpio, the better photographers in the group. Perhaps they can show in January 2009 during Lowell’s Photo Weekend.

 

Soundscape project - Jed, Mira and I met Saturday and reviewed our notes. We agreed, several weeks ago, that the project would be a yearlong project, starting in 2009, including partners such as UMass Lowell, the Mogan Center, COOL, and National Parks. We decided to go for the big buck$ and hit up the NEA. We’re including salaries for Jed and me. Mira is working on a project outline, which I will take along on my upcoming interviews with UMass Lowell. The ‘partnership letter’ is a go, I think ...

 

XFest project – I am forming an organizing committee. I have Andy Jacobson and Eric Sack. Brett Cromwell never, ever returned my emails. I am looking for one more person, perhaps an intern from UMass Lowell … suggestions or better yet volunteers let me know. I plan to hold the first meeting next Thursday afternoon at Brew’d.

 

Recording performances, this is something for our volunteers. On Thursday Oct 9 is First Impression “an awesome night of mingling with folks who have previous, current or recent interest in being a part of the 119 Gallery and in supporting its mission. There will be music, video, food, a screen printing booth (bring your t-shirts), sign-up sheets, get involved ...”

 

 

The Creative Economy:

Setheyny and I are attending Bob Forrant’s Creative Economy class at the Revolving Museum. Last Monday we talked about Richard Florida’s definition of the Creative Economy. We read two additional papers, one somewhat in favor the other not. We learned that the Revolving Museum is thinking of moving … perhaps into the rug & carpet building next to CTI.

 

This past month I attended the ONE Lowell Board Retreat run by Jericho Road. We discussed the tension between mission versus business. What if our mission is not directly related to business? Non-profits, for example hospitals, are dependent on state and federal funding. Kids don’t pay to go public school. Elkin Montoya suggested that the kids, when grown, will put money back into the schools, as parents and as patrons. Non-profits are dependent upon endowments and foundation and government support. In general, Jericho Road suggested that Building the Board is equivalent to Building the Organization.

 

 

According to Jericho Road, these are the attributes of a successful board –

 

1)      Internal – board members share a sense of purpose, support the mission,

 

2)      Interpersonal – board members work together to grow the organization,

 

3)      Institutional – board members provide positive, creative leadership,

 

4)      Cultural – board members actively form a positive institutional culture.

 

 

Education Program:

The education program needs rethinking. The most successful workshops were the master’s classes, one-time classes such as Vic Rawling’s Sound Improv Workshop. Later this month, Sunday October 26, we have Jessica Rylan’s Circuit Building Workshop, which is filling fast. Lowell Telecommunications and Axiom Gallery requested the Basic Video (Art) and Sound Art classes at their locations. This indicates, to me, that there isn’t much interest out there in our current program of classes. However there is an interest in specific, focused Workshops related to our programming and exhibits. Also there is some interest from other institutions in having us offer classes at their locations.

 

I think we should try more Artists’ Talks and workshop related to current exhibits. Are we going to runa DIY Zines workshop?

 

 

Finances:

We should be doing better.

 

 

 

Prepared by: Walter Wright, Executive Director