This exhibit is at Artist and Makers Studios in Rockville MD. I was supposed to be up there today, installing the work, with a friend who generously arranged to be off work today to help me. Well, Sunday evening there was an email indicating that the building might be closed Tuesday on account of weather, but that they would open Monday for those who might be able to get in early to install their work or push back to Wednesday.
I didn't sleep much that night, trying to figure out the best way to travel, whether I should put it off a day and hope the roads wouldn't be too bad after the Polar Vortex moved through and whether I'd be about to get out of town on Wednesday early enough to make it a full day (there was talk of messy travel that morning). I went back and forth, back and forth trying to figure out what to do, finally deciding I'd high tail it out early on Monday and see what I could get done on my own.
After arranging for Avery's care and letting my friends know I would be staying a day early at their place in NoVA, I packed it up and took it on the road. The travel spirits looked upon me favorably and I made it up in record time.
When I carried all my work into the gallery, I looked around and felt slightly overwhelmed. I'd convinced myself that I couldn't do this by myself, that I was bad or impatient at measuring and my brain wasn't suited for such tasks. I knew I had to get started, so I began with one wall (a hallway) because there were only six pieces going up that required one nail each. I had spoken to a friend a week or so before who mentioned measuring to the center and working out from there, so that's how I started. And I continued, one wall at a time. I held myself back from looking at the whole space and number of prints I had to install, and just took it by sections. It took me about four hours with nothing other that a break for a drink of water a couple times and voila!
I can't express how happy this makes me. While I would have loved my friend's help, I also feel it was really important that I have the experience of moving through this process, both mentally and emotionally, on my own. I would say I did it all by myself, but I did have help from friends in other ways and that's important too.
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