ArtSake

In Three Stages, we ask Massachusetts artists to shed light on their art-making process by focusing on three stages in the creative life of one work of art.

Here, writer and editor Tara L. Masih takes us through the writing process that produced the upcoming story collection Where the Dog Star Never Glows (Press 53, 2010).

Tara will read from the collection at Brookline Booksmith on February 23.

INSPIRATION

Inspiration for the stories in my debut collection came from many places: snippets of conversation shared and overheard; newspaper stories; and personal experiences, especially during travel. I look for stories in landscapes, in unusual facts, in the absurd, in research. But there are those special, all-too-rare stories that find me. I wish I could control that process, that sudden, electric realization that I have a story to write, a character to listen to, and something of import to translate from nebulous stirrings into coherent language. Louisa May Alcott had a Glory Cloak that she would wear, sewn by her mother, to inspire her to finish writing her books. I don’t have props, just drive. But I love that image of the writer cloaked in “glory” as she created one of our most enduring classics.

In the end, necessity is the most important part of inspiration for me. What made each story good enough to appear in this book was a feeling that it was necessary in some way that I start writing it, finish it, polish it as best I could, and then send it out into the world.

CHALLENGE

Sylvia Plath said that the worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt. Inspiration is the fun step, the addictive step I keep looking for. The challenge, once I start writing, is to keep self-doubt from interfering. It can be depressing when the brilliant passage I wrote in my half-sleep the night before turns out to be clichéd garbage the next morning. It can be a challenge to not get distracted with life to the point where inspiration turns into heavy responsibility or duty. The goal is to keep writing and finish the story even though it does now feel like duty and the early adrenaline rush is gone. Only in a few rare occurrences has inspiration carried me all the way through an instant first draft, even in the briefer flash form. More often than not, work intervenes, child and family interrupts, and I have to look to those obligations I’d rather ignore, like food and water and sleep!

I meet the challenge when I ignore self-doubt and give birth to that first complete draft, which in some cases is within hours, in other cases, years. But the challenge continues as I rework the draft, looking for all the ways I can show that “glint of light on broken glass,” as Chekhov advises.

COMPLETION

I know when a story is complete when I simply cannot think of a way to improve it anymore, or know I’m incapable of taking it to any other place than where it ends. Feedback is crucial, because it’s hard to be objective about your own work, particularly fiction. I find trust is the final step in completion - trusting you’ve learned to separate the bad advice from the good, trusting your publisher to make insightful edits, trusting your decision to make it public, and then trusting readers with your creation. It’s not an easy thing, putting your work out there. It’s a very naked feeling, in fact. In retrospect, I suppose challenge appears at every stage. It can’t be compartmentalized into one area of the creative process. It continues, on to the next project that inspires.

Read about Where the Dog Star Never Glows in NewPages, where it is listed as a new & noteworthy fiction book.

On Feb. 23, 6:30 PM, there will be a launch party for the collection at Brookline Booksmith. This will be a party to celebrate the book’s launch and the local writers/mentors/teachers who helped it come to fruition. Come for champagne, wine, juice, chocolate-covered strawberries, and more. Reading and Q&A, with a prize for best question. 279 Harvard St., Brookline, MA.

Tara L. Masih grew up in the small harbor town of Northport, situated along the Long Island Sound. Much of her time was spent on the beaches and in the woods, and as a result her writing is often set within the framework of nature and place. Her fiction, poetry, and essays have been published in numerous literary magazines, including Confrontation, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Natural Bridge, New Millennium Writings, Red River Review, Night Train, and The Caribbean Writer, as well as in many anthologies. Several limited edition, illustrated chapbooks featuring her flash fiction have been published by The Feral Press. Awards for her work include first place in The Ledge Magazine’s fiction contest, a finalist fiction grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Pushcart Prize, Best New American Voices, and Best of the Web nominations. Tara judges the intercultural essay prize for the annual Soul-Making Literary Contest, and is editor of the acclaimed Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction (2009). C. W. Post College presented her with the Lou P. Bunce Creative Writing Award upon graduation, and Emerson College, where she received her MA in Writing and Publishing, awarded her with a Bookbuilders of Boston Scholarship. Tara now works as a freelance book editor in Andover, Massachusetts.

Images (top to bottom): author photo, Tara L. Masih; quote from the story “The Burnings;” quote from the story “Delight;” quote from the story “The Guide, the Tourist, and the Animal Doctor;” quote from the story “Bird Man;” cover image from Tara L. Masih’s story collection WHERE THE DOG STAR NEVER GLOWS (Press 53, 2010).

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ArSake has been thinking a lot about the economy lately and how artists navigate their current economic realities. Artist Tabitha Vevers’ monetary policy is to take this subject straight on through her painting.

Tabitha Vevers: Value Added

Artist’s Statement:
With so much talk about the ups and downs of the economy, I began to wonder if I could take matters into my own hands, adding value to US currency by painting on it. In what quickly became addictive, I began painting on singles, and eventually worked my way through twos, fives, and tens, all the way to one hundred dollar bills. In Sally Hemings, the imagined eye of Jefferson’s lover gazes out from a two-dollar bill. In the Nest Egg paintings, broken eggshells and gold leaf echo the oval shape that once framed the portraits of US statesmen. These paintings are, in a sense, collaborations with the various Treasury Secretaries, such as Hank Paulson and Larry Summers, whose signatures adorn the currency. The work raises issues about art and commerce: is a painting on a $100 bill worth more than one on a $5 bill? Is the value of an art object in the artist’s work or the paper it is painted on? Is the currency worth more or less now that it can no longer be spent?

By purchasing this work, the collector becomes part of the Value Added series itself by establishing that the value of a work of art is greater than the materials used to create it. It is my hope that viewers will encourage their congressmen to support the Artist-Museum Partnership Act, which “amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow artists to deduct the fair market value of their work, rather than just the costs of the materials, when they make charitable contributions.” http://museums-now.blogspot.com/2009/04/advocate-let-artists-get-tax-deductions.html

Eden Series + Value Added by Tabitha Vevers, as well as work by Rama Rejman and Elaine Spatz-Rabinowitz is currently on display at the Art Institute of Boston Gallery at University Hall, (Lesley University/Porter Exchange Building), 1815 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.
Opening Reception: Thursday, February 11 from 6-8pm
Exhibition dates: February 4 – March 6, 2010
Gallery Hours: Tues + Wed 12-5pm, Thurs 3-8pm, Fri + Sat 12-5pm

It’s All About the Hamiltons: The 2nd Artists’ Roundtable, sponsored by ARTmorpheus/BCA, will will take place on Wednesday, February 10, from 5:30 to 7:30pm in the Cyclorama, at the Boston Center for the Arts.

These free of charge roundtables provide artists with the opportunity to talk about their professional needs and exchange resources. In addition, each month features a guest presenter. Their co-sponsor for this month’s Roundtable is the Massachusetts Society of CPAs and Susan Dupuis, an income tax consultant and an attorney who will answer your recordkeeping and tax questions.

This roundtable follows their two-session Basic Finance for Artists workshop, which will conclude on Monday, Feb 8. There is no pre-requisite attendance or knowledge for attending the Roundtables. The only thing they request is that if you plan to attend on Feb 10th, please RSVP to beer@artmorpheus.org to ensure adequate seating and consider bringing an edible item to share.

It’s All About the Washingtons: If you’re interested in further honing your business finance knowledge, you may also be interested in registering for and attending Business Finance and Accounting Basics, at the Copley Square main branch of the Boston Public Library on March 23, from 6-8pm. There is no charge for this program. For more information, contact the Boston Regional Office & Minority Business Center at 617-287-7750 or register online.

Image credit: Tabitha Vevers’ VALUE ADDED: Watching II (after Hank Paulson) © 2009 oil on US currency

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For more on Yanik’s work, be sure to visit his Web site.

Image credit: on left, Private Enterprise (2007), Oil on wood construction, 44″ x 33″ x 2 3/4″ On right, Viable Option (2007),
Oil on wood construction, 34″ x 16″ x 2.5″

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Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) invites anyone interested in contemporary art and culture to apply to Conversations about Curating, a free program focused on the critical and practical issues at stake when putting together an exhibition. The first part of the program consists of a series of four lectures/discussions delivered by well-established curators, as well as a roundtable discussion on marketing, budgeting, and producing an exhibition, and a networking session. The application process is via email only. There is no fee to apply. To apply, please submit a concise exhibition outline (250 words or less, no images) and your CV with detailed contact information to millsgallery@bcaonline.org.
Deadline: Applications must be received before February 10, 2010.

Samuell Day Gallery is looking for artists and craftspersons for the 2010 season. Please send pictures to c_samuell@hotmail.com or come by the gallery with work samples between 10 am - 5 pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 4030 Route 6A, Cummaquid.
Deadline: All submissions must be in by March 1.

Call to Artists: LA GALERÍA at Villa Victoria Center for the Arts in Boston ’s South End and Essex Art Center in Lawrence, MA are pleased to announce a Call to Artists for their collaborative juried exhibition project, Exchange, to be mounted simultaneously in each art center in the Fall of 2010. Designed to unite diverse communities of artists and audiences, Exchange encourages visual artists working in innumerable mediums to approach the concept of exchange in just as many ways. Go here for guidelines.
Deadline: March 15, 2010

The Sturgis Library has exhibition space available. Visit online for exhibits and displays and for an application form. 3090 Main Street, Barnstable. For more information call 508-362-8448.

Central Productions has announced their annual open call for submissions to the 9th Annual Boston Cinema Census (BCC) hosted by the Brattle Theatre. The BCC-curated annual showcase of work by local emerging filmmakers, students, professionals, struggling artists, and film enthusiasts. Go here for more information, entry guidelines and forms.
Deadline: February 10, 2010

Image credit: Date: 11.12.1966, Photograph of Astronaut Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., pilot of the Gemini 12 space flight, performs extravehicular activity (EVA) during the second day of the four day mission in space. ID: S66-62939
Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)

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Adam Lampton, (2007 MCC Photography Finalist) has some of his work being shown in and around Boston.

Nothing Serious Can Happen Here
A solo exhibition featuring a selection of work from Macao will be on view at
Carroll and Sons, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA
Feb 23 - March 27
Opening reception on Friday, March 5, 5:30 - 7:30pm

St. Botolph Club
Emerging Artist Grant group exhibition
199 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA
Jan. 19 - Feb. 21
Open to the public on Wednesdays

City of Dreams
A solo exhibition featuring different work from Macao
Montserrat College of Art
Carol Schlosberg Alumni Gallery
23 Essex St., Beverly, MA
Feb. 2 - 27
Opening reception Thursday, Feb., 4 6 - 8pm

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Nibbling on a Call to Artists: The Art Gallery at Bunker Hill Community College has a call for art for its International Women’s History Month 2010 exhibition called Intended Purpose. Submissions for consideration sought from Boston area international women artisans, designers, and crafters, for an exhibit showcasing works in: ceramics/clay, glass, wood, metals, stone, textiles/fabric, fibers, furniture, and light industrial design. Eligible to all women artisans working in New England/Massachusetts, in particular, the Metropolitan Boston area. Works must have been completed since January 2006 and not previously exhibited in more than two shows. Especially seeking women who have immigrated to the U.S./foreign born nationals or international artisans residing in Massachusetts.
For more information, visit www.bhcc.mass.edu, call 617-228-2093 or write: artgallery@bhcc.mass.edu

Big Mouth Strikes Again: Call to Artists: GASP Gallery is currently accepting submissions from emerging artists in the Boston area. The artwork should be of 2D or 3D that would be appropriate for a storefront window space. The work will be displayed in an installation type setting in the store section of the gallery space. The thematic look that we are searching for the winter season, although not specific to one particular holiday. For further information call 617 418 4308 or email galleryinfo@g-a-s-p.net
Deadline: March 1, 2010

Just One More Wafer-Thin Mint: The Art of Applied Design
The DHM Digital Gallery invites designers working with clay, fiber, glass, plastic, metal and/or wood to participate in The Art of Applied Design, an international juried competition. Deadline: July 15, 2010. All submitted works must be functional objects commonly used within interior spaces, such as furnishings (hard or soft), utensils, fixtures, or containers. Objects that are purely decorative are not eligible. Evaluation will be based upon uniqueness and creativity, craftsmanship, and quality of the submitted digital image. The online exhibit (from Sept. 15 to Dec. 1, 2010) will include e-mail addresses of accepted artists to facilitate independent sales of work. Go here for more information.
Deadline: July 15, 2010

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The 2010 MCC Artist Fellowship awards have been selected for Painting, Drawing and Traditional Arts. Applications for the MCC’s Artist Fellowship Program were open to all eligible Massachusetts artists.

A total number of 776 applications were received; 488 in Painting, 266 in Drawing and 22 in Traditional Arts. Get a complete list of this year’s fellows and finalists in these disciplines.

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This just in from Greg Cook over at the New England Journal of Aesthetic Research blog:

I’m writing to ask you to invite your audience to vote in the 2009 New England Art Awards, which I organize via The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research to honor the best art made here and exhibits organized here last year. And I’d like to invite you to vote as well.

To vote, go here: http://gregcookland.com/journal/2010/01/vote-for-2009-new-england-art-awards.html (That webpage also explains how the awards work.)

Winners will be chosen by (1) local active art journalists and (2) anyone else who wants to vote – and will be announced in terms of these two categories of voters. All votes must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, to be counted.

Winners will be announced at the 2009 New England Art Awards Ball at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, at the Burren, 247 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts. The event is free and open to all. Creative attire is encouraged.

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Nothing is ever really black and white, is it.

VSA arts Massachusetts is sponsoring NY Portraits by Gordon Sasaki. NY Portraits is an exhibition of photographs documenting working New York City artists with disabilities. The photographs are currently on exhibit at VSA arts of Massachusetts’ Open Door Gallery at Boston’s NonProfit Center.

Sasaki’s photographs include visual and performance artists, dancers, actors, musicians, filmmakers, and writers.

Gordon Sasaki has exhibited nationally and internationally, including in Belgium, Germany, Japan, and Spain. He has received awards from the Pollock Krasner Foundation, The Puffin Foundation, The New York Foundation for the Arts, the Hawaii State Foundation on Culture and Arts, PX3 de la Photographia in Paris, and the Joan Mitchell Foundation in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Sasaki is a dedicated proponent of inclusion through the arts. He teaches in the education department at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. He also works with VSA arts of Massachusetts in a program preparing educators to use the arts to accomplish the goals of Universal Design for Learning, an approach to instruction that anticipates obstacles to learning such as dyslexia or developmental disability and provides effective alternative ways to accomplish the lesson.

NY Portraits by Gordon Sasaki
Exhibition runs through April 30, 2010
Reception: February 1, 2010: 4PM -7PM
Community Conversation with Gordon Sasaki  on February 1, 2010 at 5:30 PM

Open Door Gallery
89 South Street, Suite 101 in Boston.
617-350-7713 or 617-350-6535 (TTY)
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9-5pm

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Call to Artists: Massasoit Community College Arts Festival is accepting 2-dimensional artwork including photography. Original work only, no reproductions or Giclées. Artwork must be framed, and wired. No saw tooth hangers or clip frames. Maximum framed size 36”x40”. Contact: Ellyn Moller at 781-821-2222 x2124 or emoller@massasoit.mass.edu for more information. DEADLINE: Friday, April 16, 2010

Free Public Art Discussion Series focusing on Boston Area Public Art Grant Opportunities at the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA)
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 from 12:00 P.M. - 1:30 P.M. at 145 Tremont Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA. Questions about this event: Lauren Johnston, Public Art Coordinator at publicart@nefa.org or 617-951-0010 x528.

Call to Artists: The Cape Cod Conservatory’s Falmouth campus seeks artists for our forthcoming exhibit, All About Animals, From Pets to Wildlife! This is a mixed media event. In addition to traditional approaches to depicting the animals around us, they are looking for creative and unusual pieces including sculptural pieces hung from wire or wall mountable. Contact Robin with questions at 508-540-0611.

Call to Theater Artists: The Provincetown Theater and the Playwright’s Lab are compiling an email list of people to be notified of opportunities to participate in future Playwrights’ Festivals or other production opportunities (actors, directors, tech people, etc.). Send the theater your name and email and the area in which you would like to participate. Being on the list does not represent a commitment to participate, but will allow for notifications to be sent to people who want to be involved. Send information to sashaptc@gmail.com or operations@provincetowntheater.com.

Today is election day. Polls close at 8pm. To find out where to vote: http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php And here’s a link to the Constitution of the United States.

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