2004-10-01

Art is expensive to make. Art is not as expensive to buy. Considering that this is true—and it is—we can see that someone loses money in the art universe. And, it's not the buyer—it's the artist.

Tonight is a perfect example of this. (Although tonight is not the only example for me lately. Every other day and night have been pretty wonderful examples of this phenomenon.)

Tonight is when my art opening is supposed to be. That is, if it happens. See, the entire city where my show is supposed to take place was hit by a massive power outage this afternoon, leaving 48,000 people without electricity. Press releases say that power should be restored within a few hours, but nobody can know for sure.

If the show happens and I sell every piece of art I have on the walls (45 pieces last time I counted) then I will not lose money. But, that's not terribly likely—power or not.

But, I really hope people will be able to attend the party I created in my mind—the party I architected for this place on this evening.

There will be whiskey sours for 100 people. There will be a backdrop where I will be taking portraits of all the guests. There will be a raffle where you can win some of my art. There will be DJ Tollef Biggs rocking the tunes.

So, let's take a look at what it costs to make an art show like this happen.

Printing, mounting, matting, framing of 45 prints: $600
Materials to hang the art on the walls: $120
Promotional materials: $50
Food and alcohol for the reception: $110
Equipment rental for event: $40

So, I've spent over $900 so far. Now what?

I guess I'll just hang out here and hope for the power to return!


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