Oct 10th Meeting Recap and Moving Forward

Hey everyone.

I wanted to take a few moments to recap on the key points discussed during the meeting on Saturday, October 10. Due to outside circumstances, some of you could not attend or arrived after the meeting had started, so I wanted to inform you on what you may have missed.

I realize all of your schedules are extremely busy, so first off I wanted to say thank you for coming to the space and meeting with me, Kate and Orvokki. I appreciate how valuable everyone's time is and know a meeting is not how most of you want to spend a Saturday. :)

Meeting Recap:

The goal of this meeting (as mentioned in the earlier blog entries) was to acquaint yourselves with the folks at Future Tenant, observe the space, and ask any questions you may have had regarding your pieces being exhibited. It was also a chance for you to meet some of the other participating artists.

The meeting itself was relatively informal in structure. As I mentioned earlier, I realize that a few of you came a little later to the meeting and missed Kate and Ovrokki's initial address at 2 p.m. They provided a rundown of the constraints and facts integral to displaying your art at Future Tenant. A handout of these facts was given to all the artists. I am not sure if all of you received it, so I am listing it here:

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Future Tenant Facilities Constraints and Factoids

As of 08/2009

The building at 819 Penn Ave. which currently houses Future Tenant is a space donated for use by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.  The building was originally slated for demolition.  There has been construction done in order to make it a suitable gallery space, however there are some issues which need to be considered when installing works.

• The original walls were concrete.  The walls in the space are constructed with 1/4" drywall secured to firring strips.  This means that the only thing holding pieces up is a regular-strength piece of gypsum.  Anything heavier than 5lbs. will not be supported and will pull out the dry wall.  This has been addressed by copper pipes that can be installed or removed at the top of the wall in order to support weight.  These pipes can be added or removed accordingly.

• Please keep in mind that even oversized 2D works that are framed become heavy, so if pieces are really large its best if the glass from the frame is removed.

• There are two columns in the space that are concrete.  If you're comfortable and have the availability to drill into concrete, feel free and patch when you're done.  You can patch with regular spackle, as long as look the same its fine.

• Please be aware that using screws in the walls pulls the plaster out with removal.  We really appreciate if you are using screws that you sand and patch the walls to the position that they were in when you'd arrived.  We'll take care of normal nail-hole patching.

• The track lights cannot support weight, and the tin ceiling is not very secure, so it is not weight-bearing as well.  However, large pieces can be supported by the walls on either side toward the top of the wall.  If you want something to hang from the ceiling, we can help you troubleshoot this ceiling issue.

• The balcony has been renovated so that it can assist in installation.  However, the plywood is only 1/2" so
it's not really load bearing, so stuff like DJ equipment would be too much weight.  For general usage
though, it's fine.  Just be careful of the pipes, as they are the water pipes from the bathroom.

• No holes in the floors, that's a no-brainer.  And no one can use or get in the elevator, because it is a death trap.

• The neon sign in the window can't be moved, feel free to work around it.  Also, nothing in the window can be more lewd than PG-13, as innocent children often find themselves on the sidewalk.  Go nuts in the back of the space, we don't dig censorship.

• We have tools that can be used for installation.  Although not of the best quality, they get the job done.  Please let us know what your needs are in terms of installation tools and we'll get you what you need.  Please don't steal anything.

• Please don't install anything that would be a hazard to the general public, as kids/crazy people often try to touch stuff or bump into stuff. Electricity + water do not mix.

• Sorry, but nobody's allowed in the basement.  Or upstairs.  You don't want to go there anyway, actually.

If you have any questions about installation, or concerns about your piece, please let us know.  The more time we have to troubleshoot issues the more we can help you.  All staff members are full-time students, so the earliest you can let us know when you need help installing the more we can work with our schedules.

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After their initial words, we broke off and I spoke with each of you individually or alongside Kate and Ovrokki. Hopefully between the three of us, we addressed any questions or concerns in you may have had concerning displaying your art. I had a lot on my mind by way of putting the show together and getting any info you might need from the curators at Future Tenant and I may have not addressed everything you had concerns about, so If you still feel you require some further clarification or have additional questions please do not hesitate to ask.

While there, I hope you got a chance to review the space somewhat. I know it is difficult to decipher placement of your piece where there is existing art inhabiting the space. Please let me know if you had an idea of where in the venue you would like to see your art displayed or if you have any additional concerns regarding your piece and its positioning. I am not promising any one person any particular place along the walls, but if I can accommodate your wishes I will. I am going to start mapping things out relatively soon. With all the projected art I want to make sure things are "set up" aesthetically and acoustically sound.

Speaking of aesthetics, If you have in mind any other ideas for the look and feel of the entire exhibit space, please drop me a line. Especially in relation to your piece, i.e. painting the wall a particular color behind your art. Bear in mind we will have some typography stenciled on the walls furthermore enhancing the notion of "electronic text" communication. My intention is to keep the space a black and white motif because text in its purest form is black on white. Please let me know any additional thoughts you may have.

Lastly, I discussed the title of the exhibit with the Kate And Ovrokki. We decided upon Do You Understand?: Communication Through Technology. Again, if any of you have anything catchier let me know, otherwise this is the title.

In addition to this blog entry, I will be sending some of you individual email follow ups to information we discussed on Saturday, so please look for that as well.