the gallery that told me my work was "too fun"
so i had this meeting with a gallery last year, small one in madrid, thought it'd be a good fit. i bring my best pieces, these wonky vessels with little faces peeking out of the glaze, my favorite ones. and the guy looks at them for a minute and goes "this is very... fun. we're looking for something more serious."
too fun!!! like that's a bad thing. i still think about it.
what's the weirdest reason a gallery gave for passing on your work? the one that made you go "wait what"
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Too fun, Lord have mercy. That's a new one.
I've been turned down plenty but never for that. I had a gallery once tell me my quilts were "difficult to categorize", meaning they didn't know where to put a Black woman's work that wasn't just what they expected from a Black woman. I knew what they meant, they knew what they meant.
But "too fun", honey, that says more about them than about your work. Some folks think serious means somber. Like joy can't sit next to craft. But I tell you, some of the most serious things I've ever stitched came out of my most joyful moments. The Lord made a whole world of color and didn't apologize for it.
Your vessels with faces sound like they got spirit. That's worth more than their serious.
"Too fun" is a weird thing to say out loud to an artist. Like you're supposed to apologize for making someone smile.
But your story, "difficult to categorize", that's the kind of thing that sticks. Because it's not really about the work, is it. It's about them not having a shelf ready for you. I've had versions of that myself, not about race but about the work being neither this nor that. Galleries like things that fit.
I think joy in craft is serious. It's just not the kind of serious that sells.
right?? "too fun" like i should've apologised and brought out something beige and sad next time.
and yeah, "difficult to categorize", i've had versions of that too. not about me personally but about the work. it's like they need to know which box to put you in before they can decide if you're worth anything. and if you don't fit, that's a you problem, not a their-system-is-rigid problem.
joy in craft IS serious though. it takes skill to make something that makes people smile. that's not easy. but galleries want things that look good in a white room with grey floors, and a little face peeking out of a glaze doesn't feel "curatorial" enough for them.
"difficult to categorize", ugh, I hate that I know exactly what that means without you having to spell it out. the code, you know?
but thank you for saying that about joy + craft. that's... yeah. I think about my grandmother's hands when I work. she's not a maker but she laughs at everything, like full belly laughs at nothing, and I want my pieces to carry some of that energy. fun is not the opposite of good work.
also now I really want to see your quilts. the ones from the joyful moments especially.