Why the Glass Philanthropy
Next week I’m going to meet with the Mt. Vernon Arts Commission to ask them if they’re interested in a glass donation for one or more of their public buildings. Back a quarter century ago I offered to put a mural for the front of their new train station, cold-called the mayor and was politely shown the door. Until he looked later at my website. We met again and I gave them that donation in the front of the station.
This will be another cold-call, foot-in-the-door sales pitch. The question I’m expecting, assuming that door isn’t quickly slammed shut, is Why? Here’s what I plan to say:
A long time back I taught myself how to play the banjo. For awhile I only played for myself but eventually we started a band on the island, the South End String Band. The Grange Hall on our end of the island was going broke so when they asked us to help we held a Save the Grange concert and dinner one rainy night in February of 2004. 700 people came to that gig. We didn’t make a dime, just gave it all to the Grange. We repeated that for years.
After that we played all kinds of benefits. The Historical Society, the Fire Museum, the Senior Centers, folks who needed surgeries and didn’t have health insurance, the new State Park and one new County Park, various fundraisers, you name it, we were glad to play for an audience for gratis. Beat playing in a crummy bar.
Glass was the same. Self-taught. I never expected to make it a career, just a way to replace the plastic in the windows of my old shack. But it’s an expensive hobby, or addiction as it turned out, so I started taking commissions for residentials clients, then fell into public art. Better than doing windows for customers wanting a privacy screen for their bathroom window.
Public art is a blood sport. To compete, you need a resume and you need a body of past work. Back in the beginning I donated fairly large murals to Senior Centers, fires stations, Visitor Centers, the Skagit Station, the chapel in the Skagit hospital, libraries, NOAH animal shelter and plenty more, each one a potential leg up to compete nationally for large scale projects.
Like musicians, artists, most of us anyway, do not get rich. We just want the next gig, the next commission, the next project. We just want to be heard. We just want to be seen.
So if you’re wondering why I’m here tonight offering to put glass in any of your city’s public buildings gratis, that’s my best explanation. I have the time and too much glass. They’ll both expire eventually … but until they do, I want to keep creating art. Thanks for considering my offer.
Tags: Free Art, Glass Philanthropy Explained, Not Many Rich Artists