I feel bad

Today I went to NEXT, Art Chicago, and The Artist Project, and I still need to go back to see more, because there's so much. And that's my point. I think there is too much under one roof, and people might feel overwhelmed and even get desensitized to all the art. I saw the shows I was interested in, but there's also Intuit and the Antiques Fair. Imagine how the people who want to go to all of Artopolis feel: I'm sure they've passed out by now.

I talked briefly with Nicholas Sistler (whose work I recommend--he's in The Artist Project, booth 8-3118) and he said there are a lot of visitors, which is good, but the main complaint from the participants is that there is too much there. I think a booth at The Artist Project is a couple thousand dollars, so unless someone has lots of contacts, it would be hard to break even.

Of course, art is a tough business, but I feel bad for the artists because even if they don't "have" to sell their work and just want to get exposure, the viewers' experience could become numb, dulled, and diluted to the point where it all runs together, and they won't notice what makes people's hard work special.

~Margaret L