AUGUST, 2013 - DECEMBER, 2013
The Believe Me Art Show was a juried exhibition in which myself and six other students were a part of. For our class "Artists as Curators" (fall 2013), we had an entire semester to put together an art exhibition; it could be whatever we wanted. The only rule we had was that it had to be within the last two weeks of the semester, and we were not allowed to include artwork of our own, or any other UW Madison students or faculty. After tossing around plenty of ideas, we decided to keep the show very open minded, in which we would ask the artists what they wanted to present and show to viewers, instead of us defining that idea. We gathered all of our contacts, and throughout the semester sent out mass "Call for Art" emails and fliers to up to 400 contacts. We received a total of 17 pieces, in which we put up in our reserved gallery space on campus. Our curator's statement was:
"We all believe in something. Whether it is religion, music, unicorns, or new curiosities. Beliefs subtly define each individual, giving them something to trust in and feel passionately about. Everybody wants to tell others about their beliefs and passions, convincing them to become believers as well. 'Believe Me' gives that chance to individuals to express their beliefs in a comfortable space: a space where no one judges, but only imagines. In this show, the variety of viewpoints presented plants new ideas and thoughts in each viewer's brain, provoking questioning their own beliefs. In this exhibition, all beliefs are real, and each belief is treated equally."
Every viewer that came to our closing reception we called a "believer", and we decided to include them all as well. At the end of the gallery exhibition space, we placed a large poster board with many sharpies, asking them, "What do you believe?" Everyone who attended could choose to write their own belief; we received responses varying from satanism to a balanced diet to red lipstick. Including the viewers in on this was a huge aspect for us as a team, and it was very successful in letting each person define themselves and their beliefs individually.
As the Believe Me team, we each had different jobs to execute to make the show possible. I personally wrote the curator's statement for the show, as well as participated in the logo and "look" of the show. I also was in charge of planning the layout of the exhibition; in which I had to present each "belief" in their own space and let them all flow together, inviting each viewer and their thoughts.
