Fishbone forum

We've created a forum for the website so that all those who want to talk art, chat nonsense, post notices about upcoming shows, et al, can let the world know. Please join up and make it work - it'll be worth it!

Fishbone Arts Forum

There's a bug going round...

The most difficult hang imaginable, is what it was. Lots of work, each piece of which required its own breathing space and with late entries making an early and relaxing hang a redundant idea. It was all done on time though and on Thursday night a fair few people came through the doors to view the show - not quite so many as we had predicted due to a horribly unpleasant weather front passing through and dousing us all. But Jeff did well with an improvised ciggy shelter from his fishing umbrella, which proved popular with smokers and non smokers alike.

As an open exhibition it was a first for the gallery. We kept the show small so that we could learn from any mistakes without the mistakes costing us dearly - if we had been inundated with submissions then we may have hit some real problems.
As it was we only really had a couple of grumbles - of which one wanted to submit a large number of prints but also wanted to negotiate on the cost of submission - obviously a 'no goer' one rule for all on this one. The other was a different matter in relation to submission fee and commission.

We're not sure where the idea came from that we were renting out wall space - something we have never done, the £10 submission fee was, and will be in the future, an administration fee. It goes someway to paying for publicity, man hours for the hang and hospitality for the private view.
We did our research before deciding to do the open and followed the general theme - most submission fee's varying between £6.00 to £15.00, with commission at around 25-30%. So we, with our £10.00 and 22% (2% percent of that commission walks out of our big red door and makes its way across the road to our principal benefactor - a donation to St Thomas' Church...) can sleep easy in our beds.

It may be the norm' to think that galleries are all out for making a fast buck on artists, if we really wanted to make a quick buck let's face it we really wouldn't have gone into the gallery business. I reckon the bloke selling the Big Issue outside M&S makes more than we do at the moment...

But above all of the stress, we have a great exhibition of photography and that's all that is required. Our thanks go out to all those who have contributed to the show and have made it the success it is.

Judy

Red Spot Submissions today

Red Spot News

We are having no luck on the website front. We don't currently have the software to manipulate the web files and so the exhibitions page is rapidly going off. The only reason we can update the news is because jeff has embedded this blogspot blog in the news page to make it possible to update news from anywhere we might be just by logging in and typing it up and not having to do anything to the actual page at all. He'll send you the code if you ask...

We promised that forms for the Red Spot open and our terms and conditions would be available on the website but it looks like we wont be able to do this now so submittees will have to come along and do the contractual stuff at the gallery. It's not much work, just a quick read through and a couple of signatures.

Red spot Photography Open Exhibition call for Submissions

The Red Spot Photography Open commences this coming weekend with photographers delivering work on Saturday and Sunday. We want to fill the gallery to bursting point with work from all photographers regardless of what it is they do - if they like it enough to submit, then we'll hang it on the wall! So, if you are a photographer and want to have your work in the show, or know a photographer who does, then please come along over the weekend.

There is a handling charge of £10 per submission, but only sensible limits as to size or number of works you can hang. Please have mirror plate fixings attached to the frames at the sides, though other forms of fixing can be accommodated. Also the earlier you come along, the better the wall space you will secure...

Form an orderly queue at the big red door!

Judy

PS. the web stuff is not getting updated because of the problem with puters we've recently had, but, Jeff is working on it

Back in the saddle

You may have noticed a distinct lack of news updates on the website or lack of response to emails sent to us.

We'll, we lost the Mac a fortnight ago, and all the fishbone data went down with it, so we have had no way of communicating for some time. We are a few weeks behind schedule in just about everything and with such a busy month in the offing that's a royal pain, but we have purchased another and will be back in the saddle ASAP.

Thanks for your patience

Jeff